Image source, Getty Images

• The first minister says she will "move faster" on lockdown easing if she can
• Ms Sturgeon says it is not fair to give "false clarity" to the tourism and hospitality sector
• New guidance is being published on how friends and family can start to visit residents in care homes again.
• The reopening up of communal worship will be in time for the Easter weekend and for Passover
• Scotland's national clinical director says he is "disappointed" that care home operator Barchester has written to relatives to say that they will need to be vaccinated before they are permitted to visit residents
• Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross calls for the government to bring forward dates for when more pupils will returning to classrooms
• And Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie says Prime Minister Boris Johnson "put more hope and energy" into his statement on lockdown than the first minister

• A further 798 people have tested positive for Covid-19, which is 3.9% of the total number of tests carried out.
• There are 1,018 patients in hospital with a confirmed case (down 58), with 93 being treated in intensive care (no change on Tuesday).
• 47 new deaths have been registered.
• A total of 1,488,077 people have now received the first dose of the vaccination
• This includes 84% of 65 to 69 year olds

That's all from the live page today. Please take care and stay safe.

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Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross says the first minister's references to the first lockdown fail to acknowledge that "the vaccine changes everything".

He tells BBC One's Coronavirus Update programme people understand dates are not set in stone and a number of triggers must be met.

But he adds: "We have just got to be grown up and adult with the population and say 'Look, this is what we are aspiring towards. If we can achieve it we will. If not, then there will be reasons for that.'"

Mr Ross also says it is "ridiculous" that the proposed date for pupils returning, 5 April, falls during the Easter holidays.

On vaccine passports, he says there is no simple solution but stresses the UK must pay attention to what is happening elsewhere in the world.

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Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie says Prime Minister Boris Johnson had "put more hope and energy" into his statement on lockdown than the first minister.

Mr Rennie adds: "I welcomed the caution yesterday but I think the first minister was a bit too pessimistic with her tone yesterday in comparison with the prime minister.

"She has reflected that today and I think that's a good step."

He also told BBC One's Coronavirus Update programme more clarity is needed for what happens after April as tourism businesses are "really suffering".

And he admits he is "very concerned" at the stance of Barchester care homes in relation to all visitors being required to have the vaccination before they are permitted to see their loved ones.

Prof Sian Griffiths says it is unclear how the new Kent variant, which makes up about 85% of new cases, will react when lockdown is lifted.

She told BBC One's Coronavirus Update programme that the first minister "could move more quickly" if it was shown that the very high vaccination rates offer protection against it.

The public health expert also says Scotland's levels system offers "flexibility" as opposed to England's national policy.

Prof Griffiths says the big fear with vaccine passports is that they are "inequitable".

On one care home operator's no vaccine, no visit policy, she adds: "In this case it is inequitable that younger people won't have been able to get the vaccine because the vaccine is prioritised by age and clinical vulnerability.

"I think it's an unfair restriction."

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Ross Govans from STV asks if businesses should prepare to operate under levels for a prolonged periods of time.

This could potentially put them at a disadvantage to the rest of the UK.

Ms Sturgeon hopes that from the end of April onwards restrictions on travel can be lifted in parts of Scotland.

She says international travel restrictions are likely to stay around for longer.

"I don't expect us in our opening up to be significantly behind England."

She points out Scotland is roughly two weeks behind, the same as last summer, which led Scotland to stay open for longer.

On the 21 June date posited by Boris Johnson, she says she would "literally be making it up" if she gave a date.

She's happy for it to be an aspirational date but she can't say it with certainty.

Image source, Reuters

The Scottish Conservatives have called for the Scottish government to bring forward dates for when more pupils will returning to classrooms.

Party leader Douglas Ross said First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's statement on the lifting of restrictions lacked "hope or optimism" and fell short of public expectations.

He said: “We didn’t get the route map we needed, we got a holding document. It was barely half a plan with little clarity for the longer term.

“Their plan to end restrictions is so sluggish that it’s likely we’ll get the SNP’s Referendum Bill before we get a route map out of this crisis.

“They gave businesses the bare minimum of what was necessary in funding assurances but did nothing to help people plan for the future. Nothing beyond 26 April was even mentioned."

Scotland's national clinical director says he is "disappointed" that care home operator Barchester has written to relatives to say that they will need to be vaccinated before they are permitted to visit residents.

Prof Jason Leitch says the Scottish government has written to the company to contest the decision.

He adds: "The fundamental challenge here is one of equity.

"Of course we want the residents to be safe and those who visit to be safe."

Prof Leitch says the layers of protection in place, including 100% vaccination of residents, PPE, testing and hand washing is "enough for this level of visiting to come back."

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BBC Scotland's business and economy editor Douglas Fraser asks the first minister about the "dismay, confusion and anger" among hoteliers over the lack of clarity in the Scottish government's roadmap.

He asks for a signal that what happens after April is something that businesses can plan for and whether level three will have fewer constraints on restaurants and pubs than it did last year.

Nicola Sturgeon says it is not fair to give "false clarity" but adds more specific information will be given next month.

The first minister confirms she is looking at the levels and says two things are different from last year.

The first is that schools are returning in a phased programme and the second is that the virus is more transmissible.

She adds the new variant makes up "more than 85% of new cases".

Image source, Scottish government

Ms Sturgeon says she desperately wants to give an end date for the Covid restrictions, but explains she would have to make it up right if she gave a date right now.

"I want it to be as soon as possible," she stresses.

The first minister ends, as always, by calling on us all to follow all the guidance and rules, including FACTS:

Here's a reminder:

1. Scottish government - Coronavirus: What you can and cannot do, external

From Tuesday 5 January, mainland Scotland moved from level four to a temporary lockdown, with new guidance to stay at home, external except for essential purposes.

• Read a quick guide to what you can and cannot do: stay at home infographic, external
• Download the Protect Scotland app, external from NHS Scotland.

2. Scottish government - Coronavirus: Strategic Framework update - February 2021, external

The first minister set out the plan to restore, in a phased way, greater normality to our everyday lives

3. BBC Scotland - Covid in Scotland: What rules are changing, and when?

The expectation is that from the last week in April:

• the rest of retail will start to reopen
• as will holiday accommodation
• hospitality
• gyms
• hairdressers

The first minister points out that will involve all of Scotland going down to level three.

There might be parts of the country that can go straight to level two, for example more rural parts of Scotland.

Ms Sturgeon hopes all parts of the country will be able to move to lower levels fairly quickly in May and June.

"All of this is cautious because we don't yet know what will happen with the new variant when we do start to open up."

She pledges that as a greater handle on that is found "we will move faster if we can".

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The first minister says the reopening up of communal worship will be in time for the Easter weekend and for Passover.

She reiterates: "We'll lift the stay at home restriction from the start of April."

Ms Sturgeon points out there is not much difference between this and the English target of the end of March.

She adds there are always caveats in these goals, but there is a reasonable degree of confidence in that six week timeframe.

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The first minister says the impact of the next phase of school return on 15 March must be monitored before further relaxation.

Ms Sturgeon hopes the more we learn the more confidence we can have in going further in easing restrictions, without risking a resurgence of the virus.

"In the meantime though we will move forward carefully, but over the period between now and the start of April, we will move forward."

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The first minister reminds us of her plan for the country to reopen between now and April.

"I know how desperate everyone is, people, businesses across the country, for more certainty," says the first minister.

She says the update , externalgiven yesterday provides indicative dates for the next six weeks.

That is the time frame the Scottish government can be most confident about.

Ms Sturgeon says we don't yet know how the new more infectious variant will behave as the lockdown starts to lift.

It is only the restrictions that are keeping that virus at bay right now, she adds.

And that is why she has been so cautious, she explains.

Image source, Getty Images

Nicola Sturgeon turns to adult care home visiting.

The first minister says the government is publishing new guidance today on how friends and family can start to visit residents in care homes again.

It recommends that from the start of March, all care homes that can should support two designated visitors for each resident each week.

Ms Sturgeon says that might not sound like much but even that is a big step back to normal life for many.

There will still be Covid safety measures in place, she adds.

Image source, Getty Images

The first minister gives an update on the vaccination programme, saying, as of 08:30 on Wednesday, a total of 1,488,077 people have received the first dose.

Ms Sturgeon says that is an increase of 22,836 since yesterday.

In addition 6,918 people got their second dose.

The first minister says 84% of 65 to 69 year olds have now received a first dose.

She adds everyone over the age of 50 and all adults with an underlying health condition will be offered a first dose by 15 April.

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The first minister confirms a further 798 people have tested positive for Covid-19, which is 3.9% of the total number of tests carried out.

This takes the total number of positive cases in Scotland to 199,637.

There are 1,018 patients in hospital with a confirmed case (down 58), with 93 being treated in intensive care (no change on Tuesday).

47 new deaths have been registered.

A total of 7,053 people have now died who have tested positive for the virus.