‘Moment of great opportunity but also danger’ – Sturgeon

NICOLA Sturgeon has said Scotland faces a moment of “great opportunity” but also a time of “very real danger” 100 days since lockdown was announced.

The first minister urged people to “work hard” to ensure progress is not lost, stressing that Covid-19 has “not gone away”.

Ms Sturgeon announced three deaths of patients who tested positive for the virus were recorded in Scotland as of 9am on Tuesday, taking the total to 2,485.

These are the first registered after four days running with no deaths under this measure.

The first minister said in the previous seven days there had been a total of nine Covid deaths in Scotland, compared to 23 in the week before that.

“That is a sustained and significant ongoing reduction,” she said.

Ms Sturgeon added: “I now believe we have a genuine chance to come as close as it is possible to get to eliminating this virus in Scotland.

“We will then have to work to ensure we keep it at those levels.

“That gives us, if we get to that level and keep it at that level, the best chance for seeing more of our friends in less restrictive circumstances, of reopening the economy much more fully, being able to fully reopen our schools.

“So, this is a moment of great opportunity but it’s also a time of very real danger.”

Meanwhile, Health Secretary Jeane Freeman announced an expansion of hospital visiting for non-coronavirus patients.

She said one named visitor will be able to visit a patient, as long as contact details are provided to enable Test and Protect tracing if required.