Harsher lockdown measures may soon be introduced across Scotland to halt the spread of mutant coronavirus which has caused cases to soar.
The Scottish Government is to meet on Monday to discuss further restrictions to stop the spread of the new strain of Covid-19.
In a series of tweets, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “The rapid increase in Covid cases, driven by the new variant, is of very serious concern.
“The steep increases and 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.
“We, like other countries, are in a race between this faster spreading strain of Covid and the vaccination programme."
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
Ms Sturgeon added: “As we work to vaccinate as quickly as possible, we must also do more to slow down the virus – to save lives and help the NHS care for all those who need it.
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“Following a meeting of the Scottish Government resilience committee yesterday to assess latest situation, the Cabinet will meet tomorrow am 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 start of pandemic.
“So the responsibility of government must be to act quickly and decisively in the national interest.”
The most recent figures from Saturday show that more than 2000 people in Scotland have tested positive for coronavirus in the preceding 24 hours.
READ MORE: Daily figures show 2137 new cases
Daily figures from the Scottish Government revealed a total of 2137 people have reported positive infections between Friday and yesterday.
The new numbers mean Scotland has reported 7298 cases in just three days - with fresh numbers still to come today.
Out of the total of 21,451 new tests for Covid-19 reported on Saturday, more than one-in-ten were positive.
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