Scotland’s five-tier Covid-19 alert system will attempt to ease us through winter months

Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed Scotland will enter a new five- tier coronavirus alert system from next month.

T he new measures, which will come into force on November 2, will be part of a “strategic framework” to help manage the acceleration of virus cases through the winter months and early part of next year.

It will involve different levels of restrictions that can be applied nationally or regionally depending on the level of infection.

The first minister confirmed the middle three tiers of the strategy will be“broadly equivalent” to the medium, high and very high alert levels already introduced in England, but Scotland will add an upper and lower level.

This would be similar to the five- tier system introduced in Ireland and other countries across the world – and could be a response to England’s chief medical officer warning that the threetier approach will not be enough to bring the virus under control.

Ms Sturgeon said the lower level will be “the closest to normality that we can reasonably expect to live with until we have a vaccine or a more effective treatment”.

She wants to keep schools open wherever possible but decisions may need to be taken on a case-by-case basis, and she would not rule out a return to blended learning in some schools.

The level of support on offer will be “broadly similar” to that in other parts of the UK and will be the “maximum that the Scottish Government is able to provide within the resources available”.

However, ministers are set to pursue “urgent discussions” with the UK Treasury about providing further support for businesses and individuals because the current offering will be the minimum the Scottish Government thinks is necessary.