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First Minister: 'Nervous' over easing of coronavirus lockdown but proud of nation's response to date


By Scott Maclennan

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First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she has “never been prouder of this country than I am right now” but is still nervous in case people go too far now that lockdown has been eased.

Speaking at the daily briefing, Ms Sturgeon ran through a number of new measures in place but particularly underlined how people should go about using the greater freedoms that started today.

She said: “I really hope and expect that these changes will bring some improvement to the quality of our life, but I need to continue to stress that they are deliberately and, by necessity, cautious changes and they have been very carefully considered and assessed.

“I said yesterday that I was nervous ahead of these changes and I have to tell you that that is still the case, and the reason for that is this – if too many of us change our behaviour a bit more than these changes are designed to allow then we could see the virus spread quickly – and that would take us back to square one.

“The consequences of that would be measured not just in more time spent in lockdown and some of these restrictions that we've just lifted being applied again, but the consequences would also be measured in lost lives.

“So I'm not trying at all to cramp anyone's fun this weekend, I really do want everyone to enjoy these changes because all of you have more than earned it, but I am asking you to please do so responsibly.

If too many of us change our behaviour a bit more than these changes are designed to allow then we could see the virus spread quickly – and that would take us back to square one

“I am appealing to your judgment and to your sense of solidarity to each other. Please stay within the rules, apply judgement.

"We can't obviously give the bespoke guidance for every single individual circumstance but if you remember that the purpose of the rules is to deny the virus bridges to jump across then you yourselves can decide whether or not what you are thinking about doing is sensible or not.

“So continue to limit the people from other households that you see, be rigorous in your hand hygiene and don't allow the virus to spread from you to someone else via a hard surface.

“Above all remember that each and every individual decision that we take will affect the safety and wellbeing of everyone.

“Recent weeks have been really tough, the toughest most of us can ever remember, and I can't tell you that there are not tough times still lying ahead but I'll tell you this, I have never been prouder of this country than I am right now.”


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