THERE is "absolutely no question" of a normal Christmas for Scotland in 2020, national clinical director Jason Leitch has said.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said it is too early to say what the restriction levels will be set at in December.
But, speaking on BBC Radio Scotland, Leitch dismissed the notion of a traditional festive season as "fiction" and said families should "get their digital Christmas ready".
Stating that he's "worried" about Halloween and November 5, he went on: "I'm hopeful costs now may get us a more family Christmas. But Christmas is not going to be normal, there's absolutely no question about that.
"We are not going to be in large family groupings, with multiple families coming over - that is fiction for this year."
Leitch said the measures currently in place on hospitality and housing gatherings are leading to a "deceleration" in the rate of cases.
But on Wednesday 28 new overnight deaths were reported in what is the highest daily level since May.
A new five-tier alert system will be put in place from November 2 and the First Minister says she will impose "even tougher restrictions" if necessary.
Leitch called on individuals to take responsibility for halting the spread of the virus by following established hygiene and distancing regulations and, on Christmas, added: "I'm hopeful that if we can get numbers down to a certain level we may be able to get some form of normality."
Responding to Leitch's words, LibDem leader Willie Rennie said: "People have made huge sacrifices for months on end, they will be devastated to hear that Christmas as they know it is cancelled this year.
"Many will rightly question whether the Government have used the past six months as well as they could have to expand testing, shore up our NHS and prepare for a second wave."
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