The campaign to beat the pandemic

Zero Covid Scotland launch statement

Zero Covid, the broad-based grassroots campaign across Britain to eliminate Covid-19, is pleased to announce the formation of a campaign for a ‘Zero Covid Scotland’.

Here is a statement of the aims of the Zero Covid Scotland campaign:

The only way of stopping this epidemic in Scotland is by adopting and sticking to a virus elimination strategy, a strategy known as ‘Zero Covid’. It is simple common sense.

Why do we need a Zero Covid Strategy?

• A Zero Covid strategy saves lives and protects health.
• A Zero Covid Strategy protects everyone.
• A Zero Covid strategy protects jobs and livelihoods.

What we need for Zero Covid Scotland

• Tight lockdown across Scotland to eliminate community transmission, including closing all workplaces which are not essential, and making essential workplaces safe for workers.
• Use the time bought by lockdown to put in place an effective and adequately resourced Find, Test, Trace, Isolate & Support system, entirely within NHS Scotland/local government, ending all outsourcing.
• Continue with travel restrictions within Scotland and between Scotland and other parts of the UK. Make quarantine for all UK arrivals compulsory, practically easy and affordable. Public health screening at all ports of entry.
• Provide all people asked to isolate with the full financial, practical and emotional support they need to make isolation possible for them. In practice this means that people should be no worse off financially if required to self-isolate, and be offered alternative accommodation if they are unable to isolate under their current living conditions.
• Compensate those affected by lockdown and put an end to the ‘Covid profiteering’ and the rising social inequality that is marring so many lives.
• Recognise that, while vaccination is an essential part of getting out of the pandemic, in the longer term, due to the possibility of continuing transmission and new variations, vaccination needs to be combined with the other elements of Zero Covid above.

We will work with all community organisations, political parties and trade unions in support of this strategy.

Our Demands

We call on the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government to adopt a Zero Covid strategy immediately and to stick to it single-mindedly.

We call on Local Authorities across Scotland to close all unsafe workplaces immediately and work closely with trade unions to implement an alert system for workers’ concerns over safety.

We call on Westminster MPs and the UK government to provide the necessary financial resources to the Scottish Government to implement Zero Covid and to work productively across all parts of the UK with the devolved governments.

Choose Zero Covid Scotland

Last summer, Covid was virtually eliminated from Scotland. Australia had similar rates of infection, but life there is now back to normal, as in New Zealand and China. We can do it too if we follow a Zero Covid strategy. Across the world there is a movement to demand Zero Covid as the alternative. Let’s choose a Zero Covid Scotland for a life without lockdown.

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Zero Covid Scotland will hold a launch meeting on Saturday 13 March – details to follow