FIRST Minister Nicola Sturgeon will publish a Programme for Government this week focused on dealing with the economic, health, and social crisis caused by coronavirus (COVID-19).
Protecting public health will remain the priority, and the Scottish Government will also set out plans to help people, businesses and communities recover from the pandemic by creating new jobs, promoting lifelong health and wellbeing and tackling inequalities.
The Programme for Government, published on Tuesday, will take steps to ensure that in responding to the pandemic Scotland also delivers on its commitments to reach net-zero by 2045.
The First Minister said: “COVID-19 – the single greatest public health crisis of our lifetimes – has had a profound impact on our health, economy and society, indeed our whole way of life. These are not normal times, and this will not be a normal Programme for Government.
“Businesses and individuals have made extraordinary sacrifices to tackle this pandemic together. In every community in Scotland people have shown incredible resilience, compassion and skill to provide everything from the most advanced intensive care, to simple acts of kindness.
“That is why it’s so important for us to continue to keep the virus under control.
“At the same time we must also look to the future – to think about how we can help people, businesses and communities recover from this pandemic. We cannot, and should not, let this virus define our futures.”
