First Minister says some coronavirus lockdown measures could last into the next year but any easing would be 'incremental and probably quite small'
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has outlined possible ways the government could end the lockdown but warned that “a return to normal as we knew it is not on the cards in the near future”.
There was bad news for sports as large gatherings are likely to be prohibited for “some months to come” while schools would be unlikely to fully reopen due to social-distancing problems in classrooms, and people in vulnerable categories will still need shielding.
She is the first of the UK leaders to set out what she believes could be a workable way to start easing social-distancing measures that have helped stem the spread of coronavirus, but which she acknowledged is doing real harm.
Ms Sturgeon stressed that the policy paper would be subject to change – and she invited public consultation.
The options include:
- Reopening some businesses if they can change how we work to keep employees and customers two metres apart from each other
- Classrooms may have to be redesigned to allow for social distancing so in some cases not all children can go back to or be at school at the same time
- Some limited outdoor activity might be able to restart earlier than indoor activity but large gatherings and events are likely to be off for some months to come
- For older people and those with certain vulnerabilities some form of shielding will be required for the foreseeable future
Ms Sturgeon said: “The hard part is that when we reach that point, the virus will be under control only due to the severity of the restrictions we have all been living with but the virus will not have gone away. As we start to lift the restrictions the real risk is that Covid-19 runs rampant again.
“So a return to normal as we knew is not on the cards in the near future. What we will be seeking to do, is find a new normal – a way of living alongside this virus but in a form that keeps it under control and stops it taking the toll that we know it can do. Social distancing and limiting of contact with others will be a fact of life for a long time to come, certainly until treatments or a vaccine offers different solutions. It means possibly for the rest of the year and maybe even beyond and that's why the thought of lifting the lockdown as though it is the flicking off a switch is misguided.
"Actions we take will need to be careful, gradual, incremental, and probably quite small to start with.”
