A full lockdown will be introduced as of midnight in tier four areas in Scotland, the First Minister announced today, as cases continue to surge across the country.
Speaking at Parliament this afternoon, Ms Sturgeon said the new restrictions across Scotland would apply for the duration of January.
In her statement, Ms Sturgeon said: “The decisions I am about to outline will apply to all parts of Scotland currently in level four – they are effectively an enhancement to level four.“The island areas currently in level three will remain there for now.”
The new lockdown means strengthening the existing level four restrictions in place further, forcing people to stay at home.
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Ms Sturgeon told MSPs the decision had been taken after a meeting of the Scottish Cabinet on Monday morning.
She said: “I can confirm now, in summary, that we decided to introduce from tomorrow, for the duration of January, a legal requirement to stay at home except for essential purposes. This is similar to the lockdown of March last year.”
The First Minister said Scotland recorded 1,905 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, down from the 2,464 reported on Sunday.
Addressing the Scottish Parliament, she said the daily test positivity rate was 15 per cent, a marginal drop from 15.2 per cent on Sunday.
Ms Sturgeon said “the fundamental message” for everyone across Scotland was “to stay at home”.
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