Chris McLaughlin
BBC Sport Scotland

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The Scottish Professional Football League is to ask the Scottish government for permission to resume club training from 10 June.

Sport minister Joe Fitzpatrick has asked the heads of all major sporting bodies in Scotland to share, at a meeting later this month, their plans about how they plan to resume after the lockdown.

The SPFL is still hoping to play League Cup matches at some point in July, but that notion is now looking increasingly unlikely.

Scottish football has been on hold since mid-March and Scottish FA guidance states that competitive matches can only take place following six weeks of group training.

Douglas Fraser
Scotland business & economy editor

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For business, the route map out of lockdown reflects evidence that infection seems to be less likely outdoors than in.

Garden centres, farms, forestry and, to some extent, construction sites get to open up first, along with takeaway and drive-through food outlets. Non-essential shops, restaurants and pubs will have to wait longer.

When pubs and restaurants can re-open, those with an outdoor area will be first. Business is also being asked to consider a shift to a four-day week. That invitation from the first minister did not include the word “temporarily”: this could be a big, permanent shift in working patterns.

This doesn’t happen in isolation. Employers are also looking to schools to re-open, to free up parent-employees. The first minister’s message is that some home-schooling will remain well beyond the re-start in autumn. And getting workers to and from work? The public transport details have to wait until next Tuesday, 26 May.

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Retailers have expressed some disappointment over plans to allow only certain businesses such as garden centres and plant nurseries to start up in the first phase of the Scottish government's reopening "route map".

Scottish Retail Consortium director David Lonsdale said: "Our strong preference was for a reopening of stores based on who can do so safely, as opposed to drawing lines in terms of different sizes or types of shop.

"Our members in pharmacy, pet food and grocery retailing have shown during the coronavirus crisis that it is perfectly possible to operate safely and responsibly, regardless of the size of premises.

"That said, the first minister’s plan does at least provide a sense of the way ahead and plots a route back to trading."

He added: "This gradual reopening sets retail on a journey towards recovery, and the industry is ready to help kick-start Scotland’s economy."

Earlier this week, the SRC reported that high street sales in April fell year-on-year by more than 40%, with non-food sales down by 71.4%.

Jamie McIvor
BBC Scotland education correspondent

Image source, EPA

Councils will have to change the planned dates of the school holidays – in many areas, schools were due to go back later than August 11.

It’s also likely that August 11 may be used for in service teacher training in some areas so pupils may not actually go back on that day.

Councils or individual schools will confirm to parents exactly when their children will be back in the classroom.

But learning will be very different as long as social distancing measures remain in force.

Schools are looking at what’s described as “blended learning” - a mix of...

• ordinary classroom learning
• online learning
• and homework.

Perhaps the biggest question concerns the timetable. Schools and councils are looking at a number of potential options.

These could see some children at school in the morning while others attending after lunch. Or it could see different groups of children attending on alternative days or even alternative weeks.

Mr Rennie asks whether there will be different overarching messages for each of the separate phases.

He welcomes steps to restart non-urgent healthcare in the plan but says he would like this to go faster.

Ms Sturgeon says the phase one message is to stay at home as much as possible, but this message will be kept under review as Scotland moves through to the other phases.

On healthcare, the first minister says the government will try to do as much as it can as earlier as it can but there is a balance to be struct. The risk of second wave of cases later this year “absolutely real,” she states.

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Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie highlights the reopening of schools is part of phase three of the strategy. He therefore asks whether August will see phase three for all parts, such as people being allowed to see families and friends, and for pubs and restaurants to open indoors.

The first minister says the specific date of 11 August applies only to schools and does not mean there will necessary be movement in other areas.

However, she says as far as possible the government wants to align steps so, for example, children will go back to school at the same time as parents will go back to work.

“We cannot give and I think it would be a mistake to give people definite dates right now,” she says.

The Scottish government has set out its four-phase routemap, external for reopening. Here is a brief summary of what the points are:

Lockdown – Stay at home except for exercise, medicine and essential work

Phase 1 – Virus not yet contained but cases falling. Start of easing from 28 May allowing some meeting outdoors.

Phase 2 – Virus controlled. Construction, factories, warehouses, laboratories, and small shops start to resume work. Professional sport can begin again.

Phase 3 – Virus suppressed. Schools should reopen from 11 August. Non-essential offices, gyms, museums, libraries and cinemas can open along with some live events. Larger shops, pubs, restuarants, hairdressers and dentists reopen.

Phase 4 – Virus no longer ‘significant threat’. University and college campuses reopen in full, mass gatherings allowed. All workplaces open and public transport is back at full capacity.

Image source, Scottish government

Image source, Getty

Scottish Green Party co-leader Alison Johnstone welcomes the route map's "clarity", claiming it contrasts with "the reckless approach taken by the UK government", which she says published its strategy "without a robust test, trace, isolate strategy in place".

She wonders if, although the Scottish government is taking scientific advice by waiting another week before easing the lockdown, the scenes in Portobello yesterday show the lockdown is getting harder to sustain and that, "if we had been using testing capacity to its full potential throughout the pandemic, we would be better informed about the virus, better able to protect people and better able to move to a test, trace, isolate strategy at a faster pace".

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon accepts there is a debate to be had about the timetable for testing but points out that she was talking at a very early stage about building up the system in Scotland.

She adds that the public "has been truly magnificent" in complying with the restrictions and appeals to them to continue to do so for a little bit longer as she wants to be in a position to implement the changes planned next week.

"When I saw the pictures of Portobello Beach yesterday, I almost felt like crying to some extent because I know why people felt the need to do that and I completely sympathise, but every time we have people getting together in ways that provide opportunities for this virus, we risk the progress we have made together," she says.

Scottish Green Party co-leader Alison Johnstone points out that the Scottish government has said it would consider a different approach for different parts of the country based on current scientific advice and local circumstances.

She wonders if there are different levels of infection would the first minister still consider a differential approach.

Nicola Sturgeon replies that she would do so and that it is a point made in the route map published today.

She says that in some areas, like public transport, there will need to be a regional approach.

The Scottish Labour leader says the crisis in care homes, unnecessary deaths and staff fears have not gone away – and argues there is a real risk issues will worsen.

He says there must be protection of physical health through testing and PPE, as well as support for their mental health. How will the government ensure the rights, wellbeing and dignity of care home residents going forward, he asks.

Nothing matters more than protecting the health and dignity to everyone in society, and especially vulnerable people, replies the first minister.

The responsibility of dealing with this will bear heavily on me, she says, but she insists the government has tried to do the right thing at every stage.

She accepts there will be “legitimate and hard questions” on care homes, but protecting the vulnerable will be at the heart of decisions at “each and every stage”.

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Mr Leonard says there also needs to be a plan for the economy and the approach on returning to work is welcome. He highlights “looming worries” of present and future job losses, especially for young people, and calls for a jobs guarantee.

Ms Sturgeon says the government has a duty to steer the country to a position where the economy is working again. She agrees there is a risk of unemployment, particularly for young people and women, and points to funding announced yesterday to respond to this.

As we repair this damage, we've got to take care not to slip back into old ways of work she says, insisting there are “opportunities for change”. Things like a four-day week are not just a talking point and we are encouraging employers to look at options like this, she adds.

Image source, Getty Images

The first minister agrees safety and an approach informed by science is vital.

She highlights data has been published and a paper will be released this afternoon on how the R-number is calculated. We pay close attention to the science but the government has to make a judgement on that and make a decision, she adds.

The reason easing lockdown has been at a slow pace is because the phases must align with test, trace and isolate she says.

There is no alternative to having a plan that is flexible, she adds. She says she cannot rule out going backwards on steps again, as rather than defeating it, it will be a case of control and living with the virus until there is a vaccine.

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard says his party supports the gradual easing of lockdown restrictions.

"However, this needs to be done as safety as possible. It needs to follow the science. And it needs to be done at the right time," he says.

He argues there needs to be the following three guarantees:

• the government will publish evidence behinds its decisions
• we are testing at full capacity and the test, trace, isolate system is fully working
• the government is flexible and can adapt quickly to changing circumstances.

Image source, Getty Images

Golf Dundee said it was "delighted" at Nicola Sturgeon's announcement of the likely lifting of restrictions on playing the game.

The body said the city's Caird Park golf course would only initially be open to members.

It said further information on the exact re-opening date, extended tee times and pre-booking arrangements would be published in due course.

It has asked people to stay away from the course in the meantime while staff prepare for its re-opening.

Image source, Getty Images

Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw suggests that "without a proper testing and tracing plan", Scotland will not "get ahead of the virus" and a return to lockdown will follow.

He says the recruitment of tracers to reach the target of 2,000 by 1 June is lagging behind and that actual testing is running at half available capacity. He suggests that, for the Scottish public to have confidence and feel safe, it is essential for the infrastructure to be in place.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon points out that the reason for the caution ahead of moving into "phase one" of lockdown easing is because she wants it to align with the ability to implement "a substantial test and protect system" and thinks the government will be able to do that in every health board next week.

She denies the plans are not lagging behind and "are moving at pace" and that 600 individuals have already been identified to take part in the system and the rest will be in place by the end of the month.