Covid in Scotland: Nicola Sturgeon prepares to announce new restrictions
Covid: Ban on meeting in houses extended across Scotland
(about 2 hours later)
Nicola Sturgeon is preparing to outline new restrictions designed to limit the spread of coronavirus in Scotland.
A ban on visiting other people's homes is to be imposed across Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced.
They could include curfews at pubs and restaurants and tighter rules on households meeting.
The measure is already in place in Glasgow and some neighbouring areas.
The first minister will address Holyrood on Tuesday afternoon - shortly after Prime Minister Boris Johnson outlined new measures in England.
But Ms Sturgeon said it would be rolled out across Scotland from Wednesday in a bid to get the virus under control again before winter.
The two leaders and their counterparts in Wales and Northern Ireland have held talks over a UK-wide approach.
She also confirmed that Scotland would be following England in imposing a 10pm curfew on pubs and restaurants.
It comes as the UK's Covid-19 alert level moved to 4, meaning the virus is "high or rising exponentially".
Indoor and outdoor gatherings in Scotland were restricted to six people from two households just two weeks ago - although children did not count towards the total.
The new restrictions in England include pubs and restaurants being forced to close at 22:00 from Thursday, with table service also required.
However, the number of people testing positive for the virus has continued to increase since then - with the average number of new cases every day now reaching 285, compared to only seven a day in July.
People are again being urged to work from home where possible, with face masks made mandatory in more places and the number of exemptions to the "rule of six" being reduced.
The first minister said hospital and intensive care admissions were also starting to rise, with more older people testing positive.
Tougher penalties will also be imposed on people who break the rules - but Mr Johnson stressed that this was "in no way" a return to full lockdown, with schools and businesses able to stay open in a "covid compliant way".
She said the country therefore had to go further to prevent the virus spreading unchecked, and that the scientific advice was that household interaction was a "key driver" of transmission.
However, the prime minister warned: "If all these actions fail, we reserve the right to use greater fire power with significantly greater restrictions."
Ms Sturgeon said the Scottish government had therefore decided "after careful consideration" that visiting other people's homes will no longer be permitted.
Downing Street confirmed that Mr Johnson had spoken on the phone to the first ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland ahead of his statement, with a Cobra meeting being held on Tuesday morning.
She said: "One of the reasons we have decided to do this is that our early data suggests this restriction is starting to slow the increase of cases in the West of Scotland.
They had all agreed to act "with a united approach, as much as possible, in the days and weeks ahead."
"So if we extend it nationwide now, in an early and preventative way, we hope it will help to bring the R number down and the virus back under control."
Ms Sturgeon will set out Scotland's measures to MSPs in the Scottish Parliament parliament from 14:20, before making a televised statement at 20:05 on BBC One Scotland.
There will be exceptions to the new rules for those living alone, or alone with children, who form extended households.
It will follow a live broadcast by Mr Johnson that has been scheduled for 20:00.
The rules will also not apply to couples who do not live together, or to tradespeople or for the provision of informal childcare - such as by grandparents.
At her daily briefing on Monday, Ms Sturgeon said additional lockdown restrictions would "almost certainly" be put in place in Scotland.
Meetings in public indoor settings - such as pubs and restaurants - will continue to be limited to a maximum of six people from two households.
She said coronavirus was spreading in the country again and "further and urgent action" was needed to stop the increase.
And up to six people from two different households can continue to meet outdoors, including in private gardens.
And she warned that it would lead to more cases, people in hospital and deaths if it was left unchecked.
However, children under the age of 12 will be exempt from both the limit of six and the limit of two households if they are meeting outside.
She said the Scottish government was prepared to introduce "a package of additional measures" but would aim to avoid a full-scale lockdown such as the one imposed in March.
And young people aged between 12 to 18 will be exempt from the two household limit - so will be able to meet outdoors in groups of up to six.
On Monday, the number of cases in Scotland rose by 255, representing 6.3% of those newly tested, up from 5.4% on Sunday.
Ms Sturgeon acknowledged: "The measures I am announcing today are tough - I will not pretend otherwise - but they do not represent a full-scale lockdown of the kind imposed in March.
Ms Sturgeon said the Scottish government endorsed the warning of UK chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance that new cases could rise daily by 50,000 by October.
"Indeed, today's measures are an attempt to avoid another lockdown."
The first minister added: "At the heart of this decision is a simple truth - the longer we wait to introduce new measures, the longer these measures are likely to be in place.
"If we move sharply now to get the virus back under control, we can minimise the time we all spend under any new restrictions.
"If we wait it will take longer, potentially a lot longer, to come out of the other side."
