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Nicola Sturgeon Covid briefing: North and north-east to find out if move to Level 1 will happen on June 7

covid briefing Sturgeon
DCT Media

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will give an update on Covid restrictions in Scotland today.

Ms Sturgeon is expected to announce if mainland Scotland will move to Level 1 on June 7 as previously planned.

She will make a statement during a meeting of Parliament at Holyrood on Tuesday June 1 at around 2pm.

Moving to Level 1

The government’s roadmap for easing restrictions showed that the country was aiming to move into Level 1 in early June.

Under eased restrictions, up to six people from three households will be able to meet in homes and stay overnight without social distancing.

In a public place, this rises to eight people from three households, while 12 people from 12 households can meet outdoors.

It also means up to 100 people can attend weddings and funerals and more businesses can reopen their doors, including soft plays and fun fairs.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf has said that not all of Scotland will be able to move into Level 1 next week.

Speaking on BBC Good Morning Scotland on Monday, he said: “I think people would understand where there are still rising case numbers, where there is rising test positivity and if people are getting severely ill and hospitalised with the new variant then it may be that parts of the country would move to Level 1, but in other parts of the country we decide to keep in Level 2.

“It is early for me to say so but that is certainly the situation we are looking at.”

However, Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross believes the vaccine scheme means there can be more positivity around easing restrictions.

He said: “Everyone understands that there will be a need for local, targeted measures when an outbreak occurs.

“But leaving behind whole areas should be ruled out. Sweeping measures that unnecessarily hurt a whole city or council area are unfair on businesses and local people waiting to get on with their lives.”

The Western Isles, Shetland, Orkney and other Scottish islands moved to Level 1 on May 17 due to the vaccination uptake and low case numbers.

Variant concerns

Glasgow will find out later this week if it will move down to Level 2 on Saturday and therefore will not be able to move to Level 1 “for a couple of weeks”.

There are also concerns about rising cases in Clackmannanshire and East Renfrewshire, but these numbers must be looked at alongside other measures.

During the briefing on Friday, Ms Sturgeon said the April 0.2 variant was a “key factor” behind the increase in positive cases.

She added: “The new April 0.2 variant, which we think is more transmissible than most other types of the virus, probably now accounts for 50% or even more of our daily cases.”

The briefing will be streamed live on Scottish Parliament TV, the Scottish Government Twitter page and on BBC Scotland. Live updates will also be shared on our blog.