• People in Scotland are legally required to stay at home, except for essential purposes, until the end of January amid a fresh lockdown
• The new restrictions will come into force at midnight tonight in a bid to contain the new, faster-spreading strain of the virus

• Nicola Sturgeon says there is "compelling evidence" that the new variant - which accounts for almost half the new cases in Scotland - is 70% more transmissible, and may add as much as 0.7 to the R number
• A further 1,905 people have tested positive for Covid-19, 15% of the new tests carried out yesterday

• Schools will remain closed to the majority of pupils until 1 February, with remote learning - due to start on 11 January - extended by at least two more weeks
• There will be a review on 18 January as to whether schools can reopen on 1 February
• From Tuesday, a maximum of two people from up to two households will be able to meet outside, although children aged 11 and under won't be counted in that limit
• No-one is allowed to leave a level four area - or travel in or out of Scotland - except for an essential purpose
• Places of worship must close, with the exception of funeral services (up to a maximum of 20 people) and weddings (maximum of five)
• Nicola Sturgeon says the current expectation is that by early May everyone over 50, and people under 50 with specific underlying conditions, will have received at least their first dose of Covid vaccine

Douglas Fraser
Scotland business & economy editor

Glenn Campbell
BBC Scotland Political Editor

These are the toughest restrictions Scotland has faced since the lockdown of March 2020.

It is - once again - becoming compulsory to stay at home except for essential purposes like food shopping, exercise and medical care.

The extended closure of schools to most pupils is something the Scottish government was particularly keen to avoid.

These decisions are a measure of how worried ministers are about the rapid spread of the new variant of coronavirus, which is fast becoming the dominant strain.

Image source, PA Media

With 225 cases per 100,000 people, Scotland is thought to be about four weeks behind London, which already has four times as many cases and NHS services under considerable pressure.

The Scottish government believes that without further action the NHS here would run out of beds for Covid patients within a month.

This new alert comes at the start of a new year which also brings new hope for a route out of the pandemic with two vaccines now beginning to offer protection.

Around 100,000 doses have already been administered in Scotland but it is likely to take several months to reach all in the most vulnerable groups.

Image source, PA Media

Parents campaign group Us For Them Scotland has criticised the schools decision, arguing that keeping children at home in this period will do more harm than good.

The group said it was "the news parents across Scotland have been dreading".

They said that for many parents, especially those in shift work or on low incomes, it could mean falling into poverty and that the damage being done to the lives of young people was significant.

Scottish Lib-Dems leader Willie Rennie says there will be a "price to pay" for the new restrictions in terms of mental health and wellbeing, and loss of in-school education. But it would "be a tragedy" if the NHS was overwhelmed and more lives were lost when protection from new vaccines is "in touching distance".

He asks what advice the first minister can give to working parents - who are not classified as key workers - about what support and childcare is available for them.

Nicola Sturgeon agrees there is a price that will be paid for some time to come - in Scotland, the UK and the world - but there will be a much bigger price if we don't act now and get the virus under control.

She says she is not going to insult the intelligence of parents - "this is a really difficult situation" - and the government will do everything it can to help.

Key worker provision is the first part of that, Ms Sturgeon says, with the possibility of more informal childcare if there are no other alternatives, as well as working with businesses to make sure they help parents.

The government is also looking at what further, additional resources it can provide to help those who need it, she adds.

Image source, Reuters

One of the country's biggest teachers' union has backed the decision to keep schools closed until at least 1 February.

The NASUWT is the first to respond to the announcement.

It said that it was now vital that in reviewing the closure of schools, the Scottish government should continue to be guided by the medical and scientific evidence on the impact of the new variant, with the priority the safety, health and welfare of children, young people and school staff.

There have been 136,498 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Scotland and 4,578 people have died following a positive test for the virus, according to Scottish government figures, although the figures for deaths have not been available in recent days.

Read more here

Image source, Getty Images

Patrick Harvie, co-convener of the Scottish Greens, says everyone will find the new restrictions "regrettable" but the vast majority of people will recognise they are necessary.

He says parents, particularly single parents, struggled with home learning the first time, and calls for a "practical package of support" for parents and employers when it resumes next week.

Mr Harvie asks whether the first minister agrees that more clarity is needed on the impact on transmission of the new variant among young people before decisions can be made on whether it is safe to fully reopen schools.

Nicola Sturgeon says she agrees that is the case, but she has been satisfied at every stage so far that schools could safely reopen, based on scientific advice.

That has changed for the two reasons she set out earlier - the higher rates of community transmission, and uncertainty over how the new variant affects transmission among young people.

Ms Sturgeon points out, however, that at the moment "there is no evidence at all that this strain of the virus is leading to more severe illness among young people".

It is the uncertainty around how quickly it can be transmitted that is the issue, she adds.

Image source, PA Media

Asked about changed guidance on the spacing out of vaccine dosage by Richard Leonard, Ms Sturgeon says she is not clinically qualified and relies on advisers to give advice on dosing.

She says the new plan "allows us to vaccinate more people with a significant degree of immunity more quickly than the original strategy".

She says that in the current race we are in, and the circumstances we face, she thinks if it is a safe strategy then it is incumbent on politicians to follow that advice.

Image source, getty

Mr Leonard continues his theme on support for working people and brings up the £500 grant for low-income workers who have to self-isolate.

He says only 23% of people who applied for the payment in December received it. He says with rising infection rates, more people will have to self-isolate, so how will this payment system be improved?

Ms Sturgeon says the payment is tied to entitlement to benefits. She will continue to look at improving support and how it reaches people.

She highlights the range of grants made available to those on low incomes but she will continue to set out additional resources.

Image source, PA Media

Liz Cameron from the Scottish Chambers of Commerce has said that while she "fully appreciated" the need for the Scottish government to act, the direct impact on businesses and livelihoods could not be ignored.

She urged Scottish ministers to provide a "springboard to private sector recovery" when the latest restrictions are lifted.

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard focuses on school closures.

He says the issue is not about school buildings being open, but what preparation has been made for the continuation of children's education. He asks if the remote learning materials "we were promised were ready in July are ready now, six months later". He also asks if there is support for working parents who need time off to look after children.

The FM responds by saying "significant steps" have been taken in online learning with the national e-learning offer - a programme with improved provision for live lessons, recorded lessons and supported learning.

She says they will continue to improve provision on an ongoing basis and reiterates that they will aim to keep school closures to as short a period as possible.

She adds that businesses are being encouraged to do everything they can to support working from home.

Image source, Getty Images

Nicola Sturgeon says well over 100,000 people have now received their first Covid vaccine, with the first doses of the Astra Zeneca vaccine being administered today.

The first minister expects over 900,000 vaccine doses - split roughly equally between the Pfizer and Astra Zeneca vaccines - to be administered by the end of January, but hopes that figure can be increased.

Some of the Astra Zeneca portion will be available only in the last week of January, she says.

"We do not yet have certainty on supply schedules beyond January but will keep Parliament updated as these become firmer," she adds.

The current expectation is that by early May everyone over 50, and people under 50 with specific underlying conditions, will have received at least their first dose of vaccine, which comprises more than 2.5 million people, Ms Sturgeon says.

Once everyone on the priority list has been vaccinated, we will start vaccinating the rest of the population, she adds.

Ms Davidson says today's announcement underscores the need for a comprehensive test and trace system.

She repeats Scottish government promises for testing hubs and asks why actual tests carried out are well below half the 65,000 test capacity.

The first minister says the number of tests carried out is demand-driven. She says the capacity and demand for testing will not always match.

She adds that some asymptomatic lateral flow testing does not show up in figures and adds that the test and protect system remains a priority - but that the vaccine programme becomes increasingly important over the next period.

She says an Edinburgh testing lab is due to open shortly.

Ruth Davidson responds first for the Scottish Conservatives.

She says the increase in infections gives "grave cause for concern" and it is "hard news at a hard time when the resilience of people has been worn down".

She says many will be dismayed by the plans, in particular parents of school children. She asks what further steps are being taken to ensure Scottish pupils continue to get access to high-quality education.

The FM agrees this is hard news for pupils to hear and says the decisions are not taken lightly and says she "agonises" over them.