Lockdown exit measures could be piloted in island communities, suggests MP Michael Gove

THERE are opportunities in island communities to trial measures like contact tracing in a relaxation of lockdown measures, according to senior UK cabinet minister Michael Gove.

The MP said he felt that islands could potentially “pilot some measures – contact tracing in particular”.

Gove, however, told a meeting of the Public Administration and Constitutional Committee on Wednesday that he believes things should be done as “one United Kingdom”.

Calls have been made locally for places like Shetland to act as a pilot for relaxing lockdown restrictions, with a return to testing, tracing and isolating.

Politicians representing the Northern Isles have all encouraged the Scottish Government to explore its options on the issue.

Speaking about relaxing restrictions on a regional basis, Cabinet Office minister Gove said: “My own personal view is that it’s preferable that we do it as one United Kingdom.

“But there is a specific scientific justification for saying that island communities can be areas where you can pilot some measures – contact-tracing in particular – in order to combine that with relaxing measures at a progressively greater rate. And that can help you judge what is right for the country overall.

“Different European countries are adopting regional variation – my belief is, overall, it’s better if we do it as one United Kingdom but there are specific opportunities in island communities to conduct trials.”

Gove said the issue of Scottish islands was a matter for the Scottish Government.

Professor Jason Leitch, who is a the national clinical director for the Scottish Government, told BBC Radio Shetland on Wednesday that officials were not in a position at this moment in time to consider regional variances due to the “curve” of Covid-19.

However, he said Shetland would be in a good position to test, track and isolate in the future – a strategy that could be “simpler” to do in smaller, rural areas.

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“We’re so worried about the reproduction number [of Covid-19] going above one that we’re going to have to be very careful,” he said.

“But I think you have a point, and that point is being made by the islands minister and by the health minister around what we do both with sectors of business but also with regional distribution of what we do next.”