NICOLA Sturgeon has been told the lack of any impact assessment for plans to ease Covid-19 restrictions over Christmas “seems deeply irresponsible”.

Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie challenged the First Minister at FMQs about whether the Scottish Government is prepared for a third wave of the disease caused by an increase in gatherings throughout the festive period.

Harvie said Sturgeon is sending a “confusing message” by lifting restrictions on household mixing but simultaneously appealing for Scots to try to avoid gathering over Christmas if possible.

While acknowledging the “difficult decisions” that had to be made, he said: “This morning at Parliament’s Covid-19 Committee, the national clinical director confirmed that no risk assessment has been made of the impact this relaxation will have.

“This seems deeply irresponsible.

“So can the First Minister confirm that this is the case? If so, how will the Government ensure that our NHS is prepared for the third wave that the new rules risk creating?”

Sturgeon said she had “agonised over” the decision but argued the Scottish Government is right to ease the restrictions on gatherings “instead of just allowing that to happen naturally in a haphazard way”.

She continued: “We have not modelled at this particular arrangement, we are looking at if and how it is possible to do that.

“There are difficulties in trying to model an arrangement, particularly where you’re trying to persuade people only to use flexibilities when it is necessary.”

She accepted it is a “complex” message but said: “I’m being very open with people that this does carry risks, which is why, where people can get through Christmas without mixing with others, that is my advice to them.”

The First Minister confirmed another 51 people have died in Scotland after contracting Covid-19.

The deaths, recorded in the past 24 hours among those who have tested positive in the previous 28 days, bring the total to 3639.

A further 1225 cases were also confirmed. The test positivity rate was 4.7%, down from 6.8% yesterday.

There are 1125 people in hospital with recently confirmed coronavirus, 31 fewer than yesterday. Of those, 90 are in intensive care, an increase of six.

Sturgeon, who offered her condolences to all those who have lost loved ones during the pandemic, also gave an update on the R number.

The number – which measures how many people an infected person will infect, on average – is believed to be unchanged at just below one.

The First Minister said this shows the current restrictions are having a positive effect, but that Scots can’t get complacent.

Sturgeon also said she was unable to reveal how many patients had been discharged from hospital to care homes without a negative coronavirus test.

In April, the Scottish Government changed guidance to ensure those in hospital due to coronavirus would need two negative tests before being moved to their own home or a residential care setting, while other people not impacted by Covid-19 need to test negative once.

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard asked Sturgeon at FMQs if she could tell him how many people had been discharged from hospital without a test.

The First Minister replied: “I cannot give that information because these are clinical decisions taken by clinicians.

“In any policy, there are ethical reasons and clinical reasons why there have to be exceptions in some circumstances.”

She later reiterated the Scottish Government acted “in a way that was intended to protect the population and protect those in care homes as much as possible”.

She continued: “I have never, ever stood here and suggested that there were not things that we got wrong.”