Nicola Sturgeon

The Scottish National Party (SNP) of head of government Nicola Sturgeon announced that it would hold a "legal referendum" after the end of the pandemic. The precondition, she said, is that pro-independence parties again win a majority in the regional election scheduled for May 6. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson strongly opposes a new referendum.

In its roadmap, the SNP stresses that the British government in London has three options. Either it concedes that the Scottish Parliament already has the power to call a referendum or it officially authorizes the vote. Alternatively, it could try to challenge "the wish of the Scottish people" in court.

Nicola Sturgeon, the first First Minister of Scotland, has announced that "initial supplies of the Covid vaccine have now arrived safely in Scotland and are being stored securely" adding that "the first vaccinations are on track to be administered on Tuesday".

First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon has announced a one time "thank you" bonus payment for NHS and social care workers in Scotland of £500 for extraordinary service during the Covid-19 pandemic.

She stated that "I can announce today that, on behalf of us all, the Scottish Government will give every full-time NHS and adult social care worker £500 as a one-off thank-you payment for their extraordinary service in this toughest of years". Part-time workers will receive a "proportionate share".

Aberdeen has gone back into lockdown due to the city's growing COVID-19 outbreak. Restaurants and pubs had to close by 17:00 on Wednesday and further restrictions, including no-house-visits, have been imposed until at least next Wednesday.

Nicola Sturgeon spoke of a "significant outbreak" after infections rose to 54 confirmed cases, all linked to the Hawthorn Bar. Patrons of the Hawthorn Bar who are linked to the cluster had visited a total of 28 other venues, possibly infected others there.

In an interview with Hits Radio Network on Friday morning, Nicola Sturgeon was asked to give her opinion on the current situation in the United States. Asked whether she believed, Trump was racist, Sturgeon responded that "sometimes it's hard not to conclude that," but added that she couldn't see inside his head. Though she deems it important to put pressure on Donald Trump and America, she urges to also "not forget that we have our own houses to put in order as well". Sturgeon is serving as the fifth First Minister of Scotland in and adds that "a parliament that is still in its 21 years of existence had too few people elected to it from our ethnic minority communities, it’s never had an ethnic minority woman elected to it."