Except for some very limited purposes - including childcare, or caring for someone who is vulnerable, exercise, or shopping for essential goods - people living in level four areas should not be going out and about over this three-week period.

"I know this will be tough," says the first minister.

She points to mental health support available at the Clear Your Head, external website or by calling NHS 111.

"Our objective in taking this action now is to protect the NHS, create the prospect of seeing some loved ones at Christmas and completing the journey to next spring with as few restrictions as possible and with the minimum impact on life and health."

The first minister turns to what you can and cannot do in a level four area.

So, if you find yourself in level four, what will you be permitted to do and not do?

• Find out here
• What level is your area in?

The first minister explains: "Level four is intended to be short and sharp."

The restrictions are specifically intended to have an impact in advance of Christmas, the most challenging winter period and for most of the Hanukkah period.

"We will assess nearer the time the level that will apply in each area when the level four restrictions end on 11 December."

Image source, Getty Images

The first minister explains in the seven days up to Friday, Scotland as a whole had just over 140 new cases of Covid per 100,000 people.

All of the areas moving to level four were above that level.

Test positivity for all of these areas, with the exception of West Dunbartonshire, was also above the average.

Stirling has experienced a particularly sharp increase in cases in the last week.

Ms Sturgeon says: "The infection rate in all of these areas remains stubbornly and worryingly high."

She says the public health expert advice is to move these areas to level four to bring down infection rates.

The level four restrictions will be in place for three weeks - and will be lifted on 11 December.

The council areas that will move to level four for a limited period from Friday are:

• The City of Glasgow
• Renfrewshire
• East Renfrewshire
• East Dunbartonshire
• West Dunbartonshire
• North Lanarkshire
• South Lanarkshire
• East Ayrshire
• South Ayrshire
• Stirling
• West Lothian

The City of Edinburgh, Clackmannanshire, Falkirk, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, Dundee, Fife, Perth & Kinross and Angus will all remain at level three for now.

"We are hopeful that these areas will move to level two soon," the first minister tells the chamber.

East Lothian and Midlothian have both seen a marked decline in infection rates

They will move from level three to level two from next Tuesday 24 November.

Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, the Borders, Dumfries & Galloway, and Argyll & Bute will all remain at level two.

There are particular concerns about quite sharp increases, albeit from a relatively low level, in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

The first minister makes the following plea to those living in level one and two areas.

"Please don’t assume that being in one of the lower levels means you can ease up."

The first minister highlights the local authorities that are remaining within their current level:

Orkney, Shetland, the Western Isles, Moray and the Highlands will remain in level one.

People in Moray and the Highlands are not to visit other people’s houses.

However, for all areas in level one, it will be permissible from Thursday to meet outdoors with up to eight people from a maximum of three households.

Image source, Getty Images

Keeping schools open is a priority, Ms Sturgeon says.

However, she says she will keep the guidance for schools – and how it is being implemented - under close review.

A further evidence paper on school safety will be published by the deputy first minister tomorrow.

Image source, Getty Images

The first minister says the restrictions are necessary:

• to ensure that the NHS can cope with the range of pressures it will face over the winter
• to ensure that hospital and ICU services are there for everyone who needs them
• to allow the easing of restrictions in all parts of Scotland for Christmas.
• this will increase the risks of transmission so the infection rates must be brought down to a lower baseline now

The guidance on travel restrictions will become law from Friday.

That means people living in level three or level four must not travel outside their own council area, except for certain essential purposes.

People living elsewhere in Scotland must not travel to level three or level four areas, except for essential purposes.

And there must be no non-essential travel between Scotland and other parts of the UK.

• 19 council areas will see no change to their levels this week.
• Two areas will move down from level three to level two.

• However, 11 local authorities will from 6pm on Friday, for a strictly limited period, move from level three to level four.

Image source, Getty Images

Ms Sturgeon tells the chamber the restrictions that have been in place in recent weeks - on household gatherings and hospitality - have made a difference.

The first minister insists they have slowed down the increase in cases considerably and helped to flatten the infection curve.

"So we have made progress, but the overall level of infection remains higher than we need it to be."

She highlights significant regional variation and says the situation in many areas has stabilised "at a stubbornly high level".

The level four restrictions will be in place for three weeks - and will be lifted on 11 December.

Image source, getty

Ms Sturgeon turns to the outcome of the Scottish government’s review of the Covid protection levels.

She says she will set out the decisions reached about the appropriate level of protection in each local authority area.

In reaching these decisions, the government has taken account of:

• case numbers and test positivity in different parts of Scotland
• the trends in each area
• the pace, or otherwise, of these trends
• assessment of what all of that might mean for hospital and ICU capacity

The government is today publishing the up-to-date and detailed data for each local authority area on the Scottish Government website.

The council areas that will move to level 4 for a limited period from Friday are: the City of Glasgow, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, East Dunbartonshire, West Dunbartonshire, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, East Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, Stirling and West Lothian.

Ms Sturgeon says that in all of these areas, "there are grounds for continued and significant concern".

East Lothian and Midlothian will move down from level three to level two from Tuesday 24 November.

The first minister says National Records of Scotland will publish its weekly report tomorrow.

Ms Sturgeon adds it is very likely the death toll with links to Covid-19 on that wider measure will this week pass 5,000.

"That is a sombre and deeply distressing milestone."