Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said during a press briefing that the country will lay out its roadmap for easing restrictions on Thursday and Phase One will likely come into effect on May 28, the day when the country's latest lockdown measures are due to end.
Sturgeon stressed that the “first phase will coincide with our ability to start on a phased basis a substantial test, trace and isolate operation to help us keep the virus under control”.
The First Minister gave some details about Phase One of the proposed map saying that the government will aim to allow the resumption of certain sporting activities such as golf and fishing, the reopening of garden centers and meetings between people from different households providing the social distance is maintained.
To fortify the “test, trace, isolate” strategy, Sturgeon announced an acceleration of testing to include “anyone over the age of 5 who has any of the three symptoms of COVID-19 including of course the loss of taste or smell”.
Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer Gregor Smith on Monday endorsed alongside his Welsh, English and Northern Irish counterparts an expansion of the official coronavirus symptoms list to include loss of smell or taste.
Sturgeon expressed her hope that within two weeks Scotland “will be taking some concrete steps on the journey back to a form of normality”.