Islanders bristle at idea of being used as UK test site to end lockdown

Many in the Outer Hebrides recoil at Michael Gove’s talk of easing restrictions early

The exposed, austere islands of the Outer Hebrides carry the beautiful Gaelic name of Innse Gall, or “islands of the strangers”. Against a backdrop of big skies, lonely farmhouses and sandy beaches, physical distancing comes easily here.

In small communities, such as those on Uist, isolation and the vast open spaces have preserved the local population from the devastation wrought elsewhere by the Covid-19 pandemic. Like everywhere else, lockdown has been strictly enforced and observed. Travel has been highly restricted – only lorry drivers and essential workers have been allowed on to the ferries since 16 March. And, as of last week, this archipelago of six principal islands linked by causeways has had no confirmed cases so far.

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