Nicola Sturgeon's response to Covid Inquiry report in full

Below is Nicola Sturgeon's full response to the Covid Inquiry's report.

“My job during the pandemic was nowhere near the hardest in the country, but leading Scotland through Covid was by far the toughest experience of my time as First Minister. Five years on, I still think every day about the impact of the decisions I took. 
 
“Given the unprecedented and highly uncertain nature of the situation we faced, it was inevitable that mistakes would be made, and I know that I made my share. I will carry an acute sense of responsibility for this for the rest of my life. My thoughts will always be with those who lost loved ones during this awful time and with all those who, in so many different ways, suffered as a result of the Covid virus.
 
“The Inquiry concludes that restrictions should have been introduced earlier. Albeit with hindsight, I agree with this assessment and said so in my evidence to the Inquiry.
 
“However, I also appreciate the Inquiry’s acknowledgment that the Scottish Government’s gradual lifting of restrictions and its targeted measures in Autumn 2020 avoided a second national lockdown at that stage. 

“The Inquiry - while referring to me as ‘a serious and diligent leader’ - suggests that decision-making in the Scottish Government might have been overly centralised. While all of my ministers and relevant officials played a full role in decision-making, it is certainly the case that I decided at the outset to lead from the front and make clear that the buck stopped with me. I stand by that.

“My daily briefings were about providing open, supportive and empathetic leadership in an extremely unpredictable and frightening situation. They gave me a way of sharing with the public what we knew and didn’t know, how that was changing as time passed, what we are asking people to do, and why. Even now, I hear on an almost daily basis from members of the public about how important these daily briefings were, practically and emotionally, in helping them through this period.

“At every stage, in absolute good faith and based on the best information and advice available to me, I took decisions that I judged most likely to minimise harm to people in Scotland. In the months before we had effective treatments or vaccines, that meant taking a highly precautionary approach, seeking to keep the virus as suppressed as possible. I stand by that.
 
“Finally, I want to thank people across Scotland once again for the steadfast efforts and selfless sacrifices they made throughout the pandemic. I also thank the Inquiry for its work.”