• No changes have been made to Scotland's Covid-19 alert levels
• Nicola Sturgeon says 11 areas will remain in level four, with the harshest restrictions, until 11 December
• Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire remain at level two for the moment
• The first minister confirms home visits for Highland and Moray are being considered
• Changes to eligibility for self-isolation support grants are due to come in on Monday

• The latest figures reveal a further 754 people have tested positive for Covid-19 - that's 7.3% of the total number of tests carried out
• A further 34 people who tested positive have had their deaths registered, taking the total by that measure to 3,759
• Debenhams stores are set to close after the failure of last-ditch efforts to rescue the ailing store chain
• Health and care workers in Scotland are to be given a £500 payment as a "thank you" for their work during the pandemic

That's all from the live page team today. Please take care and stay safe.

Edward Mountain, MSP for the Highlands and Islands region, asks whether the first minister will consider allowing home visits in the Highlands and Moray.

He argues that the area has similar low levels of Covid-19 to Shetland, Orkney and Western Isles, where indoor visiting is allowed.

Nicola Sturgeon confirms the government is considering whether to allow indoor visits in those areas and will confirm any changes at next week’s review.

Tory MSP Jamie Greene says Renfrewshire has been under heightened restrictions since 14 September.

Mr Greene says two months in, it still has the highest weekly infection rate in Scotland, is double the national average and is reducing at half the rate.

He asks what is not working and what is being done about it.

The first minister replies: "Renfrewshire has been one of these areas that remained at stubbornly high levels, which is why it was put into level four."

Ms Sturgeon points out the last seven days of data show case numbers are down in Renfrewshire by 16% which is "bang on the national average".

"We are starting to see signs of that reduction in Renfrewshire," she adds.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie says the first minister is unable to explain the reasons for the increase in cases in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, and asks when the tracing system will be able to tell us what is going on.

Mr Rennie also asks when families will be allowed to see their loved ones in care homes before Christmas.

Nicola Sturgeon says she has been able to look at very detailed data in Aberdeen, because Test and Protect is working well.

The first minister says the government needs to understand whether cases associated with large outbreaks – such as in a meat-processing plant - have been contained.

Cases are coming down largely because of public compliance, but also because Test and Protect is working, she says.

On care homes, guidance has been set out by Health Secretary Jeane Freeman, she adds, with the intention of normalising visiting as far as possible.

Patrick Harvie is concerned that reducing the restrictions next week and over Christmas may lead to an inevitable sharp increase in Covid cases in January.

The Scottish Green Party co-convener asks about compliance with level four restrictions, adding he has heard of constituents being forced to do door-to-door marketing.

He asks if the first minister agrees employers should be extremely cautious about this type of activity which should not be deemed as essential.

The first minister replies: "I would agree with that in general terms, but in the absence of detail about which companies and precisely what Patrick Harvie is talking about there, I will avoid going into specifics."

Ms Sturgeon says she is happy to look into this if more detail is provided.

She says in general terms compliance is "good and strong".

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard says that while the £500 bonus for NHS and health care workers is a "welcome gesture", it will be "of little comfort" to key workers in other parts of the public sector.

Pointing to the collapse of Debenhams and Topshop owner Arcadia, he also says retail workers need reassurances over their jobs and asks what assessment has been made of level four restrictions on the sector.

Nicola Sturgeon says no payment "can ever properly express our gratitude" to NHS workers, but the bonus is "a small but important way of doing that”.

The first minister says all sorts of workers have gone beyond the call of duty in the last nine months, but the contribution of the NHS workforce is "worthy of particular recognition".

Decisions over restrictions on retail "can’t be avoided", says Ms Sturgeon. The government will continue to work with the sector on a recovery plan, she adds.

Ruth Davidson, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives in Holyrood, asks when a decision will be taken on whether the forthcoming school holidays over the Christmas period might be extended, as recent reports suggest.

Ms Davidson says parents and workers need "relevant information in good time", in order to plan ahead.

Nicola Sturgeon says the Scottish government will confirm the conclusions of its deliberations "as soon as we have concluded them".

The first minister says the issue is not straightforward, that there are good arguments either way, and decisions have to be driven by the latest evidence.

She hopes to set out conclusions "sometime over the course of this week", she adds.

Image source, Scottish government

The first minister urges everyone to stick to the rules and guidelines.

Outside of the three island authorities, none of us should meet in each other’s homes.

Here's the other rules and guidelines, including travel restrictions:

1. Scottish government: Coronavirus (COVID-19): what you can and cannot do, external

View guidance for the festive period, external. Full guidance and latest figures on the main Coronavirus page, external.

2. Guidance for students returning home, external

3. Postcode checker, external for COVID restrictions by protection level in areas of Scotland

4. NHS Inform, external

The latest from NHS Scotland and the Scottish government, including social distancing, face covering and stay at home advice

Image source, Getty Images

Ms Sturgeon reiterates: "We remain hopeful that even before Christmas, we will be able to start vaccinating people in Scotland against Covid."

The first minister adds that the Cabinet reviewed the plans for vaccination this morning.

She confirms: "We are ready to begin that process as soon we receive the first supplies of vaccine.

"And we hope that by the spring, a significant proportion of the people who are most vulnerable to Covid will have been vaccinated.

"Vaccination, over time, will help us all to return to a more normal pattern of life."

Image source, Getty Images

Ms Sturgeon highlights the continued expansion of the testing programme.

The mass testing of students has started, with all students who are planning to return home for Christmas advised to take two lateral flow tests a few days apart, says the first minister.

In addition, testing is now available for people without symptoms of Covid in several communities across Scotland which have had high levels of the virus.

Test sites opened yesterday in Dalmarnock and Pollokshields in Glasgow; in Stewarton in East Ayrshire; and in Girvan in South Ayrshire.

Another site opens tomorrow in Johnston, Renfrewshire.

Read more on this story.

The first minister goes on to talk about changes to eligibility for self-isolation support grants due to begin on Monday.

They mean that potentially eligible individuals no longer have to be receiving universal credit to claim the payment – if their local authority believes that they would qualify for the credit if they applied.

In addition, the grants are now available for people on low incomes who have to stay at home while their children are self-isolating, and who would otherwise lose out as a result of that.

Image source, Getty Images

Ms Sturgeon turns to Dumfries and Galloway which will remain in level two.

The data there is indicative of a move to level one soon. However, the concern at the moment, in addition to general winter factors, is that it is bordered by areas with significant higher levels of infection, she says.

In terms of level three, Angus, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Fife, Inverclyde, Midlothian, North Ayrshire, and Perth & Kinross will remain there for now.

Ms Sturgeon reiterates 11 local authority areas will remain in level four for one further week.

These are Glasgow City, East and West Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire, North and South Lanarkshire, East and South Ayrshire, Stirling and West Lothian.

The first minister says the government will continue to look carefully at Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

Cases in both these local authority areas have increased sharply in the last week - by 68% in Aberdeen, and by 42% in Aberdeenshire.

That means their case numbers – although still below the nationwide average – are higher than in some level 3 areas such as Angus.

Case positivity has also increased in both areas.

The first minister explains that there is a need to understand more deeply the extent to which these increases are driven by specific outbreaks, for example food processing and care settings, versus a wider and more general rise in community transmission.

Ms Sturgeon says she has asked that the data for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire be considered in more depth, adding "we have decided to await this further analysis before reaching a conclusion".

Ms Sturgeon insists: "The sacrifices everyone is making are making a difference."

She says they are protecting the NHS and saving lives.

However, the level of the virus overall is still higher than it needs to be, the first minister adds, as she urges "continued caution".

Ms Sturgeon goes on to say the Cabinet has concluded that the Scottish government will not make any changes to the levels this week.

The level four restrictions in place in 11 local authority areas will be lifted a week on Friday - on 11 December.

Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire are to remain in level two of Scotland's Covid-19 alert levels, despite a recommendation from public health officials that the area should move up to level three.

The first minister says the latest data shows that the restrictions in place are having an impact.

Ms Sturgeon says idependent estimates continue to place Scotland’s R number slightly below 1 - which again suggests that infections are declining.

There is also a fall in the number of people in hospital and ICU with Covid.

"I can say with some confidence that we are making progress," adds the first minister.

The first minister confirms the Scottish government is not proposing any immediate changes today to the Covid-19 alert levels.