Car parking charges have been scrapped for three months at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Politicians and trade union representative had been calling for the fees to be waived afterFirst Minister Nicola Sturgeon told NHS workers not to travel on public transport.
An online petition, demanding "free Parking for NHS staff in hospital grounds during the outbreak", also racked up over 6,000 signatures.
While NHS car park charges were scrapped by the SNP in 2008, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary car park was built under a Private Finance Initiative, with workers were forced to pay £7.20 for parking.
However, Health Secretary Jeane Freeman has today confirmed that as of Monday (30 March) three Scots hospitals, including the ERI, will have car park fees removed for three months while frontline staff deal with the pandemic.
Speaking in the Scottish Parliament, the Health Secretary said: "We cannot have barriers to staff working in the NHS. Last week I said I would act, if I could, to remove parking charges from those PFI car parks in our hospital settings.
"So from Monday 30th March parking charges will be removed from Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, Glasgow Royal Infirmary and the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for the next three months."
For all of the latest updates on coronavirus in Edinburgh, visit our breaking news live blog here.
Another way to stay updated is by joining our new Edinburgh coronavirus news Facebook group.
For the latest guidance on coronavirus from Health Protection Scotland, click here.
