Nicola Sturgeon enrages Britons as she rejects calls to end lockdown in a ‘few weeks’

Addressing the nation in her daily coronavirus press conference in Edinburgh, Nicola Sturgeon said it was “unlikely” the nation could go back to normal within a few weeks. She 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.”

The First Minister urged people to “stick with” lockdown measures implemented to stop the spread of the virus.

Ms Sturgeon said: “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.”

Ms Sturgeon said the Scottish Government would use testing on those who are the most seriously ill to detect the spread of the virus throughout the country, including health care workers and their families, to allow them to get back to work if they do not have the virus.

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Ms Sturgeon was also clear on what testing “can and cannot achieve”.

Current tests, she said, could identify cases of Covid-19, but would be unable to detect the virus in the incubation period or if someone has previously had the virus.

The Scottish and UK governments are currently working on a more thorough antibody test.

Also speaking at the Scottish briefing, chief medical officer Catherine Calderwood said compliance with lockdown measures could see them lifted in three months.

She 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.”