Scotland extends lockdown as Nicola Sturgeon warns lifting it could be 'catastrophic'

7 May 2020, 14:29 | Updated: 7 May 2020, 16:20

First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon has announced that the lockdown will be extended.

Nicola Sturgeon has extended the lockdown in Scotland after warning that lifting measures now could be 'catastrophic'.

Speaking at her daily press conference today, she said: "There are still significant numbers of people in Scotland infected with this virus and we’re not yet confident that the all-important R number is comfortably below one."

She added that she would "not be pressured into lifting restrictions prematurely", and added: "If the prime minister decides that he wants to move at a faster pace for England than I consider is right for Scotland that is of course his right.

"I will respect that and I will not criticise him for doing that."

Ms Sturgeon continued: "The other possible changes reported in the media today - such as encouraging more people back to work now or opening beer gardens or encouraging more use of public transport - would not, in my judgement, be safe for us to make yet.

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"And I believe that for us to drop the clear, well understood ‘Stay at Home’ message right now could be a potentially catastrophic mistake."

By law, lockdowns must be reviewed every three weeks.

The death toll for Scotland currently stands at 1,762.

The UK lockdown is up for review this week, and Boris Johnson is due to announce his 'roadmap' on how we will lift measures this Sunday.