Nicola Sturgeon hints at harsher lockdown and longer school closures as new covid strain becomes 'dominant'

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

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

coronavirus deaths and 1,875 new cases in the last 24 hours. The total number of people infected in Scotland since the start of the pandemic is now 153,423.

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.

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.

lockdown travel restrictions apply to Trump as much as anyone else, adding a golf trip is not an "essential purpose".The outgoing US president is refusing to accept defeat to Joe Biden, fuelling global speculation about what he will do on inauguration day on January 20.Sturgeon, at her first coronavirus briefing of the year, was asked if she knew whether Trump was planning to visit one of his golf resorts."I hope and expect the travel plan he immediately has is it exit the White house - beyond

Get the stories that interest you straight to your inbox every day with our personalised newsletterPeople in Ayrshire have been told to ‘stay at home’ until the end of January as part of a new national lockdown – with schools to stay shut.Nicola Sturgeon has announced that the strictest lockdown seen since March last year will come into force from midnight tonight.The First Minister told how hospitals in Ayrshire and Arran are at 96 per cent of their Covid capacity.The new restrictions will

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.

First Minister has summoned an emergency cabinet meeting this Monday morning and will recall MSPs to hear a statement on the covid crisis in the afternoon.The cabinet is certain to consider keeping schools closed for the rest of January and the possible return of restrictions that are closer to the stay-at-home lockdown in March.Schools re-open this week for children of key workers and vulnerable children.

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.

Nicola Sturgeon confirmed that 42.8% of positive tests processed for Scotland are now thought to be the fast-spreading form of coronavirus, first detected earlier this month.

link.“Our approach throughout the pandemic has been to engage with the public, explain the legislation and guidance, and encourage compliance, but we will not hesitate to continue to use our enforcement powers as a last resort."Please follow the Scottish Government's advice, which is to celebrate Hogmanay and the New Year with your own household only, in your own home."

The SNP leader issued twitter rebuttal in response Tories labelling her “no-deal Nicola” online because of the SNP decision not to back the Tory Brexit deal.