Nicola Sturgeon has insisted that her focus remains on leading the country through the Covid-19 pandemic and not on independence.
Speaking on ITV's Good Morning Britain she urged those who could continue to work from home to do so and that it was vital that did rush back and 'overload'
The First Minister touched on a number of different issues including the uncertainty during the pandemic and the economic balance she sought in her decision making.
She said: "Our priority over the past couple of months has been to get schools back and then to keep schools open and that depends on keeping community transmissions as low as possible. So while we all like to get back to normal, the reality is we can't do everything right now. We need to make choices about what our priorities are."
READ MORE: Coronavirus LIVE: Sturgeon urged to shut Scotland's pubs as local restrictions extended
When questioned on taking a different approach from Westminster however, she insisted that there was not a categorically right or wrong answer saying: "I am just trying to strike the balance as well as I can. It's not, unfortunately, a perfect science and there is not an absolute right and wrong way to do this.
'We think it's really important not to overload ourselves.'@NicolaSturgeon says we can't go completely back to normal at the moment.
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) September 8, 2020
She adds that 'choices have to be made and we have to be clear about what the priorities are.'@piersmorgan |@susannareid100 | #GMB pic.twitter.com/joMIZCMVhT
"I am acutely aware of the economic implications of everything we are doing to try and tackle Covid but I am also acutely aware that if we lose the battle to keep COVID under control then that's not good for the economy as we end up going back the way and having to put our economy back into lockdown."
READ MORE: Coronavirus: Nearly half of new Covid cases in Scotland being detected in under-25s
"Every leader has to make his or her own decision about ho they conduct themselves. I think in a situation as serious as the one we've been living through, as uncertain and unpredictable, it's really important to be out there, front and centre trying to explain to people the decisions that we are taking, very difficult decisions that are having a big impact on people's lives, and also trying to communicate that sense of uncertainty. We don't have all of the answers and that's been true all the way through.
"This is a virus we have had to learn about, we are still learning about and we have had to change our approach in some circumstances."
'We don't have all of the answers.' @NicolaSturgeon tells @piersmorgan and @susannareid100 that while it's important for leaders 'to be out there front and centre trying to explain the decisions', it can be difficult for politicians to 'communicate that sense of uncertainty.' pic.twitter.com/LBzYiAXPKq
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) September 8, 2020
The First Minister added that it was important that Scotland looked elsewhere to other countries to learn how to put the virus under control adding that Scotland should not be complacent about any spike in the number of cases.
READ MORE: Coronavirus: Suspected Covid-19 cases three times higher than official numbers – study
'We shouldn't be complacent.'
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) September 8, 2020
First Minister of Scotland @NicolaSturgeon says leaders need to look to countries like France and Spain and do 'everything in their power to stop going in that direction.'
Watch GMB 👉 https://t.co/yyUUJmzswF pic.twitter.com/QmQA5kLAcO
Questioned on the future of Scotland in the build-up the election next year and the prospect of campaigning for a possible second independence referendum, the First Minister insisted that her focus was not on independence, but on tackling Covid-19. She said: "There is a Scottish election next year and I will make the case for Scotland to have the right to choose its own future and independence... but right now my focus is on tackling COVID and that will remain the case for as long as we are in this situation."
She added: "It is the case that people in Scotland look at Boris Johnson and his government and think that's not what we want for Scotland. We want to have the opportunity to decide on a better path for our country and that is the stuff of democratic debate."
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