Nicola Sturgeon announces national lockdown from midnight for Scotland as Ayrshire Covid bed space nears capacity

coronavirus deaths have been recorded in Scotland over the last 24 hours, Nicola Sturgeon's government has revealed. The First Minister also announced that 1,165 new cases of COVID-19 were reported overnight, taking the total figure to 164,927.

First Minister will meet with members of her Cabinet this morning before making a statement in the Scottish Parliament around 2pm.The SNP leader is not expected to impose more lockdown rules but is likely to give more detail on how long current restrictions will have to remain in place.Speaking at her regular media briefing yesterday, she said: “We will look at the latest data and come to a view on where we are and whether we need to extend the lockdown restrictions to further suppress the

coronavirus deaths have been recorded in Scotland over the last 24 hours. The First Minister also confirmed 1,949 new cases of COVID-19 were reported overnight, taking the total figure to 155,372.

Get the stories that matter to you sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter.First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced a tightening of lockdown restrictions as the number of Covid-19 cases in Scotland continue to rise.Under the changes click and collect services will be limited to only essential purchases, while restrictions were also applied on takeaways meaning that residents will only be able to collect orders from outdoors to limit social interaction.Essential click and collect

Nicola Sturgeon will address the nation today after convening a cabinet meeting to consider tougher lockdown measures across the country.The First Minister has already hinted at a potential tightening of the stay at home rules for the likes of takeaways, click and collect services and the construction industry.Concerns are growing over the state of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country as the number of people in Scots hospitals continue to surge.Sturgeon said that the number of people currently

Covid-19 is higher than at the height of the pandemic last spring.

Nicola Sturgeon "acted in an honourable way" after former colleague Alex Salmond reportedly claimed she breached the ministerial code by misleading the Scottish Parliament. Former first minister Mr Salmond's submissions to an inquiry into sexual assault claims against him have been obtained by national newspapers, in which he claims Ms Sturgeon's evidence over when she knew about the allegations was "simply untrue".

coronavirus deaths have been recorded in Scotland over the last 24 hours. The First Minister also announced that 2,309 new cases of COVID-19 were reported overnight, taking the total figure since the start of the pandemic to 146,024.

coronavirus deaths have been recorded in Scotland over the last 24 hours. Nicola Sturgeon announced that 2,649 new cases of COVID-19 were reported overnight, taking the total figure to 143,715since the start of the pandemic.

First Minister suggested non-essential businesses could face further curbs in a bid to prevent people from meeting each other and passing on coronavirus. Mainland Scotland was placed in lockdown as of Tuesday, with people told to remain indoors unless venturing out for one of several essential reasons.

coronavirus have been reported in Scotland over the past 24 hours. Nicola Sturgeon announced the grim statistics today taking the total number who have tested positive since the start of the pandemic to 139,027.

variant, which is responsible for a large number of infections in Scotland, has resulted in the Government extending online learning. The move, which applies to all parts of Scotland, will be reviewed in mid January.

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.

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.

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

coronavirus deaths have been recorded in Scotland over the last 24 hours. The Scottish Government also announced that 1,190 new cases of COVID-19 were reported overnight, taking the total figure to 115,566.

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