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Scotland will begin to ease coronavirus lockdown restrictions from May 28, Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed. 

Speaking in Edinburgh, the first minister said she would publish a “route-map” out of lockdown on Thursday, with “phased” changes to the guidelines to take place “carefully and gradually” later in the year. 

It comes after Sturgeon clashed with Boris Johnson over Covid-19 guidelines. 

Stressing the “stay at home” advice in Scotland had not yet changed, Sturgeon said: “Within two weeks, my hope is that we will be taking some concrete steps on the journey back to normality.

“As I’ve said before, it won’t be normality as we knew it because the virus will not have gone away, but it will be a journey to a better balance – I hope – than the one we have today. 

“As we take each step, we must make sure that the ground beneath us is as solid as possible.

“That’s why sticking with the lockdown restrictions a bit longer to suppress the virus more is so important, because that will mean we can start to take these steps with the confidence that we have alternative means of effectively keeping it under control.”

The FM said the reproduction rate – the “R” – of the virus will be outlined in Thursday’s report, along with taking into account the findings of the weekly National Records of Scotland (NRS). 

Sturgeon said changes could include some sporting events being allowed, the opening of garden centres and letting people meet those from other households, provided social distancing is followed.

More will also be said about when schools might reopen.

Johnson switched the government’s advice in England from “stay home” to “stay alert” and encouraged people who could not work from home to return to the workplace. 

The FM also said there would now be an expansion in testing, saying that anyone over the age of five with any of the symptoms would be able to have a test booked.

These would be available at the drive-in centres across the country, or through any of the mobile testing centres, with the scheme being a collaboration between the Scottish and UK governments, she said.

While key workers will be prioritised, Sturgeon said the tests can be booked online.

It comes after health chiefs announced that the loss of taste or smell were officially symptoms of Covid-19, with those who experience these things told to self-isolate.