Scots must now use their own “judgement” on COVID restrictions as lockdown lifts

John Swinney says Scots must apply judgement | JPIMedia

The Deputy First Minister told MSPs today that the current Stay at Home message will remain the "fundamental anchor" of the Scottish Government's approach.

Mr Swinney was speaking as Nicola Sturgeon prepares to formally announce this afternoon that she will proceed to phase 1 of Scotland's 4-stage exit from lockdown, as part of the three-weekly review of restrictions.

Full details are yet to be set out, but it is expected to allow a great deal more outdoor activity, including meeting up with others outside and sports like golf and fishing.

"We are moving into a phase where individuals will have to exercise a great deal more judgement about what is appropriate and considered steps that they they take,” Mr Swinney told Holyrood’s COVID19 committee.

"The importance of the Government's role in that is to be as clear as we possibly can be in our communication of these messages in every respect in which that is undertaken, whether that's through direct public information advertising that the Government undertakes or whether that's through statements ministers make."

He added: "My encouragement to people would be, as they want to get on with their lives, to think carefully about the steps they are taking.

"They're going to have observe an approach which none of us have probably observed up until now, but will have to observe on an ongoing basis to maintain public health."

He added: "Although we are leaving lockdown there will still be many aspects of the strategic requirements of lockdown still in place in phase 1.

"Certainly for phase 1, one of the elements of that will still be saying to members of the public fundamentally being at home will be the best thing to do."

He added: "Staying at Home would be the fundamental anchor of the messages in phase 1."

A message from the Editor:Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Joy Yates

Editorial Director