Schools and nurseries will be the first places to reopen as soon as it is safe to do so, says the first minister.

The government is considering whether and to what extent it can vaccinate school and childcare staff as a priority.

Many teachers will be vaccinated over the coming weeks as part of the priority list, she points out.

If the evidence at the review point suggests some pupils can return safely, that will happen, Ms Sturgeon says.

But the best way to enable more pupils to return more quickly is by reducing community transmission of the virus as much as possible, she adds.

Explaining the decisions on schools, Nicola Sturgeon says there are two main factors behind the government's approach.

The first is that the overall level of community transmission is too high, and it needs to come down before schools can safely reopen, the first minister says.

The second reason is that there is still significant uncertainty about the impact of the new variant on transmission among young people.

The government will review on 18 January whether pupils can return to school on 1 February.

Image source, newsline media

Nicola Sturgeon announces that schools will remain closed to the majority of pupils until 1 February, a decision which will be reviewed in mid-January.

Schools were already preparing for remote learning from 11 January until 18 January, which will now be extended.

The change will apply to all pupils - except vulnerable children, and children of key workers. It includes nursery schools, as well as primary and secondary schools.

The first minister says that of all the difficult decisions she has had to take today, this was "the most difficult of all".

"It remains our priority to get school buildings open again for all pupils as quickly as possible and then keep them open," she adds.

Image source, Getty Images

Ms Sturgeon reveals that places of worship must close during this period with the exception of broadcasting a service, or conducting a funeral or wedding.

She says that "while up to 20 people will still be able to attend funeral services, wakes will not be possible during January".

A maximum of five people will be able to attend wedding and civil partnership services.

Image source, PA Media

Strict travel restrictions remain in place across Scotland, says the first minister.

If you live in a level four area - that is most people in Scotland - you cannot leave your home except for an essential purpose.

When you do go out, stay as close to home as possible and stay away from crowded places, says Ms Sturgeon.

No-one is allowed to travel into or out of Scotland unless it is for an essential purpose, she adds.

Ms Sturgeon adds that if people were shielding and cannot work from home, they should not go into work at all. The chief medical officer will write to those concerned.

She also reveals changes to meeting outdoors. She says that the frequency of outdoor exercise will not be limited but the rule on outdoor gatherings will change.

From tomorrow, a maximum of two people from up to two households will be able to meet outside.

Children aged 11 and under won't be counted in that limit, and they will also be able to play outdoors in larger groups, including organised gatherings.

But - she adds - everyone else including 12 to 17-year-olds - can only exercise outdoors in a way which is consistent with the two people from two households rule.

Image source, Getty Images

The FM says anyone who is able to work from home must do so. It will only be a reasonable excuse to travel to work if it cannot be done from home.

She asks that people and businesses take the new law as seriously as in March last year.

She says the situation is "at least as serious now as it was then".

She asks every business to look again at their operations, and to make sure that every single function that can be done by people working at home, is being done in that way.

Image source, Thinkstock

The first minister says she is "more concerned now than I have been at any time since March" about the state of the virus in Scotland.

In the week from 23 December, the seven-day rate increased by 65%, from 135 per 100,000, to 225 per 100,000.

Ms Sturgeon says when the latest figures for hospital patients and people in intensive care are published tomorrow, she expects them to be close to the April peak.

Lisa Summers
BBC Scotland Health Correspondent

Image source, PA Media

The NHS has coped so far in Scotland - more so than many other parts of the UK.

But in places like Glasgow and Lanarkshire it has been very, very tight. And here like everywhere else staff are bracing themselves for the post-Christmas effects of rising cases.

The first minister gave some stark figures on hospital and ICU occupancy – suggesting we are just weeks away from reaching limits.

There is so little give in the system they will be glad to see everything possible done to prevent stretched services being overwhelmed at a time when we are on our way to getting out the other side.

There is real anxiety about what the next few weeks might bring.

Nicola Sturgeon confirms that from tomorrow, for the duration of January, she will introduce a legal requirement to stay at home except for essential purposes.

She says this is similar to the lockdown of March last year.

Nicola Sturgeon says there is "compelling evidence" that the new variant is 70% more transmissible, and may add as much as 0.7 to the R number.

The new variant already accounts for almost half the new cases in Scotland. says the first minister.

The latest figures illustrate the "very serious spread" of the virus and the seriousness of the situation, she adds.

A further 1,905 people have tested positive for Covid-19, 15% of the 13,810 new tests carried out yesterday.

That's a drop in the total number of new cases but positivity rates remain very high.

No new deaths were reported today but the first minister says 289 deaths have been recorded in the daily figures since she last updated Parliament.

The Scottish government will provide updated information on the number of deaths that have been reported over the holiday period tomorrow.

People in Scotland are to be ordered to stay at home until the end of January amid a fresh Covid-19 lockdown.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said new curbs would be introduced at midnight in a bid to contain the new, faster-spreading strain of the virus.

Image source, PA

The Scottish Parliament has been recalled for an urgent statement on the developing coronavirus situation.

Nicola Sturgeon is about to address the chamber and is expected to reveal further measures to suppress the spread of the virus.

We will be following her statement live.

Glenn Campbell
BBC Scotland Political Editor

• New restrictions to tackle rising cases of coronavirus are expected to be announced by Nicola Sturgeon when the first minister makes an emergency statement to the Scottish Parliament this afternoon
• There were an additional 2,464 new cases reported on Sunday
• People in Scotland have begun receiving doses of the second (Oxford-AstraZeneca) Covid vaccine to be approved in the UK
• UK PM Boris Johnson has said there is "no question" the government will announce stricter measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus "in due course".

Image source, PA Media

Good afternoon and welcome to BBC Scotland's rolling coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in Scotland this Monday, 4 January 2021.

Nicola Sturgeon will be making a statement to the recalled Scottish Parliament this afternoon.

The first minister is expected to outline tougher restrictions to control growing coronavirus cases, with the possibility of a further delay to the return of Scottish schools and rules closer to the first, stay-at-home lockdown.

You can follow the latest developments right here and watch live by clicking on one of the tabs above - for coverage on BBC One Scotland or the BBC Scotland channel.