Nicola Sturgeon hints at long term shift away from restrictive covid measures in Scotland

Nicola Sturgeon has hinted the Scottish Government is planning for a long term shift away from restrictive coronavirus measures.The First Minister tonight insisted that temporary rules brought in over the festive season to tackle the spread of the Omicron variant had made a difference.But the SNP leader said Scots must now ask themselves “what adaptations to pre-pandemic life” might be needed so the country can live with coronavirus.It comes as Sturgeon prepares to make an eagerly anticipated covid update at Holyrood on Tuesday on whether temporary restrictions can now be relaxed.She previously signalled she expected the rules - which limit crowds at football matches to just 500 people - would end by January 17.The First Minister has now suggested a longer-term rethink on covid restrictions is required."Sometimes when you hear people talk about learning to live with Covid, what seems to be suggested is that one morning we’ll wake up and not have to worry about it anymore, and not have to do anything to try to contain and control it," she told STV News."That’s not what I mean when I say ‘learning to live with it’."Instead, we will have to ask ourselves what adaptations to pre-pandemic life – face coverings, for example – might be required in the longer-term to enable us to live with it with far fewer protective measures."Sturgeon added: "We are in a position where we all want to get to as much normality as possible.

All of us, me included, really crave that."But we need to recognise that this virus, although we hope Omicron is milder than previous variants, this virus still takes lives and it still causes significant health impacts for people."So we have got to treat it seriously and not underestimate the damage that it