Nicola Sturgeon has today confirmed that Scotland’s lockdown has been extended.

The First Minister made her comments in the Scottish Parliament following a meeting of Cabinet. 

She said that despite “encouraging” signs that the lockdown restrictions work working, “it is important firstly to be cautious”. 

Ms Sturgeon added: “We need to see these trends continue, to be more certain that this phase of the epidemic is now on a downward trajectory.

“We need to be realistic that any improvement we are seeing is down, at this stage, to the fact that we are staying at home and reducing our interactions.

“Any relaxation of lockdown while case numbers, even though they might be declining, nevertheless remain very high, could quickly send the situation into reverse.”

The current restrictions were initially set to be in place until February 1 – however Ms Sturgeon had made it clear from early on that there was always room for extension.

Here’s six key points from her briefing:

Lockdown extended

Nicola Sturgeon confirmed that full lockdown restrictions will be extended by at least a couple of weeks.

She said: “That means that the lockdown restrictions - including the strict stay at home requirement - will remain in place across mainland Scotland and some island communities until at least the middle of February. 

“Cabinet will review the situation again on the February 2”.

Home-schooling continues

The First Minister said she knows “know just how challenging and stressful this situation is for families”, adding that it is a “priority for all of us to get children back to normal schooling as soon as possible.”

However, she confirmed that home-schooling will remain in place until at least mid-February, with a potential phased-return after that.

She said: “Our reluctant judgment is that community transmission of the virus is too high - and is likely to remain so for the next period - to allow a safe return to school on February 1. 

The Herald:

“The Cabinet decided today that - except for vulnerable and key worker children - school and nursery premises will remain closed until mid-February. 

“We will review the situation again on February 2 and I hope we can set out then a firmer timetable for getting children back into school. 

“I can say this today: if it is at all possible, as I very much hope it will be, to begin even a phased return to in-school learning in mid-February, we will. 

“But I also have to be straight with families and say that it is simply too early to be sure about whether and to what extent this will be possible”.

The latest vaccine numbers

Ms Sturgeon confirmed that the Scottish Government is now vaccinating around 100,000 people a week – with plans to expand that to 400,000 a week by the end of February.

She added: “As of today, I can report that more than 90% of care home residents - the top priority group - have now received their first dose of vaccine. 

“Indeed, a number of health boards have now given the first dose of vaccine to 100% of their care home residents. 

“In addition, more than 70% of care home staff have now had their first dose. 

“And more than 70% of all frontline health and care workers have also received the first dose.”

The First Minister added that by mid-February, they expect to have completed the first doses for all over 70s, and for all those who are clinically extremely vulnerable. 

She added: “We then aim to complete first doses for everyone who is over 65 by the start of March, and to give first doses to everyone on the JCVI priority list by early May. 

“That means that in around three months’ time, around three million people in total will have received at least the first dose of the vaccine - this is, of course, the majority of the adult population and includes everyone over the age of 50, and many younger people with an underlying health condition.”

Barra changes

The Island of Barra will be placed into lockdown from midnight on Tuesday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said.

Updating MSPs in the Scottish Parliament, Ms Sturgeon said that 10% of the island’s population had been forced to self-isolate after 39 positive cases.

She said: “For these reasons, the national incident management team has recommended and the Cabinet – in consultation with the local authority and local health board – has decided that Barra and Vatersay, which is connected to Barra by causeway, should move from Level 3 to Level 4 at midnight tonight.

“This means that the same lockdown restrictions – including the stay at home except for essential purposes requirement already in place on mainland Scotland – will apply there too.”

Cautious optimism 

Scots must be continue to be “cautious” about coronavirus, despite declines in the number of new cases, Nicola Sturgeon has said.

Speaking to MSPs in Holyrood on Tuesday, the First Minister said: We need to see these trends continue, to be more certain that this phase of the epidemic is now on a downward trajectory.

“And second, we need to be realistic that any improvement we are seeing is down, at this stage, to the fact that we are staying at home and reducing our interactions.

“Any relaxation of lockdown while case numbers, even though they might be declining, nevertheless remain very high, could quickly send the situation into reverse.”

The latest case numbers

Scotland has recorded 71 deaths from coronavirus and 1,165 positive coronavirus tests in the past 24 hours, Scottish Government figures show.

It brings the death toll under this measure – of people who first tested positive for the virus within the previous 28 days – to 5,376.

The latest statistics show 164,927 people have now tested positive in Scotland, up from 163,762 the previous day.

The daily test positivity rate is 11.1%, down from 12.3% on the previous day.

Of the new cases, 354 are in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 178 in Lanarkshire, and 142 in Lothian.

There are 1,989 people in hospital confirmed to have the virus, up 30 in 24 hours.

Of these patients, 150 are in intensive care, an increase of four.