MORE than 900,000 people in Scotland have downloaded the new coronavirus tracing app.

Nicola Sturgeon gave the update during today's daily briefing on the virus, which was broadcast on the BBC.

The First Minister thanked people who had signed up to the Protect Scotland mobile phone contact tracing app and said it was a "simple yet powerful way to keep the country safe" and the virus under better control.

"More than 900,000 people have now downloaded the new Protect Scotland contact tracing app, as you will recall we launched that last week and it allows people to receive an automatic notification if someone they have been in close contact with gets Covid," she said.

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"You are not told the name of the contact but you do get a notification together with information and links to advice on self-isolation."

She added: "900,000 downloads is a really important milestone. It's already enough for the app, we think, to really make a difference.

"But it stands to reason that the app will make more of a difference the more people who use it. So I would encourage everybody across Scotland who hasn't yet done so to download the app and also to encourage friends and family to do so."

The First Minister's update comes as a new law comes into force today limiting social gatherings in Scotland to a maximum of six people from two households.

The changed rules apply both indoors and outdoors - including in homes, gardens, pubs and restaurants.

Until now up to eight people from three homes were allowed to meet indoors, and 15 from five households outdoors.

Children aged under 12 will not count towards the total in the "rule of six" in Scotland.