Humza Yousaf and Liz Lloyd to give evidence amid WhatsApp row

Liz Lloyd said part of her job was to make sure the scientific advice could actually be followed in practice.

She said: “I looked at the advice that was given and thought through what it means for people living their lives in practice and how might people want to function.

“I agree it is not hugely scientific, but one of the things you have to do is think when you have a set of regulations, it was proposed in the abstract without considering the way people function in real life.”

She added: “I don’t want to suggest those giving the advice were abstract and devoid of understanding, but it was their job to give the appropriate regulation on a strict basis.

“It was not their job to think about what that means for people’s mental health or family relations, they were about keeping the R number low.

“We were thinking if you give a slight tweak, does that make it better for society and does that have serious consequences, do we have space to make that?”