Unvaccinated 'could put loved ones lives in danger' at Christmas

The First Minister has said unvaccinated people who meet up with friends and family over the festive period “could be putting their lives in danger”.

Nicola Sturgeon made the comments during an update on Covid-19 restrictions to MSPs at Holyrood on Tuesday.

While there will be no further changes to remaining Covid-19 regulations, such as mask-wearing and home working, the First Minister urged people to get vaccinated.

She added that being vaccinated is “the most precious gift we can give anyone this Christmas”.

Sturgeon said: “If you are meeting up with loved ones and you are not as fully vaccinated as you could be, you are putting them at unnecessary risk.

“To be blunt, you could be putting their lives in danger.

“The most precious gift we can give anyone this Christmas is to be vaccinated – and also tested, which I’ll say more about shortly – before we meet, hug or spend time with them.

“So, if you haven’t had a first or second dose yet, it’s not too late – please do so now.”

The First Minister asked for “extra effort” during the festive period to get tested more regularly in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus.

She said: “On any occasion that you are socialising with others – whether that is going out for drinks or dinner, visiting someone at home, or even going shopping somewhere that might be crowded – please take a test before you go.

“And if it is positive, do not go. Instead get a PCR test and self-isolate while you wait for the result.

“This way, you are minimising the risk of inadvertently passing the virus on even if you don’t have symptoms.”

With fewer restrictions in place than last year, the First Minister said she is “very much hopeful that all of us will have a much more normal Christmas”.

But she stressed: “To make that possible, we need to comply with all the protections in place and continue to do that.”