Lockdown easing measures will be implemented in Scotland from the end of next week, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said.
The Scottish Government has published a route map on how the country will move out of lockdown and into a phased lifting of restrictions - what Sturgeon calls “our journey to a new normal”.
Sturgeon spoke at Holyrood today and confirmed lockdown would end on Thursday, May 28, if the R number (the rate of infection) continues to stay below 1 in Scotland.
She said: “In publishing this route map we confront a fundamental issue. The lockdown measures have been absolutely necessary to mitigate the massive harm caused by Covid-19. However, it is creating harms of its own; loneliness and isolation and serious damage to our economy. None of us want it to last any longer than it has to.
“The steps we will take are, by necessity, incremental and gradual. There is no completely risk free way of lifting lockdown but we must mitigate risk as much as we can and we must not act rashly or recklessly.
“If we move too quickly or without proper care it could run out of control again very quickly and the danger of a second wave later in the year is very real indeed.”
The R number has to remain between 0.7 and 1 for the government to be convinced that the infection rate is slowing, and the FM confirmed today that it has been below 1 for the last three weeks, allowing a “relaxation of lockdown restrictions on a timescale that aligns with the Test, Trace and Isolate approach” as recommended by the World Health Organisation.
Today’s new document lays out four phases for lifting restrictions, each covering nine “key aspects: seeing friends and family; travel and getting around; education and childcare; work and the economy; shopping and leisure; sport and culture; public gatherings and special occasions; communities and public services; and health and social care.
We’ll bring you a detailed look at how each phase will affect your day to day life in the coming months - in the meantime, you can take a look at the new Scottish Government document here.
Follow our live news blog for today’s updates as we get them, as well as more on what this means for you and your family.
