Nicola Sturgeon says that her plan is to lift restrictions gradually "with a view to more substantial re-opening" from late April onward
The moves out of lockdown will take place in three-week blocks, but if data allowed an acceleration of the easing of restrictions would take place
Non-essential shops, gyms and hairdressers are set to open on 12 April in England, but in Scotland they are likely to remain closed until 26 April
Yesterday, PM Boris Johnson told the Commons that if strict conditions are met all legal limits will be lifted by 21 June. That is not a date mentioned in Ms Sturgeon's address
Conservative MSP Ruth Davidson told the FM that she needed to give a clearer indication to Scots about when their lives can get back to normal
Scotland's hospital admissions are falling steadily and there were 655 new positive lab tests. A further 56 deaths were registered in the past 24 hours
A further 19,753 people have received their first vaccination, taking the current total to 1,465,241
The first minister gets to her feet at Holyrood to begin her statement on the route out of Scotland's lockdown.
Ms Sturgeon begins by saying: "I will also set out our initial priorities and an indicative time frame for cautiously easing restrictions and restoring greater normality to our life just as quickly as it is safe and sustainable to do so."
Image source, Getty ImagesLatest Covid vaccination figures show that as of 08:30 a total of 1,465,241 people have received the first dose of the Covid vaccination
That is an increase of 19,753 since yesterday.
The daily number has gone down this week as there have been slightly lower supplies but the programme is expected to ramp up again in the coming weeks.
A further 56 Covid-related deaths are registered in Scotland, taking the total since the pandemic began to more than 7,000.
The latest figures show 655 people have tested positive for Covid-19, which is 4.8% of the total number of tests carried out.
This takes the total number of positive cases in Scotland to 198,839.
There are 1,076 patients in hospital with a confirmed case (down 65), with 93 being treated in intensive care (down six).
Image source, Getty ImagesThe return of face-to-face education, sports activities for young people and "limited" social interaction for adults will be among the priorities in the statement.
Nicola Sturgeon will begin her statement on the path out of Scotland's lockdown imminently, following a brief update on the pandemic statistics.
This, of course, follows the announcement of a new four-step plan to ease England's lockdown yesterday.
You can follow the statement right here on this live page and watch by clicking one of tabs above for BBC One Scotland or the BBC Scotland Channel. The full parliamentary proceedings are also available.
The first minister will get to her feet in Holyrood's chamber very shortly to unveil details of Scotland's path out of lockdown.
This follows the announcement of a new four-step plan to ease England's lockdown yesterday.
The return of face-to-face education, sports activities for young people and "limited" social interaction for adults will be among the priorities.
It will begin with easing current level four restrictions before moving back into a geographically variable system.
The first minister has said all decisions will be "driven by data rather than dates".
Lisa Summers
BBC Scotland Health Correspondent
Image source, Getty ImagesWaiting times figures published today showed more than 44,000 people in Scotland were waiting more than six weeks for a key test to diagnose things like cancer.
It's been a year since the NHS started on an emergency footing. At the start all but urgent work was suspended to focus on the treatment of Covid patients. This time, despite many hospitals having more coronavirus cases, health boards have tried to manage some of their ever-growing waiting lists.
Hospitals are still busy treating coronavirus patients and some health boards have struggled more than others to get routine work back up and running.
The private sector has been drafted in to do some work, alongside the Louisa Jordan and also the Golden Jubilee hospital, but the reality is that the backlog will continue to grow.
Before the pandemic the government had set out an ambitious waiting times improvement plan to meet key targets by the spring of this year. That has been abandoned and staff are now being asked to prioritise the patients most in need.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe Scottish Hospitality Group, which represents a number of big bar and restaurant operators, has called for a similar announcement to the UK government's indicative dates for opening hospitality.
The prime minister hopes to see indoor venues reopen on 17 May and all legal limits on social contact lifted on 21 June, at the earliest.
A SHG spokesman said: "We desperately want to see Nicola Sturgeon confirm similar plans for Scotland in her statement, and allow us to be a part of that.
"Anything less would be an incredible betrayal of those people whose livelihoods have been under threat for so long."
Image source, Getty ImagesMeanwhile, Tracy Black, the director of the CBI in Scotland, told BBC Scotland's The Nine programme that businesses wanted certainty.
She said: "We think the first minister will be more cautious [than in England].
"It's so important to be be able to plan and work with staff so they know when they will come back to work. We need to see support continue if restrictions are in place - we don't want any cliff edges this year."
The first minister has said all decisions in this afternoon's routemap out of lockdown will be "driven by data rather than dates".
However yesterday the prime minister gave some dates linked to England's easing of lockdown.
Image source, PA MediaThe first phase of reopening Scotland's schools is underway with P1 to P3 back to face-to-face education
The Scottish government has said its priority is still the suppression of the virus to the "lowest possible level".
The speed at which the changes happen will be largely dictated by Covid rates across the country and the impact that is having on the NHS.
How quickly the country is vaccinated will also be a big factor in the changes to lockdown restrictions.
The latest statistics show that more than 1.4m in Scotland have now had their first jab, and the it is now being offered to people with underlying health conditions, and unpaid carers.
Research published on Monday has already revealed the vaccination programme is having a "spectacular" impact on preventing serious illness.
And last week data appeared to show the Covid death rate is falling in older people's care homes - where all residents have now received their first dose.
Nicola Sturgeon has said the aim is to move Scotland back to a levels system, which would also see the economy gradually reopen.
At Monday's Scottish government coronavirus briefing, she said she expected Scotland's route of lockdown would have "broad similarities" with England but it would not be identical.
Good Morning Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme that the UK would have to learn to live with coronavirus for some time rather than pursue an elimination strategy to rid the country of it completely.
He said such a policy was "not possible" for an "open trading nation" such as the UK, as the strategy did not work without entirely closing off borders.
Instead, he said, the UK's plan was to replace lockdown measures with protection from the vaccine.
"It's because of this incredibly successful vaccine rollout across Scotland and right across the country that we are all… able to take appropriate steps out of lockdown and keep this virus under control."
Ahead of the first minister's announcement this afternoon, Scottish Labour called for a beefed-up testing system to be put in place.
The party's interim leader Jackie Baillie said: "Infection rates are now being driven down by a combination of lockdown measures and the roll out of the vaccine - but keeping infection rates low will depend on rapidly identifying and containing any outbreaks.
"That is why we are calling for a renewed emphasis on testing - including asymptomatic community testing on a mass scale."
Matt Hancock: 'This is on everyone to act together to hit deadline dates'
Everybody has to "play their part" to meet the dates for England's lockdown to be eased, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has warned.
It comes after Boris Johnson outlined his four-step strategy that could see restrictions down south lifted by 21 June - if strict conditions are met.
The prime minister said his plan offers the best chance to avoid another lockdown.
Nicola Sturgeon is to reveal plans to ease restrictions here in Scotland from around 2pm this afternoon.
Good Morning Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland
Clubs across Scotland that have nurtured the underground dance scene have lain empty for a year
In setting out England's easing of restrictions yesterday, the prime minister said they would look to have nightclubs back open there at the end of June.
Marc Frossman, from The Shed nightclub in Glasgow, told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme the industry could reopen in Scotland within the same timeframe: "We could probably do that in the next few weeks to a month...we just need to know the restrictions which we need to meet."
However, Mr Frossman goes on to say he does not expect to be able to open even in four months in Scotland.
He called for clarity about the future of the UK furlough scheme and argued the Scottish government have taken a stronger stance on hospitality so far.
Mr Frossman does not expect the Scottish government to follow the move on nightclubs in England.
PM explains to Commons plan to lift lockdown in England
A new four-step plan to ease England's lockdown could see all legal limits on social contact lifted by 21 June, if strict conditions are met.
Shops, hairdressers, gyms and outdoor hospitality could reopen on 12 April in England under plans set out by the PM.
From 17 May, two households might be allowed to mix in homes, while the rule of six could apply in places like pubs.
It requires four tests on vaccines, infection rates and new coronavirus variants to be met at each stage.
Image source, Getty ImagesNicola Sturgeon is preparing to unveil details of Scotland's path out of lockdown.
The return of face-to-face education, sports activities for young people and "limited" social interaction for adults will be among the priorities.
It will begin with easing current level four restrictions before moving back into a geographically variable system.
The first minister has said all decisions will be "driven by data rather than dates".
She wants the country's gradual emergence from lockdown to be "phased and sustainable", with at least three weeks between each phase.
Nicola Sturgeon is expected to begin her statement just after 2pm.
Good afternoon and welcome to BBC Scotland's rolling coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in Scotland this Tuesday 23 February 2021.
The first minister will unveil details of Scotland's path out of lockdown in a statement to MSPs this afternoon.
This follows the announcement of a new four-step plan to ease England's lockdown yesterday.