FM: No let-up in lockdown as England gets a taste of freedom

scotland will not follow england on an imminent relaxation of the coronavirus lockdown.

Boris Johnson is tonight expected to announce a limited relaxing of restrictions in England but the rules in Scotland will remain unchanged.

It is expected that garden centres south of the border will reopen on Wednesday, people will be allowed to exercise more than once a day and anyone who cannot work from home will be encouraged to return to work. Firms reopening for business will be advised to provide face masks.

The previous slogan of “stay home” will change to “stay alert” and a 10- page road map out of lockdown will be given to MPS tomorrow as ministers attempt to restart sections of the economy.

However, in Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon is standing by her position that increasing outdoor exercise is the only restriction her government is considering easing.

She believes Scotland was hit by the virus later and may have to stay locked down longer. Her spokesman said: “The First Minister has made clear, both publicly and in discussions with the Prime Minister, that the lockdown regulations in Scotland will remain in place and that the only issue under consideration at this time is in relation to outdoor exercise. The Stay at Home message remains crucial.”

The Prime Minister will tonight set out the UK Government’s “road map” which is aimed at reassuring the country that progress is being made in the battle against the disease.

However, Mr Johnson has also made a plea to the public to continue to observe social distancing to prevent a second peak of coronavirus overwhelming the NHS.

The Pr ime Minister said on social media: “We cannot risk a second peak that would overwhelm the NHS, so let’s keep going.”

Ja s o n Leitch, the Scottish Government’s national clinical director, warned there was a risk of subsequent waves of infection if the lockdown was abandoned. He said:

“If we said today ‘all bets are off, do whatever you like’ we’re all back to normal, there would definitely be a second wave of the virus and it would probably be worse than the first wave. The virus is still out there, it hasn’t gone away.”

The Scottish Retail Consortium yesterday demanded “visibility” of a route out. Director David Lonsdale said pharmacy, grocery and pet food re t a i l - ers in Scotland had shown they could operate “safely and respons i b l y ” as they had invested significantly in social distancing and hygiene measures.

He said: “Retailers are working hard behind the scenes. What is needed now in Scotland is visibility on the route out of lockdown.”

A total of 1,847 patients have now died in Scotland after testing positive for coronavirus, an increase of 36 from Friday.

The number of people who have now tested positive is 13,305, up by 156. Across the UK, 31,587 people have died, a rise of 346.

UK Tr a n s p o r t Secretary Grant Shapps announced a £ 2 billion cycle and walk to work plan, warning social distancing means a fraction of the usual number of passengers will be able to use buses and trains. Air travellers arriving in Britain will soon be told to selfquarantine for two weeks, according to airlines, who say the demand is another blow for the industry.

In the US, Barack Obama described Donald Tr u m p’s handling of the pandemic as a “chaotic disaster”. The former president reacted as the country’s death toll topped 79,000.

Meanwhile, in South Korea, one man was linked to at least 17 new Covid-19 cases. More than 2,000 bars and clubs have been closed after the man, 29, failed to wear a mask while visiting nightspots in Seoul’s Itaewon district last weekend.

FM Nicola Sturgeon