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Coronavirus

Scotland edges closer towards 'total elimination' of coronavirus

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says Scotland is "not far away" from eliminating coronavirus, according to a report, but urges people to keep taking precautions.

By James Rogers Fox News
Published | Updated
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Scotland is edging closer to eliminating the coronavirus, according to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

Speaking during a briefing on Friday, Sturgeon said that Scotland is “not far away” from eliminating the novel coronavirus, the BBC reports.

“Today, for the first time since 20 March - pre lockdown - we have reported a weekday (yesterday) with no registered deaths in Scotland from COVID (number of deaths registered at weekends can be artificially low),” Sturgeon tweeted Friday. “This is down to sacrifices everyone has made. Thank you”

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During Friday's briefing, Sturgeon said that the total number of deaths in confirmed COVID-19 cases in Scotland remains at 2,482.

First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon wears a Tartan face mask as she visits New Look at Ford Kinaird Retail Park on June 26, 2020 in Edinburgh,Scotland.

First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon wears a Tartan face mask as she visits New Look at Ford Kinaird Retail Park on June 26, 2020 in Edinburgh,Scotland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Despite Scotland’s progress, Sturgeon has urged people to continue taking precautions. "Suppressing the virus, driving it as far as we can towards total elimination has to be our overriding priority," she said during the briefing. "We have made exceptional progress over the past three months, and the figures today highlight that. But it has only been possible, because the vast majority of us have stuck to the rules."

While Scotland has eased some restrictions, Sturgeon warned against complacency.

"You’ll keep hearing me say this time and time again, because it’s true and it is important that we never forget it," she said in the statement. "The virus hasn’t gone away, and it will not go away of its own accord. There are plenty of parts of the world right now where it is still on the rise, and there are some parts of the world where, unfortunately, it appears to be on the rise again as societies and economies open up. The warning signs are all around us and we must not ignore them."

With at least 309,456 diagnosed cases, and at least 43,314 deaths, the U.K. has been one of the worst affected countries in the coronavirus pandemic, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

COVID US Cases Interactive:

CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE  CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE

As of Friday morning, more than 9.6 million coronavirus cases have been diagnosed worldwide, with over 2.4 million in the U.S., according to Johns Hopkins. The disease has accounted for at least 489,990 deaths around the world, including at least 124,415 in the U.S.

The Associated Press contributed to this article. Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers