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Nicola Sturgeon has said Scotland's falling Covid rates are "encouraging" but added ministers will "think carefully" about what to do next.

The Government in Edinburgh hopes to move the country down to Level 0 on 19 July but said a final decision won't be made until Tuesday 13 July.

At Level 0, people in Scotland no longer need to distance from family and friends in private homes and can meet socially in much larger groups. It also means places like cafes, all shops and all places of entertainment can fully open.

"Over the next few weeks," explained the First Minister, "as we complete the vaccination programme, it is really important that we don't let the virus outrun us."

The positivity rate in Scotland is down to 8% from 10% - that the number of tests that come back positive (10% would mean that 1 in 10 tests were positive). Meanwhile almost four million people have now received their first vaccine dose. Almost three million have had both jabs.

The First Minister was asked about the change in approach to the UK government's plans for England.

Most restrictions south of the border will be lifted on 19 July, but Nicola Sturgeon suggested changes will be more cautious in Scotland.

"While I totally understood the desire some have for us to follow suit [with England] in every single step, we have to think carefully about the steps we do take at this juncture," Ms. Sturgeon explained.

"My job is … to do what I think is most likely to keep the country as safe as possible as we get to the end of the vaccination programme."