CBI Scotland responds to Covid economic reopening plan

Tracy Black, CBI Scotland Director, said:

“Businesses understand the need to embed vaccine progress and are relieved to avoid a return to damaging stop-start restrictions – with a path to normal trading finally visible.

“Irreversibility rather than speed is the key concern for firms that hope they are now in the home straight.

“There will undoubtedly be some dismay from hard-hit hospitality, leisure and tourism firms that will endure continued restrictions on capacity and operations into July, and the announcement brings into sharp relief the need to better support an international travel sector that’s so important to Scotland’s economy.

“Above all, it’s good to see the Scottish Government taking tangible steps towards living with the virus. Using vaccination coverage as a key data point, alongside long-term hospitalisations and deaths, is a welcome step forward. However, a lack of support for workplace testing remains a key gap in promoting recovery.

“Businesses will welcome the additional guidance provided by the Scottish Government on the future of social distancing measures. By better understanding how measures will impact operations in the weeks ahead, many firms can take crucial decisions that will help them trade their way to recovery – particularly as business support cliff edges hove into view.”