No-deal Brexit fears hampered Covid preparation

EU talks disrupted virus precautionary work

-  PAUL CARGILL

SCOTLAND'S pandemic preparations before Covid were hampered by fears over the impact of a no-deal Brexit, an inquiry heard yesterday.

A board set up to work on how to deal with the scenario had to suspend meetings for more than six months prior to the coronavirus outbreak because of warnings over the effects of leaving the EU without a deal.

Gillian Russell, a senior civil servant who was the director of safer communities in Scotland between 2015 and 2020, told the UK Covid-19 Inquiry that the Scottish Government Pandemic Flu Preparedness Board (PFPB) made "disappointing" progress on plans prior to the pandemic.