Scotland rejects ending lockdown as UK in ‘for the long haul’

Nicola Sturgeon has rejected calls to end the coronavirus lockdown and warned the UK “we are in this for the long haul.”

Scotland’s First Minister rejected the idea her country will go back to normal in three months, and said it is now “unlikely” the nation will be back to normal in several weeks’ time.

Sturgeon said, “This is not a quick fix. We all want this phase of our lives to be over as quickly as possible. But as much as I would like to stand here and say otherwise, it is unlikely that this will be in just a few weeks. We are in this for the long haul.”

She added, “Please everyone, I know how tough this is, but please, please stick with it. You are helping us to save lives.

“Let me again thank everyone across the country who is playing their part, your efforts will continue to be really vital in the weeks ahead as we fight this battle against coronavirus.”

Sturgeon said that to date 3,400 NHS staff and their families have been tested, she did not provide any further information as to how many could be positive.

She said the testing kits can detect those who have coronavirus, but the tests cannot detect those who may be in the incubation period, or if a person has previously had the virus.

Also speaking at the Scottish briefing, Chief Medical Officer Catherine Calderwood said, “What we do know from the scientific evidence is that if people are stringently obeying these new rules, these very difficult rules… we are then able to slow the spread of this transmission.

“The more we comply, the better that those measures are going to reduce the transmission of the virus and that length of time, at least 13 weeks, we would be able to lift some of those measures potentially after that three month period.”

Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in central London have confirmed 73 NHS staff have test positive with coronavirus, with 318 self-isolating.

A former World Health Organization (WHO) director, Anthony Costello revealed on Thursday the terrifying news that 73 out 181 staff who were tested have the deadly infection.

The Department of Health have said on Thursday, “As of 9am 2 April, a total of 163,194 people have been tested of which 33,718 tested positive.”

“As of 5pm on 1 April, of those hospitalised in the UK who tested positive for coronavirus, 2,921 have sadly died.”

This is a rise of 4,244 infected people in 24 hours.