First Minister lays out cautious route out of lockdown

Scotland will move back to a levels system at the end of April if Covid is sufficiently suppressed, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said.

She was talking at Holyrood as she set out the country’s steps out of lockdown.

Ms Sturgeon said that restrictions could be eased every three weeks, starting from yesterday’s reopening of some schools, if the country continues to suppress the virus and vaccine targets are met.

The first minister said the situation was “extremely positive and promising but still quite precarious”.

Some of the prospective dates of the route map out of lockdown are as follows:

Monday 15th March – Next phase of school returns, with P4-7 pupils returning and some secondary pupils. Non-contact sport for 12-17 year-olds and an easing on outdoor adult mixing.

Monday 5th April – Remaining school pupils return, “stay at home” message is lifted. Communal worship is allowed to return, and some non-essential retail is allowed to resume. 

Monday 26th April – The country moves back to a levels system and the economy begins to return to normality. Areas with a low prevalence of the virus are allowed to open more fully.

The easing of restrictions will depend on the continued progression of the vaccination programme, and Ms Sturgeon was hopeful everyone on the priority list would have been offered a vaccine by the end of April.

Ms Sturgeon was optimistic the rest of the population would have been offered their first dose by the end of July.