FIRST Minister Nicola Sturgeon unveiled Scotland's route map out of lockdown as restrictions are set to ease across the country. 

Ms Sturgeon set out plans for a gradual lifting of the current lockdown at the Scottish Parliament this afternoon, a day after the Prime Minister outlined the UK Government’s road map.

And though Scotland's route of out of lockdown is not identical to the UK Government's, it is broadly similar.

Here are the main points:

* Scotland will move back to a phased tier system in the last week of April, with areas hoping to move from Level 4 into Level 3 from then.

* Indicatively, from Monday, March 15, P4-P7 pupils will start to return to school for at least part-time learning. Non contact sports for 12-17 year olds could continue, and two households may be able to meet outside.

* From April 5, it is hoped that stay at home restrictions will be lifted, communal worship could also resume. Six people from two households could meet as well as some retail reopening.

* From April 26, Level 4 areas could move to Level 3 and the Scottish Government said it could begin to open up society in a more 'substantial way'.

Ms Sturgeon said: “I am as confident as I can be that the indicative, staged timetable that I have set out today – from now until late April when the economy will start to substantially reopen – is a reasonable one.

“And in mid-March – when we have made further progress on vaccines and have greater understanding of the impact of the initial phase of school return – I hope we can set out then more detail of the further reopening that will take place over April and May and into a summer when we hope to be living with much greater freedoms than we are today.”

Travel restrictions will remain "for some time yet" according to the First Minister.

It was also confirmed that there were a further 56 deaths of coronavirus patients, and 655 new cases in the past 24 hours.

Across Scotland, 1,465,241 people have now received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine - almost a third of the adult population.