New restrictions aimed at slowing down the infection rate of Covid-19 cases in Scotland are set to be announced today.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will confirm the new measures in a speech to the Scottish Parliament at 2:50pm.

Speaking on Tuesday at her daily conference, Ms Sturgeon stressed that she wanted to be as “frank and open” as possible and treat the public as “grown ups”.

The First Minister has described the situation as “the most difficult decision point we have faced so far”.

Ms Sturgeon added: “The situation is not out of control, but it is a cause of increasing concern.”

The decisions come as 730 new cases are being recorded every day in Scotland on average - compared with 285 a fortnight ago - with the number of people dying or being admitted to hospital also increasing.

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Here’s what we know so far about the announcement.

No return to lockdown

The First Minister stated that the Scottish Government would not be proposing another lockdown at this stage, not even a temporary one.

Ms Sturgeon said: “Let me be clear. We are not proposing another lockdown at this stage.

“Not even on a temporary basis.”

No Scotland wide travel ban

Nicola Sturgeon said that there are no plans for a nationwide travel ban, however this wasn’t ruled out for hotspots in the country.

The FM said: “While restrictions on travel may sometimes be an option for hotspot areas.

“We are not about to impose travel restrictions on the whole of the country.”

The NHS will stay open for ‘non-Covid’ treatments

The First Minister said that the NHS will stay open for conditions that aren’t related to Covid-19.

“We are not about to halt the remobilisation of the NHS - it is vital that our National Health Service is there for non COVID conditions as well as there for everything we have to deal with in relation to COVID.”

Schools will not shut

Nicola Sturgeon stated that the Scottish Government is not proposing to close schools.

She said: “Apart from the October holidays which are already planned - we are not proposing to close schools either wholly or even partially.”

The economy

The First Minister reassured the public by saying that the Scottish Government is not “about to shut down the entire economy”.

However, it is still unclear how the decisions announced today will impact the hospitality sectors and other parts of the economy.

No ‘stay at home’ rulings

Nicola Sturgeon announced that the Scottish Government would not be asking people to “stay at home” as they did in March.

The FM reiterated the current guidelines regarding visiting other households by saying: “None of us should be visiting each other’s homes at the moment – except for very specific exceptions such as caring for a vulnerable person, childcare, or if that is part of an extended household.

What restrictions are being considered?

Nicola Sturgeon said that the Scottish Government is considering “additional targeted steps” that the country can take over the coming weeks to stop the spread of the virus.

These will be “in addition” to the current guidelines around visiting other households are expected to be announced later today.

The decisions will consider the extent to which any measures have to be taken nationally or regionally, or perhaps a bit of both.

There has been speculation travel restrictions could be imposed in areas with higher levels of the virus.

And some pubs, restaurants and other venues could see tighter controls - or even temporary closure.

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The First Minister added that “We are thinking of how we best mitigate the economic impact of any decisions we take, even within the limited powers the Scottish Government has".

Emma McClarkin, of the Scottish Beer & Pub Association, said: “If the Scottish Government is to implement further harsh restrictive measures to our sector, it must include a dedicated package of support alongside it.

“Without it, the Scottish Government will leave our pubs and thousands of jobs doomed to failure.”

Professor Hugh Pennington, emeritus professor of bacteriology at the University of Aberdeen, said a targeted approach would work better than bringing in “more draconian rules”.

“At the moment we do not need to bring in any more rules that will hammer the hospitality sector, or the economy at large. There needs to be a razor-sharp focus on getting the current systems running smoothly and effectively,” he wrote in The Sun.

“We need to hold our nerve, rather than hitting the panic button.”