With the news breaking yesterday that First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has taken the decision to place eleven counties in Scotland under Level 4 Coronavirus restrictions including South Lanarkshire, where EP Ecology is based, I thought perhaps a little update on how we are working.
So, level 4 restrictions do facilitate continued construction and outdoor working, which includes functionally all of what EP Ecology does on a day-to-day basis. This means that we are able to continue to operate through the tighter restrictions, delivering for clients as best we can, albeit with more masks and gloves!
“Wuhan New Coronavirus is not SARS Virus” by 葉 正道 Ben（busy） is marked under CC0 1.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/cc0/1.0/
However, these tightened restrictions do limit us slightly, it will likely be more difficult to travel throughout Scotland with reduced availability of accommodation and food. Some of the operators upon whom we rely (e.g. data providers such as local records centres) may close, or may operate at reduced capacity and therefore this could result in delays for certain projects. We are also restricted with some of the actions we can participate in. For example, we are trying as best we can to avoid entering in to confined spaces with other people (e.g. site offices or residential properties) opting to undertake meetings and site inductions remotely and use exterior assessments and a precautionary approach.
Continued restrictions of movement and freedoms are unfortunate, but we should all stick to the guidance from the Government in order to try and get through this as quickly, and as safely as we can. However, with the miserable wintry weather combining with being stuck in the house unable to see friends and family, we know that times can be hard and mental health can suffer. If you are struggling during these times, seeking help is not a sign of weakness, the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) Coronavirus Hub has some resources and offers assistance to those who need it.
