The First Minister has hinted that she is about to initiate a long-term shift of stricter measures as she insisted the tough measures she had imposed on hospitality and large events over Christmas had worked, despite Scotland having a higher Covid rate than England. Speaking ahead of her Covid announcement to MSPs on Tuesday, Ms Sturgeon said face coverings “might be required in the longer-term to enable us to live with it with far fewer protective measures”. She lashed out at Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s easing of the rules, calling it “unacceptable” and she doesn’t “agree” with a sudden end to the current testing arrangement. All Covid restrictions will end in England on Thursday and free mass testing will stop from April 1. Ms Sturgeon said isolation moving back to normality will be on a “phased, careful basis”.
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