Thread by @theSNP

Deputy First Minister @JohnSwinney: "Good afternoon. Thank you very much for joining us today. I'm joined by the Chief Medical Officer, Dr Gregor Smith, who'll be helping me to answer questions this afternoon.”

JS: "Let me start with the usual statistics. The total number of positive cases reported yesterday was 885. That represents 4.4% of the total number of tests, and takes the total number of confirmed cases in Scotland to 195,839."

JS: "It's worth noting that the Office for National Statistics has just published the latest results of the Covid-19 infection survey for Scotland."

JS: "The survey concludes that the positivity rate in Scotland declined in the week beginning 6th February. It estimates that last week, 1 in 180 people in Scotland had Covid."

JS: "That is the lowest estimated level of infection of any nation of the United Kingdom."

JS: "It provides a further indication that the lockdown restrictions are having their effect, and it underlines why it's so important that we stick with them."

JS: "Returning to today's figures, 267 of the new cases were in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 166 in Lanarkshire and 163 in Lothian."

JS: "The remaining cases were spread across 9 other health board areas."

JS: "1,222 people are currently in hospital, that is a decrease of 39 from yesterday. 98 people are in intensive care, which is an increase of 3 from yesterday."

JS: "And I'm very sorry to report that 31 additional deaths have been registered in the last 24 hours of patients who first tested positive over the previous 28 days. That means that the total number of deaths under this daily measurement is now 6,916."

JS: "Every single one of those deaths is a tragedy, and I want to send my condolences once again to all of those who have lost a loved one to Covid."

JS: "I can also provide more details on our vaccination programme. As of 8:30am, the total number of people in Scotland who have received their first dose of the vaccine is 1,386,152. That is an increase of 31,186 since yesterday."

JS: "We've now offered doses to all over-70s, all care home residents, all frontline health and care workers, and all people with a serious clinical vulnerability. Take-up rates in all of those categories have been exceptionally high."

JS: "However, I want to stress that, if you are in those categories and have not yet been vaccinated, then you can still get your first dose."

JS: "74% of 65 to 69-year-olds have now received their first dose, which means that we continue to be on course to offer a first dose to everyone in that age group by early March."

JS: "Once again, I want to thank everyone involved in delivering the vaccination programme, and everyone who has, thus far, received their first dose."

JS: "The main thing I want to focus on today is the return of education. As you know, Monday will see children returning to early learning and childcare, and to primaries 1-3."

JS: "In addition, a very limited number of senior phase students will return to secondary school for essential work which is required for national qualifications and which can only be done within school."

JS: "I want to take this opportunity to thank all of those who are working hard to prepare for this return. That, of course, includes teachers, childcare providers, school staff, and school leaders. Your efforts are hugely appreciated by me, and by the Scottish Government."

JS: "This partial return of education is an important milestone, and there are two specific points I want to make about it today. The first point concerns testing in schools."

JS: "As senior phase pupils, teachers, and school staff start to return, we will be making at-home lateral flow tests available to them twice a week."

JS: "Pilot testing programmes have been running in a small number of schools in recent weeks, and we're using what we've learned from this to roll the programme out across the country."

JS: "As part of that, we've been working closely with the UK Government to get test kits into schools. This process has obviously been affected by the severe weather that we've experienced in recent days."

JS: "However, I can confirm that around 2,500 schools have now received testing kits, and we expect any remaining schools will receive allocations either today or early in next week."

JS: "On Tuesday we issued comprehensive testing guidance to schools and to local authorities, and we're working with Young Scot to provide online information and support for senior phase pupils who want to take part in the testing programme."

JS: "The first phase of testing will include childcare staff based in schools. We're currently working through the practical arrangements for rolling out testing to childcare staff working in other types of nursery settings..."

JS: "..and we will provide further details on those arrangements very soon. Testing in schools is entirely voluntary, but I would encourage staff and pupils to take the tests if you are offered them."

JS: "The use of testing is a very important addition to the other safety mitigations which are already in place."

JS: "Of course, the evidence suggests that the key risk in reopening schools isn't transmission within schools and nurseries but the greater contact it leads to among the adult population."

JS: "That brings me to the second point I'd like to make this afternoon. Parents and carers also have a really important role to play in making the return of education a success."

JS: "For example, if you've been working from home up until now, please continue to do so - even if your children are back at school or nursery. Your employer has a legal obligation to support you in doing that."

JS: "Don't use this return as an opportunity to meet up with other parents or friends, and as a general rule, if you find that you are meeting up with more people than you were before once your children have returned to school, then think about why that is."

JS: "All of us should be minimising our social contacts right now. In addition, when you're out of the house - at the school gates, for example - please remember to follow the FACTS advice."

JS: "For all of us, that advice is perhaps more important now than ever before. We're now dealing with a much more transmissible form of the virus, so we need to respond accordingly - by making it even more difficult for the virus to spread."

JS: "That's why the Scottish Government is launching a new campaign to highlight the importance of the FACTS advice and all of the other rules and guidelines."

JS: "It emphasises the need for all of us to stay on our guard, even as our vaccination programme is rolled out. So I want to take this opportunity to quickly run through the five golden rules of FACTS and why they are so important."

JS: "The first is face coverings. In enclosed spaces, face coverings help to protect you and those around you. Remember, ahead of next week, face coverings should be worn by parents and carers when collecting or dropping off your children from school."

JS: "Avoid crowded places. Covid thrives in a crowd. So by avoiding these kind of situations, you minimise the chance of spreading the virus."

JS: "Clean hands and surfaces. Good hand hygiene and regular cleaning remain really important. If you're leaving the house take hand sanitiser with you or use it wherever it is provided."

JS: "Two-metres distancing from members of other households. You should always physically distance from other households."

JS: "That's maybe especially important to remember as some school children return. For parents and carers, for example, you should remember to physically distance when you're walking to school, or nursery, and when you're dropping off or collecting your children."

JS: "And, finally, self-isolate and book a test if you have symptoms. That is how we identify cases, and stop the spread. If you're identified as a close contact of someone who has Covid, you also need to book a test and self-isolate for 10 days."

JS: "By following each of these points, we can help to make this initial return of education a success, and we can help to keep each other safe as the vaccination programme does its work."

JS: "However, I want to emphasise that the basic rule remains the same. Right now, all of us should be staying at home."

JS: "In any level 4 area - that includes all of mainland Scotland - you must only leave the house for essential purposes. You cannot meet up with other households indoors."

JS: "And if you meet with someone outdoors you can only meet with one other person from one other household. These restrictions are really difficult, and I don't underestimate that for a moment. But, crucially, they are working."

JS: "Case numbers are coming down. So, too, are hospital admissions. We need to see that trend continue and so it's vital that we continue to stick with the restrictions."

JS: "That is how we keep the virus under control - and it's how we give ourselves the best chance of returning more quickly to some form of normality."

JS: "So please continue to do the right thing, stay at home, protect the NHS, and save lives. My thanks go, once again, to everyone who's doing that."