Scotland likely to delay lockdown easing for three weeks, Nicola Sturgeon says

Scotland is likely to delay lockdown easing measures for a further three weeks after June 28, Nicola Sturgeon has said.

The First Minister said the pause would be necessary “in all probability”, to allow more time for people to get double jabbed.

She had already said no changes would be made to Scotland’s Covid lockdown levels today.

But the Scottish government is set to review local alert levels next week – something Ms Sturgeon said was “unlikely” to result in rules being relaxed.

Speaking in Holyrood, the First Minister did not rule out the further easing of restrictions but said the Scottish Government needed to “buy ourselves sufficient time” to allow the vaccination programme to continue its work.

She said: “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.

“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.”