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Covid: Nicola Sturgeon to give update on current situation in Scotland

Nicola Sturgeon will share a Covid update this afternoon. Photo: Jane Barlow/PA Wire.

Nicola Sturgeon will share a Covid update in parliament this afternoon.

The first minister is expected to give a statement to MSPs at Holyrood following topical questions at 2pm.

She will give an update on the current Covid situation in Scotland, including the latest case numbers and hospital admissions.

Last week, Ms Sturgeon confirmed a change to self-isolation and testing rules reducing the quarantine to seven days for those with two negative lateral flows.

A further cut to the isolation period will not be announced today, as confirmed by Scotland’s Health Secretary Humza Yousaf.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast on Sunday, he said: “We’ve literally just made the change from 10 days to seven days. I think it’d be sensible to see the impact and the effect of that.

“But, clearly, we’re always guided by the science.”

Will the restrictions change?

January 11 marks three weeks since Ms Sturgeon announced a cap on numbers at public events.

For indoor standing events the limit is currently 100, for indoor seated events it is 200, and for all outdoor events it is 500.

These restrictions came into place on Boxing Day and were confirmed to last for at least three weeks.

In an attempt to curb the spread of the Omicron variant, all nightclubs in Scotland were also closed and table service made a return.

Ms Sturgeon is expected to confirm if these will be lifted at the end of this period or if they will be extended.

Businesses in the north-east have called for an end to the current restrictions to prevent them from going bust.

A new poll conducted by Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce (AGCC) revealed that more than 40% of business surveyed will need to cut jobs if the current Covid rules are extended.

Sharing the latest Covid data

During the update, the first minister will also share the latest Covid data from across the country.

Case numbers have been gradually rising since the start of December and the emergence of the Omicron variant.

On Monday, a total of 11,827 new positive cases were confirmed in Scotland.

Despite being an increase of 4,000 cases from the day before, it was still the second-lowest daily total recorded so far in 2022.

The number of coronavirus patients in hospital has also been rising since the start of the year.

There are currently 1,432 people in hospital with Covid, compared to 859 on December 31.

How to follow the briefing

The first minister’s Covid statement will be streamed live on Scottish Parliament TV from around 2.15pm and all updates will be shared on our live blog.