AN exit plan to get Glasgow out of lockdown and keep it out is needed, according to Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.

The Glasgow MSP met with hospitality industry and business bosses and said the city can’t afford to be in perpetual lockdown.

He called for a massive increase in the scale of PCR testing and of vaccinations in hotspot areas where cases are rising in the city.

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And he said the Scottish Government should seek help from the British Army if necessary to rapidly upscale the city’s capacity to test and vaccinate.

He has also suggested walk-in clinics, without having to wait for an appointment, in hotspot areas.

Sarwar said: “We can’t have Scotland’s largest city and one of the major economic engines of the country stuck in perpetual lockdown.

“I am calling on the Government to use every means necessary to get us back on track, because to be frank the action so far has been timid, the communication has been poor and the decision-making has been inconsistent.

“The First Minister has adopted a ‘wait and see’ approach with businesses and families – but Glaswegians can’t wait for a television press conference on a Friday afternoon to hear of their fate. We need urgent action now.”

On Monday, the Glasgow Times reported that around 20,000 jobs are set to be lost in Glasgow due to the pandemic.

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The Labour leader added: “Glasgow is at breaking point and the longer it remains locked down, the greater the impact on health and well-being and the greater the number of job losses.

“When Manchester or Liverpool found themselves kept in lockdown it was accompanied by substantial economic support for those cities.

“This is what Glasgow needs now – the money is there with millions of unallocated funds.

“We don’t need manufactured squabbles between Holyrood and Whitehall as an excuse for inaction.

“The public have made huge sacrifices throughout this pandemic. There has been a sense of hope and optimism in recent months. We can’t risk losing that. Let’s scale-up our response, begin to re-open and start delivering the recovery Scotland needs.”

Donald MacLeod of the Glasgow Licensing Forum said more action was needed to get the hospitality trade out of lockdown. He said: “Our various groups have had various meetings but these meetings very rarely amount to anything, they’re brief consultations.

“It’s just not good enough, there’s always an excuse.”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon responded to Sarwar’s call.

She said: “As I am sure the Scottish Labour leader knows, health teams have been going door-to-door in parts of Glasgow’s Southside, delivering tests, encouraging testing.”

Sturgeon added: “I am not just satisfied, I am very impressed with the public health response in Glasgow Southside.

“I think the response has been excellent, we have got to support our public health teams to continue that.”