Of course, the Scottish Government has always placed the upholding of human rights at the heart of its approach. Since the start of the pandemic, our priority has been to save people’s lives, wherever they live.

A framework of legislation protects the rights of individuals receiving care, and throughout the pandemic we have worked closely with our colleagues in the national health service and local government, and with a variety of voluntary and independent sectors, to ensure that the needs and rights of residents in care homes are able to be met.

The Covid-19 framework for decision making and Scotland’s route map through and out of the crisis provide an indication of the order in which we will carefully and gradually seek to change those restrictions. The route map includes overarching commitments to human rights, equality and social justice and sets out ways in which those principles have been applied in the decision-making process.

All our decisions on the Covid-19 response have been guided by the scientific advice that was available at the time. We continue to tailor our response as more is learned. I will also continue to work with all our stakeholders, through our older people’s strategic action forum, to ensure that their lived experience informs our decision making in future.