Nicola Sturgeon has said that she ‘hopes’ to announce Phase Three of lockdown easing on Thursday.
At Tuesday’s press conference, she said “We cannot go on indefinitely with severe restriction on our economy and on our way of life and that is why I hope to be able to confirm on Thursday that we are moving to phase three in our route map out of lockdown.”
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Coronavirus in Scotland LIVE: The latest updates on Wednesday
Rishi Sunak has warned that "hardship lies ahead", but insisted that no-one will be left "without hope" as he announced an emergency package of measures to cope with the economic impact of coronavirus.
The Chancellor, in what amounts to a mini-budget, told MPs that the Government will do "all we can" to keep people in work.
Addressing MPs, Mr Sunak said his "plan for jobs" would help protect livelihoods after the economy contracted by 25% in just two months.
He said: "We have taken decisive action to protect our economy.
"But people are anxious about losing their jobs, about unemployment rising. We're not just going to accept this.
"People need to know we will do all we can to give everyone the opportunity of good and secure work.
"People need to know that although hardship lies ahead, no-one will be left without hope."
Measures announced by Mr Sunak include:
- A £2 billion scheme of taxpayer-funded work placements for 16-to-24-year-olds on Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment.
- A £3 billion green package, with grants for homeowners and public buildings to improve energy efficiency.
- A £111 million programme of unpaid traineeships combining work experience with training.
The Chancellor's statement comes after warnings from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that the UK's unemployment rate could soar to 14.8%, with job losses comparable to the 1930s.
Health Secretary on new shielding guidelines:
July 10 will see changes to shielded guidelines:
No longer advices to be physically distanced from the people you live with.
Children under 12 from the household can now see other children outside.
Shielded people can now form an extended household.
Holidays accomodations and second homes can be used as long as they are not shared.
Can meet up with two other households outside.
From July 10, anyone travelling from UK Gov Green rated countries can enter the country without quarantine.
FM on International Travel
"We should never forget the potential of this virus to do harm"
“One of the biggest risk factors is the importation of new cases”
FM uses Australia as an example of the dangers of allowing cases into the country.
“I know ans am acutely aware of how important international travel is for our tourism and aviation industry”
For every 100,000 people, 28 have covid.
Not yet able to say it is eliminated, but that is attainable.
Scotland position different from the rest of the UK - where for every 100,000 people, 128 people have Covid.