First Minister says tougher lockdown measures are possible for Scotland

Further lockdown restrictions could be announced in Scotland later this week.

Nicola Sturgeon says it's possible new measures could be introduced in the coming days, with coronavirus cases continuing to increase.

Despite having brought in a national ban on people in Scotland going into other people's homes two weeks ago, the First Minister told her daily press briefing in Edinburgh it was possible more measures may be required in the “near future”.

She said her priority remains keeping schools open - saying there were no plans in place for pupils to be in classes part time.

But she indicated that travel restrictions were being considered, and added that the 10pm curfew for bars and restaurants “is one of the areas where, to be frank, we may have to go further for a period”.

Her comments came as figures showed a further 697 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic to 32,906.

Meanwhile, there are currently 218 people in hospital with Covid-19, a rise of eight on Sunday's total, although the number of people in intensive care was stable at 22.

The First Minister, speaking at her daily coronavirus briefing, warned the public that “given the numbers we are seeing it is possible that we will have to do more”.

Ms Sturgeon said: “There may well be a need for some further restrictions in the near future.”

Cabinet will consider the situation when it meets on Tuesday, she added, with Ms Sturgeon expected to give a statement to Holyrood if more restrictions are to be imposed.

Although cases of coronavirus are higher in some parts, Ms Sturgeon said Scotland was facing a “rising tide of infection across the country”.

She added: “All areas of Scotland right now are at a higher level of infection than we can be comfortable with.”

The First Minister said she wanted to give both the public and the Scottish Parliament as much notice as possible of any new restrictions.

But she added that when faced with an infectious virus “which is circulating and spreading quickly you have act quickly if you think action is necessary”.

She also warned that the most recent statistics showed a “concerning” rise in transmission in older people.

Ms Sturgeon said this “underlines the fact that this resurgence of Covid, as it is in many countries, is affecting people across the different age groups”.

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