Nicola Sturgeon coronavirus briefing: Why there is no lunchtime briefing on Tuesday, and how First Minister will update Scotland instead

Nicola Sturgeon will not be giving her usual lunchtime Covid-19 briefing today (March 16) – but will instead address Holyrood this afternoon with details of how and when restrictions could be lifted across Scotland.
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During today’s briefing in Parliament, which is expected to take place from 2.20pm, the First Minister will update the country on lockdown and give further information on how long the nation is expected to stay under the current coronavirus regulations.

Some measures could be phased in from April 5, with further changes coming in later in the month and more to follow in May.

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However, Ms Sturgeon has warned that she will not “throw caution to the wind" and risk the virus running out of control again.

How to watch Nicola Sturgeon’s update?

Viewers can watch live on Scottish Parliament TV and follow the First Minister’s Live YouTube Stream as well as the Scottish Government's official Twitter page – @scotgov.

The Scotsman and Edinburgh Evening News will also be running a live blog where you can follow all the updates.

What will the First Minister likely say in her announcement?

Further aims for the easing of lockdown measures on hospitality and retail in Scotland are due to be announced by Nicola Sturgeon.Further aims for the easing of lockdown measures on hospitality and retail in Scotland are due to be announced by Nicola Sturgeon.
Further aims for the easing of lockdown measures on hospitality and retail in Scotland are due to be announced by Nicola Sturgeon.
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Ms Sturgeon’s statement is expected to include details on measures for the retail and hospitality industries.

Speaking on Monday, she said: “I will seek to set out some details of what changes we hope to be able to make in early April – hopefully around April 5 – and then what further easing we might expect to see in late April, and then mid-May, and in much less detail beyond that.

“We cannot provide certainty on everything at this stage, particularly the further into the future we try to look, but we will try to provide as much clarity now as possible.

She added the statement will “hopefully help you understand when you can expect to see some of the key early milestones in our route back to normality”.

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Details are expected for the re-opening of shopping, outdoor and subsequently indoor hospitality, and further relaxations to the rules about meeting up with other households.

It is also likely the First Minister will address concerns over the AstraZeneca vaccine after a number of countries including the Netherlands and Republic of Ireland paused their use of the jab.

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