Nicola Sturgeon has revealed why she is reluctant to say Scotland is "past the peak" of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said earlier this week that he felt the worst of the virus had already passed.
But the Scottish First Minister has explained why she is cautious about making such statements, while admitting that huge strides have been made in the effort to tackle coronavirus.
She said: “The transmission of the virus has reduced, and transmission in the community has reduced significantly.
“I’m always a little bit cautious about talking about being past the peak. It’s not to say there’s a difference between what I’m saying and what the Prime Minister said yesterday. I don’t think there is.
“The reason I’m a little bit cautious is the effort is to flatten the curve. The peak is not necessarily a day or even a couple of days. We have an elongated path of this virus.
“Secondly, I want to report progress, but I think it’s really important the message I was given yesterday doesn’t get lost. The progress we’ve made is fragile, and it would not take very much right now to send it into reverse. So, if we want to keep making this progress, we need to stick to the rules.”
She repeated this on social media on Friday afternoon, tweeting: "There is progress, and light at end of tunnel. My concern about 'past the peak' is that it could imply we're past the point of danger. We're not - progress is fragile and if we ease up it will be reversed. So we need to encourage maximum compliance with current restrictions."
The First Minister confirmed on Friday that testing was to be expanded, with additional testing in care homes and tests available to those over 65 and some non-keyworkers. Antibody tests are also set to begin in Scotland next week.
Further updates will be posted on our live blog throughout the day.
