Sturgeon: Social distancing is likely until end of year
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says that social distancing “will be a fact of life for a long time to come” as she opened up about her coronavirus lockdown exit strategy.
Ms Sturgeon said social distancing measures will have to be applied “certainly until treatments and ultimately a vaccine offer different solutions” and went on to say: “So that means possibly for the rest of this year, and maybe even beyond.”
“That’s why talk of lifting the lockdown, as if it’s a flick of a switch moment, is misguided.
“Our steps, when we take them, will need to be careful, gradual, incremental, and probably quite small to start with,” she added.
Ms Sturgeon added: “We will need to assess them in advance and monitor them in action. Sometimes we may even need to reverse things.
“As we go we will apply our judgement to the best scientific advice possible, we will continue to collaborate closely with the other governments across the UK, and we will learn from international experience.”
She also said that lifting restrictions presents a “real risk” of a second outbreak of the virus, saying: “So a return to normal as we knew it is not on the cards in the near future, and it’s really important I’m up front with you right now about that.”
The First Minister also said that special measures may have to be adopted to pupils when they eventually return to school, including a redesign of classrooms to allow social distancing and she added that perhaps not all children can go back to or be at school at the same times.