Coronavirus: ‘Too early’ to lift lockdown restrictions next week, Nicola Sturgeon warns

'The margins we have for ensuring the virus doesn't take off again are really, really tight,' says Scottish first minister

Ashley Cowburn
Political Correspondent
Thursday 30 April 2020 13:20 BST
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Nicola Sturgeon has said it may be too early to lift the lockdown restrictions next week in “any meaningful way”, as she warned the margins for the coronavirus transmission rate taking off again were too narrow.

In an apparent warning to the UK government ahead of a crucial meeting of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), the Scottish first minister said it would not be possible to ease restrictions “safely”.

The scientific body will meet next week to evaluate the lockdown and the spread of the coronavirus in the UK, ahead of a decision by Boris Johnson whether to extend the lockdown from 7 May – or to begin to relax some of the measures.

Providing an update, Ms Sturgeon also said that 1,475 patients have died in Scotland after testing positive for virus – up by 60 on Wednesday. A further 319 people also tested positive.

Speaking at a Scottish government press conference, the SNP leader said: “I have to be straight with you – it may very well be too early even this time next week in any meaningful way to safely lift any of the current restrictions.”

Ms Sturgeon said the country had worked had to bring down the transmission rate of the virus, adding the R number – which measures the number of people each person with Covid-19 passes the virus on to – is thought to have fallen to below one.

“This is real and very positive progress,” she said. “However, we are not confident that the R number is very far below one yet, and that means any easing up at all in the current restriction, either formally, by government decisions or informally by people being a bit less compliant as we all get more and more weary and frustrated would quickly send it back above one.”

Ms Sturgeon added: "The margins we have for ensuring the virus doesn't take off again are really, really tight. That means we must be very cautious at this stage."

She said in recent weeks the public had been "superb" at sticking to the restrictions, but said in the last week there was evidence of more people making journeys, with more people on the roads and more trips made using concessionary public transport.

The Scottish first minister said while both of these increases were from a low starting point, they were still a "source of concern".

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