Covid in Scotland: Sturgeon to announce decision on restrictions
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Ministers hope progress with the vaccine programme means restrictions can be eased
Nicola Sturgeon is to confirm whether Scotland's Covid-19 restrictions can be eased as planned in the coming weeks.
The Scottish Parliament is to be recalled from recess for a statement from the first minister at 14:00.
The government had set a target of moving the whole country to level zero from 19 July, before lifting most legal restrictions from 9 August.
However, the country has since been hit by a record-breaking wave of infections which has put pressure on NHS services.
Ministers said they believed the peak of the latest wave had passed, external. Ms Sturgeon said she was hopeful that some changes could go ahead as planned.
She is meeting her cabinet to review the latest data on Tuesday morning before announcing the decision to MSPs in the afternoon.
Different Covid-19 restrictions are in force across Scotland, with areas in the central belt including Glasgow and Edinburgh in level two and other areas like Aberdeenshire, Fife and the Highlands in level one.
Orkney, Shetland and many island communities are already in level zero. Ms Sturgeon had set a target of moving the whole country to this level on 19 July - the same date as most restrictions will be lifted in England.
This would see the number of people who are allowed to meet up indoors public spaces such as bars and restaurants increased to 10 adults from four households, and to eight people from four households for private homes.
'Fragile but sustainable'
Public Health expert Prof Linda Bauld from Edinburgh University, told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme she believed the planned easing would go ahead.
She said: "What I am expecting to hear is that we will proceed to level 0 on 19 July. There are a basket of indicators the Scottish government will be looking at.
"Starting with cases we see a decline in the seven-day average - 2,650, down from 3,800 a week before that. We have got more people in hospital now - just under 470 people - and we have three or four health board areas or hospitals that are definitely under strain, but others are coping . And the average deaths is about three or four a week which is regrettable.
"You can see that although the situation is still fragile it is showing some signs of being sustainable and we are able to cope with it."
The first minister said she wanted to move "beyond level zero" by scrapping the bulk of legal restrictions from 9 August, while maintaining some mitigations such as the use of face coverings in enclosed areas.
She warned that these dates were "not set in stone" after Scotland was hit by a wave of new infections which at one point saw the country have the worst daily case rates in Europe.
Ms Sturgeon was hopeful that some level changes could go ahead as planned
A further 2,134 new cases of Covid-19 were reported on Monday - down on figures from recent weeks, but still with 11% of tests coming back positive.
However, the number of people in hospital has not risen as dramatically, with ministers saying the vaccine programme had "weakened" the link between catching the virus and becoming seriously ill.
Ms Sturgeon suggested that the plans could be modified, saying the government could potentially "proceed with some planned changes but hold back on others".
This led to claims that Scotland could be heading for a "level 0.5", with opposition leaders saying this would create uncertainty for people and businesses that had been making plans based on the current timetable.
The first minister said that "this is a time for care and caution", adding: "Over the next few weeks as we complete the vaccination programme, it is really important that we don't let the virus outrun us."
And she raised questions about the UK government's approach of lifting most restrictions from 19 July, saying this was "something of an exception" when viewed "against the backdrop of sharply increasing case numbers".
Ministers say the peak of the latest wave of cases may have passed
The Scottish Parliament is currently in recess for the summer break, but will be recalled for the virtual session at 14:00. It will give opposition leaders the chance to question the first minister on her plans.
The Scottish Conservatives want the government to press forward with plans for easing restrictions, saying the country must "keep moving forward".
Party leader Douglas Ross said ministers had failed to boost the vaccine programme and the Test and Protect system, but said "the public should not be punished" for this.
He added: "If Tuesday's statement does not deliver a plan of action for tackling the virus and a clear timetable for exiting restrictions, Nicola Sturgeon risks losing public buy-in. "
Holyrood is being recalled for a virtual session for the Covid-19 update
Scottish Labour wants the time between vaccine doses cut to four weeks and extra resources directed to the contact tracing system.
Deputy leader Jackie Baillie said the government had "lost control of the pandemic" and must take "immediate action".
She said: "We are at a crucial moment in the pandemic - it's about time we showed the urgency and ambition that we need."
Meanwhile, the Scottish Greens called for a cautious approach, with co-leader Lorna Slater saying the government should "take a safer, more gradual approach until the vaccine programme is further on".
And Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie said Ms Sturgeon must set out "concrete action and urgent changes around the rules and expectations for self-isolation" amid concerns about staff shortages in hospitals.
Ms Sturgeon has said the government is reviewing rules for self-isolation and quarantine, although it is not known if a decision will be announced on Tuesday.
