First Minister: Schools to close by the end of the week due to coronavirus
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed that schools will almost certainly close on Friday, warning that she “cannot guarantee” they will reopen before the summer.
In a statement, Ms Sturgeon said it is "inevitable" that schools will shut and they will probably be shut by the end of this week.
Already a number of schools across the Highlands have closed due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
She said: "My view is that it is now inevitable that we will close schools and nurseries, and my planning assumption now is that schools will close to pupils at the end of this week.
"There are two key drivers of that view, the first is the science, our expert scientific advisors are examining new evidence as we speak and that is likely to tell us to close schools.
"Secondly, we have the reality on the ground, as people do the right thing and follow the advice to self-isolate or isolate as a household more and more schools are approaching a point where they have lost too many staff to continue as normal."
She also stated that £1.9 billion of support would be available in Scotland after the Chancellor’s announcement of a £350 billion package to support businesses across the country.
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