This is what Falkirk Herald readers think about easing the lockdown

We are now 50 days into the lockdown, and readers of The Falkirk Herald have had their say on how and when restrictions should be eased.

Our lockdown survey, published across this title and 150 others across the UK last week, has had a great response.

It gives an insight into how the coronavirus crisis has impacted people in Falkirk district and what they would like to see happen in the coming weeks and months.

In total we asked readers 25 questions on their attitude towards the lockdown.

Of these questions five focused on how lockdown restrictions might be eased - and today we can reveal how people across our district answered.

The majority of Falkirk Herald readers who completed our survey said they felt ‘slightly concerned’ about going to public places such as shops, bars, restaurants and cinemas once lockdown is eased.

By comparison, across Scotland, 31 per cent answered ‘slightly concerned’, 43 per cent answered ‘very concerned’, 13 per cent answered ‘not very concerned’ and 12 per cent answered ‘not at all concerned’.

Of those who took part in the survey, a majority of Falkirk district readers said visits to family and friends should be given the highest level of priority when restrictions are eased – a massive 74 per cent.

Respondents thought high priority should also be given to going outside more often (48 per cent), re-opening work places (46 per cent) and having more mourners at funerals (44 per cent).

Readers said attendance at large events such as festivals and concerts and resuming professional sports should be given low priority when restrictions are eased.

We also asked people which of the following - garden centres, DIY stores, fast food restaurants, takeaway coffee chains and electrical stores - they would be most keen to visit if they were reopened in the near future, with social distancing measures in place.

Most respondents said they were keen to visit garden centres, with electrical stores receiving the smallest number of votes.

When asked how well they thought the UK Government had handled the coronavirus crisis, just six per cent of Falkirk Herald readers said ‘very well’, 29 per cent said ‘quite well’, 27 per cent said ‘not very well’, while 37 per cent stated ‘not well at all’.

The Scottish average, by comparison, was seven per cent for ‘very well’, 24 per cent for ‘quite well’, 26 per cent for ‘not very well’ and 42 per cent for ‘not at all well’.

When asked how clear the UK Government’s lockdown guidance had been so far, the majority of Falkirk Herald readers who took part in the survey responded ‘’quite clear’.

The Scottish national average on this issue was: 24 per cent said ‘very clear’, 35 per cent said ‘quite clear’, 24 per cent said ‘not very clear’ and 17 per cent said ‘not at all clear’.

During the course of this week we will be publishing more results of what local people had to say in our lockdown survey.