Virus cases hit new high with 714 positive tests

Scotland's record for daily coronavirus cases has been broken again as 714 more cases have been confirmed.

The Scottish Government also said that 11.5% of those newly tested have been found to have the virus, the highest since the figure has been made public.

The statistics published on Saturday were the fifth time in a row the record has been broken, with the figure almost tripling since Monday - when it was 255 new cases in one day.

Despite the increase, no new deaths have been recorded, leaving the number of fatalities at 2,510.

The Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area saw the highest number of new infections, with 270, while NHS Lothian recorded 113 and Lanarkshire reported a further 91 cases.

In total, 27,232 people have tested positive for the virus since the beginning of the pandemic, up from 26,518 on Friday.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon urged Scots to follow the new restrictions which came into force this week, including a ban on visiting people's homes, while offering some reasons for the rise.

On Twitter, she said: This is our biggest daily tally of cases so far. Important therefore to start with some caveats. We are doing much more testing now than in Spring. These figures are impacted by university clusters. And Test & Protect is working hard and well.

However, We have absolutely no room for complacency - on the contrary. Cases are rising across Scotland, as in other countries. The number of people in hospital (99 today) has doubled in last couple of weeks. And we can only beat Covid back together - we must all play our part.

So, please, for now, stay out of each other's houses; stick to the 6/2 rule outdoors and in indoor public places; download protect.scot; and follow FACTS. We will get through this - but only if we all act to protect ourselves and each other. Let's stick with it.''

A recent spike in cases of students returning to university has forced hundreds to self-isolate, with Glasgow University opting to refund one month of rent to those in halls of residence and offering a #50 food payment.

Scotland's new restrictions came into force this week, meaning people would not be able to visit each other's homes and hospitality would have to close by 10pm.

Police Scotland's Chief Constable Iain Livingstone said more patrols would be on the streets over the weekend to ensure compliance.

On Saturday, deputy chief constable Will Kerr said: It was a generally good night and the vast majority of people complied with regulations and thank you for that.''