Nicola Sturgeon addresses nation LIVE after cabinet meeting on coronavirus new strain

First Minister is considering tightening the rules and asked whether "fewer places" needed to be open.

tough new lockdown which sees people barred from leaving their homes for an essential purpose. Unlike the first lockdown imposed in March last year, manufacturing and construction businesses have so far been allowed to continue to operate.

England is facing a third national lockdown that will last at least six weeks, as authorities struggle to stem a surge in COVID-19 infections that threatens to overwhelm hospitals around the U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday announced a tough new stay-at-home order for England that won’t be reviewed until at least mid-February to combat a fast-spreading variant of the coronavirus.

coronavirus lockdown.Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed last night (January 4) that England would be entering a new lockdown due to surging coronavirus case numbers and hospital admissions.

In a series of tweets today, Ms Sturgeon said: "The rapid increase in Covid cases, driven by the new variant, is of very serious concern. The steep increases & severe NHS pressure being experienced in other parts of the UK is a sign of what may lie ahead.

Nicola Sturgeon has made another personal plea to Scots to stay away from loved ones to help stem the spread of coronavirus. The First Minister urged families to forsake the first-foot tradition as cases are "worryingly high".There were 2,539 new cases of the deadly virus reported in Scotland in the last 24 hours.Sturgeon tweeted: ":Today’s case numbers are worryingly high again."The new variant is accelerating spread.

First Minister tweeted just after the Brexit transition period formally ended at 11pm on December 31. Scotland's trading and travel relationships with EU countries will now be governed by the agreement announced by the UK Government on Christmas Eve.

SNP, Scottish Labour, Lib Dem and Green MSPs voted to refuse “consent” to the Bill linked to the agreement.

First Minister will update MSPs on the latest data and plans to combat the sudden spike in infections, which is being blamed on a new strain of Covid which passes more easily from person to person.The Scottish Parliament was meant to be in recess for the Christmas holidays but has been recalled for only the fourth time in its history so members can debate Boris Johnson's Brexit bill.All mainland council areas were placed in tier four of the Scottish Government's lockdown framework as of Boxing

immediately attacked the settlement, saying “there is no deal that will ever make up for what Brexit takes away from us.”On a historic Christmas Eve that will set Scotland and the UK on a different political course from the rest of Europe, Johnson boasted that his “jumbo-sized Canada-style deal” was what the country needs.Johnson said the agreement resolves the European question which has “bedevilled” British politics for generations.But as Sturgeon made plain the end of the Britain’s four

Boris Johnson said the deal would "benefit every party of the UK".The Prime Minister declared it would boost the fishing industry as well as the financial sector - two key employers north of the Border.European diplomats will meet on Christmas morning to review the deal on behalf of the EU's 27 member states, while MPs are likely to vote on the agreement on December 30.But the First Minister took a less than enthusiastic view.Sturgeon tweeted: “Before the spin starts, it’s worth remembering that

direct to your inboxNicola Sturgeon has apologised after she breached coronavirus lockdown rules.Scotland's First Minister took off her face mask at a funeral wake to chat to three women in a bar, a photograph published in the Scottish Sun showed.While Ms Sturgeon kept her distance, under Scottish Government Covid rules, customers in hospitality venues must wear a face covering except when seated and must wear one when moving around.Ms Sturgeon was attending a funeral wake for a Scottish

Joe FitzPatrick, who left the post last week.FitzPatrick quit after being roundly criticised over drugs death figures.Gougeon, SNP MSP for Angus North and Mearns, was the Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment.In her new post, she will play a key role in tackling the pandemic and will have responsibility for COVID-19 testing.Angela Constance has been nominated to be the new Minister for Drugs Policy.First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: "Mairi Gougeon has proven herself to be a

First Minister also announced a strict travel ban between Scotland and the rest of the UK and the world.

coronavirus across Scotland.