Mr Swinney told the BBC’s Today Programme that Boris Johnson’s shift from “stay at home” to “stay alert” has muddied the waters in regard to what is expected from members of the public. Today Programme host Justin Webb grilled the Deputy First Minister of Scotland on whether the Scottish Government are treating their citizens like children.   

Mr Webb asked: “Are you saying that not only what you’re doing is right for Scotland but that you wish it had been done in England as well?”

Mr Swinney replied: “In other words that the Government had not changed the message.

“We have all got to make decisions in our parts of the United Kingdom that are appropriate for the people that we represent.

“In Scotland, we feel that the appropriate stance for us to take is to maintain the stay at home message because the coronavirus remains such a significant threat.

The BBC host said: “Do you regret that it was changed in England?”

The SNP chief responded: “I think it has muddied the waters, to be honest.

“I don’t think replacing stay at home with stay alert gives the necessary clarity as to what people are expected to do.”

Mr Webb said: “Isn’t it though time for people to not be treated as children and be allowed to make sensible decisions on how to conduct their lives.”

The First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon launched a plea to media organisations to make sure that their readers, listeners and viewers accurately understood the situation in different parts of the UK.

Ms Sturgeon stated that many countries are taking different steps in different areas at different times in order to effectively deal with the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis.

Ms Sturgeon said: “I want to make a respectful plea to the media.

“Your scrutiny role is essential and you perform it robustly and rightly so but at a time like this when health is at stake, all of us have a public duty.

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“Please make it clear to your readers, listeners and viewers what the actual situation is in different parts of the UK.

“Moving at different speeds for different parts of the UK due to evidence-based reasons need not be a cause for confusion.

“Other countries are taking different steps in different areas at different times.”

“Confusion only arises if we as politicians and the media who report on us our either unclear on what we are asking people to do or even if we give a misleading impression even by omission that decisions that apply to one nation only are actually UK wide.

“Never has the duty on political leaders to communicate clearly been greater.”

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