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Plans to ease Covid restrictions in Scotland revealed

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Children in primary years 4-7 will return to school 15 March

It is hoped all primary school children in Scotland will return to classrooms by 15 March.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says primary school years 4-7 will be able to return from that date. Years 1-3 returned on Monday along with some secondary pupils who need to complete coursework.

She also said some senior phase secondary (over 16s) school pupils will be back in classrooms for practical subjects from 15 March for at least part of their learning.

Scotland's roadmap out of lockdown restrictions is slightly different to plans announced by prime minister Boris Johnson for England on Monday.

What did the Scottish first minister say?

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Scotland will have different rules to England, Wales and Northern Ireland

FM Nicola Sturgeon has outlined a "phased" easing of lockdown restrictions over the next few weeks but said moving forwards will depend on rates of infection and pressure on hospitals.

From 15 March, as well as primary schools fully reopening, non-contact outdoor sports groups will restart for children aged 12 to 17.

People will also be allowed to meet outside in groups of four from two households, such as for a picnic.

Three weeks later, from 5 April, Scotland's lockdown will officially end as the current "stay at home" order will be lifted but some restrictions will remain.

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Maintaining really good hand hygiene and social distancing will remain throughout the easing of restrictions

There will also be a third and final phase of schools reopening at this stage if it is needed. However, it is hoped all children will be back in school before this.

At this point, the plan is that at least six people from two different households can meet outdoors and some more shops will reopen.

From the 26 April, if the level of infection and hospitalisation is under control many more areas will be able to open such as non-essential shops and hairdressers.

This is when people living in different areas of Scotland may have different rules as they will bring back a "levels system".

At the moment, the whole of Scotland is under Level 4 - which is lockdown but from 26 April, many areas will be put into level three or even lower, depending on the number of coronavirus cases in the area.

Ms Sturgeon says there may be changes to the rules within the levels compared to those in place last December, but said she will reveal more details on them in the coming weeks.

Vaccines in Scotland

The vaccination programme in the country is going really well, with more than a third of the adult population having now been offered their first dose.

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Over a third of the adult population in Scotland have had their first dose of the vaccine.

She also said that they hope to have offered the first dose of the vaccine to everyone in the top nine vulnerable groups by mid-April, and to all adults by the end of July.

What about the rules in Wales and Northern Ireland?

In Wales, First Minister Mark Drakeford has announced minor easing of restrictions and has said he hopes the "stay at home" requirement can end within three weeks.

Northern Ireland has extended its lockdown until 1 April, with a review of current measures on 18 March.