Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:-
“The drip feed of baby steps to ease the lockdown is more reflective of division in the Executive than of a thought out strategy. Clearly, things are moving at the pace of the slowest, rather than in accordance with the science.
“If the science permits the opening of garden centres (and fisheries, it seems), then, patently the same science sanctions everything in Stage One (as Edwin Poots seems to have confirmed). Yet, the Executive needlessly cherry picks. Why? Does everything need the imprimatur of Connolly House? Has nothing changed since RHI and the infamous Ted Howell saga?
“The Chief Scientific Officer has said the R figure (then 0.79, now 0. 7) is low enough, and has been so for long enough, to ease down the lockdown, yet, the deputy First Minister pontificated in the Assembly on Tuesday that 0.5 was necessary! What Chief Scientific adviser is she listening to? She is not entitled to her own science!
“Meanwhile, in the midst of this dysfunctionalism our economy continues to plummet.
“I am, therefore, calling for immediate progress to all of Stage One. These are themselves too modest, but if the Executive can’t even shuffle that far, then what hope for the future steps?”