Coronavirus: Scotland’s chief medical officer resigns over lockdown journeys

Scotland’s chief medical officer has resigned after making two journeys to her second dwelling throughout the coronavirus lockdown.

Dr Catherine Calderwood had apologised for her actions, and initially stated she deliberate to proceed within the function.

She was backed by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who stated Dr Calderwood had made a mistake however ought to keep in her job.

However Dr Calderwood launched a press release afterward Sunday saying she had stop.

She stated she had performed so after talking once more to the primary minister, and had agreed along with her that the “justifiable focus” on her actions risked distracting from the pandemic response.

Dr Calderwood had earlier been given a police warning for breaking the lockdown guidelines after the Scottish Solar printed pictures taken on Saturday of her and her household visiting Earlsferry in Fife – greater than an hour’s drive from her primary household dwelling in Edinburgh.

The chief medical officer had fronted TV and radio adverts urging the general public to remain at dwelling to avoid wasting lives and defend the NHS, and took half in day by day televised media briefings alongside Ms Sturgeon.

Dr Calderwood issued an apology on Sunday morning and stated she didn’t need her “mistake” to distract from the steering on social distancing.

She later admitted throughout a televised press briefing that she had additionally made one other go to to the property in Fife final weekend along with her husband, however insisted she can be remaining in her put up.

Ms Sturgeon stated repeatedly throughout the briefing that she needed Dr Calderwood to stay in her function as her experience was “invaluable” throughout the coronavirus disaster.

The primary minister introduced afterward Sunday that Dr Calderwood wouldn’t be be attending any extra briefings “for the foreseeable future” and would now not be the face of the coronavirus public data marketing campaign.

However she stated Dr Calderwood would proceed to supply scientific and medical recommendation to the Scottish authorities on the unfold of the virus.

‘Additional dialog’

Dr Calderwood then launched one other assertion at about 22:00, by which she stated she was “deeply sorry for my actions and the errors I’ve made” and confirmed she was standing down because the nation’s chief medical officer.

She added: “The primary minister and I’ve had an additional dialog this night and we’ve got agreed that the justifiable concentrate on my behaviour dangers turning into a distraction from the massively vital job that authorities and the medical occupation has to do in getting the nation via this coronavirus pandemic.

“Having labored so laborious on the federal government’s response, that’s the very last thing I would like.”

She additionally stated she would work to make sure a easy transition to her successor.

Ms Sturgeon stated it was “clear” that Dr Calderwood’s mistake “dangers distracting from and undermining confidence within the authorities’s public well being message at this significant time.

“That’s not a threat both of us is prepared to take.”

The primary minister added that the “very severe mistake” made by Dr Calderwood shouldn’t detract from her “extremely helpful contribution to the medical occupation and to well being in Scotland”.

Police Scotland Chief Constable Iain Livingstone stated officers had visited Dr Calderwood and issued a warning about her conduct.

Mr Livingstone stated “https://www.bbc.co.uk/”The authorized directions on not leaving your house with no cheap excuse apply to everybody.

“Social distancing is the important thing intervention to curtail the unfold of coronavirus and it’s important that the directions are adopted to guard one another, take pressure from the NHS and save lives.

“People should not make private exemptions bespoke to their very own circumstances.”

Dr Calderwood was appointed as Scotland’s chief medical officer in March 2015.

A former nationwide director for maternity and ladies’s well being at NHS England, she was a number one medical knowledgeable within the inquiry into maternity care at Morecambe Bay.

Her deputy is Dr Gregor Smith, a GP and former medical director for main care in NHS Lanarkshire.

Scottish Conservative chief Jackson Carlaw described Dr Calderwood’s resolution to face down as “embarrassing and inevitable”.

Scottish Labour’s well being spokeswoman Monica Lennon stated Ms Sturgeon ought to have “nipped this within the bud” earlier.