Covid in Scotland: FM to announce outcome of lockdown review

Nicola Sturgeon is set to confirm whether Scotland's Covid lockdown will be extended beyond mid-February.

The first minister is also expected to give details about the reopening of schools and nurseries.

Other steps to combat the spread of the virus, including tougher supervised quarantine measures, will be outlined in a statement at Holyrood.

The level four restrictions have closed non-essential shops and have seen a "stay at home" message put down in law.

They have been in place across mainland Scotland since Boxing Day and were last week extended to the Western Isles.

Scottish government ministers are meeting on Tuesday morning to review the latest data and decide what happens next.

The first minister will update the Scottish Parliament at 14:20 on what measures remain necessary to drive down case numbers and hospital admissions.

The review comes after it emerged that the NHS is "ahead of schedule" to complete first doses for all over-80s by Friday.

Vaccination of the over-70s is now under way and more than 575,000 people across the country have now had the jab.

During her daily media briefing on Monday the first minister said the current lockdown "is working" but warned that case numbers are still too high.

Pupils across the country are currently home schooling but Ms Sturgeon is expected to give more clarity as to how they may return to the classroom.

The most likely option is a phased approach that would see the youngest pupils and those with additional support needs among the first wave.

Senior pupils preparing coursework for assessment are also likely to be among the first to go back as this year's Highers and Advanced Higher exams have been cancelled.

The first minister will also update Holyrood on plans to keep the virus under control when the easing of lockdown begins.

Last week it was announced that people travelling to England from certain "high risk" countries will soon have to quarantine in government-sanctioned hotels so the measure can be more strictly enforced.

Scotland has its own quarantine rules, which differ slightly, as do Wales and Northern Ireland.

But tougher restrictions for supervised quarantine of travellers are expected to be announced after the Scottish government last week said UK Government measures "did not go far enough"

The move is a response to the emergence of new variants of coronavirus, from countries such as South Africa and Brazil, which are more infectious than the original one that started the pandemic.