Professor Jason Leitch has admitted that closing schools during the Covid pandemic may have been a mistake.
Scotland’s national clinical director said that different decisions would be made if the full impact of containment was known.
Professor Leitch, who led the Covid campaign, added that he had been called out to Scottish Government televised briefings over fears that only half the country liked Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
His comments appear to undermine the Scottish and UK governments’ heavy-handed tactics that have caused major disruption to education, the NHS, business and society over a two-year period.
Scotland’s health chief has hinted that other decisions may have been made afterwards
Yesterday, a parents’ group praised his apparent “recognition” that closing schools was a “terrible” decision.
Professor Leitch stressed that he was a spokesperson for the SNP government during the pandemic, not a policy maker.
But he advised ministers to, if he felt it necessary, “stand up for it”.
Professor Leitch added: “We needed public approval because we are a democracy.
READ MORE: Covid closures have caused ‘global mental health crisis’ in children due to ‘profound impact of school closures’, WHO admits
“The feeling was that a clinical leader would be better than a politician because that is only half the battle [of the country] didn’t love Nicola Sturgeon and the other half. But more than half trusted her.”
His comments came at a talk titled Faith in the Covid Era at Christ Church in Morningside, Edinburgh, last week.
He continued, “I made some missteps. We did what we did because of the knowledge we had at the time. I don’t know if we’ll do it again because we have different knowledge now.
“I wonder if we will reconsider closing schools. Lockdown is an old-fashioned way to deal with a disease that travels the world on a plane.
Professor Leitch, a 54-year-old dental graduate and member of Airdrie Baptist Church, Lanarkshire, said it felt “unchristian not to be able to hug and make human contact during the pandemic”.
In his speech he said: “In answer to the question, what have we done with faith? It is more important to ask what we have done to people, and that will stay with me forever.
“I had a family that I didn’t see and didn’t get an education. There were old people in my church who died alone.
‘It was terrible. And what happened in nursing homes and schools will always accompany me.”
A spokesman for children’s rights organization UFTScotland said: “Now we are seeing an acknowledgment that homeschooling was a terrible political decision that affected an entire generation.
“At the time, we knew from the data that Covid affects older people and is not a problem for younger people and that there is no harm in closing schools. Everyone went crazy and kids were thrown under a bus. Now Professor Leitch admits that children are not brought up.’
Younger children have been hit hardest by the Covid restrictions, with teachers reporting that children are more likely to show aggressive behavior and feel overwhelmed in groups
Sandesh Gulhane, Scottish Conservative health spokesman, said: “We have repeatedly called on Nicola Sturgeon’s government to put schools first when it comes to easing lockdown restrictions – to limit the massive disruption to pupil education – but they have always been the last to saw the curbs.be raised.
“Professor Leitch’s comment suggests he believes we were right.”
The Scottish Government said it had committed to a public inquiry into its handling of the pandemic.
A spokesman added: “Our priority during the pandemic was to save lives and reduce the damage of the disease.”
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
