First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says new Covid cases fell by 31% in the week to 18 September
She says this is "a very encouraging trend" but warns against complacency and says the position remains "fragile"
On Tuesday, 2,870 new cases of Covid were reported - and a further 18 people who have tested positive have died
Ms Sturgeon also tells MSPs that the government has finalised its definition of nightclubs under the vaccine passports scheme
They must be open between midnight and 0500; serve alcohol after midnight; offer music for dancing; and have an area for dancing
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf also gives a statement on plans to bolster the NHS amid pressure on accident and emergency departments
He says 88 military staff will be called in as ambulance drivers, along with a further 15 support workers
The first minister closes by emphasising the steps all of us can take to get and keep the virus under control:
"Please stick with it – and let’s get cases down even further," Ms Sturgeon adds.
The NHS Covid Status App will be available for downloading from 30 September.
The app will provide a digital record of a user’s vaccination status - including a QR code for each vaccination a person has received.
It will be possible to request a paper copy of your vaccination record.
"We have been working in recent days to finalise the definition of nightclubs and similar settings," the first minister says.
She confirms the government's intention is that certification will be required for any venue that meets all of the following conditions:
1. it is open between midnight and 5am,
2. it serves alcohol after midnight,
3. it provides live or recorded music for dancing.
4. it has a designated space - which is actually in use - where dancing is permitted.
Ms Sturgeon stresses that certification will be required only if all four of those factors apply.
She also says detailed draft guidance will be published ahead of the regulations.
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Image source, EPAThe first minister turns to the Covid certification scheme.
Ms Sturgeon says the scheme will come into force at 5am on Friday 1 October.
It will apply to:
Ms Sturgeon says PCR tests and other “highly sensitive tests” are more effective at guarding against the risk of new variants than alternative tests.
But she adds that it is also desirable to have a four-nations approach to travel restrictions.
The first minister says: “We must recognise the reality, however difficult this may be for us, that if Scotland adopts more stringent requirements than England, then people living in Scotland, who want to go abroad, may decide to fly from airports based in England.
“In those circumstances, we would potentially face the economic cost of stricter travel rules, without gaining enough public health benefit to justify that economic cost.”
Ms Sturgeon says she will discuss the matter further with the chief medical officers and confirm her decision “in the next day or so”.
From 4 October, the range of countries covered by the eligible vaccinated traveller programme will be expanded by 17 to include nations such as Canada, Australia, Israel and New Zealand.
Ms Sturgeon says: “This change recognises the reliable standards of vaccine certification that apply in these countries – and will make it easier for people who have been fully vaccinated in those countries to travel to and from Scotland.”
She also highlights the changes to the traffic light which will see the green and amber lists merged from 4 October.
But she confirms the Scottish government has yet to take a decision on whether it will follow the UK government in changing the requirements on taking tests before and after international travel.
Quote MessageWe do have real concerns about easing the requirements on tests. That’s because we still need to guard against new variants of the virus being imported into the country - and also have a way of identifying quickly if a new variant does enter the country. Testing – both before someone’s departure to travel to Scotland, and soon after their arrival – can help us to do that. Without that, we will have much less ability to pick up the presence of new variants.
Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister
Image source, ReutersThe first minister turns to international travel.
From 0400 on Wednesday eight countries will be removed from the UK government’s red list.
They include Turkey, Egypt and the Maldives.
Ms Sturgeon says this means fully vaccinated travellers will not need to self-isolate when they return from those countries.
But people who are 18 or over, and have not been fully vaccinated, will still need to isolate for 10 days.
Image source, PA MediaTourism bodies are worried that visitors from overseas will be put off by the Covid testing requirements
Scotland's next tourism season is at "serious risk" because rigorous Covid testing requirements are being retained for international visitors, industry leaders have claimed.
Visitor testing rules are being relaxed in England but the Scottish government has raised health concerns.
The Scottish Tourism Alliance claims the divergence is harming its industry.
The Scottish government said it would be guided by clinical advice as well as economic implications.
The first minister urges us all to keep using measures such as the wearing of face coverings; good ventilation; and wherever possible, continued home working.
"The position does continue to be fragile," continues the first minister.
"The NHS is of course already under considerable pressure."
Ms Sturgeon says: "We would hope that the recent fall in cases will, over the next couple of weeks, start to ease the pressure that Covid is placing on the NHS."
Ms Sturgeon says the fall in new cases is "a very encouraging trend".
The first minister says the steepest fall in cases has been in the 20 to 24 age group.
Cases in that age group have fallen by around three quarters in the past three weeks.
The first minister begins as ever with today's statistics.
Ms Sturgeon says good progress continues to be made on the vaccination programme.
Image source, Getty ImagesNicola Sturgeon met emergency call handlers with the Scottish Ambulance Service in 2018
The first minister will now update the chamber on the coronavirus pandemic.
We expect travel rules and vaccinations to dominate today.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf will give a statement on the ambulance service after Nicola Sturgeon's update.
Image source, Getty ImagesThere have been reports of some people facing severe waits for an ambulance to arrive
The Scottish government has asked the MoD for military assistance for the country's ambulance service.
Nicola Sturgeon said health services were dealing with the most challenging combination of circumstances in their history due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Opposition politicians have highlighted a series of serious ambulance delays, including one where a man died after a 40-hour wait.
They said this should not be happening in Scotland in 2021.
The latest vaccination statistics have also been published.
They confirm:
Tuesday's daily coronavirus statistics have just been published, external by the Scottish government.
The main numbers:
Here's what we're covering today in the chamber:
Image source, Science Photo LibraryThe latest figures show waiting time performances in A&E departments in Scotland have reached a record low.
In the week to 12 September, just over 71% of patients were seen and discharged within the four-hour target.
The previous week the figure was more than 74%.
Later, Health Secretary Humza Yousaf is giving a statement to Holyrood, announcing steps to ease the crisis in the ambulance service.
Image source, Getty imagesThe military has helped health services across the UK over the course of the pandemic
The military has again been brought in to bolster the NHS front line in the battle against Covid - this time to help tackle what many are calling a "crisis" in the Scottish Ambulance Service.
Stories have emerged of patients with serious health issues waiting hours, sometimes days, for an ambulance - with emergency crews said to be under unprecedented pressure.
But shortages of doctors and nurses, high demand and growing hospital admissions means there is a bigger picture developing across the health service.
Welcome to BBC Scotland's Live Page coverage of the coronavirus pandemic on 21 September 2021.
We'll bring you extensive coverage of the first minister's update from 2.20pm and the statement on ambulances from her health secretary at 3.20pm.