THE First Minister has issued a stark warning to Scots over further restrictions being brought in if coronavirus guidance is flouted.
Speaking at the daily briefing, Nicola Sturgeon announced 159 new coronavirus cases across Scotland. This includes 63 in Glasgow, 29 in Lothian, 19 in Lanarkshire and 10 in the Forth Valley area.
The remaining are spread across the other mainland health boards – the second day in a row where each area has recorded at least one case.
The First Minister gave some context for the latest figures, including a trebling of the rolling average of daily cases and an increase in the testing positivity rate.
READ MORE: Coronavirus in Scotland: 159 new cases confirmed over 24 hours
Asked about new changes in England, where the number of people gathering together in most settings will be cut to a maximum of six, Sturgeon said she could not rule out similar rules.
Sturgeon explained that the Scottish Government is carefully reviewing the current guidance and regulations, and that “all of us have a part to play in this”.
She acknowledged that after six months of coronavirus rules it’s understandable that people may be tiring of following the guidance, but stressed that it would be “more cumbersome” to force people back into a very strict lockdown situation.
The First Minister told viewers: "If we don't want to lock ourselves down again, we all have to go through these really inconvenient, but necessary things to try to keep it under control, and I'm afraid it is as simple as that."
In England, Boris Johnson will hold a press conference at 4pm to discuss the new restrictions being brought in there.
The UK Government, which had previously suggested there could be a return to normality by Christmas, appears to be increasingly concerned about a possible second wave of coronavirus.
Full details of coronavirus guidance are available from the Scottish Government's website.
Five local authorities – Glasgow, East and West Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire – face different restrictions.
People living in those areas should follow phase three guidance generally, but should not go into others’ homes or host people in their own home.
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