NICOLA Sturgeon will not risk a resurgence of the coronavirus by lifting lockdown restrictions to early even if the Prime Minister announces changes this weekend, she said.


Ms Sturgeon said it is likely that the rate of infection is still higher in Scotland than the rest of the UK because cases were first reported here later, meaning Scotland is behind the UK infection curve.


It has been reported that Boris Johnson is considering announcing an easing of some measures on Sunday to take effect on Monday.

READ MORE: Latest coronavirus updates
Ms Sturgeon however said the figures and the evidence in Scotland is that there is no justification for lifting any measures.


Instead she said the lockdown is due to be reviewed on May 28 but that changes could be made earlier if numbers continue to fall.


Ms Sturgeon said: “I will not be pressured into lifting restrictions prematurely before I am as certain as I can be that we will not be risking a resurgence of infection rates.”


The First Minister revealed the latest statistics showing there had been another 59 deaths in the last 24 hours taking the total to 1762 deaths in hospital with a positive test recorded.


Another 215 people have tested positive taking the total to 19,924.
There has been a fall of 45 in the number in hospital to 1587. The number in intensive care dropped by three to 86.

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Ms Sturgeon said the statistics led her to conclude that “lockdown must be extended.”


She said the evidence suggested that “significant numbers” of people in Scotland were still infected with the virus.


The reproduction rate, the R number that people are being infected was “hovering” around one, which she said was too high to consider easing any measures.

She said that the government wants to see in the days ahead a clear downward trend and the figures next Wednesday, when weekly totals are revealed, could be crucial.

Ms Sturgeon was due to speak to the Prime Minister last night, but said she had no knowledge hat he was about to lift restrictions in England, according to some reports.

Ms Sturgeon said she would not criticise other leaders for lifting restrictions.
She said that it could be that the restriction on leaving home once a day for exercise could be relaxed but only for exercise.

She said: “The other possible changes that are reported in the media, such as encouraging more people back to work now, opening beer gardens, or encouraging more use of public transport, would not in my judgment be safe for us to make yet.

“What I do not want a few weeks from now is for us to see a resurgence of this virus, and for you to be asking me ‘why on Earth did you start to ease lockdown a week or a couple of weeks too early?’.”

The First Minister said she would prefer all four UK  make changes together at the same pace but that meant all had to be satisfied we don’t risk a resurgence .