Nicola Sturgeon update: when is First Minister making Scotland Covid announcement today - and what will change?

The First Minister had said that she hopes the country will move beyond level zero from 9 August
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Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will be making her newest Covid-19 announcement today.

Since 19 July, the country has remained in its level zero phase, with rules such as restrictions on the number of people that can meet up, hospitality venues having to close at midnight and people being advised to work from home still in place.

This is everything you need to know about today's update.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon attending the First Minister's Questions (Photo: Andy Buchanan-WPA Pool/Getty Images)Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon attending the First Minister's Questions (Photo: Andy Buchanan-WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon attending the First Minister's Questions (Photo: Andy Buchanan-WPA Pool/Getty Images)

What will Nicola Sturgeon say?

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The Scottish First Minister is expected to announce whether the country can move out of its current level zero status, which has been in place since 19 July.

If Sturgeon gives the green light for Scotland to ease its Covid-19 restrictions, the measures will change from Monday 9 August.

The changes would see the majority of the current restrictions in place around the country lifted, including the reopening of nightclubs that have been closed since March 2020.

Previously, Sturgeon said: “We previously indicated that we hope to move beyond level zero on 9 August. That remains our expectation.

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“By then almost everyone over the age of 40 will have had their second vaccine dose at least two weeks previously.”

The proposed date for Scotland lifting all its restrictions could be pushed back, or brought forward, depending on the Covid-19 situation in Scotland.

At her most recent briefing, Sturgeon said that some factors, such as the fall in case numbers and the strength of the vaccine rollout, gave “a really strong case for optimism”.

However, the First Minister warned that “a sensible degree of continued caution” would be required to avoid “sending that progress into reverse”.

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If Sturgeon does give the green light to move out of level zero, some restrictions may remain, such as the requirement for people to wear face coverings in certain situations.

Regarding face masks, Sturgeon previously said that those rules would remain “not just now but, in all likelihood, for some time to come”.

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What are the latest Covid-19 case numbers in Scotland?

The Government daily Covid data, updated on Monday (2 August), showed that Scotland recorded 799 new positive Covid-19 cases.

Of the 13,807 new tests for Covid-19 that reported results, 6.5 per cent of those were positive.

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There was one new reported death, however it is to be noted that Register Offices are generally closed at the weekends.

The data adds: “60 people were in intensive care yesterday with recently confirmed Covid-19. 407 people were in hospital yesterday (Sunday 1 August) with recently confirmed Covid-19.”

What time is Nicola Sturgeon speaking today - and how can I watch?

Sturgeon is set to speak to MSPs at Holyrood in a virtual session today at around 2pm, before then taking questions.

There are a few different ways that you can watch the First Minister speak - you’ll be able to watch her address live on BBC Scotland, which you can find online on the BBC iPlayer, Sky News will also be live streaming the speech on its YouTube channel.

The Scottish government Twitter account will also stream the announcement.

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