NICOLA Sturgeon has suggested that Scotland can emerge from the lockdown “as one country” with the levels system set to be relegated to a method to deal with flare-ups.
The First Minister spoke at an appearance in front of Holyrood’s Covid-19 Committee, where she warned that in all parts of mainland Scotland, the virus is “circulating at levels that are too high for comfort”.
The Scottish Government’s framework for exiting the lockdown stresses that the tiered levels system is set to be re-introduced from the end of April.
But Ms Sturgeon told MSPs that a Scotland-wide approach could now be used, stressing that she hoped “some substantial parts of easing of lockdown can apply all across the country”.
The First Minister insisted that the new more transmissible variant, now responsible for around 90% of cases in Scotland, means a more cautious relaxation of restrictions is needed.
She said: “We don’t have experience yet of how fast that variant will spread as we start to lift restrictions.
“While we are making really good progress with the vaccination programme, about 40% of the adult population is now vaccinated, we need to get that percentage higher to have a degree of protection from the vaccine that will substitute protection from lockdown measures.”
Ms Sturgeon added that “we just need to be cautious”.
“The last thing we want to do is go faster because we are all impatient to get back to normal and find that it sets us back,” she added.
Referring to the plans to revert back to a levels strategy, she said: “I hope, as we come out of lockdown, initially we can come out as one country and then in the future if we have outbreaks or flare-ups, we can use the levels system to deal with that.
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“I hope at least some substantial parts of the easing of lockdown can apply all across the country. It may very quickly be possible for some parts to go faster – island and rural communities perhaps in particular.”
Ms Sturgeon added: “The exit from lockdown maybe slower than any of us want it to be, for good reason. My focus and priority is to try to make it steady and one-directional, rather than going too fast now and finding that we take one step forward and two steps back.
“I think a bit of caution at this stage is the best mitigation and protection against that that we have got.”
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