NICOLA Sturgeon has confirmed the coronavirus lockdown will start to ease tomorrow, as a new contact tracing system is rolled out by the country’s health boards.

The First Minister said Phase 1 of the Scottish Government’s four-stage route-map would focus on a return to outdoor activities subject to continued social distancing. 

Two households will be able to meet outdoors once a day with a limit of eight people.

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However people should bring their own cutlery and crockery to picnics and barbecues and avoid using another household’s toilets, making such visits hard with children.

 The change will involve people using their own judgment far more to keep themselves and others safe, rather than following strict instructions such as Stay at Home.

However Ms Sturgeon stressed the overarching advice was still to stay indoors and work for home when possible to help keep the virus suppressed.

She said she was "a bit nervous" about the changes, and said the lockdown was being modified at the margins, not ending.

She said people should still feel that life was different, as it was not returning to normal.

She said there had been a sustained downward trend in cases, with a “reasonable confidence” the R number had been below 1 for three weeks. The prevalence of Covid was also down, with 19,000 infectious cases suspected in Scotland, down 7,000 in a week.

She said it was possible the current downward trends in deaths, hospital admissions and intensive care patients may not continue and could fluctuate in the weeks ahead.

She said that if the virus surged again the lockdown measures would return.

Laying out the details of the changes at the Scottish Government daily briefing, she said: “No change will be risk free - and there are no certainties. While I am confident of that, there is also the chance that even these limited changes will lead to much greater change in reality.

“So please act within the rules. Be respectful of each other’s space, be kind, be prepared for things to be very different and remember that each individual decision you take affects the wellbeing of all of us. 

“How well we follow these practices now determines whether we can go further in the future. We can only take these steps towards a less restricted lifestyle, and then consider taking further steps, if people continue to obey the guidance.

“My advice is to stay home as much as possible – the virus has not gone away. If you have symptoms, get tested; wash your hands and surfaces regularly; and if you do meet family or a friend stay outdoors. Don’t put them or yourself at risk.

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“We can only take these steps towards a less restricted lifestyle because people have, overwhelmingly, stuck to the guidance. And we will be able to take more steps more quickly in the future – if we continue to do the right thing, and to stick to the rules.”

The impact of the changes, and the possibility of easing restrictions further, will be reviewed when the three-week phase ends on June 18.

Ms Sturgeon said the move into Phase 1 was tied to the roll-out of the Scottish Government’s contact tracing scheme known as Test and Protect.

Designed to replace the blanket lockdown with targeted ones, the scheme relies on people with Covid symptoms - cough, fever or loss of taste or smell - to book a test immediately, self-isolate and tell an NHS contact tracer who they had been in close contact with.

Those close contacts will then be asked to self-isolate for 14 days.

Close contacts people within the same household or people the suspected Covid case has spent 15 minutes or more with at a distance of less then 2 metres.

The target is for tests to be returned within 24 hours.

Ms Sturgeon said Test and Protect was crucial but not sufficient, and people shhould continue to maintain social distancing, wash their hands and observe cough etiquette.

Under the Phase 1 plan, people will be allowed to go outdoors for recreational, such as sitting in a park, as well as essential purposes, such as food, medicine and exercise.

Non-contact sports such as golf, bowls, tennis, angling, hiking and outdoor swimming can resume, with people allowed to travel further away from home for leisure activities.

A household will also be able to meet with a second household outdoors at a safe distance.

However public gatherings larger than two households remain banned.

Pubs, restuarants, cinemas, theatres, places of worship and most shops are to remain closed for now.

Some outdoor workplaces will be able to reopen, such as garden centres and drive-throughs, with employers encouraged to stagger shifts to help keep staff safe.

However the construction sector is being asked to hold off reopening until Phase 2 and use Phase 1 to prepare plans for safe working.

People will be expected to wear face coverings on public transport and in enclosed public spaces. Staff will return to schools to prepare for the return of pupils in August.

There will also be a gradual resumption of public services such as social work and NHS services such as emergency eyecare and IVF treatment.

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Ms Sturgeon also announced the number of deaths from laboratory confirmed cases of Covid has risen overnight by 12 to 2,316. This does not include suspected cases. 

The National Records of Scotland yesterday said total registered deaths in which the virus was confirmed or suspected had reached 3,779 by May 24. 

The Scottish Tories urged the SNP Government to review and update its exit strategy on a weekly basis, and said questions remained about the Test and Protect system given previous missed targets and missed contacts after Scotland’s first big outbreak. 

Leader Jackson Carlaw said: “The state of lockdown restrictions appear to depend on the all-important ‘R’ number, which itself is updated each week.

“That should mean Scotland’s lockdown is also reviewed every seven days, to provide the public with maximum information and enable some flexibility.

“Nicola Sturgeon admitted to being nervous about this phase of the exit and no wonder.

“It will only work if testing is up to scratch, and so far that has not been the case.

“We still don’t really know what happened to the 2000 tracers who were meant to be in place by the end of the month, nor how long it will be until the system is in full swing.

“We all want the move out of lockdown to succeed, but we also need a Scottish Government to be absolutely on top of the levers which will allow it to happen.”

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said there should be “full disclosure” of the evidence guiding the Scottish Government’s decision-making at each stage of the route-map.

He said: “This is essential for public confidence. People across Scotland have done the right thing and stayed at home, often at great cost emotionally and financially. 

“So being able to socialise in a limited way and undertake some additional activities will be welcome. But it is crucial that people read the government's guidance and remember that this crisis is far from over, and life and social contact should not yet feel normal.

“We want to see the test and protect system work effectively in stopping the spread of Covid, but for there to be confidence in the system, there must be assurances from the government that all the testing capacity available is fully used – this hasn’t been the case so far.

“As we start to think about a greater return to work, we all need to be reassured that the right health and safety measures are in place and are enforceable. 

“To do that we need a Health and Safety Executive that is fully resourced for the additional pressures it faces, and that co-operates closely with Scottish Government agencies through the structures already in place. Critically, we need strong and continued trade union involvement to  ensure returning are safe.”

The Scottish Greens said those isolating should be entitled to a form of income support akin to the furlough scheme for workers sent home during the lockdown.

MSP Ross Greer said: “Isolating will be crucial in tackling the spread of the virus. For many who are self-employed and in precarious work though, losing their income for two weeks will simply be unaffordable. For both their welfare and in the interest of public health, the Government must offer a guaranteed income replacement, similar to the furlough scheme.

"Making people choose between keeping their family out of crisis and protecting public health isn’t fair or acceptable. Not everyone has the privilege of a house with multiple rooms or a secure income that will be protected while they isolate.

“That’s why we’ve called for income support where it’s needed. If this system is going to be effective long-term, then the Scottish and UK Governments must ensure people can isolate safely and with security.”

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Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said also stressed the importance of testing and contract tracing.

He said: “The Scottish Government must get the easing of lockdown right or there is the potential for the virus to spring up again.

"At the moment there are still big questions for the Government to answer over the prospect of local lockdowns and how the different phases of lockdown will work for different types of activity.

“The Government need to demonstrate they have a comprehensive tracking and tracing network and deliver support for partners in the NHS and local government who will be on the frontline making this a reality.

“People have made huge sacrifices to beat this virus. They must not be in vain.

“We also need to see the earlier return of non-urgent healthcare and operations as so many people are suffering now. From hip to gall bladder operations and dentistry we need a plan to restart. The non-covid health harms are significant now and we need to address that.”

Scottish Chambers of Commerce chief executive Dr Liz Cameron said the changes were welcome but warned "the clock for businesses is ticking".

She said: "The need for firmer timelines is an increasingly urgent matter for companies across all sectors who still face significant risk if they are not able to open urgently. Preparing for a safe return to the workplace is the utmost priority for businesses and should be too for government.”

The Federation of Small Businesses in Scotland called for government support for workplaces forced to re-close because staff had been in contact with the virus. 

Andrew McRae, FSB’s Scotland policy chair, said: “Many in business hope that the track and trace system is the key to unlocking our economy. Independent operators stand ready to play their part in making the initiative work. 

“However now is the time to consider whether we need a new financial support scheme for firms asked to close because of virus re-transmission risk. 2020 has been a torrid year for many in business. Once the economy re-opens, it would be a devastating blow for a firm if they were asked to close once or multiple times.

“At this stage Ministers in Edinburgh should consider means to mitigate the impact of this scenario on individual firms, because the wider Track and Protect system is so important to getting the wider business community back on its feet.”

Incoming STUC general secretary Roz Foyer said employers must allow  workers to comply with the Test and Protect system “without fear of detriment" if they have to self-isolate.

She said: "This system will only be effective if workers have confidence and employment security. That should mean no pressure on workers to present for work, no pressure for those on insecure and zero-hour contracts, and financial support should go well beyond statutory sick pay for those who cannot work due to the provisions of Track and Trace."

Scottish Retail Consortium director David Lonsdale said shops wanted "a firmer sense of the likely timetable" for wider store reopening, as has been provided elsewhere in the UK.

He said: "Retailers of all sizes and formats are working hard and investing significantly to implement physical distancing and hygiene measures to protect customers and staff, putting themselves in the best possible position to operate safely once government permits trading again.

"The move to enable garden centres to re-open is a welcome vote of confidence in that effort and preparation, and heralds the first tentative steps towards a re-opening of the wider retail industry which is ready to play its part in kick-starting Scotland's economy."