Christmas shoppers living in areas which have been under level 4 restrictions will be able to hit stores early on Friday morning after the First Minister revealed retailers could open at 6am - 12 hours ahead as planned.

Most shops apart from supermarkets have been closed across much of the west and central Scotland - including in Glasgow - since 20 November when 11 councils areas were moved onto level 4 restrictions.

Nicola Sturgeon told Holyrood today that that parts of the country in level 4 would all be moving onto level 3 from Friday.

Under the usual practice the new levels do not apply until 6pm that day.

However, in a special concession to shop keepers and shoppers in the run down to Christmas she said retail outlets could reopen from 6am.

"When we introduced level 4 restrictions we said they would be lifted at 6pm on Friday 11 December," she said.

"That remains the case, with one exception. Retail premises which have been closed under the level 4 restrictions, will be permitted to re-open from 6am on Friday.

"This is intended to help stores and shopping centres better manage the flow of customers after the period of closure.

"I would appeal to everyone living in level 4 areas to continue to exercise care and caution." 

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Labour's Pauline McNeill, a Glasgow MSP, asked whether the government could lift travel restrictions to allow people living outside Glasgow to travel into the city to shop.

But the First Minister, who is the MSP for Glasgow southside, said she would not do so as she warned against see large numbers of people crowding into the city's shops as had been the case elsewhere when stores reopened after curbs eased.

She told MSPs: "I know how devastating the impact this is for every part of the country but particularly in area in a retail sense like Glasgow. Glasgow is my home. I know how much the city centre, the retail centre there matters to the health of the city.

"It is simply, it would not be sensible to encourage or allow people from all over to come and shop in Glasgow in the run up to Christmas.

"As I'm sure many people did see scenes from certain London shopping streets at the weekend with crowds of people that I certainly hope we will not see replicated and that is why we have to manage this carefully."

Earlier in her statement she confirmed a decrease in rates of Covid across the level 4 areas and said that Glasgow, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire, East and West Dunbartonshire, North and South Lanarkshire, East and South Ayrshire, Stirling and West Lothian will all exit level 4 on Friday and move to level 3.