THE First Minister has revealed for the first time a member of her own close personal circle has fallen seriously ill with Covid 19.
Nicola Sturgeon told journalists that until last weekend she did not know anyone personally well who had had the disease "in a significant way".
But added that this situation changed in recent days.
She said: "Until last weekend I didn't know anyone personally within my family, friend or close colleague network to the best of my knowledge who had had this virus in a significant way, that changed this weekend.
"Why am I telling you that? That is because it is still there, even with these numbers down there are still people being tested positive for this virus. It is still there, it is ready to pounce across all these bridges that we offer it. If we want to stop that we must must must stick to these guidelines."
Earlier she warned about putting legal curbs on socialising and travel after mass breaches of the revised guidance on the first weekend of the lockdown easing.
The First Minister said she “would not hesitate” to legislate to keep outdoor meetings below eight and ban travel to within five miles from someone's home to suppress the spread of coronavirus.
It follows a surge in rule breaking in Phase 1 of the route-map out of lockdown.
Police Scotland reported a five-fold increase in the number of groups officers were forced to disperse to 797 on Saturday alone.
At the Scottish Government daily briefing, the First Minister said there were also examples of people driving well beyond the recommended five-mile limit from home.
A 70% rise in road journeys was also a “cause of concern”, with the A82 at Loch Lomond and Glen Coe seeing a three-fold increase in traffic.
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