NICOLA Sturgeon has said it is “very unlikely” there will be any change to current lockdown measures when they’re reviewed on Thursday.

Speaking at the Scottish Government’s daily briefing, the First Minister said that although Scotland was “making real and significant progress” the “numbers still being infected by the virus, and the all important R number, remain too high” to make “any meaningful change without risking the virus running quickly out of control again”.

Sturgeon also said that care home transmission of Covid-19 “continues to be a very significant challenge”.

“So all things considered – and let me stress decisions are yet to be formally taken – it’s very likely that on Thursday, I will be asking you to stick with lockdown for a bit longer.

“Now I know you understand why that is the case, but I also know it is really hard, and I know that even as you comply with these measures, you do want to see light at the end of the tunnel.”

That light, Sturgeon said, would be revealed “in general terms” today when she outlines “the possible changes that the Scottish Government will be considering ahead of the next review date of the 28th of May”.

She said: “In the interests of transparency, I can’t say for certain right now whether before May 28 or on May 28 I’ll be able to say we’re easing anything, but I’m pretty certain right now, albeit a formal decision hasn’t been taken, that I’m not going to be able to announce any meaningful changes at this point, which will be on Thursday.”

Sturgeon added that she wanted to be delivering a daily briefing “in a few weeks” saying the measures are being eased.

“My big worry is that if we ease up now then I won’t be able to do that,” she said.

The First Minister also revealed that there have now been 12,226 positive cases confirmed in Scotland, an increase of 169 from the figures reported the day before.

There were, however, just five deaths reported on Sunday.

But Sturgeon warned that figure might be “artificially low due to the lower levels of death registration that we know that takes place at weekends”.

That takes the total number of deaths in Scotland under that measurement to 1576.

A total of 1720 patients are currently in hospital with either confirmed or suspected cases of Covid-19, up by 54 from yesterday.

Of those a total of 99 people were in intensive care.

Meanwhile, responding to a journalist’s question, the First Minister said she hoped to have a “constructive discussions”

with the UK Government on devolving the powers necessary to allow a Universal Basic Income in Scotland.

The First Minister said: “The experience of the virus and the economic consequences of that have actually made me much, much more strongly of the view that it is an idea that’s time has come.”