Nicola Sturgeon pleads with Scots to 'stick with' strict lockdown for one more weekend

Nicola Sturgeon has pleaded with Scots to "stick with" strict lockdown for another five days before using their judgment to decide how they should ease it.

The First Minister emphasised that the first phase of her four-stage plan to ease the restrictions will not start until next Thursday and Scots should refrain from meeting other households or playing golf over the bank holiday weekend.

But the Tories accused her of sowing confusion after she said a five-mile travel restriction contained in the first phase of her blueprint was not a "strict limit."

She said Scots must "use their judgment" to interpret the contents of the 46-page document, published on Thursday, which was silent on visiting relatives in other parts of the country.

Ms Sturgeon said people could drive longer than five miles to visit elderly parents but should not enter their home to use the bathroom.

In practice, she said that Scots with family further away than a return day trip may have to wait for "another phase" of her blueprint to safely visit them.

They may have to book accommodation near family members as they cannot stay overnight. However, hotels and self-catering cottages are not expected to reopen until phase three, which will not start until July at the earliest.

Police Scotland Chief Constable Iain Livingstone also emphasised "the rules in Scotland have not changed" and urged people to ignore their frustration and "keep doing what you're doing."

He said officers will now be moving from enforcing lockdown measures to providing advice and guidance to the public.

But the Tories said Ms Sturgeon needs to "nail down" what Scots should and should not be doing "as a matter of urgency or risk widespread confusion when these restrictions are eventually lifted.”

Her plan will come into effect more than two weeks after restrictions were eased in England. It will allow Scots to meet friends or family from one other household at a time in a park or private garden in the first phase.

Garden and recycling centres will finally reopen, weeks after England, and Scots will be allowed to play golf or go fishing.

But offices, large shops and hotels are not scheduled to reopen until the third phase, which will not start until July 9 at the very earliest.

The plan also includes much harsher restrictions on car travel in the first phase than have been implemented in England, with it stating that Scots are "permitted" to travel short distances for leisure and exercise, "broadly within five miles."

Driving beyond their "local area" is not mentioned until the third phase. Ms Sturgeon will review progress every three weeks, when she will decide whether the country is ready to move to the next stage.

But she emphasised that nothing should change this weekend, saying: "We do need to stick with it for a few more days. Not all of the phase one measures will necessarily be introduced next Thursday, but I hope that most of them will be, or at least a day or two afterwards."

Ms Sturgeon denied the blueprint's lack of clarity on travel and visiting family was confusing and said further guidance would be issued.

Despite this not being stated in the plan, Ms Sturgeon added: "We're not intending to put a five-mile limit on the distance you can travel to, for example, sit with your parents in their garden.

"But we are asking you to use judgment, and increasingly as we come out of lockdown I'm going to more and more be relying on you to exercise the good judgement that I know you will."

Although socially distanced barbecues in back gardens will be permitted in phase one, she said she did not want people "to go inside others' houses" to use the bathroom as "you risk leaving the virus on surfaces inside the house."

She added: "If your parents live in Inverness and you live in Glasgow, then what it will require for you to practically visit them might mean you putting your parents at risk, therefore don't do it for those reasons."

But Annie Wells, the Scottish Tory deputy leader, said: "Considering the criticism the SNP made of the UK Government’s exit plan, and the fact they had more time to think about it, there’s really no excuse for causing this level of confusion. People are desperate to get out and see their loved ones."