NICOLA Sturgeon will today provide a coronavirus update amid speculation of further lockdown changes across Scotland.
Glasgow and Moray are currently the only areas left behind in Level 3, after the First Minister announced last Friday changes for the rest of the population.
She is meeting with her cabinet today to discuss the situation in the two areas with tougher restrictions - before making an announcement to the nation.
When is the statement?
Nicola Sturgeon tweeed this morning: "I will be giving a Covid update at 12.15pm today, alongside new Health Secretary Humza Yousaf and Jason Leitch."
She added: "We will be covering the situation in Glasgow and Moray, but also giving an assessment of the situation across Scotland. Please tune in if you can."
READ MORE: Glasgow cases ‘accelerating’ towards Level 4 as expert warns of ‘concerning’ figures
Where can I watch?
The Scottish Government briefing will be posted live on their social media channels.
The broadcast will also be aired on BBC Scotland, and we'll be bringing you all the latest on our live blog here and on our website.
What can we expect?
Nicola Sturgeon is set to announce whether there can be any changes to the current lockdown restrictions - with Moray likely being moved down to Level 2.
The situation in Glasgow is still up in the air, with speculation that it will remain with tougher restrictions.
Elseewhere, East Renfrewshire - which has has now overtaken Glasgow as Scotland’s Covid hotspot as case rates rocket - faces the prospect of moving up to Level 3.
Professor Devi Sridhar, of the University of Edinburgh, said while it is a tough trade-off, bringing in restrictions sooner rather than later could mean they do not have to drag on into the summer.
She told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme: “East Renfrewshire, I’m not sure what will be decided, I think we should remember that it’s data that should be driving this, not dates.
“While it is painful to move backwards we’ve seen for example in Moray that actually that early action in holding it brought the numbers down so it can be released earlier.
“We’ve learned throughout this in every country is you move early, you move hard, you move fast and then once you have the problem under control and you get those numbers down you can release quicker.
📺 I will be giving a Covid update at 12.15pm today, alongside new Health Secretary @HumzaYousaf and @jasonleitch. We will be covering the situation in Glasgow and Moray, but also giving an assessment of the situation across Scotland. Please tune in if you can.
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) May 21, 2021
“The thing I would say to the people who are living there is that actually in some ways the crisis and the problem that you’re facing in your community might be over faster, go in earlier and harder and you can see the light in a week or two weeks getting out of this.
“Whereas if they delay action for a week or two it might be that you’re stuck in this for a month going into the summer.
“That’s the really tough trade-off for leaderships and political decision-making which I don’t envy at all, it’s when is that tipping point when you say actually we need to move early – even when it feels too early that’s probably when you need to be moving.”
The rate of cases in East Renfrewshire, which shares a council border with Glasgow, rose to 118.3 per 100,000 people in the seven days to May 17, while in the city itself was 112.1.
Case rates in Moray, which was previously Scotland’s Covid hotspot, fell to 36.5 per 100,000 people over the same period.
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