Coronavirus in Scotland: New statistics show Christmas Day cases fall

Coronavirus cases in Scotland have seen a slight fall, the latest figures reveal.

Scotland has recorded a fall in case numbers

There were 1165 positive cases recorded in the past 24 hours, down by 149 on the previous day. This accounts for 4.3% of all tests conducted which is withing World health Organisation (WHO) guidelines.

It comes as families across the country take advantage of 24 hours respite to get together on Christmas Day.

Mainland Scotland will tomorrow enter the strictest level of Coronavirus restrictions with the people being advised to "stay at home" to drive down cases of the virus.

Nicola Sturgeon has warned these measures could be further strengthened in a March-style lockdown amid growing concerns of the prevalence of the new variant of Covid after figures this week revealed that it accounts for more than a third (38%) of cases north of the border.

Once level four restrictions are applied, all bars, restaurants and non-essential shops will have to close.

The government is to narrow the definition of "essential retail" - forcing homeware shops and garden centres to close - while guidance urging people to stay at home as much as possible may be put down in law.

Schools are to stay closed until 11 January, and most pupils will learn from home until at least 18 January - a situation the first minister said would remain "under review".

The government is also examining whether the current level four measures will be enough to contain the new strain of the virus, which studies suggest can spread up to 70% faster than previous variants.

A message from the Editor:Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.