Nicola Sturgeon is expected to confirm that a planned easing of Covid restrictions is to be delayed.
The First Minister is due to update the Scottish Parliament on the latest review of the route map out of lockdown later this afternoon.
She signalled last week that that a move to level zero - the lowest in five-tier system - was likely to be pushed back by three weeks.
Originally set for 28 June, it could be delayed until at least mid-July so more people can be vaccinated.
READ MORE: Today's update — How to watch and when it's happening
Ms Sturgeon will also set out out what life in Scotland will look like under the lowest level of coronavirus restrictions, and publish a much-anticipated review of social distancing rules.
The First Minister said last week it was “unlikely” that any area of Scotland would see restrictions eased on June 28 – the date it had been hoped all of Scotland would move into Level 0 restrictions.
Ms Sturgeon previously said this move would likely be delayed by three weeks.
The Scottish Government will also publish a review on Tuesday of physical distancing requirements, along with a paper which Ms Sturgeon said would set out “what we hope life will look like beyond Level 0 – as we get to the point where we can lift all, or virtually all, of the remaining restrictions”.
This level, the lowest in Scotland’s five-tier system, is only currently in place in the island authorities of Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles, with all mainland areas having either Level 1 or Level 2 restrictions applied.
Ms Sturgeon previously told MSPs: “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 June 28.
READ MORE: Today's update — How to watch and when it's happening
“Instead, it is likely that we will opt to maintain restrictions for a further three weeks from June 28 and use that time to vaccinate – with both doses – as many more people as possible.
“Doing that will give us the best chance, later in July, of getting back on track and restoring the much greater normality that we all crave.”
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