Originally Posted by
KARFA
I think from a purely practical point of view (and I am desperately trying not to be political) it would have been better if at least the international travel rules were set on a UK wide basis. At various points the four parts of the UK have had different rules in terms of entry and I think this has caused unnecessary confusion and not resulted in any positive benefits.
Whilst there are differing levels of approval towards different leaders' handling of the last 2 years, I would be more interested in whether those different approaches have been better for outcomes - both in relation to health and balancing against the other wider societal considerations.
Local restrictions were tried throughout 2020 when areas of high infection occurred, so it is hard to suggest we should have always had uniform domestic restrictions within the UK. However, I do think the various points when some parts of the UK have made it a offence to cross from one part to another were unnecessary and have been corrosive to the unity of the UK.
When, for quite a few months, we were legally forbidden from driving beyond our council borders in Scotland, surely then it's also fair enough to stop intra-uk travel to and from here? In such a scenario, it's fair enough. And if a regional covid approach is being used, it's again fair enough to say England has rates far too high compared to Scotland so it, like other countries, ends up in the naughty list.
And of course keep in mind that for certain govts within the UK, promoting less cohesion within the UK is actually a priority rather than anything negative.