NICOLA Sturgeon has confirmed 68 cases have been identified as part of a coronavirus outbreak linked to the 2 Sisters plant in Coupar Angus.

The plant has been closed for two weeks and all workers, as well as their families, have been advised to self-isolate for 14 days.

Speaking at the Scottish Government briefing, the First Minister explained that 59 people who work in the plant plus nine of their contacts have been found to have Covid-19.

She added that a second mobile testing unit has been sent to the NHS Tayside area – and warned people must continue to self-isolate even if they receive a negative test during the required self-isolation period.

READ MORE: Coronavirus in Scotland: 71 new cases recorded over 24 hours

Sturgeon also explained why the response to the outbreak in Coupar Angus has differed to the handling of the cluster in Aberdeen.

Aberdeen continues to face tighter coronavirus restrictions as a result of an outbreak linked to dozens of bars and restaurants in the city.

Hospitality premises remain closed, people must not go into other residents’ homes and those not living in the city should not travel there.

Addressing the Coupar Angus cluster, the First Minister said: “"These restrictions which I've talked about are obviously more stringent than those that have been imposed in other clusters.

"In those instances, we've asked contacts to isolate but we haven't extended that advise to their families.

"On the other hand, in Dumfries, when we had the Gretna outbreak and more recently, in Aberdeen, geographical restrictions were introduced.

"In Coupar Angus we are able to target specific households with increased restrictions.

"The key point I'm making here, because some people may be looking at Aberdeen and Coupar Angus and wondering why the exact same approach is not being taken.

"The key point I'm making here is the nature of the steps we take in different outbreaks have to depend on and be guided by the nature of the outbreak.

"The assessment of the incident management team in Coupar Angus right now is there is minimal evidence of community transmission in Tayside.

"That's not something we were able to say with any confidence about the outbreak in Aberdeen."

Sturgeon stressed that the clear link in Coupar Angus is the 2 Sisters site, while the Aberdeen cluster was associated with a large number of venues across the city.

The news came as Scotland recorded 71 new coronavirus cases over the last 24 hours – with 31 of those in the NHS Tayside area.

There were also 10 in the NHS Grampian area, 16 in Greater Glasgow, and four in Lanarkshire.