Coronavirus: Council chief brands Catherine Calderwood's Fife second home visits 'unbelievably stupid'

The decision by Scotland’s former chief medical officer to ignore he own lockdown guidelines and twice travel to her second home in Fife has been branded “unbelievably stupid.”

The criticism came from Councillor David Ross, co-leader of Fife Council, as Catherine Calderwood resigned following intense criticism over her weekend trips from Edinburgh to Earlsferry.

The Scottish Sun revealed her overnight family break in the east Neuk, and it then emerged it had been the second weekend she had made such a journey in direct opposition to the guidelines she has urged everyone to follow during coronavirus lockdown.

Dr Calderwood was the leading spokesperson in the Scottish Government’s drive to urge people to stay home, save lives and protect the NHS.

She apologised unreservedly for her actions and had the support of First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, and was removed from the daily press briefings, but later resigned amid intense criticism.

Interviewed on GMTV on Monday morning, Ms Sturgeons said: “I’m not defending what she did, but I also know how hard she has worked. Ultimately I’m not prepared to have that vital public health message undermined, which is why she is no longer in office.

Cllr Ross (Labour) also said her actions had damaged confidence in the advice.

He said: “For Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer to visit her holiday home in Fife was unbelievably stupid.

"Not only does it undermine confidence in the advice coming from the Scottish Government and its medical professionals, it also distracts from the other very real issues that need to be addressed such as the availability of PPE and the necessary increase in testing.”

He urged people with second homes in Fife to stay away during the crisis.

"Fife is a very popular destination for outdoor activities with the Fife Coastal Path and the Pilgrim’s Way, the Lomond Hills, Tentsmuir Forest and Lochore Meadows. Fife also has many second and holiday homes, particularly in our rural and coastal areas.

"In ordinary times we welcome visitors but right now the message has to be please stay away. The more people from Fife or beyond who visit these areas or come to their

holiday homes, the more chance there is of spreading the corona virus.

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"And the more pressure this puts on local services whether council, health, police or local shops.

“As co-leader of the council I know the huge pressures our services and staff are under right now, and all of us are too well aware of the pressures on the NHS.

"So the message is simple - please stay away, don’t make things worse.

“Stay at home."

As Dr Calderwood resigned, the latest figures showed the number of positive tests in Fife had hit 200.Across Scotland, there were 3706 positive results from 23,143 tests.

That was an increase of 27 in 24 hours, according to the information released by the Scottish Government.

To date, a total of 220 people, tested positive, have died.