Scotland has been warned Covid restrictions may need to be reintroduced following the Cop26 Climate Conference in Glasgow later this month.
As many as 30,000 people are expected to travel to the UN summit between October 31 and November 12, but there are fears they may bring more than just ideas for how to tackle climate change with them.
Professor Devi Sridhar, who is a scientific advisor to Nicola Sturgeon, has said she believes the 13-day event will lead to an increase in Covid-19 cases and put further pressure on the health service.
She has said if cases do rise ‘further restrictions’ may have to be introduced.
Prof Sridhar, who sits on the Scottish Government’s Covid-19 advisory group, tweeted the warning in response to a question about whether Cop26 will make the Covid situation in Scotland worse and lead to new curbs on freedoms.
The professor of global public health at Edinburgh University wrote: ‘I could be wrong (and hope I am) but yes.
‘A mass event (with major movement of people in & out) with an infectious virus will cause an increase in cases.
‘While in the case of COVID will put stress on limited health services. Which triggers need for further restrictions.’
Cop26 is being held at the Scottish Event Campus, and will see representatives from 200 countries meet to discuss how to cut emissions by 2030.
Prof Sridhar’s comments echo those of another Scottish Government adviser, Professor Linda Bauld, who said last week that holding the large-scale event is ‘risky’.
Prof Bauld told Times Radio: ‘Yes, I am worried about a Glaswegian spike, and I’m not worried just about Glasgow. The central belt is interconnected.
‘And we’re seeing declines here but we may not be able to hang on to those gains.
‘We’re trying to open up and everything’s trying to operate more normally.
‘Everybody’s delighted to be able to go to the cinema or a concert or have more people in their homes.
‘This is hard-won progress thanks to vaccines and other things. But having huge mass events at the moment, I think it is risky.’
In response to Prof Sridhar’s tweet, Scottish Labour health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said: ‘Whilst not entirely surprising, it is nevertheless troubling to hear Professor Sridhar warn of a potential spike in cases as a result of Cop26 taking place in Glasgow.
‘Covid cases are already far too high and lives are being lost.
‘If we are to prevent cases spiking, and the inevitable additional pressure that would put on our NHS, we need the SNP Government to speed up the sluggish rollout of the booster jab and ensure the NHS has surge capacity.
‘It is not good enough to wait for cases to spike before taking action. The Health Secretary must act, and act now.’
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton called for the Scottish Government to set out what ‘proactive measures’ in place citing a spike in cases experienced in Cornwall following the G7 in June.
He said: ‘With experts like Professor Sridhar already warning of the risk, there is no excuse for the Health Secretary to be taken by surprise. He should move to support our NHS now.’
The calls come as Glasgow and the SNP are already under pressure to make a success of hosting Cop26 amid refuse worker and train driver strikes and a lack of accommodation.
Cleaning and refuse members of the GMB Union have confirmed they will be striking from November 1, the first full day of the summit, until November 8.
While ScotRail members of the RMT union have said they will strike from November 1 to 12, almost the entire duration of the conference.
The strikes have been called a ‘major embarrassment for the SNP’ by Graham Simpson MSP, Scotlands Conservative shadow transport minister.
There is also a lack of accommodation in the city, with some conference attendees reportedly being forced to book accommodation up to 130 miles away.
One Whitehall source told the Telegraph: ‘Embassies and businesses have been getting in touch with the Government because they are unable to get hotel rooms. It’s a massive problem.
‘Some of them have resorted to staying in England and commuting to Glasgow because there’s just nowhere to stay in Glasgow. We have heard of people deciding to stay as far away as Newcastle.’
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