The Scottish Government is to meet on Monday to discuss further lockdown measures to stop the spread of Covid-19, the First Minister has announced.
Nicola Sturgeon has also asked for Scottish Parliament to be recalled so she can set out her latest decisions in a statement on Monday afternoon.
The meeting is expected to consider the possibility of keeping schools closed to fight the surge in new cases.
The FM tweeted the announcement on Sunday morning.
She said the rapid increase in Covid cases, driven by the new variant, is of “very serious concern” and that this current period is the “most dangerous since the start of the pandemic”.
1/5 The rapid increase in Covid cases, driven by the new variant, is of v serious concern. The steep increases & severe NHS pressure being experienced in other parts of the UK is a sign of what may lie ahead. So we must take all steps to slow spread while vaccination progresses
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) January 3, 2021
The FM tweeted: “Following a meeting of the Scottish Government resilience committee yesterday to assess latest situation, the Cabinet will meet tomorrow morning to consider further action to limit spread and I’ve asked for Scottish Parliament to be recalled tomorrow afternoon so that I can set out our decisions in a statement.
“All decisions just now are tough, with tough impacts. Vaccines give us way out, but this new strain makes the period between now and then the most dangerous since the start of the pandemic.
“So the responsibility of government must be to act quickly and decisively in the national interest.”
This is just the fifth time Parliament has been recalled and the second time within the last four weeks.
Previously, it was convened after the deaths of Donald Dewar in October 2000 and the Queen Mother in April 2002.
It was also reconvened following the release of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi in 2009.
Scotland has seen an increase of 2,464 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours.
This is higher than Saturday’s confirmed increase of 2137 new cases.
The daily test positivity rate is now at 15.2% – up from 10.8% on Saturday.
No further deaths were recorded on Sunday as the register offices are closed over the public holidays.
As of December 31, 4578 people who tested positive for Covid-19 have died.
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