EVERYONE knows how horrendous this pandemic is. Everyone probably knows at least someone who’s fallen ill or died given that the number of deaths attributed to coronavirus in the UK is now over 100,000. And everyone (or almost everyone) is willing to make changes to their lives to help combat the virus and get back to normal as soon as possible.
But everyone – I would have thought – also wants to see the personal, economic, and emotional damage of the restrictions kept to a minimum. Over the last year or so, I’ve spoken regularly to some of the people and businesses that have been affected by the shutdowns and, while it’s been amazing to see them adapt quickly (sometimes moving their entire businesses online in a matter of days), it’s also been distressing to see them losing their jobs, their incomes, and in some cases, their mental well-being.
The people I’ve spoken to – every single one of them – recognise the seriousness of the situation (and in some cases they’ve lost people to the virus), but they’re also frustrated by the lack of consistency in the rules. Specifically, it’s been upsetting for them to see big firms like Amazon, or the supermarkets, staying open all the way through and raking it in while smaller businesses have been forced to close. All they’re asking for is consistency and fairness. And they’re not getting it. Even now.
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Take McLaren's Nurseries for instance. I first spoke to them last April, and at the time they were doing the best they could: the shop, near Barrhead, was shut but they were making deliveries to recoup some of the lost business. Then the Scottish Government seemed to see sense and allowed them to reopen before the tier system was introduced. Not only was it a recognition from government that it made a mistake in closing places like McLaren's while allowing places like B&Q to remain open, it proved to be the right decision: garden centres were able to operate safely and well.
So why has the Government now gone back on that decision? January is always a quiet month for garden centres, but the staff were preparing for the new season only to be told, on Boxing Day, they were being closed again. What this potentially means is that a lot of the plants they’ve been cultivating may end up being dumped like last time. And it makes no sense either. McLaren’s and other businesses like it are still waiting for an explanation about why they were classed as essential last time, but haven’t been this time.
The consequences for jobs are also serious. You probably saw the unemployment figures this week and you probably noticed young people are particularly affected, which is exactly what’s happened at McLaren’s. The business usually takes on staff around January to prepare for the new season and they’re mostly young people. But that hasn’t happened this year. They’ve also been forced to make around 10 redundancies. Before all this happened, the staff was 79; it’s now 43. Imagine that duplicated in thousands of businesses across the country and you get an idea of what’s happening.
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The answer is to treat businesses like McLaren’s with respect, and consistency and fairness. They’ve proved they can be open safely, so why can’t they open now? They’ve been told they have to shut down, so why are stores such as The Range and B&Q open and selling garden supplies? It would also help if the Scottish Government gave the impression of taking horticulture seriously – representatives of the industry struggle to understand who’s in charge and who to go to for answers and help.
The Government did, thankfully, do a semi-retreat a few days ago by allowing garden centres, and some other stores, to do click-and-collect. But it’s not enough. McLaren’s is spread over 50 acres (mostly outdoors) but even smaller garden centres usually have lots of space outside. They’ve also learned the lessons of the first shutdown and can operate safely and well. So let them do it. Let them do it for the sake of the businesses, and their staff, and the people who use them. Let them do it for the sake of fairness.
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