• The first minister confirmed Scotland will start to vaccinate children aged between 12 and 15 as quickly as possible if experts recommend it
• No Covid deaths have been registered in the past 24 hours, with a further 695 people testing positive
• Half of the adult population has now received a second dose of the vaccine, with around 75% having received the first dose
• Nicola Sturgeon says the clinical advice on soft play centres continues to pose a risk, despite claims that the ruling is inconsistent compared to the approved Euro 2020 fan zone
• People will be allowed to bring food into Hampden for Euro 2020 games, but talks on drinks are still ongoing
• The FM confirmed she will set out possible further easing of restrictions on 21 June

How many people can meet in private homes (not public places)?published at 15:33 British Summer Time 8 June 2021

15:33 BST 8 June 2021

Question from Mary in East Lothian

Image source, Getty Images

East Lothian is in level one. You can check which area your local authority is in here, external.

Under level one and level two rules, the maximum number of people who can meet socially indoors in private homes is six, from up to three households.

Children under 12 from these households do not count towards the total number of people permitted to meet. However, they do count towards the number of households.

You do not need to social distance in a private home, but you should still take the following precautions:

• keep rooms well ventilated by opening windows and doors
• minimise the number of meetings you have with people from other households each day
• keep cleaning your hands and shared surfaces
• do not share food or utensils

There's more information about what's allowed in each level here. , external

Image source, Getty Images

Finlay Carson (Conservatives) brings up the backlog in driving tests.

He says public transport in his Galloway and West Dumfries constituency is so poor that young people need driving licences to access work and there are concerns in hospitality and agriculture where employees are hard to find.

He says the DVSA say capacity at most theory sites is still at 50% and he asks if the FM would consider relaxing rules.

Nicola Sturgeon says she understands the frustration at disruption and that it is a "right of passage" for young people to sit driving tests. She says she will continue to look at the issue to see how quickly capacity can be increased and promises the transport minister will keep MSPs updated.

She later says she wants to prioritise recovery for areas that impact young people as much as she can.

Image source, Getty Images

Bob Doris, from the SNP, says he has been contacted by a small number of constituents in Glasgow who have waited 12 weeks without getting the second dose of the Covid vaccine.

The first minister says this is an "important issue" which the government is working with health boards on.

She says, where supplies allow, the government wants to bring the 12-week target forward to eight weeks but there will "always be a small number" who wait longer than 12 weeks for a variety of reasons.

However, receiving the second dose after 12 weeks "doesn't pose a clinical risk", she says, and there is "no need to recommence the whole vaccination cycle".

Image source, SNS

The SNP's Stuart McMillan asks if food stalls will be open at Hampden during Euro 2020 games.

Ms Sturgeon says these will not be operating to ensure physical distancing takes place when people are moving around the stadium.

However, she says fans will be allowed to take food inside the stadium as they could be there for several hours before and after games - although discussions regarding drinks is ongoing.

Image source, PA Media

Conservatives MSP Annie Wells moves to schools and says recent figures show fewer than one in every 20 pupils in S3-S6 took part in the Covid testing programme and that rates of asymptomatic testing in Glasgow were among the lowest in the country despite being at the centre of an outbreak.

She says if school pupils are driving infections in Scotland, how is the testing regime being pushed.

The first minister says an adequate testing regime is in place but pupils cannot be forced to take tests. She says MSPs can encourage young people in their constituencies to take part.

Image source, Getty Images

Labour's Jackie Baillie asks about vaccinating children. She speaks of a young girl, who has missed school due to illness.

She asks if the first minister will commit to vaccinating 12 to15-year-olds before schools return in August - and will she prioritise vulnerable young people.

Ms Sturgeon says she would love to give that commitment but it is for the experts to decide whether and in what order children should be vaccinated.

She also cannot commit to a timeframe due to the supply of vaccines. Only Pfizer would be used for children and the FM says "supplies are not limitless".

She says the JCVI may dictate an order for vaccinating children.

Image source, Getty Images

Patrick Harvie from the Scottish Greens asks about global vaccination, and the race between the vaccine and the virus.

He says "we will only be safe when everybody is safe". He asks if the first minister supports Unicef's call for more donations from richer countries and how Scotland's voice can be added.

The FM says she does support the Unicef letter sent to G7 leaders and hopes an agreement comes from the G7 summit to speed up global vaccination.

She says we need to seek to make sure supplies are distributed equitably and avoid "false choices" - giving the example that in the UK it is "not a choice between vaccinating children and supporting other countries' programmes".

"We all have a part to play" she says.

Can we travel to stay with a friend in Dumfries and Galloway, from England?published at 15:10 British Summer Time 8 June 2021

15:10 BST 8 June 2021

Question from David in Cheshire

Image source, Getty Images

It depends where in England you are travelling from.

You should not travel to Scotland if you are travelling from Bedford, Blackburn with Darwen, or Bolton - due to the Covid outbreaks in these areas (unless it's for a permitted reason, external).

Providing you're not travelling from one of these areas, then it's okay to travel to Dumfries and Galloway - which is in level one.

In level one, overnight stays are allowed too.

• Read more about the rules in level one areas here., external

Image source, Getty Images

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar asks if restrictions will be further eased by 28 June and whether the vaccination programme will be further ramped up.

Ms Sturgeon says the constraining factor for the vaccine programme is still supply, but that the speed of delivery is "very fast".

"We will speed that up as much as supplies allow us to do," she says.

She also confirms she will set out whether further restrictions will ease on 21 June.

Image source, Getty Images

Scottish Lib Dems leader Willie Rennie reiterates the call he made last week for the reopening of services for vulnerable adults.

He says since last week "nothing has changed" and unpaid carers are "getting desperate", as they have not had a break since the pandemic began.

The FM says "no minister in government is standing in the way" of these services reopening, but she will get health ministers to re-examine the issue to see if it is possible to speed things up.

She confirms the government will issue more permissive guidance and examine whether it is possible to have more distinction in the guidance between different levels.

Lid Dem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton earlier raised a question about whether preparations are in place for a potential spike in infections following the Euro 2020 tournament.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said that all the mitigations in place at Glasgow Green - reduced capacity, social-distancing, table service, no alcoholic spirits served on match days - mean it has been designated a "low-risk event".

Image source, Getty Images

Scottish Conservatives leader Douglas Ross marks the six-month anniversary of the first vaccination in Scotland, thanking all those involved in the programme.

He asks for evidence to support Scottish government claims that the NHS could be put under pressure due to rising cases.

He mentions soft play centres, hospitality, restrictions on weddings and nursery graduations and asks the first minister to explain why 6,000 people can attend a fan zone without mandatory testing while other rules remain so strict.

Nicola Sturgeon says that decisions require judgement and the ability to make calls that "people don't want to hear".

She says planning is already under way to extend vaccinations to children if the JCVI approves the go-ahead to offering the jab to over-12s.

She says it is indeed the case that rising cases could lead to a burden on the NHS and says the numbers of hospitalisations, intensive care admissions and deaths are published every day.

The FM says as long as a proportion of the population is not vaccinated, we run the risk of them becoming ill and needing hospital treatment.

On soft play, Ms Sturgeon says clinical advice says the indoor environment continues to pose a risk. She points out that level one areas do allow soft plays to open.

Now that the vaccine has been approved for teenagers, can those living with someone clinically vulnerable be vaccinated?published at 14:50 British Summer Time 8 June 2021

14:50 BST 8 June 2021

Question from Karen in Fife

Image source, Getty Images

At present, there is no routine vaccination of under-18s against Covid in the UK.

However, current advice is that 16 to 18-years-old who are in a priority group, or who live in the same house as someone who is extremely vulnerable, should be offered a Covid vaccine.

The Pfizer vaccine was approved to be given to children aged 12-15 last week by the UK's regulator of medicines, the MHRA.

But it will be up to the UK's vaccines committee, the JCVI, to decide whether 12 to 15-year olds should be offered the jab.

This panel, made up of independent expert clinicians and scientists, will now advise government on whether this age group should be vaccinated as part of the UK rollout.

And they will also provide advice on who should be prioritised, given the supply.

Nicola Sturgeon said during this afternoon's address to parliament that planning was already under way to deliver the vaccine to children within the age group in anticipation of the JCVI recommending it.

"We will move to implement any such advice as quickly as possible," she added.

Ms Sturgeon says there is a "need for continued caution".

Hospital admissions have doubled in the past month and this trend "will continue" if cases keep rising, she says.

Her top priority is the "speed at which we can vaccinate people".

She finishes her update with three key requests:

• Get tested regularly, self-isolate if you test positive
• Get vaccinated and attend for both doses
• Continue to stick to the rules and follow public health advice

Ms Sturgeon says it remains "absolutely crucial" that we continue to vaccinate adults.

She says that, in the past week, cases have increased by roughly 50%.

In the past seven days, there has been an increase of 5,475 new cases, which is a rise from 3,728 in the previous seven-day period.

She says much of this is due to the easing of restrictions and also the Delta variant, which is more transmissible.

However, the first minister says now that more than half the adult population have received two doses, this promotes optimism.

She says vaccination may be reducing hospitalisations and overall may be giving us more scope to ease restrictions.

As a young person in the 18-29 age group, how long will it be before we get the vaccine?published at 14:39 British Summer Time 8 June 2021

14:39 BST 8 June 2021

Question from Jamie in Edinburgh

The government's target is for all adults in the UK to be offered a first dose by the end of July.

Official figures published on Tuesday showed that 26.5% of people in this age group had received one dose, and 13.9% had received a second dose.

And 76.5% of everyone in Scotland over 18 had received one jab, with 51.4% receiving both doses.

Image source, Getty Images

The FM confirms that she will "move as quickly as practically possible" to implement the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, if they recommend using the Pfizer vaccine on 12 to 15-year-olds.

She says it was "really good news" that the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) had approved the vaccine for use on the age group and it "may well be important in minimising disruption to schooling".

Nicola Sturgeon confirms there will be no immediate changes to Covid levels.

She highlights it has been six months since the first vaccine was administered, saying the "progress has been remarkable".

Almost 75% of the adult population has received a first dose of the vaccine and almost half has two doses, she adds.

As of 07:30 today, 3,403,866 people had received their first dose of the vaccine, an increase of 17,545 since yesterday.

In addition, 30,944 received their second dose.

Overall, a total of 2,282,203 people have received second doses, or 50% of the adult population.