Warning lockdown could be extended

Strict lockdown measures in place across Scotland to tackle the pandemic could last longer than three months if the situation worsens.

Dr Catherine Calderwood said the peak in Scotland is not expected until late next month.

The lockdown measures will be reviewed in around three weeks when health experts will be given a “much clearer picture” of the spread of the virus.

However, she is “pessimistic” about the current measures changing significantly at that stage.

At the weekend she said restrictions on movements were required for at least 13 weeks to stop the spread of Covid-19.

The 13-week estimate is based on modelling of the virus and takes into account the spread of Covid-19, incubation periods, and the length of time people will be ill after contracting the disease.

She said Scots should be prepared for the possibility of things “not returning to normal perhaps for an even longer period of time”.

Dr Calderwood added: “What we do know is that once restrictive measures are lifted we will see a spike in the number of cases with the virus again and a spike in hospital admissions, ICU admissions and deaths.

“So it is entirely possible that having lifted measures we would have to place them back down again, perhaps not all of them, perhaps not as stringently, depending on the size of this second peak.

“So I would want people in Scotland to be aware that actually this 13 weeks is one figure and seems a very long time but unfortunately, unless we really get this virus under control, we may not be able to return to normal even after that.”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “We have always been very frank and open that these measures are not necessarily going to be in place for a short period of time.

“This period of 13 weeks has always been one we’ve understood and clearly we keep that under review as we understand more of our data about the infection and how it is operating.”