Nicola Sturgeon warns Boris Johnson not to force her to end lockdown

Speaking at the daily media briefing, the First Minister said she could not be confident that the “all-important R number” – which measures how the disease spreads through the population – is low enough.

She said it “could still be hovering around one just now” which means each existing infection causes one new infection.

The First Minister said “any significant easing up of restrictions at this stage would be very, very risky indeed”.

She added: “We think the number might still be a bit higher here than it is in other parts of the UK, perhaps reflecting the fact our first cases came later than England, and so we may be at a different and slightly later stage of the infection curve.

“All of that tells me that extreme caution is required at this critical juncture, to avoid a rapid resurgence of the virus.

“Before we can judge that it is safe to begin any significant, albeit gradual, easing of the restrictions, we want to see data in the days ahead that confirms a very clear downward trend.”

The First Minister’s announcement came as a flurry of press reports suggested Johnson was set ease the restrictions in England from Monday.

The Sun’s headline was “Happy Monday” while The Daily Express went for “First steps to freedom from Monday” and the Mail said “Hurrah! Lockdown freedom beckons”.

Some reports even suggested beer gardens, and cafes with outdoor tables could soon re-open.

At the lunchtime briefing, Sturgeon said she had had no discussion with the UK Government about any of the measures mentioned in the papers.

The First Minister said: “Let me be clear, if the Prime Minister decides he wants to move at a faster pace for England than I consider is right for Scotland, that is of course his right.

“I will respect that and I will not criticise him for doing that.

“But I hope you understand, and indeed I hope you agree, that I must make judgments informed by the evidence that are right and safe for Scotland.

“I will not be pressured into lifting restrictions prematurely before I am as certain as I can be that we will not be risking a resurgence of infection rates.”

Johnson is due to make a speech on Sunday night.

Yesterday, Downing Street tried to calm down the expectation that the lockdown was just days away from ending.

Johnson’s official spokesman said: “The Prime Minister said that in considering whether there could be any easement to the existing guidelines, we are not going to do anything that risks a second peak.

“We will advance with maximum caution in order to protect the NHS and to save lives.”

At the UK Government’s briefing, Dominic Raab said that for the moment there was no change in the Government’s guidance.

“There is no change today in the guidance or in the rules,” he said.

Raab said the Government was “locked into the closest cooperation, collaboration with the devolved administrations”.

He said Johnson was committed to “continuing a UK wide approach to tackling the pandemic, even if different parts may move at slightly different speeds”.

He added: “I think the key thing is that those decisions are made based on the science and the circumstances for each nation.”

One of the potential measures briefed by Downing Street was the possibility of removing the once-a-day limit to outdoor exercise.

At the Scottish Government briefing, Sturgeon said this was under consideration, but only if it was possible without increasing the R umber.

There would, she added, still be strict conditions applied; people would still need to stay within their own household group, stay two metres away from others and stay reasonably close to their own home.

“It would not change the overall message to stay at home, except for the limited reasons of exercise, food and medicine.”

The next review date will be on May 28, but the First Minister said the Government could make changes before then if it is safe to do so.