Scotland’s chief medical officer has been forced to step back from public briefings after a furious reaction to news she broke her own rules to twice visit her second home during the coronavirus outbreak.
But despite mounting calls for Catherine Calderwood to resign from her position, Nicola Sturgeon on Sunday insisted that she would continue to play a key role in guiding the Scottish government’s response to the crisis.
The announcement that she would step back from her public role – including from an information campaign she had fronted – capped an excruciating day for Calderwood. Earlier it emerged that she had visited her seaside holiday home in Fife twice over the last 10 days, including with her children this weekend, despite repeatedly warning the public that non-essential journeys risked lives. Calderwood will remain in the post and continue advising the Scottish government, but the current advertising campaign which features her will now be revised.
