 That concludes topical questions. The next item of business is a statement by Nicola Sturgeon on Covid-19 update. The First Minister will take questions at the end of her statement, and so there should be no interventions or interruptions. I call on Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Today, as usual, I will report on the current course of the pandemic. I will also set out the latest data and outline some further changes that we intend to make in the period ahead. Those will include an update to the guidance on working from home and also a change to requirements for overseas travel. Finally, I will summarise what we can all continue to do in the immediate future to keep cases on a downward trend and reduce pressure on the national health service and also the economy. First, today's statistics, 8,022 positive cases were reported yesterday either through PCR or lateral flow tests. 1,392 people are in hospital with Covid-19 43 fewer than yesterday. 49 people are in intensive care for fewer than yesterday. This figure includes 15 patients who have been in ICU for more than 28 days. Sadly, a further 23 deaths have been reported taking the total number of deaths under the daily definition to 10,222. Once again, my condolences go to everyone morning, a loved one. Although cases remain high, as in many countries around the world, the data from this past week paints another broadly positive picture. In the seven days prior to last Tuesday's statement, almost 70,000 positive cases were identified through PCR and lateral flow testing just under 10,000 a day. In the most recent seven days, however, there have been just over 50,000 cases, slightly more than 7,000 a day, so reported cases have fallen by just over a quarter. There have been significant reductions in every age group except the under-15s. In this younger age group, cases have increased by 41 per cent. That will, at least to some extent, reflect the impact of the return to school. We will continue to monitor cases in this age group closely. We will also study the data carefully in coming days to see if the increase in cases among younger people is followed by any uptick in older age groups. The weekly survey data from the Office of National Statistics, though less up-to-date than our case numbers, nevertheless indicates a similar trend. According to the ONS, in the week to 15 January, the percentage of people in Scotland infected with the virus declined. As we would have expected, the decline in new cases is now reflected in a fall in the number of people being admitted to hospital with Covid. In the week to 14 January, 1,026 patients with Covid were admitted. In the following week, that fell to 704. Hospital occupancy has also fallen. Last week, a total of 1,546 people were in hospital with Covid. Today, it is 1,392. The number of people with Covid in intensive care has also reduced from 59 this time last week to 49 today. That significantly improved situation gave us the confidence yesterday to lift most of the remaining protective measures that were introduced before Christmas in response to Omicron. I will have a little more to say about Covid statistics before I finish, but following the lifting of restrictions on outdoor events last week, yesterday marked a significant return to normality with the lifting of all of the following measures. Limits on attendance to indoor public events, nightclub closures, the requirement for one meter physical distancing between groups in hospitality and indoor leisure premises, the requirement for table service in hospitality venues, serving alcohol on the premises and the guidance against adult indoor non-professional contact sport. On Thursday last week, we also confirmed changes to the recommendations on self-isolation for people in care homes and lifted the recommended limit on the number of households able to visit care home residents. Visits from loved ones are of course hugely important for the wellbeing of care home residents and I want to be clear that we expect care homes and local health protection teams to support visits other than in genuinely exceptional circumstances. The welcome progress of the past week or so has been made possible by a combination of booster vaccination, the proportion measures introduced in December and, of course, the willingness of the public to adapt behaviour to STEM transmission. All of that made a difference and has helped, I'm glad to say, send Omicron into reverse. This progress is real and I'm very hopeful that it can be sustained. That said, we know there are still uncertainties ahead and this virus of course continues to be unpredictable. All of this means that while our return to more normality can be made with confidence, we should still exercise some caution and I'll return to that point in a moment. But firstly, I can confirm that on the strength of the latest data, Cabinet concluded this morning that some further easing of measures is possible. Firstly, as indicated last week, the current guidance on working from home, strengthened in response to Omicron, will now be updated. Instead of recommending homeworking whenever practical, the new guidance will pave the way for a phased return to the office. It will recommend that from Monday 31 January employers should consider implementing hybrid working following appropriate guidance with workers spending some time in the office and some time at home. We would not expect to see a wholesale return to the office next week, indeed given that the level of infection, though falling, remains high. A matter of return at this stage is likely to be counterproductive and to set progress back. We know that there are many benefits to both employers and employers and to the economy as a whole in at least a partial return to the office at this stage. Indeed, many businesses successfully implemented hybrid working last autumn and so as part of a phased return to the office, we will again encourage employers to consider hybrid working and look to them to determine how best to manage this transition in consultation with workers and trade unions. I can confirm to further changes. In December, in response to Omicron, a requirement for 2m physical distancing was introduced for indoor settings where people have a specific exemption from the need to wear a face covering. Such exemptions apply, for example, to people who are leading religious services or carrying out some receptionist duties. From Friday, in light of the improving situation, that requirement will revert again to 1m. Second, there will be a change to the guidance on organised activities for children. That currently states that adults attending such activities should wear face coverings when indoors unless they are leading the activity. However, from Friday, face coverings will no longer be required for any adult taking part in organised activities when they are directly interacting with children under the age of five. That change will bring the guidance for indoor activities into line with that for early learning and childcare settings, and it will be of benefit to younger children and to those working with them. We are not at this stage recommending any immediate change to the reducing risks in schools guidance. However, that is being kept under close and regular review for schools and for the early learning and childcare sector. The advisory subgroup on education and children's issues is meeting again today. We will consider carefully any recommendations it makes and we will continue to seek its advice on issues such as groupings within schools and the requirement for secondary school pupils to wear face coverings. On the issue of face coverings, I know that young people, like many adults, want to see the back of them as soon as possible, but I also know that many young people understand and agree, especially when cases in the younger age group are rising, that face coverings provide important protection. That is a matter that requires and will receive very careful, on-going consideration. Finally, further changes to international travel requirements were agreed yesterday by all four UK Governments. As a result from Friday 11 February, fully vaccinated travellers will no longer need to take a test after they arrive in Scotland, though they will still be required to complete a passenger locator form. Travellers to Scotland who are not fully vaccinated will still be required to take a pre-departure test no more than two days before they board their plane and also take a PCR test on or before day two of their arrival here. For international travel purposes, people are deemed to be fully vaccinated if they have completed at least a primary course of vaccination. For most people, that means at least two doses. That international definition, which does not currently require boosters or third vaccines, will be kept under review. The four UK Governments also agreed to work on a new surveillance system to identify any future variants of concern. The Scottish Government would have preferred the system to be in place before removing the need for vaccinated people to take tests. However, as we have done in the past, we do recognise the wider benefits of adopting a common approach where that is possible. Although those changes will be very welcome to travellers and, of course, to the travel industry, it is important and, I think, responsible to point out that no Government can completely rule out having to tighten travel requirements again if certain circumstances, most obviously, another new variant were to arise. However, for now and hopefully for the long term, it is really positive that these measures can be lifted. It opens away for family reunions, the prospect again of holidays overseas and, of course, much needed support for the travel sector. I am hugely grateful to everyone who has complied with the tighter protective measures that have been enforced over the past month or so. Our collective efforts have made a huge difference. I know that many people now, and rightly so, will be looking forward to getting back to concerts, shows, sporting occasions and other events. Many others will be looking forward to meeting up with larger groups of friends or having a pint at a bar without the need for table service. Whatever it is that you are looking forward to doing again, do enjoy it and also know that, in the process of enjoying it, you will be supporting businesses and organisations that have been through the mill. However, to make sure that we sustain our progress, please continue to exercise appropriate care and caution. The level of infection, though declining overall, is still high, with around 7,000 cases a day being confirmed just now. Indeed, the decline may be starting to plateau, and, as I reported earlier, cases in the under-15s are actually rising. Also, hundreds of people with Covid are still being admitted to hospital each week, which means that NHS is still under immense pressure. Without fear of contradiction, I think that this is the toughest winter that the NHS has ever faced. We know that, however, welcome any lifting of protective measures that have helped stem transmission can lead to an uptick in cases in the weeks that follow. All of that demands a degree of continued caution, even as we enjoy a return to pre-Omicron normality. For the rest of the month, at least even though there are no longer any recommended upper limits, do try to keep indoor social gatherings as small as circumstances allow and please continue to comply with all of the baseline protective measures that remain in force. Continuing, for example, to wear face coverings indoors and on public transport can help all of us to stay safe while we travel and meet up more, so will taking lateral flow tests before meeting up with others please continue to do this. All of these basic measures help us to protect each other while getting on with daily life. Of course, they are especially important for the protection of those at highest clinical risk from Covid. Indeed, this week marks the introduction of a further initiative designed to help people who need extra support to get out and about with more confidence. The distance-aware scheme is intended to help people who might be worried about going out, badges and lanyards with the distance-aware logo will be available to anyone who wants one and will indicate to other people that the person wearing the logo would like a bit of extra space and a bit more care taken around them. The badges and lanyards are available free at mobile and community libraries across the country this week, and badges are also available in most Asda supermarkets. They are also available online from some participating charities. If you or anyone you know is nervous or worried about being out and about again and if you would feel safer with a bit more space around you, please do get a distance-aware badge or lanyard. For everyone else, if you see someone wearing this badge or lanyard, give them the space and consideration that they are asking for. That is, I think, another small but really important way of helping each other through this situation that does remain difficult, challenging and stressful for many. Finally, let me stress again that vaccination continues to be the cornerstone of our battle against Covid. The very high vaccination rates achieved so far have helped us considerably on our path back to normality. From this week, 5 to 11-year-olds with specific medical conditions are being invited for vaccine appointments. Parents and carers will either receive a letter inviting them to call the national phone line or a letter direct from their local health board. The types of medical conditions that make children eligible for the vaccine are set out at NHS Inform and a leaflet will be made available in advance of appointments with answers to questions that parents and carers might have. There is also, as I indicated last week, a self-help guide on the NHS Inform website, which young people, parents and carers can use to check eligibility for the vaccine. In addition, reminder letters have been sent to 12 to 17-year-olds who are yet to complete their primary course of two-doses. We are preparing to send scheduled appointments for February to any remaining 18 to 59-year-olds who are yet to be boosted. 16 to 17-year-olds can also book boosters as soon as they approach 12 weeks from their second dose. I would take this opportunity again to urge anyone who is eligible for a primary dose or a booster who has not yet had it to please get it as soon as possible. Hospital data continues to show even when it is adjusted for age that someone not fully vaccinated is considerably more likely to require hospital treatment than someone who has had a booster or third dose. Being fully vaccinated is the single most important thing any of us can do to protect ourselves, to protect others and, of course, to protect the national health service. We are also, as I set out last week, continuing to consider the adaptations that might be necessary in future to help us manage the virus more sustainably and less restrictively. We will consult on and publish the updated strategic framework in the coming weeks. In doing so, we will take careful account of the developing international evidence as well as the data here. I was struck by remarks made by the head of the World Health Organization yesterday. He said that, and I quote, learning to live with Covid cannot mean that we give this virus a free ride. He also warned, and again I am quoting, that globally the conditions are ideal for more variants to emerge. It is clear therefore that we must continue to learn from experience and we must be prepared to adapt to a range of different circumstances. On that point, I want to address directly a claim made in recent weeks by some opposition members to the effect that the protective measures here introduced in response to Omicron were unnecessary and that data shows that Scotland's more cautious approach achieved no more than England's less protective approach. In response, I told Parliament last week that, and again I quote, the ons figures this week show that infection levels in England are over 20 per cent higher than those in Scotland. Willie Rennie issued a furious press release on the back of that saying that I had twisted the data. He also reported me to the impartial chair of the UK Statistics Authority. I am pleased to say that he has now written back to Mr Rennie, oddly, as far as I am aware, Mr Rennie has not press released the reply. David Norgrove, the chair of the UK Statistics Authority, says in his reply that I, again quoting, correctly stated that the figure for England was more than 20 per cent higher than the figure for Scotland. However, he goes further than that, while acknowledging that there are other equally accurate ways to cite the statistics, he concludes as follows. The data does suggest that the rate of infection is lower in Scotland than in England. To me, what matters is that Scotland is doing better now than we were doing before Christmas and better now than we might have been doing had we not taken action to stem transmission. That is what is important. How we are faring relative to England or anywhere else is not, in my view, the key comparison. Given that others have sought to draw that comparison inaccurately in an attempt to undermine confidence in the Scottish Government's decisions, I hope that all members will now accept the conclusion of the chair of the UK Statistics Authority that the data that I cited was indeed accurate. Members, at this stage, as protective measures ease and we head into spring, there are very good grounds to be optimistic that we are again on the cusp of a calmer phase of the pandemic. We can all help ensure that the waters remain calm by taking the sensible steps that we know help stem transmission. First, please do get fully vaccinated as soon as you can. Second, continue to take care when socialising. We are no longer suggesting a limit for the number of households who meet indoors, but for the rest of this month try to limit, as far as you can, the size of indoor gatherings that you do have. Please take a lateral flow test before you go every time. Finally, please take the other precautions that we know make a difference. Keep windows open when meeting indoors. Continue to work from home from now, but talk to your employer about a return to hybrid working from the start of next month, wear a face covering on public transport, in shops and when moving about in hospitality, and please follow all advice on hygiene. Those measures are making a difference, so please do stick with them to protect yourself, to protect others and to protect the national health service. The First Minister will now take questions on the issues raised in her statement. I intend to allow around 40 minutes for questions, after which we will move on to the next item of business. I would be grateful if members who wish to ask a question were to press their request-to-speak buttons now or enter our in-the-chat function, and I call Douglas Ross. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer, and I apologise for missing the very beginning of the statement today. The latest data on Covid is very positive. Going forward, it is vital that we trust people across Scotland to judge what is best for them and their families. The First Minister's statement says that, from the end of January, guidance on working from home will still advise against a wholesale return to the office. While some people will still want to work from home, why does the First Minister not leave that decision up to employers and workers themselves? What does she think that this means for the businesses who rely on workers being back in the office and back in our communities, our city centres and our town centres? Those businesses also have another issue to deal with, caused solely by the SNP Government. Six weeks on from the announcement of more Covid funds, and weeks after restrictions were introduced that have now been removed, businesses are still waiting. A document that I have seen from SNP-run Murray Council says this about the Government's record, and it is a quote. Throughout the pandemic, there has been a considerable gap between announcements and providing details, guidance and grant offer letters to local authorities. Yesterday, businesses told the First Minister directly, stop ramping up plans to split up our country and fully focus on Scotland's economic recovery. Isn't it about time that the First Minister listened and got on with delivering for Scotland instead of dividing Scotland? When will those businesses who are crying out for support get the cash that they need? Finally, to write this pandemic, there has been agreement that children's education must come first. Right now, adults can sit in workplaces and pubs without face masks, but pupils in the classroom are still required to wear them. The First Minister isn't even following public health advice on this. University of Edinburgh expert Christine Tate Burkhard said this week, and I quote, I would expect for schools that removal of face masks to be relatively soon, as in early to mid February. The national clinical director Jason Leitch said this week, I think that the day is coming when masks in schools will be removed. What are you waiting for? Why has the Government not set a date for the removal of face masks in our classrooms? The latest data is very encouraging, but I think that anybody with a modicum of common sense looking at that data would also say that it calls for continued good sense and caution. Is that approach, that balanced approach that has brought us to where we are today in a much stronger position and able to look forward with much more optimism? I know from long experience in politics that opinion polls are not everything, but they do sometimes give us a useful insight into the state of public opinion, and a poll just at the end of last week showed that two thirds of people in Scotland or thereabouts support the proportionate balanced approach that the Scottish Government took before Christmas in response to Omicron. I would suggest that Douglas Ross is out of touch with public opinion here, rather than the Scottish Government. Let me take the points in turn on working from home and why we do not just leave it to the good sense of employers and workers. I know that Douglas Ross, through no fault of his, we started a bit early and was late, but I think that he was in the chamber before I got to this point in my statement. Just in case he was not, let me read it again or in case he was not listening. As part of a phase return to the office, we will again encourage employers to consider hybrid working and look to them to determine how best to manage this transition in consultation with workers and trade unions. Anybody looking at the data right now would say that a mass return to the office from next week, with all that goes with that, in terms of travel to work, people coming together would risk setting back that progress. It would not be responsible, and that is why the Scottish Government is not going to encourage it. In terms of financial support, payments have already been made to affected businesses in every council area. All 32 local authorities are making payments to eligible hospitality and leisure businesses, and payments are also being made by Creative Scotland, by Visit Scotland. Let me remind Douglas Ross again that this is funding available in Scotland that has not been available in the rest of the UK. Something that was criticised by the Night Time Industries Association in England and indeed others in England. Finally, on the issue of face coverings in schools, possibly one of the issues where we need to take greatest care. Nobody wants young people or anybody to wear face coverings for as long as possible. I hope that the time is coming where that will not be necessary, but anyone with a degree of responsibility who, in face of what I have reported today, a 41 per cent increase in cases in the under-15 age group, who says that this is the moment to say that young people no longer need to wear face coverings, frankly, is not showing responsibility. Douglas Ross says that when shouting from a sedentary position almost in a childlike fashion, he forgets that we are in the face of an unpredictable virus, and it is important to take those decisions, not pluck dates out of mid-air, but to take those decisions responsibly. That is why the approach of this Government has such overwhelming support from the Scottish people. I will start by sending my condolences to all those who have lost a loved one. This update confirms what we have been hoping that the picture is improving. Covid has changed our society and our world. People have accepted unprecedented restrictions and made extraordinary sacrifices. When the pandemic first hit, Governments were given the emergency powers needed to deliver a swift response to the crisis, but things have moved on since then. Two years on, it is clear that Covid is not going away, but there is hope. Research and innovation has given us tools such as testing to identify and help contain outbreaks, vaccines have helped to reduce the severity of infections and we have new treatments and antivirals for those who become ill. People and businesses cannot be expected to live their lives subject to ad hoc and last minute decision making from Government. Going forward, we need a new approach. Yesterday, Scottish Labour set out a strategy for living well with Covid. It seeks to learn the lessons of the last two years and looks at how we build resilience into public services, protect the most vulnerable and provide as much certainty as possible. In this new phase, any new decisions must be proportionate and clearly communicated. Will the First Minister commit to engaging seriously with those proposals? That means clear triggers, what restrictions would follow and a framework of the financial support businesses and workers would expect. It also means rolling capacity for vaccines, testing and tracing, pandemic-proofing our schools and crucially proper data sharing in parliamentary scrutiny. Finally, does the First Minister accept that the situation that we now face is very different to that of March 2020 and therefore we cannot expect people to live their lives in perpetual crisis? The situation is very different to March 2020, and people are not living their lives as they were asked to do in March 2020. Anybody who suggests that we have not changed our response and adapted to change in circumstances is not paying attention or wanting to recognise those changes. We will look seriously at the proposals, and as Sarah and I put forward, as we will look seriously at the proposals that anyone put forward, I have said before, that we will consult widely as we develop the updated strategic framework over the coming weeks. It is important that we get that right. It is important that we go beyond sound bites and pandemic-proofing schools. Yes, we all want to do that, but that comes down to serious investments such as the investments that we are making in better ventilation and in other mitigation measures. I think that we have to take care about having a rigidity of approach around triggers, because what we have learned over particularly the past few months is that different variants do not behave in the same way as previous variants. If you have too rigid an approach, then you do not adapt properly to the reality of the situation that you are facing. That is why there continues to be a need for judgment and good sense in how we try to balance things. We will consider any proposals that are put forward. It is not the case that responses are at hawk. Last minute, we responded to changing circumstances. We would be failing in our obligation if we did not do that. I believe that the action that we took before Christmas has been shown to have been worthwhile because of the much better position that we are in now. We need to have as great as possible a clarity in our future approach, but we would be acting at our peril if we did not retain the ability to be flexible. I go back to the comments from the head of the WHO. Living with this does not simply mean giving the virus a free ride. We have to be smart in how we deal with it, and that is what we will continue to seek to do. We will consult as we do so. In November, John Swinney told me in the chamber that anybody who comes to Parliament and seeks to diminish Covid's enormous impact on our national health service is not recognising the reality of the situation that we face. In December, we learned about the worst poverty-related attainment gap on record. The education secretary told the chamber that we are in a global pandemic, and that context is exceptionally important. Finally, earlier this month, I warned about children waiting years for mental health treatment, and the minister said that we are in the midst of a pandemic at the most precarious time. There are a litany of social problems that this country faces that are ministers of sort to excuse and defer with reference to the pandemic, yet miraculously we are told this weekend that by the threat of the virus has abated such that in 2023 we can hold another referendum on independence. Those problems and those people have not gone away. Those patients waiting in pain for operations, children who have missed out on life qualifying education, front-line staff on their knees in want of a break. Does she understand the anger and frustration at her Government as it turns its eyes away from them and back to the tired old divisions of the past? Alex Cole-Hamilton is the only one in the chamber today that is turning his eyes away from those issues. We focus on those issues each and every single day, and that will continue as we come out of this pandemic and hopefully into the recovery phase. However, we will also, in the interests of democracy, seek to take forward the mandate that we won less than a year ago at the Scottish Parliament election to allow people in Scotland to choose whether to complete the powers of this Parliament to better equip us to deal with the issues that Alex Cole-Hamilton has set out, because those things are, of course, very closely related. Let me just pick up on two examples, child poverty. We are making great strides and great efforts chiefly through the Scottish child payment to tackle child poverty in Scotland, but as we do that, the powers that are still held at Westminster are being used to pull in the other direction. Completing the powers of this Parliament would significantly help in that task. Secondly, in relation to staff in the front line of our national health service, exhausted because of Covid and the other pressures on our national health service, but one of the exacerbating factors are staffing shortages and recruitment issues exacerbated by Brexit, imposed upon Scotland against our will. Again, completing the powers of this Parliament through independence would ensure that we were in charge of our own destiny. Making sure that Scotland addresses those issues and that Scotland fulfills its potential will be enhanced by Scotland becoming independent. Everybody, including Alex Cole-Hamilton, should perhaps lift their eyes and their ambition. Women's health and wellbeing has to be an absolute priority during pregnancy, and I was pleased that pregnant women were last month added to the JCVI's priority list for the vaccine and the booster. Will the First Minister be able to confirm if the rate of vaccine uptake among pregnant women has increased since being added as a priority group, and would she join me in encouraging pregnant women to come forward for their first, second or booster to provide them and their babies with the strongest level of protection from the virus as possible? Yes, I would strongly echo Natalie Dawn's call to pregnant women to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Public Health Scotland will publish their next analysis of vaccinations in pregnancy on 2 February. Previously, published data showed that, from the start of the vaccination programme until August last year, uptake of the vaccine among pregnant women was lower than for non-pregnant women, but it was increasing, and according to the most recent data published by Public Health Scotland in September and October, uptake has been more similar in pregnant women compared with the general female population. The increasing uptake is encouraging. Vaccination is the best way to protect against known risks of Covid in pregnancy for both women and for babies, including admission of women to intensive care and premature birth. I urge all those who are pregnant who have not already done so to book their vaccination as soon as possible and thank Natalie Dawn for raising such an important issue. Figures released this morning show that 47 per cent of registered patients have not seen an NHS dentist within the last two years, while oral health inequalities among children have widened to the worst level on record. As dentistry recovers from the pandemic, patients across the country are facing long waits for routine treatment. What steps is the First Minister's Government taking to help to restore such NHS dental treatments across Scotland, especially now, given the withdrawal of emergency funding from 1 April? Throughout the pandemic, there were a range of emergency provisions put in place, including for people who required dental care and treatment. We have recently supported dentists to recover to get back to normal to ensure that they can do the range of procedures that they would do ordinarily before the pandemic, and that will continue, including with appropriate investment. The point about emergency funding is that we make more widely. We are not completely out of the pandemic yet, but much of the consequential funding for Covid and for Covid recovery is not continuing. That has knock-on impacts on our budget, but we continue to support dentists and others in the national health service to the very best of our ability. City centres, such as Glasgow, have been hit harder economically than most UK cities, in particular retail and hospitality. Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeensys airports have lost four and a half thousand jobs between them as a result of the pandemic. In Glasgow, the reports of passenger numbers are equivalent to what they were in 1973. Does the First Minister agree that connectivity is vital for our economy? I wonder if she can tell me when she plans to engage with our airport industry to ensure that Scotland is not at a competitive disadvantage and we can start to see connectivity help to recover our city economies? Yes, I agree that connectivity is vital for the prospects of our economy. It is also important for many other reasons, for family and personal reasons, but we also have to recognise, and I am sure that Pauline McNeill does recognise, that international travel, particularly in the face of new variants of the virus, still poses one of the biggest risks in terms of transmission. That is always going to be a difficult issue. We are in a much better place now. It has been incredibly difficult for Scotland's airports, aviation sector, travel industry, more widely. We continued with rates relief for the aviation sector, I think, longer than other parts of the UK, but Scotland is not unique in that. There are many, many countries across the world who are still managing travel restrictions as part of managing this virus. We are in a better place now. The changes to requirements that I have outlined today that come into force shortly will significantly help international travel return to a degree of normality. I think that we can look forward at this stage to greater normality around international travel for family connections, for business, for holidays, and that will help the airport sector with that process of recovery, but we will continue to engage with them about how we can support the wider sector to recover as quickly as possible from what I absolutely accept has been a torrid time for them. Ruth Maguire, to be followed by Gillian Mackay. As restrictions and protections are eased and we begin to adapt to living with Covid-19, for some of my constituents, especially those in higher-risk groups, this will be an anxious time. In the First Minister's outline, how the distance-aware scheme might help to provide confidence and support to people who are worried about mixing with others. I think that this is a really important point that it is vital not to just pass over. The majority of us are really keen to get back to as much normality as we can as quickly as possible. We are desperate to do all the things that we enjoy doing before Covid, but there are some people within our society, particularly those at high-risk clinical risk, but many older people feel very nervous about getting back to normal and still worry about the risk that Covid presents. We have to try to, in that spirit of solidarity that has served us well, strike the right balance so that everybody can feel confident about the path that lies ahead. The distance-aware scheme is a really important initiative in that context. It is voluntary, but it allows to support anyone who might be a bit more worried about mixing with others or who perhaps just wants a bit more time to adjust to the transition. Those badges and lanyards can be acquired and they will help people in that circumstance if all of us respect the wishes of those wearing them. I think that this is one way of helping ensure that we make that transition back to normality in a way that is as inclusive as possible and recognises the impact on mental health, wellbeing and on the anxiety levels of many people who are very and particularly vulnerable to the virus. I have previously expressed concern in this chamber about the removal of PCR testing for vaccinated people travelling into Scotland. I note the First Minister's warning that no Government can rule out having to once again tighten restrictions if a new variant were to arise. However, does she recognise that the removal of PCR testing could undermine our ability to detect and therefore prevent the spread of new variants? Can the First Minister provide any detail on the new surveillance system that is to be introduced? Yes, I recognise that concern. I to some extent share that concern. Our preference, as I said earlier on, would have been not to remove the testing requirement until we had a new surveillance system in place, but on the other hand we recognise both the benefits and, to some extent, the practical necessity of having common travel requirements in place in all four nations of the UK. Those are difficult balances that we try to strike as well as we can. PCR tests are important because of the way in which they enable genomic sequencing. Genomic sequencing is very important in terms of the detection of new variants. Work will be taken forward, I hope, as quickly as possible to get a proportionate and targeted new surveillance system in place. As that work proceeds, we will keep Parliament up-to-date. Does she agree that the huge financial impact on the NHS is yet another reason why people not yet fully vaccinated and therefore more vulnerable should be vaccinated and boosted? I am not able today to put a precise figure on that, but we know that intensive care is the most resource-heavy form of NHS inpatient care. It is essential for the treatment of the sickest patients. It costs several thousand pounds per day because it uses more staff per patient than any other type of inpatient care. Of course, our intensive care teams are among the very best in the world. We do not make admission choices and should never make admission choices based on considerations of resource in that way. However, if there is something all of us can do in the face of this virus to minimise our chances of needing intensive care, then for all sorts of reasons we should do that. Right now, vaccination is one way that we know reduces our chances of getting seriously out if we get this virus. For that reason, as well as for the unnecessary risks that you are posing to yourself and others, if you are choosing not to be vaccinated right now without good reason, then you are being deeply irresponsible and I would urge you to change your mind and get vaccinated as soon as possible. Jamie Greene, to be followed by Fawn Brown. Yesterday, Dr Jane Morris, the vice-chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland, reminded us that, although Covid restrictions serve a physical health purpose, they also have a mental health consequence. Nearly 2,000 young people in Scotland have waited more than a year for an appointment with CAMHS. Those were shocking statistics long before Covid. Many young people are simply desperate and, for some, sadly, it's just too light. Will the First Minister commit to putting every ounce of Government focus and attention into supporting and rebuilding the nation's mental health off the back of Covid and back that up with a plan and all the resources that it both needs and deserves? Yes, we had a focus on this before the pandemic, particularly around child and adolescent mental health services. Redesigning the way that services were offered with much more focus on community services and preventative early intervention services, counsellors and schools, for example, and that work will continue. The member is right to say that it is even more important now than it was before the pandemic struck. I do recognise that physical restrictions have a mental health impact. Everything that we have had to do in response to the pandemic to stem transmission of a virus has had impacts in other ways. I am not suggesting that the fallacy is what Jamie Greene is putting forward here, but the fallacy that we all often hear is that, if we had not introduced those restrictions, then somehow there would have been no impact. Without restrictions, transmission would have got more out of hand and the mental health and wellbeing impact of that would have been considerable, too. That has always been a very difficult balance to strike for Governments everywhere. We continue to do it as well as we can, but we absolutely recognise the work that needs to be done to recover the impacts that our response to the pandemic has had. Mental health is definitely one area where that is particularly important. The chair of the UK statistics authority has confirmed that the First Minister accurately described Covid infections and that the figure for England was more than 20% higher than the figure for Scotland. That success was achieved because the people across Scotland stuck with the necessary restrictions put in place to protect lives and the NHS. Does the First Minister agree with me that Willie Rennie should now apologise to the chamber for his ham-fisted bid to twist data to the people of Scotland for failing to acknowledge the sacrifices that they have made? Lastly, but not leastly, to Sir David Norgrove, the head of the UK statistics authority for wasting his time? That is important. It is vital that people like me show integrity and accuracy when we cite statistics. Sometimes we get it wrong and make mistakes and it is important that we recognise that. However, for somebody to accuse me when a cursory glance at what I was citing last week would have shown that it was accurate, to accuse me of twisting data and reporting to the chief statistician, I think, was uncalled for. There is a more substantive point here. I do not believe that the comparison between Scotland and England is the one that we should be focusing on. The comparison that we should be focusing on is the one between how Scotland is doing now, compared with how we were doing at the start of the Omicron wave and how we might have been doing now had we not taken the sensible proportionate steps. Opposition members, for reasons that I really cannot fathom, because I do not really understand the politics of this other than pure political opportunism, have tried to suggest somehow and to say that the data suggests that the restrictions in Scotland made no difference. I think that it is good now that we have that confirmation that the data that I cited in response to those claims last week was accurate, that the actions that the Government has taken, more importantly the action that the public has taken, has got Scotland into a much stronger position than we would otherwise have been. If we can all just put party politics aside for a moment in the midst of a global pandemic, we might all actually find that that is something to warmly welcome. Pam Duncan-Glancy, to be followed by Fiona Hyslop. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I understand the need to balance lifting restrictions with the need to protect people most at risk from the virus, and I share the First Minister's appeal for people to show solidarity with people who are most at risk, but I cannot help but feel a bit uncomfortable with the distance-aware badges. Those appear to shift the burden of protection on to the people most at risk. I ask the Government what engagement it has had with the people who are most at risk of this, including the people who were shielding. We engage with different groups all the time. I will come back to the member and ask the minister to come back to the member on the detail of consultation. I recognise and accept that observation. I would stress again that the distance-aware scheme is voluntary. We are not asking anybody or expecting anybody to comply with it, but I know that many people—I have had representations from people saying that something like that would be helpful. If there is a better way of doing this, I am open to considering that. I am not suggesting that we have come up with the best possible way that we could ever—what we are trying to do here is strike a balance between the majority who want to get back to normal, to go to pubs and concerts and just act as normal, and the group in our society—or groups, because it is not a homogenous group that feels nervous about that. I have people in my own family who express that nervousness. People with particular health conditions will especially feel that, and it is just trying to strike a balance and find practical ways of doing that. It is done in really good faith, and for the best of reasons. However, if there are better ways of doing that, then genuinely I am happy to listen to them and to give them full consideration. Fiona Hyslop, Craig Hoy. Does the First Minister agree that, as part of the strategy for living with Covid here in Scotland, we will need to learn to adapt and respond to future variants that could emerge in other parts of the world? We will always be vulnerable to potentially sudden decisions that affect the economy and society unless and until there is an effective global strategy for global vaccination and what is the Scottish Government doing to encourage the UK to play its proper and full part in that drive? Fiona Hyslop is right to say that the possibility of future variants remains is the biggest risk that we face right now. As an aside, the UK health security agency confirmed just at the end of last week that it has designated a sub-lineage of Omicron as a variant under investigation. We think that there may be a small number of those cases here in Scotland, but we are monitoring that carefully. I say that simply to illustrate that wider point. The global nature of that is really important as well. None of us will be completely free of the pandemic until everyone is free, and that means that the importance of extending vaccination globally cannot be overstated. I, in December, wrote to the Prime Minister to urge the UK Government to end its opposition at the World Trade Organization and to join over 100 other countries that are now supportive of a temporary trade-related aspect of intellectual property rights waiver. It is important, and I repeat that call. For Scotland, although not part of the COVAX scheme, we have provided international development funding to support vaccine preparedness and delivery in our partner countries. We have a responsibility and we will exercise that responsibility, but we will also continue to call on other Governments to take responsible action to get vaccination right across the globe as quickly as possible. Speaking in Parliament on September 9, the Deputy First Minister said that we are saying that certification passports will be in place for a period up until the end of February 2022, but they would automatically expire at that moment. First Minister, is that still the case? If not, why not? In terms of the legislation that is in place, I am sure that the Deputy First Minister set out is the case in terms of the expiration. If we consider that there is a need to extend that, we will come to Parliament in the normal way and set that out. Nobody wants any of those measures to be in place for any longer than necessary, but we can safely say that it is because we have been prepared to take sensible proportionate steps because the public has responded so magnificently that we are managing again to send Covid into reverse. We need to continue to be responsible about that. If asking people to show Covid certificates keeps nightclubs open and allows sporting events to go ahead, that is a much more proportionate measure than restricting or closing those kinds of venues and events again. I come back to a point that I have made regularly. I think that the facts bear me out here. The Conservatives have literally opposed almost every sensible measure that we have taken in order to control this virus. To be honest, we would be in a much more difficult position if we had followed that advice. I think that the public support, the cautious proportionate approach that we are taking will take it for as long as necessary and we will lift measures as soon as possible to do so. We can ask the First Minister if she will say something more about hybrid working opportunities as we slowly recover from the pandemic. Some of the surprising gains that we experienced was in the deployment of digital technology to enable hybrid working and home working to happen and to help people to achieve a better work-life balance. Does the Government support that continuing? How can we guard against dropping back to the old norm of everyone piling on to our motorways and into their offices five days a week to get to and to carry out their work? In terms of hybrid working, a lot of businesses implemented a hybrid approach quite successfully in the autumn last year before we had to pull back again and tighten the guidance on home working in response to Omicron. We are asking businesses to consider going back to that again to talk to workers trade unions about how they can best do that in their own circumstances. In summary, it means people being in the office sometime, working from home at other times, a mix of staff perhaps being office based and home based. Government can and shouldn't seek to mandate what that looks like in every working environment but it is important that we are moving from a very heavy work from home whenever possible advice to something that is much more about enabling a phased return to the office. Willie Coffey is right to say that I know that many businesses already are doing this and are taking the unfortunate and unwelcome experience of the pandemic in the past two years to think afresh about the best configuration for their workforces in the future. There will be many people who are sick of working from home and want to get back to the office. Many businesses will want that. It has knock-on benefits for people in the office in city centre economies, for example, but there are also many people who think that it is more productive to work from home. It improves their work-life balance and, of course, it has environmental benefits. Getting that balance right in the months and years to come again will not be easy, but it is an opportunity to rethink things and not simply go back to the status quo as it was before the pandemic. There are big challenges here, but I suspect big opportunities for our economy and our society, too. First Minister, on 23 December, there has been a moratorium on fertility treatment for women who are unvaccinated. That has cross-party support, but could the First Minister explain to my constituents why that moratorium is required and when will it be reviewed again? I think that I set out the Government's position on this at quite some length last week when I made this statement and I would refer members and anybody interested to that answer. In short, and it goes back to the question that I was asked earlier on about vaccination of pregnant women, we know the risks for pregnant women. Both to a woman and to an unborn baby are significantly increased if there is no vaccination and the pregnant woman gets Covid. The judgment was made that there should be a pause on fertility treatment for those unvaccinated. I set out last week that people should discuss with their clinical advisers the situation. We keep that under careful review. I absolutely and fully understand the stress and anxiety that any couple will go through as they seek fertility treatment. It is important that we enable and facilitate that as much as possible, but we also have to understand the wider risks that exist around Covid, particularly for those without vaccination. Karen Adam, to be followed by Paul O'Kane. Presiding Officer, many people are planning ahead and organising their summer holiday, which may include travelling abroad. What advice can the First Minister give to those people in light of Covid? As I said in my statement, we have agreed with the other UK nations to relax international travel requirements from 11 February. That means fully vaccinated travellers will no longer need to take a test on arrival here. I think that that will benefit Scottish residents wanting to travel abroad, whether that is to visit loved ones they have not seen in some time or indeed to have a summer holiday that they have not had the opportunity to do for a couple of years. I do think that it is possible for people to look forward to this summer with much more confidence about booking summer holidays. We are still in a global pandemic, and the situation in other countries is changeable, just as the situation here is still prone to change. I think that people have to recognise that, when they book a holiday, the rules might say one thing, but in the country that they are travelling to, for example, by the time it comes to go, the rules may be different. It is common sense to bear that in mind, but I do think that there is much more optimism about the prospect for summer holiday travel this year than there has been in the past two years. I am sure that many people will be looking forward to getting overseas and possibly even getting some sun. Yesterday, I was contacted by a constituent who had cancer surgery cancelled with only a few days notice, as there were no bebs in recovery or in any other ward for cancer procedures at our local hospital. Last year, the target for 95 per cent of urgent referrals with the suspicion of cancer to start treatment within 62 days was missed again. My constituent's family are calling out for additional capacity to treat cancer patients. Will the First Minister listen to their anxious pleas and the pleas of so many and take action on waiting lists and delayed discharge, which was too high pre-pandemic and introduce a robust recovery plan for cancer services? Cancer is a core part of the NHS recovery plan. Cancer treatment and cancer surgery will be cancelled only as an absolute last resort. Cancer has remained a priority right throughout the pandemic and we are very focused on getting those cancer services or patients for whom cancer services have been disrupted back to normal as quickly as possible. We are taking action to improve early diagnosis, taking action to improve cancer services. The 62 out of 10 are seen within the 62, which is a whole journey, waiting time. The 31-day target, of course, is met, but on the 62, we are working, of course, to improve that and to meet that. The core to this, though, of course, is to keep Covid cases on the downward trend, because that then reduces the Covid pressure on hospitals, whether that is in general hospital wards or waiting times for surgery or recovery. If we get the Covid cases continuing to come down and that pressure on hospitals continuing to come down, then the need to cancel other operations diminishes as well. That is why the efforts to get Covid under control are so important to that overall wider recovery for the national health service. Christine Grahame, to be called by Jackson Carlaw. First Minister, NHS borders as elsewhere has substantial staff absences directly due to Covid, so it is asked the public to ease pressure on accident emergency, not to attend unless absolutely necessary, for example, with severe breathing difficulties or severe bleeding. Does she therefore agree with NHS borders on this and that the public should access expert advice if it is appropriate from alternatives such as community pharmacies, opticians and so on? We want people to get care when they need it from the NHS, from the most appropriate part of the NHS. That was true before Covid and it will be true after Covid. Obviously, there are particular reasons why we want that to be the case during Covid. A&E is there for people who need A&E treatment, but there are many other parts of the NHS. NHS 24, primary care, community pharmacies that are better placed to give people treatment. I would encourage people to access the part of the NHS that is most appropriate for their needs. Staffing pressures are acute on the NHS just now partly because of Covid. We are starting to see Covid-related absences stabilise and hopefully reduce now and hopefully that will continue, which will ease a lot of the pressure. However, as we come out of Covid, part of the recovery focus will be on ensuring that we encourage people to give people the support and information that allows them to know which part of the NHS is most appropriate for their particular needs. It is not in the interests of any patients to end up being treated in a part of the NHS when they would get better and more responsive care somewhere else. I listened with care to the First Minister's announcement of her return to hybrid working from 31 January. I wonder if she could advise those who assist the corporate body who have to consider those decisions, whether the regulations underpinning that will permit a return to one metre social distancing here in the chamber, in our parliamentary constituency offices and more widely across the parliamentary campus in order to facilitate that. We will provide advice and guidance to the corporate body as we will do to businesses more generally. Cabinet, of course, discussed this morning the wider position, but also what that means for the civil service and that there will be a return to hybrid working within the civil service from next week as well. I hope that the underpinning legislative arrangements and the changes that we are making, although it is not for me to decide, will allow the Parliament, if not to get back to complete normality, but to get back to a greater degree of normality in its operations from the start of next week or whenever the corporate body deems that as appropriate. Paul MacLennan, to be followed by Brian Whittle. To ask the First Minister what are the medium and long-term strategic aims and objectives for the take-off vaccines for those still to have their first, second or booster jags. The key message is that it is never too late to get this vaccination. You will be able to access vaccines if you have not had your first, second, third or booster dose well into the future. We are the most vaccinated part of the UK in all of these doses, but there are still too many people in Scotland who are eligible who have not had vaccinations. So the message is please come forward for vaccination. The facilities are there, the capacity is there, the vaccinators are there. I set out in my statement some of the steps we are taking, for example, to send scheduled appointments to those in the 18 to 59-year-old age group who have not had boosters yet. So we will not give up on trying to get vaccination to every last person in Scotland if it is at all possible. Brian Whittle to be followed by Stephen Kerr Thank you, Presiding Officer. I listened with care, First Minister, to your answer to Paul Cain's question, but on top of the operations that have been cancelled, tragically, diagnosis of early stage cancer in Scotland has fallen to the lowest levels in a decade. Can I ask the First Minister when and how the Scottish Government will increase the number of diagnoses of breast, colorectal and lung cancer in the first stages of the illness, especially given the fact that they were filling to meet those targets before the pandemic? I think that I have been asked this question rightly so, because it is important that the last two weeks at First Minister's question is perhaps at least on one of those occasions, I think, by Brian Whittle. I set out the different steps that we are taking to ensure the earliest possible diagnosis of the most common cancers, but also extending that to symptoms of cancer that perhaps are not as common as the ones that we often think of. In summary, continued investment in the detect cancer early programme, continued work to ensure that those referred on the urgent suspicion of cancer referral pathway are seen as quickly as possible within the 31 and 62 day targets, and also the new early diagnostic centres that we are establishing, which is about making sure that there is a rapid route to diagnosis for those with less common symptoms of cancer that would not normally be picked up on that urgent suspicion referral pathway. There is a range of things that we are doing to make sure that as many people as possible are diagnosed as early as possible. That is critical in terms of the outcomes with cancer patients. Of course, it is not the only factor, making sure that there is rapid access to the best quality treatment, and most appropriate treatment is important. All aspects of the cancer journey are under focus in terms of making sure that we make the progress that Brian Whittle rightly says is vital. Last week, Margaret Wilson, the chairwoman of the National Parent Forum of Scotland, told the Education, Children and Young People Committee that children are under stricter mitigations than any other member of society. On face coverings in classrooms, she said, we do not support the continued use of face masks. We have asked for evidence on why they need to be used. Will the First Minister give a straight answer to Scotland's parents? What is the evidence for delaying the end of the requirement for children to wear face masks in classrooms? First, there is very strong published international evidence that one of the most effective non-pharmaceutical interventions that has been used throughout Covid has been face coverings in helping to reduce transmission. That is the first point. The second point about children and young people being under more restrictive measures in terms of face coverings—let's not forget that this is not a criticism of the JCVI but because of the phased nature of JCVI advice. Children are not as vaccinated as adults either, so there is a need to ensure that we are seeking to protect them in other ways. I respect the individual cited and quoted in the chamber today. I understand that people have strong views about face coverings, but many young people I speak to, even if I were to say today that they no longer need to wear face coverings, I know that many young people would continue to do it, because it makes them feel safer. That is about trying as hard as we can while we are still in a situation. I point the member back to one of the statistics that I cited in my statement today. In the past week, while cases in every other age group in our country have declined, cases in the under-15 age group have increased by 41 per cent. We need to continue to take sensible measures to help to protect children and young people, hopefully while we get vaccination rates higher there and able to vaccinate some younger children. The Tories have never supported, as far as I can recall, face coverings in schools. On that, as on so many other things, they are way out of touch with the majority opinion in Scotland.