TSSA response to Nicola Sturgeon’s Omicron announcement

TSSA today responded to Nicola Sturgeon’s announcement on the surge in Omicron cases in Scotland by urging Boris Johnson to reintroduce the furlough scheme.

The surge in Omicron cases has caused 60 ScotRail services to be cancelled today, and many staff at an A&E unit in Lanarkshire are isolating. Jason Leitch, National Clinical Director for Scotland stated that Omicron’s attack rate is 50% meaning that one covid positive person could infect 50 out of a hundred people in a single room.

TSSA General Secretary Manuel Cortes said, “The Omicron variant will soon become not only the dominant variant in Scotland but in the whole of Britain. It’s more contagious than any covid variant we have seen. We must act now to contain it.

“Sturgeon’s intervention today reinstating ten-day isolation on contact with the virus was welcome. But we are one island and to fight off the Omicron variant we need Britain-wide action. That’s why Boris Johnson needs to immediately reinstate the furlough scheme so businesses can send non-essential staff home without loss of income. This isn’t just about cancelling Christmas parties anymore, it’s about saving lives!”