Scotland's road out of lockdown 'broadly similar' to England's
The First Minister said her plans won't be identical to the UK Government's, but will be governed by the same principles
Scotland’s path out of lockdown will be “broadly similar” to the UK Government’s roadmap, but will not be identical, according to the First Minister.
Nicola Sturgeon told the daily coronavirus briefing in Edinburgh the data in Scotland and England is different, but the principles behind the decision-making process will be the same.
She is due to set out her strategic framework for gradually lifting the current lockdown at Holyrood on Tuesday, a day after the Prime Minister outlined the UK Government's plans.
Addressing the media on Monday, Ms Sturgeon said: “Our plans out of lockdown will not be identical. They are already not identical because we've got some kids back in school today which is not the case in England until into March, so we will not be identical but I think there will be broad similarities.”
She said Prime Minister Boris Johnson is likely to set out a “careful and cautious” way forward, which she welcomed, adding it is “vital that we learn from past experiences”.
Ms Sturgeon added: “Similar to us, it seems that they have prioritised children and education and getting life back to normal before doing other things.
“So I think the principles will be the same: we're living through the same pandemic.
“There is a limit to how much it is sensible to diverge in the circumstances we're facing in common, but clearly we will make our own judgments about the particular order and the particular timing of that because the data is not identical in each of the four nations.”
But the First Minister urged Scots to “be patient” with the easing of restrictions.
She said: “We've come this far and it's been really, really, horrendously difficult for everybody - some more than others.
“It would really be the wrong thing to do to come this far on suppression after a second national lockdown, and particularly with the vaccination programme going so well, and ease up too quickly and send ourselves back the way.
“Patience is a hard thing for me to expect from people and to ask more of from people, I know that. I hate having to do it, but the more sensible and cautious we are just now, the more sustainable these easings of restrictions will be.”
She added: “This is really difficult, I know that, but we have to stick with this if we're going to come out of this in the shape that we want to be.”
Ms Sturgeon said her road map would give indications of the phasing of restrictions easing, but would not provide reopening dates.
She added: “We will seek to set out tomorrow an indicative order of priority and the likely phasing of firstly the gradual lifting of the current lockdown restrictions and then, in due course, a return to the geographic levels system when we would decide whether all or parts of the country may move out of Level 4 and into Level 3, and of course that's the part where more parts of the economy will start to open up.”