COVID has cast a long shadow over Scotland. Its legacy will continue to affect future generations. We still don’t know the full extent of its impact but the picture we have is grim.
4 Nicola Sturgeon during one of her daily coronavirus press briefings Credit: AFP 4 The first lockdown caused a serious recession - and highlighted existing weaknesses that have long been ignored Credit: Getty 4 The economic impact caused by the Covid lockdowns was unprecedented Credit: Alamy The first lockdown caused a serious recession and while subsequent lockdowns were less severe, the economic impact was unprecedented. The economy bounced back quickly and reasonably well though continues to underperform. Working from home, introduced during lock down as a convenience, has created expectations that this should be the norm with mixed views amongst employers.
But there has been no bounce back from Covid across public services. The pandemic highlighted existing weaknesses that have been long ignored. Despite numerous warnings dating back many years, the Scottish Government’s tendency to manage decline and focus on presentation and communication meant that these weaknesses were cruelly exposed and at enormous cost.
Robert Black, Scotland’s late Auditor General, amongst many others, had been warning that there had been under-investment in our public institutions, including hospitals, over fifteen years ago. Expert voices were expressing deep concerns at the lack of preparedness from the outse.
