Nicola Sturgeon warns of even tighter lockdown rules to crush mutant covid strain

Scotland may be told to shut as lockdown restrictions threaten to get tougher. Nicola Sturgeon warned construction work could grind to a halt in a bid to “radically reduce interactions” as the country struggles to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

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.

First Minister was involved in four-nation talks on the subject chaired by Michael Gove on Monday night and said there was an agreement further "urgent" discussions would be held in the coming days. The SNP leader reminded Scots today that an effective travel ban is already legally in place across the country, meaning people should not be crossing the border with England unless they have an essential purpose.

First Minister said the rapid increase in Covid cases driven by the new variant is of "very serious concern". She stated: “The steep increases and severe NHS pressure being experienced in other parts of the UK is a sign of what may lie ahead.

covidiots who gathered at Edinburgh Castle on Hogmanay.

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fast-spreading form of coronavirus, first detected earlier this month.In a statement at Holyrood, she said: "This new strain appears to be fast becoming the dominant one circulating in Scotland - and that is obviously a cause for real concern, given that it is thought to be significantly more transmissible."As I indicated before Christmas, the severity of this challenge means we can't rule out the need for restrictions that are even tighter than those in the current level 4."Sturgeon spoke after

severe lockdown restrictions for some time' amid fears over the mutant coronavirus strain. National Clinical Director Professor Jason Leitch said it will be 'well into next year' before Scots will return to any form of normality.

Jason Leitch warned restrictions would be like in March when the UK ground to a halt for weeks. It follows alarm at strain of Covid-19 which appears to spread more quickly and has already ripped through south-east England.

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

direct to your inboxTougher restrictions may be needed in some areas of the country to curb the spread of a fast-spreading strain of the coronavirus.That was the warning from the government's chief scientific adviser as he said the new variant is likely to 'spread in numbers'.Speaking at the Downing Street press conference on Monday, Sir Patrick Vallance said: "The tier decisions are not ones for me, but I will say that the evidence of this virus is that it spreads easily, it's more

Jason Leitch said further research was required on the latest mutation of the virus but added experts were so far confident it would not be able to resist the jabs currently being rolled out to health workers and care home residents. It comes as UK health secretary Matt Hancock warned today the country faced an “enormous challenge” controlling the new strain after scientists found it was able to spread more rapidly.