‘We must treat people like grown-ups’ says Nicola Sturgeon as she shares lockdown exit plan

NICOLA Sturgeon today urged the UK Government to "treat people like grown ups" as she shared her draft plans for ending Scotland's lockdown.

The Scottish First Minister today insisted that politicians should be frank with the public - after Government scientists said last night that social distancing could continue until 2021.

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In a press conference this lunchtime she said that a "return to normal as we knew it is not on the cards in the near future."

But she wanted to "be frank with you every step of the way" and encouraged the public to engage in her plans to ease ruled and restrictions in the coming weeks.

She told the nation that the lockdown was working but it was also doing long-term damage.

It was causing "harm to the economy, living standards, to children’s education, to aspects of our physical health and metal health and wellbeing."
"We must try to find a better balance than the one we have right now," she stressed.

Her proposed plan for relaxing the lockdown included:

• Plans for "certain businesses in certain sectors" to reopen - "but only if they can change how they work" so people stay apart
• "Classrooms may have to be redesigned" to keep their distance, or to stagger kids so they go in at different times
• Pubs and large gatherings are to be banned for "some time to come"
• Restrictions in cities and densely populated areas where the virus is spreading could have different rules to those of towns and villages
• Restrictions could be lifted but they can also be tightened in some areas
• Lockdown measures could be lifted but if the spread starts again, the country could have to stay inside once again
• More surveillance is needed for people flying into the country who could be infected with the virus

Ms Sturgeon stressed the strict measures were still "absolutely necessary, but said Scotland needs "to chart a way forward" to live with the virus over the coming months.

"What we must do is find a new normal, a way of living alongside this virus but in a form that keeps it under control and stops it taking the toll we know it can do," she said.

The First Minister also said that the reproduction rate of the virus must be kept below one, with best estimates putting the figures "somewhere between 0.6 and one".

Some measures could be lifted but others could be made tougher, she suggested, like Dominic Raab has previously suggested.

And any lockdown could come back at any point - possibly with short notice, she warned.

"We want to ease restrictions but must be prepared for them to be reimposed as well as lifted," Ms Sturgeon said.

Echoing Professor Chris Whitty last night, she said that social distancing might have to be in place for at least the next year.

The First Minister also urged Scots to "engage with this discussion" - and stressed that no decisions had yet been taken.

Documents from the Scottish Government talked about the need for a "transition" into the next phase - much like the Brexit period Britain is in now.

They also discussed the possibility of different areas with different rules, such as cities and towns having to abide by different lockdown measures.

The documents stated the Government were "considering different restrictions in different areas dependent on how the pandemic is progressing".

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Earlier Ms Sturgeon revealed students may be allowed back to school part-time, with social distancing still in place.

She told Heart Radio: "We might have kids going back to school for certain days a week.

"We may have to have children in a classroom so that we can have social distancing."

However, the UK Government has made it clear the UK will not leave lockdown unless several conditions are met - including a steady drop in new infections and deaths.

And ministers have insisted they will not begin to talk about how the measures will end just yet because they don't want to "muddy the water" by talking about an exit.

The focus should be on staying home, Government ministers have repeatedly said, and they don't want to confuse the message.

Ms Sturgeon's intervention comes as Brits start to head to parks and more people travel on the roads in defiance of lockdown restrictions as the weather heats up.

More traffic was reported in last night's Downing Street press conference, as some begin to tire of the measures in place.

Last night Professor Whitty said the nation was still weeks away from seeing a significant decline in numbers.

He said: "We are working with a disease we are going to be with globally for the foreseeable future."

"(There are) lots of options which ministers will have to consider."

They key to ending lockdown was to ease measures in way where no infected person is, on average, infecting more than one person.

Ms Sturgeon also said she could introduce different measures in Scotland to that of the rest of the UK - comments Northern Ireland's leader has stressed too.

At the moment the UK is working together on a plan and there are no differences in the approach for the four nations.

Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster has said measures could be eased at a different pace than in other parts of the UK.

She said the criteria for easing restrictions "will be set down and agreed"; by the Northern Ireland executive as well the UK Government.

She told Cool FM this could mean "different parts of the UK move (at) different times".

Discontent is also growing among Conservative backbenchers who are calling for a clear, "safety-first" exit strategy from shutdown to protect the economy.

Treasurer of the 1922 Committee Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown is one of the leading voices in the demand for answers.

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Sir Geoffrey told BBC Radio 4: "We need to start this discussion of how we get back to normality.

"Whatever we do needs to be done gradually, when the figures start to stabilise more in three to four weeks, hopefully we could begin to think about what's the next step."

"We have to think about the number of small businesses, who unless they get some form of business, may have to cease trading.

"We have to accept that at the moment a relatively small amount of the population has been exposed to the virus - we are going to expose more people to the virus

He said it was essential to open up parts of the economy, to rescue them from being completely decimated by the lockdown.

"I see no reason why garden centres, DIY stores with proper social isolating couldn't begin to open.

Sir Geoffrey and other members of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers called a private meeting yesterday where they unanimously expressed deep concern of the continual lockdown, according to

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Sir Geoffrey said: "The nation is quite divided on this and it's up to the government, I think, to exercise leadership."

"Unless we do something fairly soon the economy is going to take a real hit."

Vice Chairman of the committee Sir Charles Walker said "There has got to be an economy to go back to.

"All MPs right now are dealing with dozens if not hundreds of local businesses that are fearing for their future.

"Building capacity within the NHS, reducing infection rates has to be the precursor to lifting the economic lockdown. If we don’t do this many good and strong businesses will not open their doors again.

"The consequences for millions of people will be potentially devastating."

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