Handwash station set up outside Co-op to reduce spread of Covid-19

A handwash station has been set up outside a Highland shop as many premises are forced to shut in the fight against Covid-19.

The facility was set up by community group CovidGo at the Co-op Food store in Ballachulish as part of its own action plan to reduce the spread of the infection.

Politicians recently hit out over people flocking to the north of Scotland to get away from higher rates of the coronavirus around the country.

The move comes after non-essential shops were forced to close across the UK in a bid to delay the spread of the pandemic.

Niall McLean, of CovidGo, said: “The handwash station is small potatoes compared to everything else we are doing.

“We have a massive community organisation set up – every other community needs to do the same in some shape or form.

“We need to mobilise communities because I’m not sure help is going to come in enough time.”

Other action taken by the group includes helping vulnerable people to self-isolate and feeding people.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Monday night that all non-essential shops and community spaces will be shut among new measures designed to tackle the virus.

These will be in place for at least three weeks and will also see the closure of libraries, playgrounds and outdoor gyms, and places of worship.

The PM said people should not be going shopping except for essentials such as food and medicine.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the only permissible reasons to leave home are to shop for basic necessities, to take exercise once a day, for medical reasons, to care for a vulnerable person, or to travel to essential work that cannot be done at home.

CovidGo set up the handwashing facility before the latest measures were brought in.