'Back to work, catch the virus, save the billionaires' - Covid-19 related message on Edinburgh building site hoarding captures 'dilemma' of how to ease lockdown

But these new pictures reveal how the UK Government's new 'stay alert, control the virus, save lives' message has been appropriated on the hoardings around one Edinburgh building site to express concern about how lockdown measures will be eased.

The graffiti, displayed at Lochrin Basin, reads: "Back to work, catch the virus, save the billionaires."

It has emerged in the week after Prime Minister Boris Johnson outlined several ways in which lockdown measures would be eased south of the border over the coming weeks and months.

Mr Johnson said workers in some parts of the economy, including manufacturing and construction, can now go back to work providing their employers ensure social distancing can be maintained in the workplace.

The UK Government updated their slogan from 'stay at home' to 'stay alert' in line with introducing a new five-point alert system, which ranks the threat level of the virus on a scale of one to five based on what the medical and scientific data tells them, with the purpose of gradually easing restrictions as the rate of virus spread falls.

But the lockdown measures have been only very slightly changed in Scotland, with exercising more than once a day now allowed. Current guidance in Scotland says people should only leave home if they want to buy food, get access to medical care, exercise or carry out essential work which can not be done from home.

Speaking about the new message displayed at Lochrin Basin, one local resident said: "It's interesting that someone appropriated the government's new slogan to express concern about the timing of relaxing the lockdown.

"It is difficult to strike a balance between protecting public health and the desire to restart the economy. This statement captures that dilemma well, and the fact that the burden is unlikely to be borne equally, especially as it appears on hoarding around a building site which might be one of the first types of workplaces to reopen when restrictions in Edinburgh are relaxed."

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said during her daily briefing on Friday that she is "keen to get the economy moving again" but stressed that for now, people should adhere to the strict lockdown guidance in place.

Ms Sturgeon said she will share more information next week on the assessments being made and the range of options being looked at by the Scottish Government for easing the lockdown, as well as any further changes in the short term.

The First Minister said that any lockdown easing would be careful and gradual, because lives are still at stake.