Covid Scotland LIVE: Nicola Sturgeon briefing as vaccine passports and masks to be scrapped
and live on Freeview channel 276
Nicola Sturgeon laid out the strategic framework for handling the Covid situation in Scotland on Tuesday just after 2pm in the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood.
Her update comes as Boris Johnson announced plans to scrap all restrictions in England.
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Hide AdMr Johnson announced those in England who test positive for coronavirus will no longer be legally required to isolate from Thursday.
The Prime Minister also confirmed free universal testing will end in April under his plan for “living with Covid”.
Follow live here for all the latest updates as the First Minister prepares to give her briefing.
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Covid Scotland LIVE: Nicola Sturgeon briefing as restrictions lifted in England
Key Events
- Scotland’s Covid passport scheme will end on Monday
- Legal requirement to wear face masks ends on March 21
Scotland’s NHS boards spent £14.7bn in first year of pandemic
Scotland’s NHS boards spent £14.7 billion during the first full year of the pandemic, the latest figures show
Covid: Scotland’s NHS boards spent £14.7bn in first year of pandemic
Scotland’s NHS boards spent £14.7 billion during the first full year of the pandemic, the latest figures show.
FM: ‘Frustration at UK Gov’
Ms Sturgeon said she expressed frustration at UK Government’s position on testing as she said there is “no clarity” from UK Government around Covid testing.
She said: “On this point, I must express frustration at the position of the UK government. It is, of course, for the Prime Minister to decide how best to tackle Covid in England.
“However, current funding arrangements mean that though taxpayers in all 4 UK nations contribute to the costs, it is decisions taken for England that determine the resources available to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for testing and other Covid measures.
Ms Sturgeon added: “We have no clarity on how much of the Covid testing infrastructure the UK government intends to retain; no clarity on how much investment will support it in future; and no clarity on whether the Treasury will provide additional resources to pay for it or demand instead that funding is taken from elsewhere in the health budget.”
However, the First Minister added that Scottish Government is “determined to retain a robust testing system”
Covid plan hopes to achieve return to ‘normal way of life’
Nicola Sturgeon said the new framework for dealing with Covid will “resort much less - hopefully not at all to legally imposed protective measures”.
The First Minister said: “At the heart of the framework is a desire for, and increasing confidence in our ability to achieve, a sustainable return to a normal way of life - even as we remain prepared for future threats that Covid may present.”
Latest Covid figures: 18 more deaths in Scotland
A total of 6,427 more people have tested positive for Coronavirus, while 1,060 people were in hospital yesterday - 9 more than the day before.
Sadly, 18 more people who tested positive have died (10,614 in total).
What can we expect from the update?
Nicola Sturgeon is expected to address Boris Johnson’s decision to scrap the legal requirement for Covid self-isolation in England and free testing.
In Scotland’s strategic framework for handling Covid, the First Minister is expected to keep self-isolation rules in Scotland despite their removal in England.
There have been concerns raised around funding for Covid testing in Scotland. Scottish ministers have called for clarity about what Mr Johnson’s announcement means for programmes and funding north of the border, with the mass testing system a UK-wide initiative.
Ms Sturgeon will also give an update on the latest Covid and vaccine data in Scotland.
Speaking ahead of her announcement, Ms Sturgeon said: “There will be a lot of optimism around what I set out tomorrow, but I’ve got to be frank with people, we are still in a pandemic of this virus.
“We know from past experience that new variants, for example, can come about and cause new challenges.
“So, we need to be vigilant about that and we need to be prepared about that, but we also need to manage that risk in a much less restrictive and more sustainable way for the future, so that we can all get back to normal, retain that sense of normality, even as we maintain that sense of vigilance.”
When is the next Nicola Sturgeon Covid update, what will she say about restrictions and how can I watch?
Here is what you need to know ahead of Nicola Sturgeon’s Covid update at parliament this week as concerns for Covid restrictions rise.
Here is all you need to know before Nicola Sturgeon gives her next Covid update
Here is what you need to know ahead of Nicola Sturgeon’s Covid update at parliament this week as concerns for Covid restrictions rise.
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