Some West Lothian pupils will be able to return to the classroom from February 22, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said today.
In her statement to the Scottish Parliament, she said some students will begin a phased return to school.
There will be a full-time return of early learning and childcare for all children below school age and for those in primary one to three.
The return for senior pupils will be on a part-time limited basis to allow students to complete practical work necessary for national qualification courses.
The First Minister also said she hoped the gradual easing of restrictions can begin from the start of March.
But she warned the situation is fragile, as the most recent figures showed a further 758 people had tested positive for Covid-19 and 69 more deaths were registered in the last 24 hours.
The First Minister did say that while progress had been made, figures remained high, adding “progress had been down to compliance with the lockdown restrictions.”
She continued: “That means that if we were to ease restrictions too quickly, there is a real risk that infections would rise again very quickly.”
She also added there had been five cases of the new South African variant identified in Scotland.
The First Minister also announced plans for a managed quarantine requirement for anyone who arrives directly into Scotland, regardless of where they have travelled from.
And she revealed 21 per cent of those aged over 75 had received their first dose of the vaccine while 83 per cent of 80s had received their first jab.
