The Scottish government will take a “cautious approach” to the phased return of pupils to school buildings as progress tackling the coronavirus has “stalled”.

First minister Nicola Sturgeon has previously said pupils in P1-3 could return from 22 February, along with senior phase secondary students in practical subjects who have essential work to complete.

However, she has maintained that a final decision will be made by ministers on Tuesday and will depend on the prevalence of the virus.

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Health secretary Jeane Freeman said at the Scottish government’s daily coronavirus briefing this afternoon that ministers will be cautious in their decision-making.

Also speaking at the briefing, national clinical director Professor Jason Leitch said progress on reducing the spread of the virus, which had improved since the current lockdown was announced at the beginning of January, has “stalled”.

Coronavirus: Cautious approach to reopening schools

He said: “The trajectory is still a really difficult question. It is slow - it is still decelerating - but barely.

“We have stalled, not completely, but the curve is flatter than we would have hoped and that is all down to the new variant.

“Over this weekend, I and my colleagues - with the modellers, with the statisticians, with the public health leaders - will give advice to the first minister [Nicola Sturgeon], the cabinet secretary [for education, John Swinney] and the Cabinet and they will decide on Monday whether schools should open, even in this limited way.”

Ms Freeman said: “While the news that we are reporting is better news than we have been reporting about case numbers and numbers in ICU [intensive care units], those are still high case numbers and people are dying in numbers that are of huge regret to all of us - so our approach must be a cautious one.

“It must be cautious and we must take time to be sure about the progress we’re making.”

Ms Freeman added: “The Cabinet will meet at the start of the week and review all of that information, take advice from colleagues like Jason and the chief medical officer and make a final decision next week on whether that planned limited reopening of education can still go ahead.”