Easing of Scotland's Covid-19 restrictions ‘highly unlikely’ says Sturgeon, ahead of Tuesday review

Scotland’s First Minister has warned that any easing of current Covid restrictions is “highly unlikely,” ahead of a government meeting on Tuesday to review the current measures.

Nicola Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday that case numbers made it difficult for the government to consider an easing of Covid restrictions.

Cases in Scotland are still too high for comfort

Sturgeon claimed that there was some evidence that the measures taken, including the circuit breaker lockdown in October, and the new five-tier system, were starting to have an impact on the spread of the virus.

However, the first minister insisted that they needed to see a “significant and sustained reduction in cases” before making any decisions to reduce Covid restrictions.

The government will be reviewing the five-tier Covid restrictions system for the first time on Tuesday, having introduced it on November 2. Sturgeon said that any easing would be “highly unlikely.”

The first minister also described the announcement that Pfizer’s vaccine is 90 percent effective as the “best news in weeks.”  

Scotland’s most populated areas are currently subjected to tier-three measures, which sees severe restrictions on hospitality venues and on socializing.

Following a firebreak lockdown in October and the introduction of the five-tiered system, Scotland is the least coronavirus-afflicted nation in the UK.

Overall infection rates in Scotland are significantly lower than in England, with 147.3 cases per 100,000 in the last seven days in Scotland compared to 243.2 cases per 100,000 in England. 

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