Islands - a collective or individuals?
In the next stages of COVID-19 response decision making, islands must either be treated the same as the mainland, or handled on an island by island basis. No two islands are the same, particularly not in terms of how they have been affected by Covid-19.
As always, there is a concern that the island authorities (Western Isles, Orkney, Shetland) have a very loud voice through their representatives, but they do not (and cannot) speak for all islands, and what works for one will not work for all. The Inner Hebrides are all different too. Some have had COVID. Some haven’t. Some get overrun with tourism and may feel they cannot socially distance. Others don’t get overrun with tourists and can socially distance without much effort at all.
Our economies are different too. Those with more infrastructure may find it easier to sustain their island through an absence of tourism. Others may not.
Why the contribution is important
The Islands (Scotland) Bill is intended to treat islands as individuals and to work towards better island sustainability. Failure to respond to COVID-19 in an island-specific way could be very damaging to the sustainability of the islands that have a quieter voice.
by AlJones on May 09, 2020 at 08:01PM
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