Coronavirus: Outdoor sports to resume in Scotland, confirms Nicola Sturgeon

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed that some sporting activities can resume in Scotland as part of a relaxation of the coronavirus rules.

As of Friday, outdoor activities such as golf, bowls, tennis and fishing can restart but with participants keeping a two-metre distance from others at all times and following strict hygiene practices.

The development was immediately welcomed by Scottish Golf, who issued a statement which said: "We know that this confirmation will be well received by all of our members and will have a positive impact on the physical and mental health of golfers across Scotland in the days and weeks ahead.

"We hope everyone enjoys returning to the fairways and would encourage all golfers to familiarise themselves with the current guidance to ensure we can all return to playing the game safely."

The First Minister said she would confirm some "careful but cautious" changes to the lockdown protocol.

Nicola Sturgeon thanked the Scottish public, saying the fact the changes could be made were down to compliance with lockdown measures.

Ms Sturgeon said that a downward trend was "sustained and unmistakable".

The transmission rate, known as the R number, remains between 0.7 and 1, although the First Minister said she could not be clear how low.

Ms Sturgeon said there were 19,000 infectious cases of the virus as of last week.