Nicola Sturgeon gave a statement to a recalled parliament after Omicron cases across Scotland rose significantly over the Christmas period.
The first minister briefed MSPs on the current situation, and outline the measures that the government believes will help keep the spread under control, during the virtual session.
Today’s recall has been in the schedule for more than a week, and you can recap on everything Ms Sturgeon said through our live blog below.
Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone announced the session over Twitter on December 21, saying: “Parliament will be asked to agree to sit on 29 December, and potentially 5 January, for an update on Covid and questions from MSPs.”
What is the current situation with Omicron in Scotland?
Over the past four days, Scotland has recorded its four highest daily Covid case counts since the beginning of the pandemic.
Fuelled by the more transmissible Omicron variant of the virus, the country recorded:
- December 25 – 8,252 cases
- December 26 – 11,030 cases
- December 27 – 10,562 cases
- December 28 – 9,360 cases
Due to longer turnaround times for results at the moment and the fact that the majority of these cases were tested before the large number of social gatherings on Christmas Day, it is likely that the true number of cases is much higher.
Recap on everything the first minister said here: