Nicola Sturgeon is expected to provide an update on the easing of restriction levels across the country during a televised briefing today.
The First Minister urged people to tune the the update, saying she would provide insight into the overall trends and issue the latest statistics.
However, it is likely she will also confim that a planned move to level zero restrictions which was due to take place on 28 June will not go ahead.
📺 There will be a @scotgov Covid briefing at 12.15pm today, giving an update on today’s figures and overall trends, and a reminder of the key steps we all need to take - get vaccinated, test regularly and follow the public health precautions. Tune in if you can.
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) June 18, 2021
Why is the briefing being held?
Last week Ms Sturgeon said the Scottish Government would will "opt to maintain restrictions" for a further three weeks from June 28.
This is due to growing concern about the increasing number of positive cases caused by the spread of the Delta variant of the disease.
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon signals delay to lockdown easing
The First Minister said that a review full review of the protection levels would take place this week, and that she would provide an update once that had been completed.
Why is level zero being delayed?
Cases of coronavirus have been rising — yesterday's number of positive cases reached a 6-month high with 1,317 being confrmed in 24 hours.
The spread of the Delta variant, which originated in India, is being blamed for the upsurge.
However, the vaccines currently in use in the UK are effective against this variant, but protection greately increases after the second dose.
It is hoped the delay will give more time to provide this booster jab to people who have already received a first dose of vaccine.
READ MORE: Scottish Government confirms highest number of cases in 24 hours since January
Nicola Sturgeon told the Scottish parliament last week: "Given the current situation - and the need to get more people fully vaccinated before we ease up further - it is reasonable to indicate now that I think it unlikely that any part of the country will move down a level from 28 June.
"Instead, it is likely that we will opt to maintain restrictions for a further three weeks from 28 June and use that time to vaccinate - with both doses - as many more people as possible."
When does the briefing take place, and how can I watch?
Ms Sturgeon will hold the briefing at 12.15 pm. It will be avialble on the Scottish Government's Twitter channel, and is expected to be screened by BBC Scotland.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel