Tag: Nicola Sturgeon

The statement made by Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister, in the Scottish Parliament on 7 October 2020.

Presiding Officer,

I want to update the chamber today on the current position in relation to Covid.

In doing so, I will give an assessment of the current course of the pandemic; propose important temporary measures to stem the increase in cases; set out how we will support businesses affected by them; and update the chamber on the longer term work we are doing to further improve our ability to live with Covid.

And in all of this, I will be very frank about the challenges we face and the difficult balances we must try to strike.

First, though, I will provide a summary of the daily statistics that were published a short time ago.

Since yesterday, an additional 1054 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed.

That represents 13% of the people newly tested, and takes the total number of cases to 34,760.

A total of 319 patients are currently in hospital with confirmed Covid-19, which is an increase of 57 since yesterday.

And 28 people are in intensive care with confirmed or suspected Covid-19, which is an increase of 3 since yesterday.

And in the past 24 hours, I regret to report that 1 further death has been registered of a patient who had been confirmed as having the virus.

The total number of deaths in Scotland under that measurement is therefore now 2,533.

National Records of Scotland has also just published its weekly update, which includes cases where COVID is a suspected or contributory cause of death.

Today’s update shows that by last Sunday, the total number of registered deaths linked to Covid, under that wider definition, was 4,276.

20 of those deaths were registered last week. That is the highest weekly number of deaths since late June.

Every single one of these deaths represents the loss of a unique and irreplaceable individual.

So once again, I want to send my deepest condolences to all those who are currently grieving.

These figures illustrate the rising challenge we again face from Covid.

That challenge is also set out – starkly – in an evidence paper published today by the Scottish Government’s senior clinical advisors – the Chief Medical Officer, the Chief Nursing Officer and the National Clinical Director.

It assesses our current situation in relation to the virus.

And it explains – as I will try to do in this statement – why we need to introduce additional measures to control the virus; why it is urgent that we act now; and why we have decided upon the specific actions that I am setting out today.

Before I come onto that explanation, however, I want to emphasise some of the more positive elements of our current position.

It is important – for the morale of all of us – that we don’t forget that progress has been made. It might not feel this way, but the situation now is better than it was in March.

We are benefiting from the sacrifices we made over the summer. By driving the virus to very low levels then, we have helped to ensure that – even after several weeks of increases – the estimated total number of cases in Scotland is currently just 13% of the peak level back in March.

Cases are rising, but they are not rising as quickly as they were then.

In addition, we now have Test & Protect teams across the country, who are doing exceptional work. Test & Protect is now bearing a lot of the strain of controlling the virus.

And we understand more now about how to reduce the risk of transmission – for example, by meeting outdoors rather than indoors if possible, wearing face coverings, cleaning hands thoroughly, and keeping our distance from people in other households.

So while there are significant restrictions still in place – and they are hard and painful – we are living much more freely now than in the spring and early summer.

We are determined – if at all possible – that this will continue to be the case.

So let me be clear. We are not going back into lockdown today. We are not closing schools, colleges or universities. We are not halting the remobilisation of the NHS for non-Covid care. And we are not asking people to stay at home.

So while the measures I announce today will feel like a backward step, they are in the interests of protecting our progress overall.

It is by taking the tough but necessary action now, that we hope to avoid even tougher action in future.

Let me turn now to specifics.

The need for action is highlighted by the daily figures I reported earlier and, more fundamentally, in the evidence paper published today.

It’s worth remembering that when I updated Parliament just over two weeks ago, the average number of new cases being reported each day was 285. That was up from 102 three weeks previously.

Now, we are reporting an average of 788 new cases each day.

In addition, I can report that in the 7 days up to Monday, the number of people in hospital with Covid increased by almost 80%.

And the number of people who died with Covid last week was the highest for 14 weeks.

In fact, there was the same number of deaths in the last week alone as in the whole of the previous month.

The increase in the numbers of people in hospital with, and sadly dying from Covid reflect the rise we are now seeing in new cases among older age groups. In the second half of September, cases were rising most rapidly in the younger age groups.

However, in the past week, cases in people over 80 years old increased by 60%, and cases in the 60 to 79 year old age group more than doubled.

And we are seeing geographic as well as demographic spread.

Without a doubt – and by some distance – the highest levels of infection are across the central belt.

We are particularly concerned about Greater Glasgow & Clyde, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire & Arran, Lothian and Forth Valley – and that will be reflected in some of what I say later.

However, that should not obscure the fact that numbers are rising across Scotland.

The majority of our health board areas are now recording more than 50 new cases per 100,000 of their population each week.

And virtually every health board area has a rising number of cases. The only exceptions are Orkney and Shetland, and even they have had cases in recent weeks.

There is also, as we speak, a significant outbreak in the Western Isles.

So the need to act – and to act across the country – is clear.

What is also clear is the need to take additional action now.

I mentioned earlier that prevalence of the virus is currently around 13% of its March peak.

However, we estimate that the number of new Covid cases is currently growing by 7% each day.

So without action – and this is perhaps the starkest warning in today’s evidence paper – we are likely to return to the peak level of infections we had in the Spring by the end of this month.

It’s also instructive to consider the experience of other countries. Our modelling suggests that we are approximately four weeks behind France and six weeks behind Spain in the resurgence of the virus.

Their resurgence, like ours, was initially concentrated among younger people. However it spread to other age groups and they are now seeing significantly more hospital admissions, more people in intensive care, and more deaths.

It is to interrupt that trajectory that we must act now.

Of course, we have already taken perhaps the most important – and painful – step we can to reduce transmission.

For the last 12 days, apart from certain limited exceptions, we have not been able to meet up in each other’s homes.

That should already be making a difference to infection rates even if, because there is always a time lag between introducing new measures and the impact they have, we are not yet seeing it reflected in our figures.

And let me take the opportunity to emphasise again today how vitally important it is that we all stick to that rule. It’s incredibly hard for all of us not to visit friends and family, or have them visit us. But it is the single most effective measure we can take to stop Covid passing from one household to another.

So please stick with it.

That measure is vital, but the clinical advice I have received now is that it is not sufficient. We need to do more and we need to do it now.

And to those who may wonder if the measures I set out today go too far, let me be clear about this.

If this was a purely one-dimensional decision – if the immediate harm from Covid was all we had to consider – it is quite likely that we would go further.

But, 7 months into this pandemic, I am acutely aware that this is not and cannot be a one-dimensional decision.

We have a duty to balance all of the different harms caused by the pandemic.

We have to consider the direct harm to health from the virus – which must be reduced – alongside the harm being done to jobs and the economy, which in turn has an impact on people’s health and wellbeing.

And we have to consider the wider harms to health and wellbeing that the virus – and the restrictions deployed to control it – are now having on all of us.

For all of these reasons, we are applying a far more targeted approach than we did in March – one which reduces opportunities for the virus to spread, while keeping businesses and other activities as open as possible.

And we are not recommending that people who shielded over the summer, should return to staying completely indoors. We know how damaging that is to your wellbeing. But we do recommend that you take extra care – especially if you live in the central belt. You can now access information about infection levels in your local neighbourhood on the Public Health Scotland website.

Presiding officer, let me now set out the additional measures that we are proposing.

The measures are intended to be in force for 16 days, from Friday at 6pm to Sunday 25 October inclusive – in other words across the next two weeks and three weekends.

So, firstly, with the exception of the five health board areas I will talk about shortly – pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes will be able to operate indoors on the following very restricted basis only:

During the day, from 6am to 6pm, for the service of food and non-alcoholic drinks only.

Hotel restaurants will be able to operate beyond 6pm, but only for residents and without alcohol.

The reason we are not closing indoor hospitality completely is that we know the benefits, in terms of reducing loneliness and isolation, of giving people – particularly those who live alone – somewhere they can meet a friend for a coffee and a chat.

But the restrictions will be strictly applied. And all the current regulations and the limits on meeting a maximum of 6 people from 2 households will still apply.

Again with the exception of the central belt areas I will mention shortly, bars, pubs, restaurants and cafes can continue to serve alcohol outdoors up to the existing curfew time of 10pm, and subject to the 6/2 rule on group size.

There will be an exemption to these rules – in all parts of Scotland – for celebrations associated with specific life events such as weddings that are already booked and funerals. The current rules for those will continue to apply.

Presiding Officer,

These are the new measures that will take effect nationwide.

However, because of higher levels of infection in the central belt, we are introducing stricter restrictions in the following five health board areas – Greater Glasgow & Clyde, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire & Arran, Lothian and Forth Valley.

In these areas, all licensed premises – with the exception of hotels for residents – will be required to close indoors and outdoors, though takeaways will be permitted.

Cafes which don’t have an alcohol license will be able to stay open until 6pm to support social isolation.

In addition, snooker and pool halls, indoor bowling alleys, casinos and bingo halls will close in these areas for two weeks from 10 October.

Contact sports for people aged 18 and over will be suspended for the next two weeks – with an exception for professional sports.

And indoor group exercise activities will not be allowed – although the current rules will remain in place for under 18s. Gyms can remain open for individual exercise.

Outdoor live events will not be permitted in these five regions for the next two weeks.

And finally, we are asking people living in these 5 health board areas to avoid public transport unless it is absolutely necessary – for example for going to school or to work, if home working is not an option.

We are not imposing mandatory travel restrictions at this stage, and specifically, we are not insisting that people cancel any half term breaks they have planned.

However, in general, we are advising people living in Greater Glasgow & Clyde, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire & Arran, Lothian and Forth Valley not to travel outside the health board area they live in, if you don’t need to – and likewise people in other parts of Scotland should not travel to these areas if they don’t need to.

More detail of all that I have just set out will be available on the Scottish Government website.

I now want to set out some of the reasoning behind these decisions, and the focus on hospitality.

I know that the vast majority of pubs, bars and restaurants have worked exceptionally hard over the last few months to ensure the safety of their staff and customers. I am grateful to them for that.

However the evidence paper published today sets out why these settings present a particular risk. The R number seems to have risen above 1 approximately three weeks after the hospitality sector opened up. We know that more than 1/5 of people contacted by test and trace, report having visited a hospitality setting.

That makes sense from what we know about how the virus is spread.

Indoor environments, where different households from different age groups can mix, inevitably present a risk of transmission. That risk can be increased, in some hospitality premises, if good ventilation is difficult, and if it is hard to control the movement of people. And the presence of alcohol can of course affect people’s willingness to physically distance.

For all of these reasons, significantly restricting licensed premises for sixteen days temporarily removes one of the key opportunities the virus has to jump from household to household. It is an essential part of our efforts to get the R number significantly below 1.

It is also worth noting that many other countries are also introducing restrictions on hospitality – Ireland, France, Germany and Belgium have announced a variety of different measures over the past few days.

I mentioned earlier that one of the things we are trying to do is to balance the public health harm caused by Covid, with wider economic and social harms.

I know that the measures we are proposing today will have a significant impact on many businesses. And since the Government is placing an obligation on businesses, we also have an obligation to help businesses.

I can announce that we are making available an additional £40 million to support businesses that will be affected by these measures over the next two weeks. We will work with the affected sectors – especially hospitality – in the coming days to ensure that this money provides the most help, to those who most need it.

For the rest of this month, businesses can also use the UK Government’s job retention scheme. However, that now requires a significant contribution from employers – so one of the things we will discuss with businesses, in relation to our own support package, is how we can mitigate some or all of that contribution.

As I have indicated, our intention is that these additional measures will be in place for just over two weeks, incorporating three weekends – from 6pm on Friday to Sunday, 25 October. However, we will keep the situation under review between now and then, and keep Parliament updated.

We hope that the restrictions already in place and those I have announced today will stem the increase in new cases. However, that is down to all of us.

The more we comply, the more effective they will be.

It is also important that we use the next two weeks to prepare, protect and prevent – to further strengthen our resilience and our ability to live alongside this virus. So we will also take the following steps.

Firstly, we will introduce regulations to extend the mandatory use of face coverings in indoor communal settings – this will include, for example, staff canteens and corridors in workplaces.

We will take action to strengthen compliance with the different strands of the FACTS advice – focusing on areas where we know from research that compliance is not yet high enough, for example, the need to self isolate.

I can also confirm that, from this weekend and across Scotland, we are asking shops to return to 2 metre physical distancing and reintroduce the mitigations they put in place earlier in the pandemic – for example, one way systems.

We will also work across all other sectors to review – and where necessary tighten – the guidance and regulation on their operating practices.

In addition, we will conduct a further review of our testing strategy – setting out the steps we will take to further expand capacity and build resilience and extend testing to more people without symptoms.

And, lastly, we will finalise a strategic framework, setting out the different levels of intervention which can be adopted in future – either locally or across Scotland – depending on how the virus is spreading. We hope to align the broad framework with those adopted by other UK nations – although each nation will take its own decisions on implementation.

We will put this strategic framework to a vote in Parliament after the recess.

Presiding officer,

I am well aware that the measures I have outlined today are disruptive to many businesses – especially hospitality businesses – and will be unwelcome to many people.

However although they are significant – as they need to be, to make an impact – they do not represent a lockdown. In fact, they are designed to reduce the likelihood of a future lockdown.

We are not requiring people to stay inside all day.

Schools will stay open. Learning will continue in our universities and colleges.

Shops will continue to trade, and businesses such as manufacturing and construction will continue.

And these new restrictions will last for 16 days. They are intended to be short, sharp action to arrest a worrying increase in infection.

However although they are temporary, they are needed.

Without them, there is a risk the virus will be out of control by the end of this month.

But with them, we hope to slow its spread. That will help to keep schools and businesses open over the winter. And it will save lives.

So please follow these new rules. And continue to take the other basic steps that will protect you and each other.

Do not visit other people’s homes.

Work from home if you can.

Download the Protect Scotland app, if you can.

And remember FACTS.

Face coverings; avoid crowded places; clean hands and hard surfaces; 2 metre distancing; and self isolate, and book a test if you have symptoms.

Sticking to all of this isn’t easy, after seven long months. But it is essential. It’s the best way to look out for each other, and now more than ever, we all need that spirit of love and solidarity that has served us so well.

And hard though it is to believe it right now, all the hard sacrifices we are making will hasten the brighter days that do lie ahead.

So, let’s all stick with it – and above all, let’s stick together.

Thank you, again, for all you are doing.

The text of the statement made by Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister, in the Scottish Parliament on 9 July 2020.

In Scotland, Covid has now been suppressed to a low level. Indeed, even in the three weeks since I last updated Parliament, there has been significant progress.

At that time, we were reporting approximately 20 new cases of Covid a day. The daily average now is around 7. Three weeks ago there were more than 540 people in hospital with confirmed Covid. The figure today is 342.

And there are now just three patients with confirmed Covid in our intensive care units. The number of people dying has also fallen week-on-week, as is shown in our daily statistics and in the weekly reports of National Records of Scotland.

In addition, our latest modelling suggests the R number remains below 1. It has been between 0.6 and 0.8 for most of the past month and the number of people in Scotland with the virus continues to fall.

Three weeks ago we estimated that around 2,900 people were infectious. Our estimate for last week is that around 1,000 people in Scotland were infectious.

That confirms, as I explained yesterday when setting out our decision on air bridges, that prevalence of the virus in Scotland at this stage is several times lower than it is across the UK as a whole.

Finally, in determining whether we can move from Phase 2 to Phase 3 of exiting lockdown we have assessed our progress in tackling Covid against the six criteria for this stage set out by the WHO and we have concluded that we would meet each of them.

However, I need to advise Parliament that the fifth of these criteria, which relates to the risk of managing imports of the virus from outside Scotland, did give us some pause for thought.

The balanced decision we announced yesterday on air bridges was essential for us to conclude at this stage that we are managing that risk in an effective and proportionate manner.

However, it is essential that we keep this risk under close review. To be clear, this must cover the possibility of importation from other parts of the UK as well as from overseas.

Taking all of these various factors into account I can confirm it is the judgement of the Government that we can now move from Phase 2 to Phase 3 of the routemap.

I can also confirm we will allow, in a limited number of sectors, an exception to be made to the requirement for 2-metre physical distancing, however this will be subject to strict conditions tailored to the circumstances of each sector.

Let me stress the term ‘exception’. The general rule remains 2m. For public transport and the retail sector this exception will be permissible from tomorrow, however it is essential that the required mitigations are in place and appropriate discussions have taken place with trade unions before it becomes operational in any particular setting.

Given some of what I’ll cover later, it’s also worth being clear at this point that the retail sector includes personal services such as hairdressing.

I also want to remind everyone that face coverings, already mandatory on public transport, will, from tomorrow, be mandatory in shops as well.

There will be some exemptions for young children under 5, people with certain health conditions, and for staff in some circumstances. For the vast majority of us, however, it will be the law that we wear face coverings in shops.

Wearing a face covering on a bus, train, or in a shop, should, for the foreseeable future, become as automatic as putting on a seatbelt in a car. It should not need to be enforced but the police can issue fines for anyone not complying.

However, I am asking everyone to comply, not from fear of enforcement, but because it is the right thing to do. It helps us protect each other from the virus.

That leads me to a general point that it is important to stress before I outline the further restrictions we intend to lift.

The virus hasn’t gone away. It’s still out there and is still just as infectious and just as dangerous as it ever was.

Lockdown has suppressed it but as lockdown eases there’s a very real risk it will start to spread again – and that is not conjecture. It is already happening in many parts of the world.

With every restriction we lift the risk increases, especially as we start to permit more indoor activity. So all of us must do everything we can to mitigate it.

Wearing face coverings is part of that, but so too are the other measures summarised in our FACTS campaign.

Face coverings.

Avoid crowded places.

Cleaning hands and hard surfaces.

Two-metre distancing.

Self-isolation and booking a test if you have symptoms.

I simply cannot stress enough that as we move out of lockdown these basic measures become much more important – not less. Please follow them to the letter.

Let me now confirm the steps for Phase 3, for which we are now able to set specific dates. You’ll find more detail on gov.scot later today.

As will be obvious from what I’m about to say, we intend to take the same staggered approach to Phase 3 as we did to Phase 2. Not all changes will happen immediately or at the same time. That means we are not bearing all of the risk at once.

However, the first change relating to the ability of different households to meet up together will take effect tomorrow. The Health Secretary yesterday announced important changes for people who are shielding.

For example, from today you will no longer be asked to physically distance from people you live with and will be abld to form an extended household if you live on your own or with children under 18.

Today’s routemap includes a link to the additional changes we hope to make to the shielding advice up to the end of July.

The other changes I’m about to announce do not apply to people who are shielding, unfortunately, but do apply to everyone else.

Before I set out what these are let me make a general point. Last week we said children under 12 no longer have to physically distance when outdoors. From tomorrow, that will apply indoors too.

However, for adults and, for the time being, older children, the advice to keep a 2m physical distance from people in other households will remain.

But the general rules on household gatherings will be, from tomorrow, as follows.

A maximum of 15 people from up to 5 different households can meet together outdoors.

The advice is to remain 2m distant to people from other households to your own. From tomorrow, limited indoor gatherings will also be permitted. A maximum of 8 people from 3 different households can meet indoors.

To be clear, that is the household whose gathering it is in, and people from up to 2 additional households. As long as physical distancing from different households is maintained, this can include overnight stays.

I must stress though, this is one of, if not the highest risk change we have made so far. We know the risk of transmitting the virus indoors is significantly higher than it is outdoors…

..so it is essential that we all take the utmost care and strictly follow all of the public health advice.

That means keeping 2m distant from people in other households, being very careful to clean surfaces after you touch them, and washing your hands regularly – especially when you first enter someone’s house.

At all times try to avoid creating bridges that allow the virus to spread from one household to another.

We’re also advising that, between indoors and outdoors activity, adults don’t meet with people from any more than 4 different households in any single day.

Finally, from tomorrow we will change the guidance so people who are part of a non-cohabiting couple, regardless of their living arrangements, no longer need to stay physically distant from each other, indoors or outdoors.

The next set of changes will take effect from Monday 13th July. From Monday, organised outdoor contact sports and physical activity can resume for children and young people subject to guidance being followed, and so too can other forms of organised outdoor play.

Non-essential shops inside shopping centres can reopen, provided of course they follow all relevant health and safety guidance. That will mean that the vast majority of retail from Monday will be open.

There will also from Monday be an important further resumption of public services, community optometry practices will further increase their services, especially for emergency and essential eyecare.

Dental practices will be able to see registered patients for non-aerosol procedures. To explain that a bit more, aerosol procedures are those that create a fine mist – for example through use of a high-speed drill – and we cannot yet allow these.

Unfortunately this means many forms of dental care will still not be possible, however procedures such as check-ups and the fitting of dentures and dental braces can resume.

From Monday, a woman can have a designated person accompany her to ante and post-natal appointments, and in addition to her birth partner, can designate one other person to attend the birth and also make ante and post-natal ward visits.

Further changes will then come into force from Wednesday next week – 15th July. From that date indoor restaurants, cafes and pubs will be able to reopen.

However, just as with indoor household meetings, opening up indoor hospitality poses significantly increased risks of transmission, so it is absolutely essential that the guidance on health and safety is followed rigorously.

By businesses, by staff, and by customers. That includes guidance on physical distancing and also taking customer contact details for use if necessary by Test and Protect.

Like public transport and retail, indoor and outdoor hospitality venues will be granted an exemption from the 2m rule from the 15th July – this is dependent on the implementation of all relevant mitigating measures and appropriate discussions taking place with trade unions.

Mitigating measures in this sector include, for example, clear information for customers that they’re entering a 1m zone, revised seating plans, and improved ventilation.

The tourism sector can also open from 15th July. That means all holiday accommodation, including hotels, can reopen as long as the appropriate guidance is followed.

Museums, galleries, other visitor attractions, libraries and cinemas – including drive-ins and other venues screening films – can also reopen on the 15th, although physical distancing and other safety measures will be required. And for many, if not most of these facilities, tickets must be secured in advance.

The childcare sector can also fully reopen from next Wednesday – something I know is important to families across Scotland.

I can also confirm that from 15th July hairdressers can reopen, subject to enhanced hygiene measures being in place, and the finalised guidance for hairdressers will be published this week.

Finally, I’m pleased that we are able to bring forward two changes we were previously keeping under review for later in Phase 3 but that we now judge can be undertaken safely next week – provided necessary mitigations are in place.

After careful consideration we have decided from 15th July, places of worship can reopen for communal player, congregational services and contemplation.

However, numbers will be strictly limited, 2-metre physical distancing will be required, and there will also be a requirement to collect the contact details and time of attendance of those entering a place of worship.

And, unfortunately, given what we know of transmission risks, singing and chanting will also be restricted.

Detailed guidance is currently being finalised in consultation with our faith communities but I hope today’s announcement will be welcomed by all those for whom faith and worship is important and a source of comfort.

In addition to that and linked to that change we will also ease restrictions on attendance at services and ceremonies for funerals, weddings and civil partnerships. However, numbers will be even more limited than for worship generally and physical distancing required.

And I must stress this change applies only to services. Associated gatherings such as wakes or receptions must continue to follow the limits on household gatherings and hospitality.

I am acutely aware that the restrictions we’ve had to place on attendance at funerals in these past few months have been particularly hard to bear and I’m very grateful to everyone who has complied in what will, I know, have been heartbreaking circumstances.

While the changes which come into effect next week will not allow full-scale gatherings just yet, I hope they will allow more people to find solace at a time of grief as well as allowing more people to celebrate happier occasions such as weddings and civil partnerships.

The next set of changes will take effect from 22nd July. At that time personal retail services, which have not yet been able to reopen, for example beauticians and nail salons, will be able to reopen with enhanced hygiene measures in place.

Universities and colleges can implement a phased return to campus learning as part of a blended model with remote teaching. Motorcycle instruction and theory and hazard tests can also resume from that date.

But driving lessons in cars unfortunately will have to wait a bit longer. Unfortunately there are other activities which are included in Phase 3 of the routemap that we are not yet able to attach a firm and specific date to.

However, while we will keep all of this under review, and as we have done with communal worship, bring dates forward whenever possible, it should be assumed at this stage that these other activities will not restart before 31st July.

These activities include the reopening of nonessential offices and call centres, the resumption of outdoor live events, and the reopening of indoor entertainment venues such as theatres, music venues and bingo halls.

They also include the reopening of indoor gyms and the resumption of nonprofessional adult outdoor contact sports.

We will continue to work closely with relevant sectors on the reopening as soon as possible of all these activities.

For example, we’ll work with the outdoor events sector to review the range of events that could take place as we recognise a one-size-fits-all approach may not be appropriate. However, I hope it will be appreciated, however difficult I know this is, that a number of these activities present particular challenges.

And while I do know it is difficult, it will take a bit more time to work through how these can be safely addressed. I also want to indicate at this stage that our current expectation is Phase 3 may well last longer than three weeks.

Given the scale of the changes we are making in Phase 3, it may be wise not to rush that or go into Phase 4 too quickly. But we will keep that under close review.

Let me reiterate that it is our ambition and our intention that schools will return full-time in August.

Indeed, this is dependent on the virus continuing to be suppressed to very low levels and therefore it is one of the reasons we are being so careful and cautious in everything else we do right now.

There’s no doubt today’s statement marks the most significant milestone yet in Scotland’s emergence from lockdown, and I hope the measures we have announced or confirmed today are welcome.

All of them of course depend on us keeping the virus under control – eliminating it as far as we possibly can now, ahead of the – I’m afraid to say – almost inevitable challenges we will face come winter, remains our objective.

And we will not hesitate to reimpose restrictions if we consider it necessary to halt the spread of the virus and save lives.

I will make a further statement to Parliament on 30th July, and between now and then will deliver updates through the regular media briefings.

However I want to end by stressing the point I made at the outset. It is perhaps the most important point of all.

This is undoubtedly a time for cautious hope and optimism. There is no doubt Scotland, through our collective efforts, has made great progress in tackling Covid.

We should all savour our first indoor meetings and meals with friends, our first pint in a pub or catch-up over coffee.

Many of us, I know, are looking forward to our first non-amateur haircut in many months. And there will be other milestones and reunions that we will enjoy over the next few weeks. They have all been hard-earned by each and every one of us.

But I have a duty to be crystal clear with the country that this is also a time of real danger. Next week represents the most substantial easing of lockdown so far, and we know that meeting people indoors poses far greater risk than going to a park or someone’s garden.

As I said earlier on, we see signs of resurgence in many countries across the world right now.

We must all be aware of that in everything we do. We must remember that Covid, although currently at very low levels in Scotland, is still out there.

And everything we learn about this still-new virus, about its infectiousness, its ability to kill, and its potential to do long-term damage to health, should warn us that we mess with it at our peril.

Perhaps more than ever, now is a time of great caution.

Remember that life should still not feel entirely normal and at all times, especially when we’re meeting indoors with people from other households, we must be constantly alert to the steps we need to take to deny it the chance to spread.

That’s why the most important thing that everyone should remember and abide by is FACTS.

Face coverings must be worn in enclosed spaces – public transport, shops, and indeed anywhere else physically distancing is more difficult.

Avoid – literally, like the plague – crowded places, indoors or outdoors.

Clean your hands regularly and thoroughly and clean hard surfaces after touching them.

Two-metre distancing remains the clear and important advice.

And self-isolate and book a test immediately if you have symptoms of Covid.

The symptoms to be aware of are a cough, a fever, or a loss of or change in your sense of taste or smell. You can book a test at NHS Inform or by phoning 0800 028 2816.

And, please, act immediately. Err on the side of caution. If you have any reason at all to worry you might have Covid symptoms get tested straight away.

It is only because of our collective action, our love for and solidarity with each other that we have made so much progress. Now is not the time to drop our guard, so let’s all keep doing the right things to keep ourselves safe, to protect others, and to save lives.

Below is the text of the statement made by Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister, on 16 June 2020.

Good afternoon, and thank you for joining us today.

I’ll start – as I always do – with an update of some key statistics in relation to COVID-19.

As at 9 o’clock this morning, there have been 18,045 positive cases confirmed – you will recall that since yesterday, this total now includes data from UK wide testing sites. That is an increase of 15 overall from the figures yesterday.

A total of 986 patients are in hospital with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. Now, that represents a total increase of 116 from yesterday – but let me stress that includes a reduction of 11 in the number of confirmed cases.

A total of 19 people last night were in intensive care with either confirmed or suspected COVID-19 and that that is an increase of 1 since yesterday.

I am also able to confirm today that since the 5 March, a total of 3,929 patients who had tested positive and previously required hospital treatment have now been discharged from hospital

However, in the last 24 hours, 5 deaths were registered of a patient confirmed through a test as having COVID-19 – the total number of deaths in Scotland, under that measurement, is therefore now 2,453. Tomorrow of course we’ll see the weekly publications from National Records of Scotland which gives us the total number of deaths of those confirmed through a test and of those who are suspected of having had COVID-19.

Once again I want to send my deepest condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one as a result of this virus and is currently grieving one of the unique human beings who lie behind these statistics.

Let me always as usual express my thanks to our health and care workers and indeed to all our key workers, for the everything you continue to do in very challenging circumstances.

As well as the Chief Medical Officer, I am joined today by Fiona Hyslop – the Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, Fair Work and Culture – since the main focus for today’s remarks is the economy.

This morning, the latest labour market statistics for Scotland were published, they covered the period from February to April. April was of course the first full month of lockdown restrictions.

Today’s figures show that – when compared to the three months from November to January – unemployment in Scotland increased from 97,000 to 127,000. The unemployment rate during this period increased from 3.5% to 4.6%, and the employment rate fell from 74.9% to 74.3%.

Now I should stress, this is a sample survey. Fraser of Allander Institute reminded us that we have to be cautious about what we conclude from it.

However, we do know that the protection of the Job Retention scheme will mean that these figures are likely to be an underestimate of the full impact of COVID-19 on business activity.

And secondly because they cover only until April they don’t give us a fully up to date picture.

The statistics that were also published this morning on claimant count for May give us a more up to date indication, even though it’s important to stress that they are experimental. They suggest that the claimant count in Scotland in May was 7.8% – which is the same level as the UK as a whole.

However what all of this data undoubtedly demonstrates is that dealing with the public health crisis of COVID-19, has created an economic crisis that demands our full focus and attention.

I know increasing economic anxiety will lead some to argue for a quicker than planned exit from lockdown and I absolutely understand that.

But, difficult though as all of this is, we must guard against a reckless relaxation of lockdown measures. If we ease restrictions too quickly – and allow the virus to run out of control again – that would be economically counterproductive, but it would also cost many more lives.

Indeed, the progress we have made in suppressing the virus – progress which was evident once again in the figures I reported today – is an essential foundation for the sustainable economic recovery we want to secure.

And the key point is this – the more we can suppress the virus now, the more normality we can restore as we do re-open the economy and society. And the more able we will be to cope with any resurgence of the virus – either from sporadic outbreaks like the one China is dealing with now, or increased transmission as we face the winter period and the flu season.

However all of that said, Scotland does like many countries around the world does face the challenge of opening up our economy in a way which is safe and sustainable.

On Thursday, I will announce the outcome of our review into lockdown restrictions and, I hope and expect, that on Thursday we will be able to confirm a move from Phase 1 to Phase 2 of our plan for reopening the economy and lifting restrictions more generally.

This does not mean that all major changes will happen overnight.

But I do hope that in the coming weeks, further important restrictions will be lifted so that workers can return to factories – with strict hygiene and physical distancing measures in place; so that the construction industry will continue its own restart plan; and so that non-essential retail businesses can have a date for safe reopening.

Now none of this will restore the economy immediately to full health, but it will be a significant, and a sustainable, improvement on our current position and that of course is important.

That gradual re-emergence from lockdown is crucial. That is how we allow our businesses to get back to operate and make money again. But we know that because the emergence by necessity is gradual, it must also be accompanied by continued support for business as business seeks to recover.

We have welcomed assistance from the UK Government, such as the Job Retention Scheme, but it is essential that this scheme is extended if proves necessary, which I think it almost certainly does, and we are making this case to the UK government

In addition, the Scottish Government has provided £2.3 billion of support for business – for example through domestic rates relief – a sum which more than matches the total we received through UK Government consequentials.

Today I can confirm two additional measures to promote economic recovery in the immediate term.

Later today Kate Forbes, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, will set out to Parliament details of a further £230 million of support for the economy.

Among other things, this package will fund maintenance for further and higher education facilities and for roads; it will help public transport to prepare for physical distancing measures; and it will include a further investment in companies of high potential, and in developments such as Ravenscraig, Edinburgh Bioquarter and the Michelin site in Dundee.

It will support, and is designed to support, projects which can provide an immediate boost to jobs and growth, while also helping to prepare our economy and our public services for the future.

We are also providing further support today for skills and training.

During this crisis, the Scottish Government has already invested additional money in services such as Fair Start Scotland – and I have said standing here on previous occasions, Skills Development Scotland has expanded some of its support for people who are looking for training and employment.

Today we are making individual training accounts available to people who are out of work, or on low incomes.

Last year, these accounts helped more than 18,000 people to develop new skills and to take up new positions. This year, we are adapting them to respond to emerging labour market challenges.

From July, they will offer access to online training in areas such as computing and IT, construction, early years provision and care.

Initially, we expect to release 14,000 accounts –with more becoming available later in the year. Further details of the courses will be available on the “My World of Work” website.

I know that not everyone who is eligible will be able to take advantage of this. If you have care responsibilities, or have volunteered to help others – time to train and study will be pretty limited.

But for some people – especially, but not exclusively, people who are currently furloughed on a relatively low income, or have been made unemployed – it does makes sense to develop new skills at this time. The learning accounts will offer a further way of supporting people who want to do that, as we seek to emerge from lockdown.

The other issue I want to talk about today is free school meals, and emergency food support more generally.

Free school meals are currently being made available to around 175,000 children across Scotland – either within local authority and early years premises which are still open, or more often through direct cash payments, supermarket vouchers, or the direct supply of food or meals. I can confirm that this provision will be extended throughout the summer holiday period.

We know families are under considerable financial pressure just now and free school meals are a vital help to many but they are also important to the health and well-being of many children.

So we will provide £12.6 million in funding for Local Authorities to enable the continuation of free school meals during the period from the end of June to the start of the new term in August. The funding will be allocated in a way that allows councils – as many of them currently do – to co-ordinate school meal provision with wider support they may be making available to families.

In addition, we are making £15 million available to councils, to maintain some of that wider support – in particular, the support for food which is currently available for people in severe poverty, people who face other barriers to getting food, and people who are being asked to isolate under the new Test and Protect system

Our support for those who are shielding – which I should say, comes from a different budget – is also of course being maintained.

At a time when – as the employment figures today show – many families will be finding it harder than normal to make ends meet – I hope that these announcements provide some reassurance, during a extremely difficult time.

Before I hand over to the Cabinet Secretary, I want to close by emphasising our key public health guidance. Following this guidance now remains crucial to keeping the virus under control, and allowing us to reopen the economy and to emerge from lockdown on a firm and sustainable basis.

You should still be staying home as much as possible, and still be meeting fewer people than normal.

Let me remind you, when you do meet people from another household, please stay outdoors, and you must stay 2 metres apart from them.

Don’t meet with more than one other household at a time, don’t meet more than one a day – and please keep to a maximum of 8 people in a group.

Please wash your hands often.

Wear a face covering when you are in shops or on public transport or in any enclosed space where physical distancing is a bit more difficult.

Avoid touching hard surfaces – and clean any you do touch.

And remember this will be important for some time to come.

If you have the symptoms of COVID-19 – a fever; a new cough; or a loss of, or change, in your sense of taste or smell – please book a test immediately, and follow the advice on self-isolation and you can book a test at the NHS inform website.

By doing the right thing, and by sticking to these rules, we are saving lives. We are suppressing the virus.

And by continuing to do that, we are giving ourselves a much stronger opportunity to take both further and also firmer steps out of lockdown.

So my thanks, once again, to all of you for doing all of the right thing.

Below is the text of the statement made by Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister, on 15 June 2020.

Good afternoon, and thank you very much for joining us again today.

I’ll start – as always – with an update on the key statistics in relation to COVID-19.

29 new positive cases were confirmed in Scotland yesterday. Now I’m going to say more about the total number of positive cases in a moment, because from today we are incorporating new data into that total.

A total of 870 patients are in hospital with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. That represents a total decrease of 94 from yesterday, but an increase of 3 in the number of confirmed cases in hospital.

A total of 18 people last night were in intensive care with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. That is also an increase of 3 since yesterday.

And I can confirm today that since 5 March, a total of 3,909 patients who had tested positive and needed to go to hospital with the virus have been able to leave hospital.

In the last 24 hours, zero deaths were registered of a patient confirmed through a test as having COVID-19 – so the total number of deaths in Scotland, under that measurement, therefore remains at 2,448.

I would however stress – as I did last Monday – that although this is clearly hugely welcome and very encouraging, it is nevertheless common for fewer deaths to be reported at weekends and unfortunately I do expect that we will almost certainly report further COVID-19 deaths in the days ahead.

And as always, I want to emphasis that when we do report these figures, they are not simply statistics – they represent individuals whose loss is a source of grief to many. So once again, I want to send my condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one to this illness.

I also want to express my thanks – as I always – to our health and care workers, and indeed to all key workers across the country. The Scottish Government and indeed I think people the length and breadth of the country are grateful to you for the work you are doing.

I’m going to focus on education in my remarks today, but before I do that, I want to highlight some new data which we are publishing for the first time today.

Up until now, we have only been able to publish testing results that come from NHS Scotland laboratories.

We have been able to report the total number of tests carried out by facilities run by the UK Government – for example drive-through centres and mobile testing units – but we have not yet been able to publish the breakdown of positive and negative results. Though I should say for the avoidance of doubt, the individuals tested have of course been notified directly of their results.

Public Health Scotland has been working with the UK Government to rectify this issue, and from today, we are able to provide daily figures for all tests in Scotland. For example, we can see that of those people tested in the 24 hours up to 8 o’clock this morning, 29 positive cases were confirmed. Of those positive cases, 9 were from tests conducted at UK Government facilities, and 20 were from NHS Scotland facilities.

So In total, there have been 18,030 confirmed positive cases in Scotland since the beginning of this outbreak.

15,687 of these confirmed cases were tested in NHS Scotland laboratories and a further 2,343 were test through UK facilities.

Now I know that some people compare each days figures with the previous day’s very carefully. If you have been doing that, you will have expected the NHS lab number I’ve just given to be 88 cases higher than it is.

The reason it’s not is that where a person has been tested more than once – first at a UK facility and then in an NHS Scotland facility – we have removed them from the NHS figure to avoid double counting of testing.

It is also important to stress that including this data from UK facilities does not change the total number of lab confirmed COVID-19 deaths that we have been reporting throughout.

From Thursday onwards, we will be able to provide a more detailed breakdown of test results – by date and by region – on the Scottish Government’s website and I hope that this information will be helpful in giving a full picture of the progress that has been made on testing over the last three months.

Now as I indicated the main issue I want to talk about today is school education.

And I want to address parents and young people very directly today.

I know you are deeply anxious – as I am – about the impact of this crisis on schooling.

So I want to be very clear today about the some of the principles that we are working on and the Scottish Government’s expectations – and as we look forward to the new school year. I hope to leave you in no doubt about the priority I and the whole government attaches to making sure our young people do not lose out on education or have their life chances damaged as a result of this crisis that we are all living through right now.

So, firstly, I want to be clear that it is our expectation that, by the time schools return on 11 August – and obviously within necessary safety guidelines – councils will have put in place arrangements that maximise the time that young people spend in a school environment having face to face learning.

In this immediate period that we are in right now, the Scottish Government will be scrutinising council plans closely – and where we conclude that all possible steps have not been taken to maximise face to face teaching and learning, we will ask councils to reconsider and revise their plans.

Innovation and creativity will be required here – but let me also be clear that where there are genuine issues of resources, the Scottish Government will work with councils to address those and the quality of your children’s education will be the absolute priority in those discussions.

And then from the 11 August starting point, our aim will be to return to normal schooling as quickly as we possibly can – recognising that of course that along the way we need to build the confidence of parents, young people and teachers that schools are safe.

And I want to be particularly clear on this point.

While we of course have a duty to be open with parents that none of us right now have a crystal ball, and that the path the pandemic will take in the months ahead remains uncertain, it is absolutely not the case that we are ‘planning’ for blended learning, with children learning at home for part of the school week, to last a year – or anything like it.

On the contrary, we do not want blended learning to last a single moment longer than is absolutely necessary and so we will be working with councils to return schools to normal as quickly as we can.

We want young people to be back having face to face teaching for 100% of the school week as soon as it is feasible.

To that end, our regular three-weekly reviews of the Coronavirus regulations will now include specific consideration of the evidence and data relating to transmission of the virus within schools and amongst young people – and where that suggests that safety restrictions can be lifted or eased without putting pupils and teachers at undue risk, we will do so.

As part of these reviews, we will ask our International Council of Education Advisers to consider experiences in other countries.

We will also be working with councils to ensure ongoing and enhanced support for any time that young people do spend learning at home.

And let me be clear it is our firm intention, as things stand right now, that next year’s exam diet will go ahead.

We will also be considering carefully how we work to address and mitigate and make up over time any impact of this crisis period on young people’s learning.

Ensuring that our children and young people have the highest quality education – and that life chances are not negatively impacted by what we are all living through right now – is of absolutely critical importance.

I want to give you my personal assurance that it is central to my and to the whole Government’s thinking as we plan and steer the country through our emergence from lockdown.

Before I hand over to the Chief Medical Officer, I want to end by emphasising again our key public health guidance because sticking to this guidance right now remains the most important way of enabling us to make further progress out of lockdown – which I very much hope we will do later this week.

You should still be staying home most of the time, and you should still be meeting fewer people than normal.

When you do meet people from another household, please stay outdoors, and stay 2 metres apart from them.

Don’t meet with more than one other household at a time, don’t meet more than one a day – and keep to a maximum of eight people in a group.

Wash your hands often. Take hand sanitiser with you if you are away from home.

Wear a face covering when you are in shops or on public transport.

Avoid touching hard surfaces if you can and clean any that you do touch.

All of these measure – hand washing, surface cleaning and wearing face coverings – will all help us to reduce the risk as we start to return to more normal life.

Indeed – if anything – these measures become more important, not less important, as we move through this pandemic.

I’d ask all of you to bear that in mind.

And, just as importantly, if you have the symptoms of COVID-19 – a fever; a new cough; or a loss of, or change, in your sense of taste or smell – ask for a test immediately, and please follow the advice on self-isolation.

You can book a test at nhsinform.scot or by phoning NHS 24 on 0800 028 2816.

Sticking to these rules- as you can see from the numbers we are reporting each day – has had and is having an impact. By doing the right thing, we are suppressing the virus.

We are saving lives.

And we are creating the firm foundations on which we can take further steps out of lockdown.

So my sincere thanks, to all of you once again, for continuing to abide by these rules and by this guidance.

Below is the text of the statement made by Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister, on 14 June 2020.

Good afternoon everyone, thank you for joining us this afternoon

I’ll start – as always – with an update on some of the key statistics in relation to Covid-19.

As at 9 o’clock this morning, there have been 15,755 cases confirmed through our NHS laboratories – that’s an increase of 25 from yesterday.

A total of 964 patients are in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19. That represents a total reduction of 19 from yesterday, including a reduction of 7 in the number of confirmed cases.

A total of 15 people last night were in intensive care with either confirmed or suspected Covid 19. That is a decrease of 5 since yesterday.

I can confirm that since 5 March, a total of 3,904 patients who had tested positive for the virus and required to be in hospital have now been able to leave hospital. I wish all of them well.

And in the last 24 hours, I can confirm that 1 death has been registered of a patient confirmed through a test as having Covid-19 –which takes the total number of deaths in Scotland, under that measurement, to 2,448.

I want to stress as I always do that these numbers are not just statistics – they represent people whose loss is being mourned right now. That point is just as important when we are reporting one death, as it is when we report multiple deaths. So – once again – let me send my deepest condolences and my thoughts to everyone who has lost a loved one as a result of this illness.

Let me also express my thanks – as always – to our health and care workers for the extraordinary work that you continue to do in very testing circumstances. And indeed, let me broaden that today to all of our key workers – health and care, obviously, but our police officers, our prison officers, those who are keeping our energy systems working, keeping food on our tables, everybody who has played a part in ensuring our country has kept operating during this very difficult time.

I’ll move on to questions fairly soon, but I want this afternoon to give an indication of what you can expect in the week ahead.

I hope to be able to confirm on Thursday, that people who are shielding will be able to go outdoors for exercise.

In addition, as you know, we are required by law to review the lockdown restrictions every three weeks. The next review date is Thursday. At that point, I will set out to parliament our assessment of whether the current suppression of the virus allows us to move to phase 2 of our route map.

As things stand right now, I remain optimistic that, on Thursday, while we might not be able to do absolutely everything we hoped to do in phase 2, we will nevertheless be able to enter that next phase and announce some further important steps on our journey back to normality.

The reason for my cautious optimism is that since we last announced changes, we have continued to see a downward trend in COVID-19 cases, and also in the weekly number of deaths. In addition, the R number – which as you know is the rate at which the virus reproduces – has fallen slightly, and is now between 0.6 and 0.8, and it’s crucial that it remains under 1.

So I hope, for example, that as well as allowing a bit more social interaction, from Thursday we will also be able to move forward with the remobilisation of the NHS and also indicate a date from which our retail sector can begin to re-open.

All of that and any other changes that we’re able to announce on Thursday will be in line with the careful approach that we set out in our route map.

And that is really important. The evidence suggests that the careful approach we have adopted so far is working.

The lesson I take from that is that we should stick with that plan – not discard it.

Because – and this is the much harder bit – while transmission of the virus is much reduced, the virus hasn’t gone away yet.

We still have a significant number of infected people in Scotland. And we are still seeing new cases each day. The risk remains that, if we move too quickly, and if we start coming into closer contact with too many people, cases of the virus could start to multiply again very quickly and we need to avoid that happening.

On the other hand, if we hammer down the incidence and prevalence of the virus down to the lowest levels we can, our exit from lockdown may then involve a return to more normality in the medium term than we previously thought possible.

And that’s of course what we must hope for right across the board – but it will be particularly important as we try over the next few months to restore as much normality as we can to children’s schooling. Which of course is a big priority, not just for the Government and for local authorities, but for parents and young people the length and breadth of the country.

So while there are no risk free options – and we shouldn’t slow down progress in pursuit of perfect risk free options that don’t exist – equally we must not ease restrictions at a pace that very obviously heightens the risks.

And we should also realise that the prize for going perhaps a bit more cautiously now, could be a return to greater normality in the medium term.

We have seen in England and some other countries, that the R number may have increased, particularly in certain regions – and we might see that here too. That’s won’t necessarily be a cause for panic – but it should be a reminder to us to constantly check and assess the impact of our actions.

All of that means the judgements we make about phase 2 will by necessity be finely balanced.

Phase 2 contains a number of significant measures – including potential changes to the rules on how we can meet each other, what workplaces can reopen, and which public services can resume.

We are currently assessing the impact of those different measures. That means considering the particular risks that each element will bring, and thinking also about what mitigating actions might be needed to reduce those risks. And it means – as we have done right throughout this crisis – weighing up both the harms that come from Covid, and also the harms that come from lockdown itself.

As I said earlier, we might not be able to do absolutely everything – but we want to do as much as possible, and we will do as much as we possibly can.

It is also likely that not everything that we are able to do in phase 2 will kick in straight away on Friday.

Regulatory changes will have to be made.

Our public transport operators will need time to implement their plans to increase capacity safely.

And workplaces that we hope will be permitted to open, will need to ensure they have the appropriate physical distancing measures in place; that guidance is being followed; and that employees feel confident that they can return to work safely.

We are producing additional guidance this week – in advance of any possible changes – for Early Learning and Childcare, for the retail sector, and on the use of public spaces.

Steps such as these are essential, to ensure we continue to suppress the virus as much as possible.

Once we determine what changes can be made, we will phase them in, in the most constructive way we can. We want people to be confident that they will be safe, as more social and economic activities gradually resume.

It’s also vital that we all understand the crucial point that I stressed earlier. Just because the number of cases is currently declining, and we are thinking of easing the restrictions – that does not mean the threat of coronavirus has gone. It hasn’t. The progress we have made still remains fragile, and the virus call too easily could run out of control once again.

There are some worrying signs of that right now in some states in America, for example.

So we must work hard to get the balance as right as we can. And as we do that, some of the most basic public health advice becomes even more important.

As we move through the routemap what we are doing, as a society, is relying less on strict lockdown restrictions to suppress the virus – and relying more instead on all of us following the public health guidance, maintaining physical distancing and of course participating in Test and Protect.

Our ability to move to further phases, and to sustainably re-open our society and economy – so that we do not need to lockdown again in the future – depends on all of us strictly following those principles.

In the weeks and months ahead – perhaps even more than at the present time – we all have to remember that the decisions we are making as individuals, will affect the health and wellbeing of all of us.

And so it remains critical that we stick with the current public health guidance. So let me end just by recapping on what that is.

We should all be staying home most of the time, and seeing fewer people than we normally would. When we do meet people from another household we should stay outdoors. We must stay outdoors and stay 2 metres apart from them. We shouldn’t meet more than one other household at a time, and not more than one a day – and keep to a maximum of 8 people in a group.

We should all be washing our hands often and thoroughly. If we’re not at home, make sure we have hand sanitiser with us.

And please wear a face covering if you are in a shop or on public transport, or in any enclosed space where physical distancing is more difficult.

Avoid touching hard surfaces – and clean any you do touch.

And if you have the symptoms, get a test immediately and follow advice on self-isolation. You can book a test by going to the NHS Inform website.

If we all continue to do these things and make sure we don’t ease up on the basic public health guidance then we will continue to see this virus suppressed and we will continue to see easing of lockdown restrictions become much more possible in the future.

My thanks again to all of you for doing that. I’m going to hand over now to the Chief Nursing Officer and then to our National Clinical Director to say a few words before taking questions.

Below is the text of the statement made by Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister, on 11 June 2020.

Introduction

Good afternoon,

I will start with the usual update on some of the key statistics in relation to Covid-19.

As at 9 o’clock this morning, there have been 15,682 positive cases confirmed through our NHS labs – that’s an increase of 17 from yesterday.

A total of 909 patients are in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19. That represents a total decrease of 78 since yesterday, including a decrease of 10 in the number of confirmed cases.

A total of 21 people last night were in intensive care with confirmed or suspected Covid 19. That is an increase of 3 since yesterday – but all of the increase I should say is in suspected cases.

I am also able to confirm today that since 5 March, a total of 3,858 patients who had tested positive and needed hospital treatment for the virus have been able to leave hospital – and I wish all of them well.

And in the past 24 hours, 5 deaths were registered of patients confirmed through a test as having the virus – the total number of deaths in Scotland, under that measurement, is now therefore 2,439.

As always, it’s important to stress that the figures I have just read out are not just statistics. They all represent individuals who right now are being mourned by their families and friends. So – again – I want to send my deepest condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one to this illness.

I also want to express my thanks – as always – to our health and care workers for the extraordinary work that they continue to do in very difficult and testing circumstances.

R Number

Now I want to highlight three issues today – firstly I will cover our latest report, which has just been published, on the “R” number”; I will update on some developments in the construction industry; and talk about support that we are making available for students over the summer.

I’ll then also close by reflecting on the importance of our Test and Protect system, which was launched two weeks ago, and our wider public health guidance.

Let me start though with today’s report on the “R” number.

As you will recall, the R number shows the rate at which this virus is reproducing. So in summary if R is above 1, every person with the virus will infect more than 1 other person, and the virus will then spread exponentially. If R though is below 1, the number of people with the virus will fall.

We estimate that the R number in Scotland, as of last Friday – 5 June – was between 0.6 and 0.8. That is a lower estimate than for two weeks ago, when we calculated that the number was likely to be between 0.7 and 0.9. So, under that estimate, we expect that the virus will continue to decline.

In addition, we estimate that last Friday, 4,500 people in Scotland had the virus and were infectious. Our previous estimate, for 29 May, had been that 11,500 people were likely to be infectious.

Now that, of course, sounds like a very big decline, so it’s worth me stressing, that we don’t actually think the number of infectious people has more than halved in just one week. What has been happening is that we have been reassessing our estimates for previous weeks, based on the latest figures available to us. So, in short, it is likely that the 11,500 was an overestimate, not that the number has halved in a single week.

However, notwithstanding that, these latest estimates reflect the encouraging data that we have seen in the last couple of weeks, and there is no doubt looking at all of this data, that we are making very real progress in combatting and suppressing the virus in Scotland.

However as always, it is important that I inject a note of caution. Firstly, the estimates I have reported to you today, of course don’t yet take account of the phase 1 changes that we made to begin the easing out of lockdown, and we need to continue to monitor any impact from that carefully.

Secondly, the number of people who we estimate will be infectious is certainly smaller than it was, but it is also still large enough to make the virus take off rapidly again if the R number was to go much above 1. So for these reasons we need to celebrate the progress but continue to be careful and cautious.

Next week, in fact a week today, we will have a further review of the lockdown restrictions.

I am currently very hopeful that at that point we will be able to lift some further restrictions. We may not be able to do everything in phase 2, but I hope that we can do certainly, at least, some of that. Of course it is also possible that some of these changes will be phased over a three week period, but I’m hopeful that we will be able to take some further important steps forward when we report on the review next week.

But it is important again to stress that we must do that cautiously and proportionately. And I will also make the point I frequently make, but it is not just an obvious point, it is a very important point, we will be in a better position to lift more restrictions if all of us continue to stick with the current guidelines and further suppress the virus to lower levels than it is even now.

Construction sector

Now one area where we judge we can make some further progress now, is in the construction industry. I can confirm today that the sector will be able to move to the next step of its restart plan – which is something that was always envisaged as part of phase 1 of our route map. So it is not a change to phase 1.

Earlier steps have allowed for health and safety planning, followed by preparatory work at construction sites.

And moving to the next step of the industry plan will now allow workers to return to construction sites gradually, while using measures such as physical distancing and hand hygiene to ensure that they can do so safely.

I am very grateful to the sector and trade unions for the very responsible approach that they have taken during an incredibly difficult time.

It’s important to be very clear though, that we still have a long way to go before construction will be working at full capacity, but there is no doubt this is a significant step in allowing an important industry to return safely to work.

I can also confirm today that we are extending our Help to Buy scheme – which was due to come to an end next March – we are extending that to March 2022.

Under that scheme, the Government provides up to 15% of the cost of buying a new-build home, and recovers its share of the funding when the property is sold, or when the share is bought out.

In recent years, this scheme has helped 17,000 people – more than ¾ of them aged 35 or under – to buy new-build homes. It has also, of course, been a valuable support for house builders. At present, of course, the pandemic means that the scheme is not being used.

So by confirming that it is being extended, I hope we can ensure that more people – who may otherwise have missed out on this scheme – are able to move into new homes in the future, and also that we are to provide a bit more confidence for the construction sector.

Student support

The third issue I want to talk about is support for students.

We know that many students rely on income from seasonal or part-time jobs – especially over the summer months – and that the economic impact of Covid will therefore cause them particular difficulties.

And that can be especially important for higher education students, who, unlike further education students, can’t usually claim benefits over the summer.

We have already provided additional support for students, and we have also suspended debt recovery action by the Student Awards Agency. And today, we are bringing forward more than £11 million of further support.

This funding will be administered by colleges and universities to help higher education students who most need it. And it is a further way in which we are trying to support students, at a time when many of them are still facing potential hardship.

Test and Protect

Now the final issue I want to cover today relates to my earlier discussion of the R number, and how we hope next week to announce some further changes to lockdown restrictions.

As we do that – as we gradually, and I emphasise gradually, return to meeting more people, and living a bit more freely, which all of us are of course keen to do – our test and protect system will become ever more important in helping us all to live a less restricted life, while still being able to suppress the virus.

Now yesterday, we published the first data from the system, which started two weeks ago today.

And that data shows, that in the period up to 7 June, 681 people who reported symptoms had tested positive for Covid. As of yesterday, contact tracing had been completed for 481 of those, and was in progress for a further 50.

Amongst those 531 cases, a total of 741 contacts had been traced – that’s just under 1½ people per case. And of course people’s contacts right now will be lower than normal because of the lockdown restrictions that are in place.

Now there’s two points that I think that are important for me to note about this data – and it is very initial data.

The first is that the number of people who have tested positive is higher than is suggested by our daily figures – the ones I report on new cases here each day.

That is because our daily figures do not yet cover tests from labs run by the UK Government – such as those for regional test centres and mobile units – although we will be able to include that information very soon.

In addition, the current figures slightly overstate the number of cases where no tracing has been carried out so far. One reason for that is that some historic cases – from the time when the system was being piloted – still feature in the data. If that historic data is removed, the proportion of completed cases increases from 71% to 86%.

We will publish more detailed data on test and protect in the weeks ahead because it is important not just that government understands how well it is working but you the public can see that too. But I want to be very clear that our preliminary indications are that test and protect is already working well. And of course we will identify areas for improvement as and when they arise and as the system becomes ever more established.

Fundamentally though, I want to stress to everyone watching just how important test and protect is and how important is it going to continue to be in the weeks and potentially the months that lie ahead.

I guess it essentially represents for all of us a kind of social bargain.

If you have symptoms, or – and in some ways actually this is the much more difficult bit, if you have been in contact with someone who has symptoms, even if you don’t have symptoms yourself – we will ask you to isolate completely.

We will support you in doing that, if you need that support – but it is still a very tough thing to ask people to do.

However, and this is the social bargain bit, if all of us agree to do that when necessary, it means that all of us together collectively will be able to continue to emerge from lockdown while keeping the virus under control.

At any one time, some of us will have to self-isolate for a period, so that together, all of us can start to lead a less restricted life.

So please, if you have symptoms of Covid-19 – remember that’s a new continuous cough, or a fever, or a loss of or change in your sense of taste or smell – please do not wait for a few hours or a day or two to see if you feel better. Start self-isolating immediately that you experience these symptoms, and ask for a test immediately.

To remind you, you can do that by going to the NHS inform website, or by phoning NHS 24 on 0800 028 2816 – that’s 0800 028 2816. If we all do that, when we experience symptoms and if any of us are contacted to say we have been in close contact with someone who has the virus, and we agree to self-isolate, then all of us are going to help enable the whole country to get out of lockdown, not just a bit more quickly, but more safely as well.

Conclusion

The final point I’d like to make before we move on to questions is that your best way of reducing, the best way of all of us to reduce our chance of being a close contact with somebody with the virus – and of being asked to self-isolate as a result – is by continuing to stick to our key public health guidance. And of course, that is also our best way of avoiding and getting and transmitting the virus.

So just to remind everybody what that guidance is, you should still be staying home most of the time right now, and you should still be meeting fewer people than you normally would. If your life feels like it is getting back to normal right now, please ask yourself why that is – because it shouldn’t yet be feeling as if it is getting back to normal.

When you do meet people from another household, you absolutely must stay outdoors, do not go indoors, and you must stay 2 metres apart from members of the other household.

Please, do not meet up with more than one other household at a time, don’t meet more than one in the course of any single day – and please keep to a maximum, I stress a maximum, of 8 people in any group.

Wash your hands often, make sure you’re doing it thoroughly. If you are out of your home take hand sanitiser with you.

Wear a face covering if you are in an enclose space, where physical distancing may be more difficult, for example in a shop or on public transport. Again I want to stress that. We know that one of us wearing a face covering helps reduce the risk of us transmitting the virus to somebody else. And somebody else wearing a face covering reduces the risk of them transmitting the virus to us.

It’s another way in which we can all act to protect each other.

Avoid touching hard surfaces – and any you do touch make sure you are cleaning them thoroughly.

And as I have already covered today, if you have symptoms of Covid-19 – ask for a test immediately, and please follow the advice on self-isolation.

Above all else, all of us right now should remember that in every single individual decision we take, we are potentially affecting the health and the wellbeing of others, and indeed the wellbeing of the whole country.

So if all of us continue to do the right thing, if all of us continue to stick to these rules, then we will continue to see the progress that I have been reporting in recent days, and we will be able to come out of lockdown, hopefully even more quickly, but much more importantly than that, we will be able to do that sustainably, because we will come out of lockdown and continue to suppress this virus, which is our overall aim.

So thank you for everything you have been doing. Please keep doing it, so that together we can continue to make this life saving progress.

Below is the text of the statement made by Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister, on 12 June 2020.

Good afternoon, and welcome to today’s briefing.

I am joined today by the Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, Fair Work and Culture Fiona Hyslop and our National Clinical Director, Jason Leitch.

Let me start, as always, with an update on some of the key statistics in relation to Covid-19.

As at 9 o’clock this morning, there have been 15,709 positive cases confirmed through our NHS laboratories, and that is an increase of 27 from yesterday.

A total of 914 patients are in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19. That represents an increase of 5 overall from yesterday. However, the number of confirmed cases within that has reduced by 20.

A total of 23 people last night were in intensive care with confirmed or suspected COVID-19, and that is an increase of two since yesterday.

I am also able to confirm that since 5 March, a total of 3,873 patients who had tested positive and needed hospital treatment have since been able to leave hospital. I wish all of them well.

In the last 24 hours, 3 deaths were registered of patients confirmed through a test as having the virus. That takes the total number of deaths in Scotland, under that measurement, to 2,442.

Even as we see these figures decline – thankfully so – it is nevertheless really important that we don’t lose sight of the fact that they are not just statistics. They all represent unique loved individuals whose loss is a source of grief to many people. So once again, my condolences are with everyone who has lost a loved one to this illness.

I will also express again my thanks to our health and care workers. Your efforts are enormously appreciated and, again, even as we see numbers in hospital and intensive care reducing, we know that you are still working incredibly hard in difficult circumstances, and you have our deep gratitude for that.

There are two items I want to update on today.

The first relates to the economy. Today’s GDP figures show that in April the UK economy contracted by more than 20%. That is – by some distance – the largest decline on record. And it confirms the scale of the economic crisis that has inevitably been caused by the health crisis that we face.

I have previously welcomed the UK Government’s interventions, especially the furlough scheme which has helped to preserve jobs during this period but, in my view, it is now time to signal a further extension of Treasury support.
Other countries have already made this move, including France where plans are being put in place for a long-term partial activity scheme covering possibly, as long as the next two years.

The alternative to extended support being put in place is either that businesses are forced to re-open before it is safe to do so – and that of course could damage health and it could cost lives – or businesses have to take an even bigger hit, and that will cost jobs.

In my view neither of those two alternatives is acceptable so I hope we will see further action from the UK Government and we look forward to working constructively with them, playing our full part in making all of that happen.

The fall in GDP is obviously something we discussed in this morning’s weekly meeting of the Scottish Cabinet’s economic sub-committee.

We also looked ahead to the publication of the latest statistics on Scotland’s labour market, next Tuesday. Those figures will cover February to April of this year – so that’s a period which obviously includes the first full month of lockdown.
I don’t want to pre-empt that publication, I’m not able to pre-empt it, but we do expect to see a significant impact on employment, and a rise in unemployment. And sadly, despite all of our best efforts that situation is likely to remain challenging in the period ahead.

And of course, all of that is before we factor in any potential impact on the economy from Brexit.

That is why I have today joined with the First Minister of Wales in writing to the UK Government calling for an extended Brexit transition period – to take away the risk of a ‘no deal’ outcome and also to make sure that all of us remain focused on supporting business through the post-COVID recovery, and not making the challenges that the economy and our businesses face any worse than it already is.

That is the action I believe we need from the UK, but I am acutely aware of the responsibility I have as First Minister, and that the Scottish Government has, to make sure we are doing everything within our power, and resources.

That is relevant to the announcement I’m making today because we are incredibly focused on making sure we are taking action to protect jobs and, hopefully in the future to create jobs, as we lead our economy through the post-COVID recovery.

The impact of this crisis is of course felt across our whole economy. I had discussions yesterday with the tourism sector – a sector particularly hard hit. And we know there are other sectors that are particularly badly affected too.
For example, Scotland’s energy sector is facing a massive decline in global demand, and that is having a very serious impact on our economy.

The Scottish Government wants to do everything we can to support the energy sector through this crisis.
We want to protect jobs and businesses in the north-east of Scotland and across the country. And in doing that we want to make sure that the sector is able to continue to lead, and indeed to benefit from Scotland’s necessary transition to a net-zero economy.

That’s why today, I’m announcing a new £62 million energy transition fund.

Over the next 5 years the Fund will support key energy projects which will help Scotland’s move to net-zero.

For example, one project – the Global Underwater Hub – brings together engineering expertise from academia and industry. And it will help our oil and gas sector to use its existing subsea and underwater expertise in new areas such as marine renewables.

Another project receiving support will be the Energy Transition Zone – a new business park adjacent to the Aberdeen South Harbour. That will provide state of the art facilities for the manufacturing and development of renewable and low carbon technologies.

Almost inevitably, given the focus of the fund is the transition from oil and gas to renewables, the projects which directly benefit from this fund are currently based in the north east of Scotland. But by securing Scotland’s place as a world leader in key technologies for the future, they will help businesses right across the country to diversify, to attract new investment, seize new opportunities and both protect and create jobs.

We know that the energy transition will shape our country’s economic future. That was true before the COVID crises and it remains true during and after the COVID crisis.

Through these investments not only will we shape that energy future and economic future, we will also help with the economic recovery from the crisis currently afflicting so many businesses across Scotland.

The second issue I want to touch on today concerns the Scottish Government’s approach to easing restrictions.
As I’m sure many of you know and will be eagerly anticipating, the current restrictions will be reviewed again on Thursday next week.

Our considerations will be informed, as they will always be, by the scientific evidence and advice and the clear principles we have set out.

However, I have been acutely aware throughout this crisis that it’s not, and never will be, enough for me simply to tell you what I want you to do.

I also have a duty to explain to you, on an ongoing basis, the reasons behind what we are asking you to do.

In fact the reason that I conduct these press briefings on a daily basis is to ensure that you get clear and direct information – on the impact of COVID-19 and on the country’s response.

That’s vital to ensuring that people understand the threat this virus poses – but also how we can all work together to reduce and mitigate that threat.

I’ve spoken before about some of the research we undertake to check that the messages we’re trying to convey are getting across.

We’re going to publish the latest research today so that you are able, if you are interested, to read it for yourself.
It shows, amongst other things that the vast majority of people in Scotland continue to support a careful and gradual easing of the restrictions.

But the aspect of the research I wanted to particularly highlight today is around public attitudes to our new Test and Protect system.

The research shows that 90% of people say that they would be willing to isolate for 14 days if someone they had come into contact with had symptoms of the virus.

90% said they would be willing to undergo Coronavirus testing if asked to do this.

And 88% are happy to provide details of people they had been in contact with if they develop coronavirus symptoms
That’s important and it’s also really encouraging because, as I’ve said to you before, Test and Protect is going to be a vital tool in keeping the virus suppressed as we ease more restrictions.

But Test and Protect can only work if all of us across the country are willing to comply with the measures that it sets out – if we’re willing to get tested when we have symptoms, if we’re willing to isolate if we have the virus, and if we’re willing to self-isolate if we’ve been a close contact of someone with the virus.

So these research findings, showing that willingness to make personal sacrifices for the common good, are really encouraging and I want to thank everybody for that spirit of collective endeavour that I think we all still have.

Now I want to conclude today with a key point about the critical juncture that we are at in fighting this virus.

I know that as cases, hospitalisations, numbers in intensive care, deaths, and the R number all decline, many will think that means we should speed up our exit from lockdown. And I understand that.

We are all deeply, deeply anxious about the impact on the economy. But the fact is this; the reason we are making such good progress now is that we are carefully, following a plan.

And if we depart from that plan we will risk the progress we’re making.

On the other hand, if we’re prepared to stick with the plan I believe we will keep making further progress.

And the more we suppress this virus, the more lives will be saved and the fewer people will suffer the long term health consequences that increasingly we fear that it might leave some people with.

But also, if we suppress this virus sufficiently, we will be able to restore a greater degree of normality to all of our lives.
So while I understand the desire for speed of recovery, the sustainability of our recovery also really matters.

The simple fact is if we go too fast now we risk a resurgence of the virus that will then set us back, and that is a risk, in my view, we must be careful not to take.

So I very much hope that we can and will take more steps forward at next week’s review, but I want to be very clear that we must continue to do that carefully and cautiously. And if we do, we will continue to suppress this virus, and it will mean that we get back to more normality than we will otherwise do.

All of you can help us in moving in the right direction by sticking with the rules.

So as we head into the weekend I want to briefly reiterate again the key public health guidance that is in place for now.
We should all still be staying at home most of the time and meeting fewer people than normal.

If your life feels like it is getting back to normal think about whether you’re complying with the guidance as you should be.

When you meet people from another household you must stay outdoors and you must stay two metres apart from them.

Don’t meet up with more than one household at a time. Don’t meet up with more than one a day. And please keep to a maximum of eight people in a group.

Wash your hands, often. Wear a face covering when you are in a shop or public transport – or in any enclosed space where it is more difficult to physically distance.

Avoid touching hard surfaces and clean those that you do touch.

And, as I have said already, if you have symptoms of COVID-19 ask for a test immediately – go to the NHS Inform website and follow the advice on self-isolation.

Above all else we all have to remember that we are still in a situation where our actions as individuals have an impact on the health and well-being of everybody.

So I want to end again today by thanking you sincerely for your patience, for your forbearance, and for making the sacrifices you are making so that collectively as a country we continue to get through this crisis.

My thanks to all of you and I will now hand over to the Economy Secretary to say a few words before handing over to Professor Leitch.

Below is the text of the statement made by Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister, on 9 June 2020.

Good afternoon.

I’ll start – as I always do – with an update on some of the key statistics in relation to Covid-19 in Scotland.

As at 9 o’clock this morning, there have been 15,653 positive cases confirmed – an increase of 14 since yesterday.

A total of 1,011 patients are in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19. That represents a total decrease of 31 from yesterday, including a decrease of 14 in the number of confirmed currently cases in hospital.

A total of 21 people last night were in intensive care with confirmed or suspected Covid 19. That is a decrease of 3 since yesterday.

I am also able to confirm today that since 5 March, a total of 3,820 patients who had tested positive for the virus have been able to leave hospital. I wish all of them well.

And in the last 24 hours, 7 deaths were registered of patients confirmed through a test as having Covid-19 –the total number of deaths in Scotland, under that measurement, is therefore 2,422.

Of course, tomorrow we will have the weekly report from National Records of Scotland which includes confirmed and suspected deaths from the virus.

After two days of reporting zero deaths, today’s figure of 7 is, of course, not what we would want to hear.

However, it is important to stress that it is not a surprise either – we know there is a weekend lag in registration of deaths and so the numbers we report on Tuesdays are usually higher than those on Sundays and Mondays. Last Tuesday, for example, we reported 12 registered deaths.

So, today’s figure though an increase on the last two days, is nevertheless a further indication of a clear downward trend in the number of people who are losing their lives to this virus. And that, of course, is clearly welcome.

We know, however, that this will be no consolation whatsoever to people who are grieving these lost lives. The figures I have just read out are not simply statistics. They represent individuals who are being mourned and grieved by many. So – once again – I want to convey my deepest condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one to this illness.

I also want to express again my thanks to our health and care workers. The entire country is so grateful to you for everything you continue to do during this very difficult time.

And, during what is Carers Week, I also want to thank our unpaid carers. This pandemic has demonstrated again the importance of what you do – but it has also, I know, created additional stress and anxiety for many of you.

That is why the Health Secretary announced some additional help for young carers on Sunday, and it is why we are paying an additional Coronavirus Carers Allowance at the end of this month, to those who receive the Carers Allowance.

In addition, we have also helped carers’ centres to work remotely. That means that help, advice and support is still available – online or on the phone – to all carers across the country. That support is not just available to people who have been carers for several months or years – it also applies to people who have had to take on caring responsibilities as a direct result of this pandemic.

And so I’d recommend to any carer, including any new carer, that if you need advice – or practical help, or just a friendly word – you can search for your local carers’ centre on the Care Information Scotland website, and get in touch. Help is available for you if you need it.

And finally, thank you once again to all of our carers for everything that you do. Your efforts make such an enormous difference obviously to those you care for, to all of their loved ones, and to the wider community and our whole country. All of us are grateful to you for that.

I want to highlight two further issues today.

Firstly, I can confirm that we will publish initial data in relation to our Test and Protect system tomorrow. That information will include how many positive cases have been identified so far through Test & Protect, and how many of those have had their contacts traced. At this stage, this will be national data though we intend to break it down regionally in the weeks ahead and add more detail to it. It is also data that will, at this stage, reflect the early stage of Test & Protect.

One point that it is important to note at this stage is that the figures that we publish tomorrow will not completely match our daily testing figures that we publish at this daily update, because they will also include results from the drive-through centres that are situated in various parts of the country.

The Covid update I give tomorrow – which I will deliver in parliament just before First Minister’s Questions – may be too short to explain those new figures in detail. However I will say more about them later in the week.

For now, though, I want to stress that if you have symptoms of the virus – a new, continuous cough, a fever, or a loss or change in your sense of taste or smell – you should immediately take steps to book at test. Please do not wait to see if you feel better first, do it straight away. And you and your household, of course, should isolate immediately.

You can book a test at nhsinform.scot or by phoning NHS 24 on 0800 028 2816.

If you don’t have symptoms but you are contacted to say you’ve been a contact of someone who has tested positive, please do follow the advice you are given on self isolation.

I can’t stress enough that the willingness of all of us to fully co-operate with Test & Protect in the weeks and months to come will be absolutely vital to our efforts to keep the virus suppressed as we try to restore some normality to our everyday lives.

The second issue I want to cover relates to the impact of Covid-19 on people from minority ethnic communities.

Public Health Scotland’s preliminary analysis of data from Scotland, which was published towards the end of May, does not appear to show that people from ethnic minorities are disproportionately affected by Covid in terms of its impact on their health.

But these are preliminary findings based on limited data, and we know that studies in other parts of the UK and indeed around the world have provided different results to that. And we also recognise that people from ethnic minorities could be disproportionately affected by the economic and social impacts of COVID-19 – as well as the health impact.

The Scottish Government has already allocated more than £500,000 to organisations that work directly with ethnic minority groups across Scotland. But we know that we may well need to do more.

For that reason, I am establishing a new expert reference group, made up of academics and other advisers.

That group will consider the evidence on Covid-19 in Scotland – including the data provided by NHS Scotland, National Records of Scotland and Public Health Scotland – to assess the impact of the virus on minority ethnic communities. In areas where Covid is having a disproportionate effect, they will also make recommendations on policies and approaches to mitigate that.

It is always essential – at any time – to listen to people from our ethnic minority communities, to work with them, and to ensure that the policies we adopt and implement do not have disproportionate and adverse consequences. It is, however, especially important at this time, and I hope that this expert reference group will ensure that our response to Covid 19 takes full account of the needs and experiences of our minority ethnic communities.

Finally, I want to end by emphasising once again our key and very important public health guidance.

Right now you should still be staying home most of the time, and you should still be meeting fewer people than you would normally. If your life feels like it is getting back to normal, ask yourself why that is the case – because it really shouldn’t yet be getting back to normal.

When you do meet people from another household, you must stay outdoors, and you must stay 2 metres, at least, apart from them.

Don’t meet up with more than one other household at a time, don’t meet more than one a day – and please keep to a maximum of 8 people in any group.

Wash your hands thoroughly and often. If you are out of your home, take hand sanitiser with you.

Please wear a face covering when you are in shops or on public transport or in any enclosed space where physical distancing is more difficult.

Avoid touching hard surfaces – and any you do touch, make sure you clean them regularly and thoroughly.

And if you have the symptoms of Covid-19 – a new continuous cough, a fever, or a loss of or change in your sense of taste or smell – you must get tested, and follow the advice on self isolation.

And above all for all of us, if we all remember each and every day that the decisions we are taking as individuals now have a big impact on the health and wellbeing of all of us, then we will all do the right thing and it is more likely that we get through this crisis more quickly.

Below is the text of the statement made by Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister, on 5 June 2020.

Good afternoon everyone. As you can see, I’m joined today by Iain Livingstone, Chief Constable of Police Scotland and by Professor Jason Leitch, our National Clinical Director.

I’ll start today – as I always do – by updating you on some of the key statistics in relation to COVID-19.

As at 9 o’clock this morning, there have been 15,582 positive cases confirmed – which is an increase of 29 from yesterday.

A total of 995 patients are in hospital with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. That represents a decrease of 26 from yesterday, including a decrease of nine in the number of confirmed cases.

Now as I said yesterday, in relation to the number of people who had their deaths registered in the previous day, we have to be very careful at reading too much into single day figures, but nevertheless I think it is reasonable to point out, that this is the first time since the 30 March, that the number of patients in hospital has been lower than 1,000. So again, a positive indication of the progress that we are making.

A total of 23 people last night were in intensive care with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. That is a decrease of five since yesterday.

I am also able to confirm today that since 5 March, a total of 3,778 patients who had tested positive for the virus have now been able to leave hospital.

In the last 24 hours though, 14 deaths have been registered of patients confirmed through a test as having COVID-19 – that takes the total number of deaths in Scotland, under that measurement, to 2,409.

Now as I always do, I want to stress that these numbers are not just statistics. They are individuals whose loss is being deeply felt by their loved ones. So – once again – I want to send my deepest condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one to this virus.

I also want to express my thanks – as I always do – to our health and care workers. Your efforts are enormously appreciated – and not just by me and by the Scottish Government, they are appreciated, I know, by everyone in Scotland.

There are – of course – many other frontline and key workers who are helping the country through this crisis and with the Chief Constable here today, I want to take the opportunity to say a special thank you again, to our police officers and staff. They are also working under real pressure at the moment but they are doing an exceptional job for all of us.

There are two items I want to cover today.

The first concerns the economic impact of COVID-19. I have just come from the Cabinet sub-committee on the economy earlier this morning – where we noted the latest monthly report, from our Chief Economist.

That document, which was published this morning, provides a summary of Scotland’s key economic statistics.

Among other things, it shows that – in the first half of May – almost 1/5 of businesses in Scotland were temporarily closed and that contributed to more than 750,000 people being furloughed or unable to work as normal.

The report also shows that turnover is down in almost every sector of our economy.

And it contains new modelling, which takes account of the different phases for easing lockdown. On that basis, the report forecasts a more gradual economic recovery – one which might not see us return to pre-crisis levels, for a number of years.

In short, today’s publication confirms the scale of the economic crisis that we now face. In doing that, it further underlines why government action is so important and why it will continue to be so important.

The Scottish Government has already allocated more than £2.3 billion to help businesses and protect jobs. And of course that’s before we consider important UK-wide measures currently in place – such as the Job Retention scheme.

That kind of support is helping to mitigate some of the economic impact of this crisis. And it will continue to be vital as our businesses seek to rebuild.

And I want to again today give an assurance that the Scottish Government is determined to everything we can to support that process of rebuilding and recovery. We will continue to do everything we can to protect your livelihoods. That’s important in the short-term, but it is also vital to help lay the groundwork, for a sustainable economic recovery.

Of course that recovery will be helped by continued progress against this virus. If we have a set-back in tackling the virus, it will make the re-opening of our economy all the more difficult.

So the second item I want to cover today, is directly related to the first, and it concerns the current lockdown restrictions and particularly how I hope the people will comply with them over this weekend and beyond.

We’re now, of course, at the close of the first full week since we moved into phase 1 of our route map out of lockdown – and eased some of the restrictions. So far, the vast majority of people have stuck by the new rules. And I want to take the opportunity again today, to thank all of you who have continued to do the right thing.

However, it’s also clear that – over the past week – not absolutely everyone has done that. The Chief Constable may say more later about compliance – and how the restrictions will be enforced, if necessary.

For my part, I want to set out very clearly again today, what the current rules are. And to do that, instead of focussing on what we are now allowed to do, I want to again emphasise what we’re asking everyone not to do because it’s by not doing the things, that we know from the evidence that allows the virus to spread more easily, that we will keep it under control.

So to start, you mustn’t meet people from other households indoors. I know that might be a particular temptation on a weekend like this – when we’re expecting again poor weather. But let me be clear, that is extremely high risk. We know – and we don’t know everything yet about this virus – but we do know that it transmits much more easily between people inside than it does outside. So if you’re not willing to meet outdoors – in all likelihood the rain – please do not meet up with people from other households at all and I cannot emphasise that strongly enough. I am not exaggerating when I say that if you do meet people from other households indoors, you are putting yourselves and you are putting them at risk of getting the virus of becoming ill with it and potentially dying from it and I would ask you not – please – to take that risk.

However, while the risk of meeting outdoors is lower, it is not absolutely zero – so that means that if you do meet outdoors, you must not get within 2 metres of members of another household.

You should certainly not be shaking their hands or hugging them, difficult though I know that is and you shouldn’t share food of utensils with people from other households of touch hard surfaces that they may also have touched because again, these are ways in which we know the virus spreads relatively easily.

And were asking that – when two households do meet up – there should be no more than eight people in total in a group. In addition, you should not go more than five miles for recreation and you shouldn’t leave your face uncovered if you are in and enclosed space like a shop and public transport.

Wearing a face covering helps you protect others – and having others wear a face covering – means that they help protect you.

A more general point I want to make is that – even now – you should still be seeing far fewer people than you might normally do. And you should still be trying to stay at home as much as you possible.

Basically, if you start to feel that your social life is returning to normal – that’s not a good sign right now.

That message applies to everyone – but it’s perhaps particularly relevant to young people. I want, today, to make a special plea to all of you, the young people of Scotland. Many of you – I know – will be desperate to spend more time with your pals, after weeks of being apart. You might even think that as young people, you are less likely to become seriously ill as a result of the virus and I know this from speaking to the young people in my own life.

But I want to be very clear – you are not immune from this virus, you can get it and it can be very harmful to you.

But even if you’re not seriously affected yourself, you can still pass it on to other young people. They might then pass it on to others who are at greater risk from COVID-19 – such as their parents or grandparents. And that could have really tragic consequences.

So I would urge you – and I know you all know how important this is – please don’t just think about your own risk, please think about the risk to your parents and your grandparents and to your friends’ parents and grandparents. Don’t take risks that you could end up regretting and possibly grieving in the weeks ahead. Please stick to the rules.

Can I also say finally, just a very brief word and a very heartfelt word to those who I know want to make their voices heard this weekend in support of Black Lives Matter.

I want to urge you to make your voices heard. We all feel very strongly about this but I want to ask you, to do so safely.

In normal times, I may well have been planning to join a gathering of support this weekend. But coming together in mass gatherings right now is simply not safe. It poses a real risk to health and it poses a real risk to life.

So I would encourage you to read the statement that was issued yesterday by Kadi Johnson, Sheku Bayoh’s sister, and by Humza Yousaf, Anas Sarwar and Aamer Anwar asking people to protest in different ways.

For example you can make your voice heard online, you can lobby elected representatives, or you can make a donation to anti-racism campaigns but please, please, try to stay within the rules that are there for your own protection and above all please stay safe.

In fact, that’s a message which all of us should heed. If you’re wondering whether or not it’s okay to do something this weekend, ask yourself if you’ve giving the virus an opportunity to spread. And if you’re in doubt about whether your plans are within the rules or not, please err on the side of caution.

Above all else, please remember that every single decision we take right now as individuals, will affect the safety and the wellbeing of everyone.

The progress we’ve made against this virus – over these past few weeks – is real and I say that every day because I mean it – and it is as a result of all of us, overwhelmingly, sticking to these rules. And that kind of collective effort will continue to be vital – as we slow the spread of this virus, even further.

I’m confident that the vast majority of you will continue to play your part. And I want thank all of you, in advance, for showing that solidarity with each other and for doing exactly that.