Weekly Poll – COVID-19: Latest COVID-19 Restrictions (Week Beginning 12 October 2020)

Each week Disability Equality Scotland send out a poll question to our members on a topical issue.  For the week beginning 12 October 2020, we asked a question about Latest COVID-19 Restrictions.

Results

Question Do you have any concerns about the latest COVID-19 restrictions? 

  • YES – 57% (26 respondents)
  • NO – 43% (20 respondents)

Comments

Respondents identified the following main themes and key concerns.  We provide verbatim comments where appropriate to illustrate strength of feeling or personal experience.

Compliance

Concerns were raised about members of the public who are failing to follow the current guidelines to stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). Some respondents are worried that failure to comply will lead to further restrictions in the months to come.

“Will folk obey the new rules? That is the problem – so many are not adhering to the rules and those who do are the ones who are suffering in isolation.”

“Too many people are not following the guidance now.”

“People are getting fed up with the situation and don’t bother anymore.”

“My concerns are less about the clarity of the information (although the lack of consistency in messaging across the four nations does not help) but more about the lack of compliance.”

“Many people are clearly not doing as told or advised to stop the spread of this virus and are literally doing as they want, when and where they want with no regard for the consequences of their actions or the health of others.”

“People are not following the guidance now and getting complacent. People think only older and disabled people will get the virus, but their irresponsible behaviour will result in it spreading to their family and friends and beyond.”

“What about the existing restrictions e.g. physical distancing? Some people are still physical distancing, others are not. It seems some people have stopped physical distancing or maybe haven’t been distancing at any point.”

Shielding and Isolation

People who were in the shielding category are concerned by the prospect of another lockdown. It is important that people who are at greater risk of becoming seriously ill from COVD-19, continue to receive support.

“I have been really anxious about going out after shielding and to me this is a sign that we are going back into full lockdown and I don’t have enough support to do that again.”

“I have concerns, very serious ones, about disabled people who are unable to attend group sessions which are often their only outlet eg. Chest Heart and Stroke; Probus; church or anything that requires more than a handful of people. Already cut off from society makes this a bane of someone’s life re: isolation.”

“The damage that is being done to peoples mental health is non reversable.”

Communication

A portion of respondents believed that greater clarity is needed with regards to the new restrictions, to help alleviate any confusion. At Disability Equality Scotland, we host the Inclusive Communication Hub (www.inclusivecommunication.scot) a website that is dedicated to providing guidance on how to make information more accessible.

“There are rules in one large part of Scotland and rules for the rest, but people get confused about what they should do. It should be the same for the whole country.”

“It is still not clear of those who receive non-live-in care or need general emotional support are exempt from the 2-household rule. Disabled people have been forgotten through this pandemic, so we deserve a bit of clarity in relation to where we stand.”

Employment

With greater restrictions in place, some respondents raised concerns about the impact on employment and the risk of job losses.

“My son has now lost his job as he was in hospitality.”

“I do worry about redundancies”.

“It is going too far with restrictions and it is just asking for a catastrophic economic recession worse than in 2008/09”

Conclusion

Just over half of respondents (57%) were concerned by the latest COVID-19 restrictions. Concerns were raised about ongoing compliance of the latest guidelines, with a number of respondents believing that greater restrictions will be enforced if the general public do not comply. People at greater risk of becoming seriously ill of COVID-19 feared the prospect of another full lockdown. It is vital that key public health messages are delivered in a clear and concise manner to reduce confusion. Respondents raised concerns about job losses due to the impact of COVID-19 on the economy.

Disability Equality Scotland, October 2020