Ember (aged 5) wants to know how the coronavirus started. Millie (aged 11) is in P7 and wants to know if the schools will reopen after Easter because she’s worried about the move to high school.
And Jasper (aged 6) wants to know if first minister Nicola Sturgeon can give homeless people a house “while the coronavirus is here”.
But it’s Lulabelle (aged 3) who comes up with “the hardest question”, says Ms Sturgeon: “Why can we not see our granny?”
Children from across Scotland have been offered the chance to put their questions about coronavirus directly to Ms Sturgeon by taking part in a special question and answer session designed specifically for young people.
How is the coronavirus lockdown affecting children?
Parent Club - an online information and support hub for parents in Scotland - invited children to submit their questions to the first minister via video clip in an effort to address some of the concerns they are facing in these challenging times.
‘Why can I not see my granny?’ 👵 ‘When can I see my friends again?’ 👋 This a difficult time for kids & they have lots of questions! Here the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, answers their questions about #coronavirus See the full Q&A at 👉 https://t.co/U5EjB25AiNpic.twitter.com/Ln7syqAeZK
— Parent Club Scotland (@parentclubscot) April 7, 2020
In response to Lulabelle, Ms Sturgeon said: “Lulabelle, that is the hardest question for me to answer because it’s so hard for little girls like you not to see your granny just now.
“But the reason you’ve got to stay away from granny just now is to protect granny, because older people are a little bit more at risk if they get this virus of becoming really quite unwell with it, and we don’t want that to happen.”
Ms Sturgeon’s attempt to address children’s concerns comes in the wake of a bid by New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern yesterday to reassure children.
Ms Ardern confirmed that the Easter bunny and tooth fairy were “essential workers” but she added that it may nevertheless be difficult for “the bunny to get everywhere”.
She suggested, as an alternative, children might like to put pictures of Easter eggs in their windows - echoing the teddy bear hunts that children have been taking part in during their daily outings for exercise.
The move earned Ms Ardern praise from Scotland’s children’s commissioner, Bruce Adamson, who wrote on Twitter: “Great to see leaders around the world giving important reassurances to children.”
Great to see leaders around the world giving important reassurances to children. Cultural traditions marking special occasions are an important part of childhood. They need to be celebrated differently as we protect health and life by staying home - but we can still celebrate. https://t.co/uZet7iQlCZ
