Nicola Sturgeon rejects calls for two metre ruled to be eased

Just three new deaths from Coronavirus have been recorded in the past day, the First Minister revealed, while hospital cases continue to stabilise.

Ms Sturgeon admitted today that infection numbers are "falling rapidly" in Scotland. It has prompted calls from the hospitality sector for the two metre rule to be relaxed amid concerns that the restriction will make a return to business for restaurants, cafes and bars impossible.

But Ms Sturgeon said: "It is simply not the case that you can go from two metres to one metre with no consequence and it's straightforward - it's not straightforward there are a lot of really difficult issues that have to be balanced there.

Signs ask visitors to adhere to social distancing guidelines

"Very few if any aspects of this can be seen isolation."

The aim of the Scottish Government's lockdown approach is to "eradicate" the virus in the community, but Ms Sturgeon said today this remains some way off.

"We are making really, really good progress in suppressing this virus," she told the daily Coronavirus briefing.

"Our case numbers are falling rapidly, those in hospital are falling, death numbers are thankfully falling rapidly.,

Nicola Sturgeon played down calls to ease the two metre rule

"We now have an R number that a few days ago might have been slightly higher than the rest of the UK, but now might be slightly lower because we are following a careful and cautious plan.

"If the lesson we take from that is just to throw that plan away and move too quickly we will regret that in a very short space of time."

A total of 2,442 patients have now died after testing positive for coronavirus - a rise of three on Thursday.

A total of 15,709 people have tested positive for the virus north of the border, up by 27 from 15,682 the previous day.

There are 914 people in hospital with confirmed or suspected COVID-19, a rise of five in 24 hours. Of these patients, 23 were in intensive care - up two.

Ms Sturgeon alluded to the case of New Zealand where COVID-19 cases have been effectively been eradicated.

But she said: "Scotland right now and the Scottish Government, we don't have the same powers to close our borders to stop importation of it, not that I would ever relish the prospect of closing borders, but even for a short period of time."

The First Minister said the Test and Protect regime may allow Scotland to reach a low enough level to allow "more normality" can be introduced to everyday life.

She added: "We are getting close to a level where we have suppressed it very, very far."

But she warned: "The worst thing we can do right now is take a lesson from the success we're having which says just chuck the plan away and accelerate everything and forget about the two metre rule and just go back to normal really, really quickly."

National clinical director Professor Jason Leitch said the outbreak must be suppressed to a point where only slower, contained outbreaks are happening before the advice may change.

"Our fear is that a second wave comes and we have to give advice that says we've gone too early - that would be worse for the economy and sections of industry. We really want to avoid that."

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