Move over Oxford-AstraZeneca and Pfizer – there’s a new gig in town. Last week medics working from Glasgow’s SSE Hydro administered the first dose of the latest covid jag to be approved for use in the UK.
But, how long do we have to wait before its Madonna rather than Moderna topping the bill at Scotland’s biggest indoor entertainment venue?
As the nights get longer, but not necessarily warmer, more restrictions are easing to allow the Scottish economy to open back up. Today most of Scotland’s secondary schools will return, allowing teenagers working towards national qualifications to knuckle down.
Restrictions on travel were relaxed on Friday so people can now meet up in larger groups outdoors. Other restrictions around hospitality and retail are expected to be eased from 26 April, but questions remain over the future for large scale events – most of which have been completely halted for over a year.
A major factor, which hangs over the head of the sector, is the uncertainty over physical distancing and the restrictions on the amount of people allowed to gather. Enhanced hygiene practices and the requirement for staggered access and exit points, which may simply be unfeasible for many historic venues, are also big factors.
The world’s biggest arts event, the Edinburgh Festivals, went on hiatus last year. For some local residents of our fair capital, it was a chance to let the streets recover. However the local economy took a hit. In 2015 it was estimated the average visitor, performer or supporter spent £195 each in Auld Reekie. Latest figures suggest the Edinburgh Fringe Festival alone is worth about £1bn to Scotland.
Fringe bosses say time is running out to get acts booked for this August without clarity. Organisers of the more highbrow, Edinburgh International Festival, say they will return this summer with plans for three massive outdoor structures to stage shorter shows, with no intervals. The organisers say they remain optimistic, despite continued cancellation of other events.
Last week organisers of the famous Braemar Gathering, which has been running since 1832, pulled the plug for the second year in a row. The highland games event includes iconic competitions like caber tossing and hammer throwing – all taking place in the great outdoors. However all that fresh Royal Deeside air was still not deemed a sufficient enough safety mitigation to allow the Royal Family, and other fans of tug-of-war, back to Braemar. Organisers say they must put the wellbeing of the community, visitors and volunteers first while uncertainty remains over the spread of covid.
Industry leaders have called on the Scottish Government for more clarity and quickly. The Chief Executive of EventScotland, Paul Bush says clear guidance is “critical” for the events industry in Scotland.
One tool that has been discussed is the prospect of so-called Vaccine Passports. Mr Bush says, “There’s no doubt they could offer a quicker way back for events.” The passport scheme could mean you get a physical record of vaccination history, whether you have recently tested negative or if you have natural immunity following Covid illness. It would allow venues to receive bookings with more confidence over transmission risks.
It is being trialled in England and the Scottish Government say the findings will be closely monitored to see how they could apply here. While their introduction remains controversial, surely anything that helps venues get back to business is a good thing.
As the entertainment sector awaits clarity, many organisers still remain hopeful. While the heyday of festivals like T in the Park, at its legendary Balado site, were toast before Covid – the same organisers also run the popular TRNSMT in the heart of Glasgow.
Originally scheduled for July it has been pushed back to September to give them more prep time to put on the large scale event at Glasgow Green. We may be up against an older adversary by then, the Scottish weather.
However first things first, before Scotland can upscale to the major events – small scale regular pleasures like the cinema or even indoors in the pub, are first in line to see if the vaccination programme has had an impact.
A trip to the pictures, an indoor concert, the theatre, or a comedy club should be possible from 17 May, in some form, with greater audience numbers potentially being permitted from June. However as we have seen, with the unpredictable world we now inhabit, I’ll be waiting with bated breath to see if it’s curtain up or whether it remains closing time.
It’s fantastic news that lockdown rules have now eased south of the border, with pubs, restaurants and non-essential retail welcoming customers following months of closure.
Here in Scotland, however, we are cautiously easing out of lockdown at a slower pace. Pubs, bars and retail are still closed and aren’t due to open until a provisional date of 26th April. On the next review date of 20 April, it will be decided if hospitality venues are allowed to open up inside from 26 April, and what the restrictions will be.
While public health and safety is of course the priority, the delay in easing restrictions north of the border has been widely criticised by business leaders who insist it’s currently safe to open.
According to hospitality and tourism chiefs, waiting two weeks before reopening will come at a cost to Scotland’s economy of a whopping £20 million.
I sympathise with hospitality business owners in Scotland – it’s difficult to watch colleagues embracing a restart south of the border, when the rules remain unclear here.
Not only is this costing the economy, the uncertainty around reopening is putting strain on business owners, as there’s no clear regulation in place despite the opening date being less than two weeks away.
I hope that a reopen date is confirmed soon, to provide greater clarity and allow companies to formulise a plan that both follows Government regulations and ensures that they can kick start their business once again.
If not, it will continue to impact businesses bottom line, staff and the wider economy. It may even encourage some Scots to break travel restrictions and head south for an elusive pint or a retail fix.
It Made Me Laugh
You know what they say, love knows no bounds. But for the so-called ‘Jetski Romeo’ – who was jailed after jetting across the Irish Sea to visit his lover in Isle of Mann during lockdown – love knows no travel bans.
Dale McLaughlan made headlines in December after he was caught making the 27-mile journey from Scotland to visit his then girlfriend, Jessica Radcliffe – breaking strict COVID-19 lockdown rules that were in place at the time.
Now, however, it seems the ill-fated romance has hit choppy waters, as Dale and Jessica are said to have split just months after he risked his life to visit her.
This bizarre tale is just one of many from last year – I still can’t quite believe it ever happened. I just only hope he kept the receipt for the £5,000 jetski.
It Made Me Weep
I was saddened by the news that Babcock is to cut 1,000 jobs in the UK, with many jobs at risk here in Scotland.
The international defence giant revealed mammoth write downs of £1.7bn and plans to sell off a raft of its businesses last week. It forms part of a turnaround plan which will simplify the business and raise at least £400m from the sale of assets over the next year.
This announcement comes following a difficult few years for the shipbuilding giant, but bosses at Babcock hope that through the self-help actions, the company will return to strength without the need for an equity issue.
The news comes just as the world is beginning to reopen and rebuild from the hardships of the pandemic. It’s very sad to hear that so many jobs will be affected.
