Responding to the first minister’s announcement this afternoon, Russell Borthwick, chief executive at Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, said:
“The work from home restrictions announced today pose an enormous challenge to businesses and an existential threat to our city centres.
“Whilst it is encouraging to finally see some financial support materialising, it is critical that this now reaches affected sectors as quickly as possible, otherwise the ‘tsunami’ of infections we are facing will be accompanied by a tidal wave of business closures and job losses.
“We also need urgent clarity from the UK Government on whether more significant financial assistance, such as the furlough scheme, will return.
“Businesses have been calling for a contingency plan for months, fearing that a new CV19 variant could emerge. Instead of a plan, we’ve had mixed messages and cobbled-together support that has undermined both consumer and business confidence.
“Companies are at breaking point and we are now in a position that any further restrictions must be backed up by evidence and be supplemented with immediate and substantial funding.”