Nicola Sturgeon is setting out the Scottish Government route out of lockdown today.

The First Minister will reveal the priorities and order in which restrictions will be lifted as long as targets for vaccinations and reduced case numbers are met.

She said it will focus on data not dates but each phase would be at least three weeks apart.

The first priority is to get the rest of children back to school next month.

Then she said, easing the restrictions on households meeting up followed by beginning to open the economy again.

Sturgeon said the plan would be to first gradually ease current level 4 restrictions and then, when it is safe to do so, return to more geographically variable levels when all or parts of the country may move to lower levels with more of the economy opening up. 

Ms Sturgeon said Scotland will be moving back to the levels approach across the country.Glasgow Times:

She said: “We know we cannot continue in lockdown indefinitely and we must plan a gradual phased return to as much normality as possible.

“As we get to a situation where we can move back to a levels approach, with all or part of the country moving down a level, we can start to carefully open the economy again too.

“The strategic framework sets out as far as possible at this stage how we will approach the gradual easing of restrictions. We will be able to give more detail and clarity in the weeks ahead as we make further progress both on suppressing the virus and vaccinating the population, and as we understand more about the impact of vaccination.

“However, to keep moving in the right direction and avoid setbacks caution will be necessary, which is why the framework will be clear about the need to move in a gradual way”

It comes a day after Boris Johnson outlined the UK Government plan for England.

Glasgow Times:

The Prime Minister's plan for south of the border sees outdoor gatherings of either six people or two households by the end of March, shops and gyms, hairdressers and beer gardens open by April 12. Hotels and B&Bs could open by May 17 and from 21 June it will potentially see all legal limits on social contact removed, with the final closed sectors of the economy reopened such as nightclubs.

The announcement will be made at around 2.20pm today and can be viewed on Scottish Parliament TV here or on BBC One Scotland.