02 Apr Covid19 statement from OATS CEO, Dougie Baird

The Coronavirus crisis has had a major impact on our work, with completion of The Mountains and The People project being delayed by up to four months as a result of our decision to stop work to safeguard staff and contractors and enable us to assess the hazards.

Five path-building sites have had to be temporarily closed down, and our three car parks, major sources of income, are shut for the time being. Work has been suspended on the last phase of construction of toilet facilities at the Fairy Pools car park on Skye.

It has also meant postponement of our conference, which was to have been held on April 30. That was intended to celebrate the success of The Mountains and The People project and bring together campaigners, policy makers and path construction staff to find ways forward for future projects.

Half of our staff have been furloughed and the others are working from home where they are planning the next stages of our work.

We are trying to find ways to get people back to work when it is appropriate and safe both for our workers and the wider community. We are also rescheduling the conference for October, when TMTP will end, and we look forward to renewed interest in our work when path users get back into the mountains and hills.