Coronavirus in Scotland: Sturgeon to announce plan for country after Level 0 within three weeks

The Scottish Government will set out its “expectations” for what will come after Level 0 of Covid-19 restrictions, Nicola Sturgeon has said.

In a speech at the Scottish Parliament on her plans for the first 100 days of government the First Minister told MSPs the “most important priority” is to lead Scotland safely out of the pandemic.

She said an announcement will come in the next three weeks on how Scotland will look once the levels system is scrapped.

Coronavirus in Scotland: Sturgeon to announce plan for country after Level 0 within three weeks

“As we come out of the pandemic, there will be bumps in the road – as we are experiencing in Glasgow just now,” she said.

“But the vaccine rollout gives us firm hope that we are on the right track.

“So over the next three weeks, we will also set out our expectations for the stage beyond Level 0 – as we return to a much greater degree of normality.”

Ms Sturgeon said in the first hundred days the Scottish Government will publish an NHS recovery plan – “setting out how we will achieve a 10% increase in activity in key services”.

She also said legislation to create a national care service will be introduced in the next 12 months.

Outlining the Scottish Government’s priorities in Holyrood, the First Minister said ministers aim to have the new service – which would focus on social care – established by the end of the parliamentary term.

The First Minister told MSPs: “In our first hundred days, we will begin the consultation on legislation to establish a National Care Service.

“We intend to introduce the legislation during the first year of this parliament, and expect the service to be operational by the end of this parliament.

“This will be, in my view, the most important public sector innovation since the establishment of the National Health Service.”

Reporting by PA

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