Sturgeon to set out options for relaxing lockdown measures

THE possible options for easing Scotland’s coronavirus lockdown restrictions will be revealed in the coming days, Nicola Sturgeon has pledged.

The first minister said she will soon “say more about t he di f f erent options under consideration” by ministers.

She made the pledge as she said there are “real signs of progress” in tackling the spread of Covid-19 in Scotland.

Ms Sturgeon said: “In the coming days, I will say more about the different options under consideration and how we’re going about assessing those.”

The first minister said the latest figures show a total of 1,262 patients have died in Scotland after testing positive for coronavirus, up 13 from 1,249 on Sunday.

A total of 10,521 people have now tested positive for the disease, a rise of 197 on the previous day’s total.

There are 134 people in intensive care with coronavirus or coronavirus symptoms, an increase of one on Sunday, while 1,762 people are in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19.

There have been 1,261 cases and 106 deaths in Tayside, and 681 cases and 85 deaths in Fife.

Ms Sturgeon said the number of people requiring intensive care treatment has dropped by “around a third” in the last two weeks.

She added that 2,380 people who have t e st e d p o s i t i v e for coronavirus have now left hospital after treatment and the overall trend in statistics gives “cause for cautious optimism”.

But she stressed it is too soon to lift the lockdown that has been in place for over a month, adding: “It’s certainly not the time to throw caution to the wind.”