NICOLA Sturgeon has suggested she will continue to front televised coronavirus briefings during the election campaign, but only when major decisions are announced.
While she explained it would not be "business as normal" in the campaign period, the First Minister said she has a duty to "remain accountable" during the health crisis.
The SNP leader added that the public should expect to see more of national clinical director Jason Leitch and chief medical officer Gregor Smith in her place in the run up to May’s vote.
She commented: "Going into the election I remain First Minister, and ministers remain ministers, so we have to remain accountable during a health crisis.
"We have to have the ability to communicate directly with the public."
During a session of Holyrood's Covid-19 Committee, Labour's Monica Lennon about whether the Scottish Government would use experts, such as Leitch and Smith, to front the briefings during the election campaign.
Sturgeon explained no "final, detailed decision" had yet been made. But the First Minister said that "already the briefings are happening less frequently".
Her comments come in the wake of concerns from opposition MSPs that Sturgeon's regular appearance on the televised coronavirus briefings could give her an advantage in the Scottish election campaign.
But the First Minister insisted: "I am democrat, I understand the importance of level playing fields in elections, so I will act appropriately.
"You will undoubtedly not have me doing daily briefings everyday the way I have been doing them previously, but if there are big decisions that we are having to make during the election period, then I have a duty to communicate to the public what they are."
READ MORE: Ofcom throws out bias complaints about Nicola Sturgeon's Covid briefings
She stressed: "I fully understand the importance of the election and the democratic process and it is not in my interest to in any way to be seen to be abusing the position of First Minister, and I will not do that."
“I suspect you will be seeing more, even more than you have over the last year, of Gregor and Jason in terms of a day to day basis."
The FM added: "It will not be business as normal during the election campaign but we will still be in a crisis and therefore we need to make sure we are serving the public appropriately."
Earlier this week, broadcast regulator Ofcom dismissed claims that Sturgeon’s briefings breach impartiality rules.
The regulator examined 16 hours of broadcasts aired between September and December last year after complainers alleged the BBC was giving an unfair platform to the SNP.
The body concluded there were no issues which warranted an official investigation under the Broadcasting Code.
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