Thread by @theSNP

📺 Watch @NicolaSturgeon's statement on the @scotgov strategic framework on tackling COVID.

⏰ Tune in live from 2:05pm on @ScotParl TV: scottishparliament.tv

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "I will set out our initial priorities and an indicative timeframe for cautiously easing restrictions and restoring greater normality to our lives, as quickly as it is safe and sustainable to do so.

First though, a brief summary of the latest statistics."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "The total number of positive cases reported yesterday was 655.

This is 4.8% of all tests carried out, and takes the total number of cases to 198,839."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "1,076 people are now in hospital – 65 fewer than yesterday.

And 93 people are in intensive care, 6 fewer than yesterday."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "I regret to report that in the last 24 hours, a further 56 deaths have been registered.

The total number of deaths under this measure is now 7,006.

I want to send my condolences to all those who have lost a loved one during this pandemic."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "As of 8:30 this morning, 1,465,241 people in Scotland have received their first dose of the vaccine - an increase of 19,753.

Almost 1/3 of Scotland’s adult population has now received the first dose of vaccine. That is quite extraordinary progress."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "That headline number of people vaccinated includes virtually everyone in the top four clinical priority groups identified by JCVI - it's a milestone that is already saving lives."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "As of today, 82% of 65-69 year olds have had a first jag.

And we're now offering first doses to people in priority group 6 - including unpaid carers and people with underlying health conditions, making up more than 1/5 of Scotland’s adult population."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "If supplies allow, we will now aim to reach key vaccination targets earlier than previously planned.

Our intention, supplies permitting, is to have offered first doses to everyone on the JCVI priority list by mid April."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "We will aim to have offered first doses to the entire adult population by the end of July, rather than September as previously anticipated.

Our confidence in our ability to achieve this is a testament to how the vaccination programme has progressed so far."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "I also want to say a few words directly to people who are on the shielding list – since all of you have now been offered a first dose, and the vast majority of you have had one."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "I know some of you are uncertain about whether being vaccinated changes our advice to you. Unfortunately, it doesn’t do that yet.

At the moment, we're advising all of you to keep following the advice the Chief Medical Officer sent in recent letters."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "The Chief Medical Officer’s advice means that if you are on the shielding list, and you live in a part of Scotland which is currently in level 4 lockdown, you should not go into work - even if you have had one or both doses of the vaccine."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "I mentioned last week that we think that vaccination is already helping to reduce the number of people dying with COVID in our care homes.

Last week’s report from National Records of Scotland provided early evidence for that view."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "The University of Edinburgh found that by the 4th week after a first dose being administered, the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines reduced the risk of hospitalisation from COVID by 85% and 94% respectively.

This is extremely welcome and encouraging news."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "So while our watchwords at this stage continue to be caution and patience, there is little doubt that we now have much firmer grounds for optimism that vaccination, and the other tools at our disposal, offer us a route back to greater normality."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "It is by being cautious, careful and patient for the next period - while the vaccination programme progresses - that we will make the route out of lockdown as safe and sustainable as possible."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "Taking the brakes off too quickly will allow the virus to get ahead of us again and put our progress out of lockdown into reverse.

I appreciate that this can be a frustrating message, but it is an essential one."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "The lockdown measures adopted after Christmas have had an impact.

In the first week of January, an average of 300 new cases per 100,000 population a week were being recorded.

That figure has fallen by almost 2/3 - it is now just above 100."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "On the other hand, there are some signs that the decline in cases is slowing down, in fact last week, we recorded hardly any reduction at all.

That is likely linked to the fact that the new variant of the virus now accounts for more than 85% of our cases."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "Although R is currently below 1, it may not be very far below - and it would likely not take very much easing right now to push it back above 1.

We're very hopeful that vaccination will have a significant impact on the R, but that will take more time."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "The bottom line, and this is the clear message from our clinical advisers, is that we have quite limited scope at this stage for easing restrictions.

And of course we have just made one significant relaxation of lockdown."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "Yesterday, children returned to early learning and childcare settings, and pupils in P1-3, as well as some secondary school students, returned to school.

It's important to see what impact this has on transmission, before we commit to further relaxation."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "Our current position is extremely positive and promising - and we should all take heart from that.

But it is still quite precarious and if we are to sustain our progress, we do need to exercise care and caution."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "This is the context in which we are today publishing the updated strategic framework.

The framework has been discussed with business organisations, trade unions, the third sector and others - with further discussions in weeks ahead."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "Today we set out the overall approach to easing restrictions over the next few weeks, with a view to a more substantial re-opening from late April onwards."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "At the moment, and for a bit longer, we need to rely very heavily on restrictions to suppress the virus.

This is essential when the virus is so transmissible, and when case numbers are still quite high."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "The months between now and then will be a transition – as we gradually rely less and less on restrictions, and more and more on vaccination."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "We're also expanding testing capacity, so that we can test more people at work, especially in key public services and infrastructure roles, and expanding targeted community testing, especially in areas where there seems to be a high prevalence of the virus."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "Travel restrictions are also essential and are likely to remain essential for some time yet.

We saw over the summer how new cases were imported into Scotland, after we had almost eliminated the virus. We do not want that to happen again."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "We don't want to import new COVID variants, which could be more resistant to the vaccines that we're currently using.

The framework rightly emphasises the importance of both travel restrictions and Test and Protect, which will help ease restrictions safely."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "The framework is deliberately cautious at this stage - but in the coming weeks, if the data allows, we'll seek to accelerate the easing of restrictions.

However, the framework today provides details on what - as of now - we expect our next changes to be."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "Firstly, the framework confirms that, if all goes according to plan, we will move fully back to a levels system from the last week in April."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "The advantages of the levels system is that it will allow us to let some parts of the country move faster than others, if the data supports that.

Moving back to the levels system at that time will be contingent on us having vaccinated the JCVI 1-9 groups."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "This matters not only because those groups will be more protected, but also because we believe that vaccinating around half the population will have a significant effect on reducing transmission across society as a whole."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "Therefore, from the last week of April, we would expect to see a phased but significant re-opening of the economy - including non-essential retail, hospitality and services like gyms and hairdressers."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "Of course, the more of us who are vaccinated and the more we all stick by the rules now, the faster that safe pace of re-opening will be.

If we all stay in this together, our progress will be greater."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "We envisage a progressive easing of the current level 4 restrictions that apply across most of Scotland at intervals of at least 3 weeks - along with changes nationally on education and care home visiting, and the continued return of schools as the priority."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "The first easing started yesterday with the partial return of schools. 
 
We will also ease restrictions on care home visiting from early March.
 
The next phase of easing will be a minimum of 3 weeks later - so indicatively from 15 March."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "We hope this will include the next phase of school return - which will start with primary years P4-P7 - and getting more senior phase secondary pupils back in the classroom for at least part of their learning."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "In this phase, we also hope to restart outdoors non-contact group sports for 12-17 year olds.
 
We'll also aim to increase the limit on outdoor mixing between households to 4 people from a maximum of 2 households."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "Then, a minimum of 3 weeks after that - so from around 5 April - it is our hope that the "stay at home" restriction will be lifted.
 
We would aim for any final phase of school return to take place on this date."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "We also hope communal worship will restart around 5 April - albeit with restricted numbers to begin with.

However, in deciding the exact date for this, we will also take account of the timing of major religious festivals such as Easter and Passover."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "Then, 3 weeks after that, from around 26 April assuming the data allows it - we will move back to the levels system, with hopefully all of Scotland moving to level 3, albeit with some possible modifications."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "At that stage, we will begin to re-open the economy and society in the more substantial way that we are all so longing for.

It's important to stress, of course, that all of this depends on us continuing to suppress the virus."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "The Scottish Government is committed to continuing support for businesses.

For example, provided we receive confirmation of consequentials in the March budget, we will support the strategic framework business fund until at least the end of June."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "We'll also ensure that when local authority areas move out of level 4, businesses which are allowed to reopen will continue receiving payments from the fund for at least the next four weeks - as they transition back to trading more normally."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "We're also considering some form of tapered support for businesses that may still face trading restrictions and reduced demand, even as they're allowed to re-open.

We will work with business organisations on these issues as we emerge from lockdown."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "I am as confident as I can be that the indicative, staged, timetable that I have set out today - from now, until late April when the economy will start to substantially re-open - is a reasonable one."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "In mid March, when we have made further progress on vaccines and have greater understanding of the impact of the initial school return, I hope we can set out more detail of further re-opening over April, May and into the summer."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "For now, the most important priority we still have is to suppress the virus.

And that means sticking to the current lockdown rules, so please continue to stick to the letter and the spirit of the rules."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "By doing all this, we can make it easier for children to return to school more quickly.

We can suppress the virus, even as we come out of lockdown - and we can keep each other safe, protect the NHS and save lives while the vaccine programme does its work."

📣 @NicolaSturgeon: "I know how hard it is after 11 long months of this pandemic - but the restrictions are working, and we can now see our way out of them.

For the moment, please, continue to stick with it and stick together."

🏠 Stay home.
🏥 Protect our NHS.
💛 Save lives.