Nicola Sturgeon 'hopeful' vaccination programme will allow lockdown to end on 9 August

the Scottish Government to follow the policy in England, which allows passengers to use private suppliers charging as little as £25 for a testing kit compared to £170 per person for amber list countries in Scotland.Those returning to Scotland from green list countries still have to pay £88 per person for the Government-approved testing kit.In the letter, the heads of airlines easyJet, Jet2, Loganair and Tui joined with the chiefs of all of Scotland’s major airports, the Airport Operators

Scotland's long-awaited move to Level 0 in Covid restrictions, meaning a range of new freedom for people up and down the country. And today, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will hold a briefing to update Scots on the latest case numbers, trends and advice.

Drag Race stars Lawrence Chaney and Ellie Diamond were sent a letter from Scotland's First Minister after the pair scooped a Young Scot award.

vaccination rates in Scotland dropped to their lowest level in three months. The Scottish and UK Governments both follow guidance on jabs from the Joint Committee on Vaccines and Immunisations (JCVI).

Pubs and restaurants will be expected to close by midnight - earlier than anticipated - and Scots should continue to work from home where possible, delaying the move back into offices. The First Minister made the announcement to MSPs at a virtual meeting of the Scottish Parliament today, where she said mandatory use of face coverings was likely to remain for "some time to come".

Nicola Sturgeon has expressed hopes cases of coronavirus in Scotland are now 'levelling off' after a sharp rise in recent weeks.The First Minister has said she remains optimistic that Scotland’s lockdown easing will still go ahead as planned despite a recent surge in Covid cases.But Ms Sturgeon hinted that not all rules scheduled to be removed from July 19 may be implemented as part of Scotland’s planned move to Level 0.She said: “Next Tuesday I will set out to parliament the final decision on

First Minister is expected to announce the latest covid figures and address the state of the pandemic across the country. Over the last couple of weeks cases of the deadly virus have risen in Scotland which is down to the spread of the Delta variant which originated in India.

Covid restrictions will be dictated by the number of cases across the country, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said, as she admitted the August 9 'Freedom Day' date is not set in stone. Sturgeon has expressed confidence that the country can move into Level 0 together on July 19, albeit with some restrictions remaining.But she has stopped short of announcing a sweeping end to lockdown and said the Scottish Government must follow the data.

coronavirus restrictions later this month. Scottish Government officials have pencilled in the July 19 date for the downgrade to restrictions - which will see the number of people allowed to meet indoors and outdoors increase further.

coronavirus deaths in Scotland overnight and a further 3,823 positive cases. The First Minister announced the latest figures this aftrnoon as the virus continues to spread across the country.

First Minister will be joined by clinical director Jason Leitch for the televised update at 12.15pm.

Irn-Bru during a tour of AG Barr's factory in Cumbernauld, where the soft drink is manufactured. She was joined by her grandson William, the Duke of Cambridge, known as the Earl of Strathearn in Scotland, who took a sip of the soft drink as the Queen looked on.

sit traditional exams next spring or if an alternative would be in place. SNP ministers this week pledged to scrap the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) following the publication of a long-awaited international report which looked at the state of the curriculum north of the Border.

Manchester and Salford for Scots last Friday which came into effect on Monday, June 21. High numbers of cases of the Delta variant was the reason for the ban, the SNP leader said.

pandemic news is likely to be dominated by talks between Nicola Sturgeon and Andy Burnham to discuss the ban on all non-essential travel from Scotland to Manchester and Salford. At a press conference on Tuesday the Labour mayor of Greater Manchester told reporters he was seeking a “political route” out of the dispute.

First Minister congratulated the team on getting this far and said that it was was "not to be" after a 3-1 loss to Croatia at Hampden Park tonight.The defeat meant Scotland's Euro dream died as the side were knocked out of the tournament.Nicola Sturgeon took to Twitter after the game to thank the team for playing their hearts out.She said: "Not to be, but thank you @ ScotlandNT for taking us to our first men’s tournament in 23 years - you’ve played your hearts out and we’ve been proud to cheer

First Minister said wedding suppliers will no longer count towards the cap on numbers and live entertainment at receptions will be allowed.

Join thousands of others and get the latest Scottish politics news sent straight to your inbox.Scots will not be encouraged to rush back to their offices after covid restrictions are lifted on 9 August, Nicola Sturgeon has said.The First Minister came down on the side of continuing the practice of working from home she announced that Scotland plans to move out of covid restrictions.Many businesses have called for a return of commuters to their place of work to help city centre and town economies

Nicola Sturgeon is set to issue an update on ‘Freedom Day’ and the latest coronavirus situation in the Scottish Parliament later today.

First Minister is expected to tell MSPs in the Holyrood chamber that there will be a three-week delay in the lifting of lockdown in Scotland due to the Delta variant, which originated in India.