NICOLA Sturgeon will later this week set out key principles which will determine when Scotland’s coronavirus lockdown can be lifted.

The First Minister announced the move as she revealed another 12 people have died after testing positive for Covid-19, bringing the total hospital deaths from the disease to 915.

At the daily press briefing she said 8450 people have now tested positive for the virus in Scotland, up 263 from 8187 the day before.

There are 169 people in intensive care with coronavirus or coronavirus symptoms, a decrease of five on Sunday, the First Minister said, adding that 1809 people are in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19.

“Towards the end of this week I will set out some of the factors that will guide our thinking for the future,” Sturgeon said.

But the “initial version of this work” will not set out what measures will be lifted and when, she said.

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The FM added: “We are simply not yet in position to take those decisions in a properly informed way and I will not rush to do anything that could risk a resurgence of this virus, because to do that would risk overwhelming the national health service and it would put many more lives at risk.”

She said the Scottish Government will set out its objective to “continue to suppress the virus while considering how even we can even gradually restore a semblance of normality to everyday life”.

But some restrictions on everyday life in the from of social distancing will continue for “a while to come”, she said.

The First Minister also urged people struggling to access food during the outbreak to ask for help.

She said: “Help is available. Please ask for support if you need it.”

The First Minister said for those in the shielded group – around 150,000 people in Scotland – more than 41,000 have had essentials delivered.

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She said those who have signed up to a text message service for this in the past week may not yet have had their first delivery but will do shortly.

Also attending the media briefing, Scotland’s interim chief medical officer Dr Gregor Smith raised concerns that some people with cancer may not be coming forward for diagnosis and treatment.

He made the point after underlining that referrals for suspected cancer are down by almost three-quarters on the weekly average.

Smith said: “There’s strong evidence that a reduction in people coming forward to seek help has led to lower numbers of urgent referrals for suspected cancer. This is seen not just in Scotland but appears to be a pattern in other parts of the UK, too.”

He added: “GPs are telling me that they are seeing much fewer people coming forward with these types of symptoms and signs.

“There’s been a 72% reduction in urgent suspected cancer referrals compared to the weekly average. It leaves me worried there are people out there that are not seeking help from their GP when they might need it.”

The medical chief urged people not to ignore signs and to seek advice as they would have done before the outbreak. Highlighting attendance at A&E departments is down 54% on the three-year average, he said: “If it was urgent before Covid-19 it remains urgent now. Please don’t delay unnecessarily, your NHS remains here for you, please seek help and attention when you need it.”

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