NICOLA Sturgeon has warned there is a “genuine danger” the coronavirus will begin to spread again as lockdown measures are lifted.

The First Minister was speaking as it is expected some restrictions on outdoor activities may be relaxed on Friday as Scotland enters Phase One of the Scottish Government exit strategy.

“As we start to lift these restrictions there is a genuine danger that the virus will start to spread again a bit more quickly,” she said.

“The way in which we ensure that doesn’t happen – and that way in which we enable even more restrictions to be lifted in future – is to continue to follow whatever public health guidance is in place at the time.”

She added that the Scottish Government’s “current expectation” is that it will “announce a relaxation” of some restrictions on Thursday with some of the easing of restrictions on outdoor activities coming into force from Friday. “We will give you careful information as we go through this week about what rules are changing, what measures are in place to help you and what you should be considering as you decide what you can and can’t do,” she said.

The Scottish Government will also announce more details of its “test and protect” system tomorrow, she added, along with a plan for how public transport can operate safely while Covid-19 is still in circulation.

Sturgeon said this would include the “clear expectation” that people on public transport would wear face coverings.

She also gave the latest Covid-19 figures for Scotland. A total of 2273 patients have died in Scotland after testing positive for coronavirus, up by three from 2270 on Sunday.

The First Minister said 15,156 people have tested positive for the virus in Scotland, up by 55 from 15,101 the day before.

There are 1269 people in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19, a decrease of 60, and 40 people are in intensive care, a fall of four.

Meanwhile, the First Minister suggested people discharged from hospital into care homes to free up beds for the coronavirus outbreak may have caught the disease and died as a result.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said last week that 921 delayed discharge patients – elderly people medically well enough to leave hospital but without somewhere suitable to go – were moved to care homes in March.

The transfers took place when the Government wanted to free up NHS beds in anticipation of a “tsunami” of coronavirus patients.

Around half the 3500 Covid-19 deaths in Scotland to date have been in care homes, leading to fears that the hospital transfers of elderly patients who had not been tested took the infection into homes with fatal results for vulnerable residents.

Despite calls to test all would-be residents for the virus, the Scottish Government did not bring in mandatory testing until April 21.

On BBC Radio Scotland, the First Minister was asked if she believed that sending more than 900 untested hospital patients into care homes may have been a contributory factor in the crisis. She said: “If I apply hindsight to that, I come to a different conclusion.”

Asked at the daily press briefing if patients might have gone into care homes, contracted the virus there and died, she replied: “I cannot say that for certain. I’m sure that is one thing we will want to absolutely look at and ask very serious questions about. But equally nor can I absolutely say that that will not be the case.”

She went on: “Sometimes it feels like politicians like me are sometimes penalised for trying to be open here. We’re dealing with a situation right now that has a lot of uncertainties in it.

“That’s been true from day one and it will continue to be true, and I’m trying to be honest about some of the implications and consequences of that.

“That means, on a whole range of things, not just on this issue, it may be that we would, if we could wind the clock back, we would take different decisions.”