Commenting on the announcement that indoor care home visits will be permitted from next month, Scottish Labour interim leader Jackie Baillie said: “Care home residents and families across Scotland will be relieved by the announcement that safe indoor visits can resume from next month. It is a testament to the campaigning efforts of families that we have found a way forward in the face of broken promises and confused messaging from the SNP Government.

“While stopping the spread of the virus must be the number one priority, it is precisely because of the SNP government’s failures – over care homes, PPE, testing and contact tracing – that families have been deprived of essential contact for so long. It is vital that the new guidelines are clear and that safety measures are sufficient to ensure there are no more broken promises and false hopes so that loved ones can be reunited again.”