The headlines:

• The self-isolation rules in Scotland have been reduced from 10 days to seven - providing people record two negative lateral flow tests and have no symptoms
• Testing advice has also changed - people do not have to book a PCR test if they produce a positive lateral flow result - instead, they should just begin isolating
• 16,103 new Covid cases were recorded across Scotland on Tuesday

• Tomorrow's figures will likely surpass one million total cases in Scotland since the pandemic began
• A further £55m in support funding has been announced for businesses including taxi drivers and hairdressers

• School pupils are being asked to resume taking a lateral flow test twice a week - the same goes for university and college students, who are also asked to test before mixing with other households
• The Conservatives claim the Scottish government's delay in changing isolation rules made Scotland an "outlier" in the UK while Labour and the Lib Dems called on Nicola Sturgeon to publish the data she was using to make decisions

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Scottish Conservative MSP Maurice Golden says the restrictions on large gatherings, which are currently in place until 17 January, are "perilously close" to the Six Nations rugby tournament.

He asks if fans can book tickets and whether the hospitality industry can prepare for the tournament.

The first minister says everything has to be monitored on a "closer-time basis" and adds: "It is really difficult, particularly at this phase of the virus, to be certain about the future."

But Ms Sturgeon goes on to say that she hopes the restrictions will not be in place beyond 17 January and that the matches will go ahead in front of supporters.

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Dr Liz Cameron, chief executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, believes the changes should have a "positive impact".

She says: "Greater alignment and an enhanced four-nations approach towards testing is a positive step in the right direction and many businesses who were struggling due to staff shortages will now be able to open their doors again.”

Dr Cameron also calls for a "clear end date" for the current working from home requirements.

Business representatives have welcomed the changes to Scotland's self-isolation rules

David Lonsdale, director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, says companies continue to report increased but manageable staff absence levels.

He adds: "The decision to follow Wales and England and shorten Scotland’s self-isolation period is welcome and should help ease the level of staff absences in retail and its wider supply chain.”

Matthew Fell, CBI chief policy director for Scotland, says the level of absences through self-isolation is "starting to bite" across the economy.

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The SNP's Neil Gray asks the FM to outline what support is available to private nurseries and to clarify the guidance for testing children under the age of five.

He says some nurseries "appear to require proof of a negative PCR test for attendance".

Ms Sturgeon says her government will continue to support all early years settings and that today's changes to self-isolation rules will help with staffing problems.

She says children under five are required to get a test where they have Covid symptoms.

However, if they are only close contacts of someone who tests positive, then testing is encouraged but not required.

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Oliver Mundell from the Conservatives asks what resources are being made available to keep schools open.

In particular, he asks about additional non-classroom committed teachers and electronic devices for every pupil.

He says what has happened in schools "makes a mockery" of the first minister's promise to make education a priority.

The FM says there are now 2,000 more teachers than before the pandemic and that her government has "done what we’ve said we would" do in terms of electronic devices - "starting with those in most deprived circumstances".

She adds that guidance was issued before Christmas on other things schools could do to minimise disruption - such as minimising contact and time restrictions on visitors.

The FM says the Scottish negotiating committee for teachers also agreed on contingency plans such as combining classes and temporarily relocating teachers.

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Scottish Labour MSP Jackie Baillie says Deputy First Minister John Swinney yesterday cited data from the Office for National Statistics to highlight "how much better we are doing in Scotland" due to the restrictions.

But Ms Baillie says the data used covered the period up to 23 December - when the rules were largely the same in Scotland and England and before the new restrictions took effect.

She asks if the first minister would agree that it is essential ministers do not "spin statistics" and weaken public confidence.

Ms Sturgeon says the figures cited by Mr Swinney were the most up-to-date data available at that time.

She adds that she would urge "significant caution" about the seven-day rolling average of cases in any part of the UK up to 3 January due to factors such as the festive period and testing availability.

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Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton asks the first minister if she agrees that transparency of data is important - referring to how the government has yet to publish an analysis of hospitalisations.

He also claims that testing in Scotland is "significantly down" on last year with less than 50,000 PCR tests done per day.

The FM argues she is not trying to hide any data and that Public Health Scotland are working to make sure the information is reliable.

She says she does not accept that testing is down, saying that the UK government labs do 50,000 tests in Scotland per day plus NHS Scotland has a capacity of 32,000 per day.

The labs in Scotland are currently suffering from staff absences due to Covid, Ms Sturgen adds, which has contributed to a "fluctuation" in the number of tests done per day.

Mr Sarwar highlights issues around PCR capacity and the supply of lateral flow tests.

The first minister says with high community transmission there will be "periodically" pressure on the testing system.

She says work is under way on a four nations basis to resolve and flex capacity as far as possible.

Ms Sturgeon adds there is no issue with lateral flow tests in Scotland at the moment and PCR test turnarounds have "become much shorter again".

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar welcomes the changes to the self-isolation rules and the support for businesses who have been hit hard by the pandemic.

He then asks the first minister to share the data that the Scottish government is basing its Covid decisions on.

Ms Sturgeon says she has not seen the full Scottish data yet on Omicron but adds she has been assured Public Health Scotland will publish the first results of its analysis on Friday.

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Mr Ross repeatedly calls on the first minister to publish the clinical advice she received this week and last to demonstrate the reason behind the change on self-isolation rules.

He also criticises the deputy first minister John Swinney for making what he says were "petty political points" with out-of-date statistics comparing Scotland's Covid rates with England's.

Ms Sturgeon says she will continue to publish as much data and evidence as possible "providing there is a confidence in the robustness of that data".

She agrees with Mr Ross that virus rates are "not a competition" but says statistics regularly change.

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross asks the first minister why it took so long for Scotland to change its self-isolation rules when other parts of the UK had already done so.

Ms Sturgeon says she makes no apology for considering the matter "very carefully" and says the clinical advice she received was the risk of releasing people from isolation early would "outweigh the benefits".

While she says she thinks the change is proportionate at this stage, it is still not without risk.

"None of these things are straightforward", the FM says, adding that she will always be "accountable and open to scrutiny".

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Turning to education, the first minister says all secondary school pupils are being asked to take a lateral flow test on the night before or morning of the first day back.

Thereafter, they are advised to test twice a week and in advance of mixing socially with people from other households.

University and college students are asked to test before travelling to term-time accommodation and thereafter twice a week and before socialising with other households.

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Ms Sturgeon says she will allocate a further £55m fund to address the toll of the pandemic on businesses.

She says up to £28m will go to taxi and private hire drivers and operators, £19m will go to beauticians and hairdressers, £5m will go to sport and a further £3m will go to tourism.

The FM says work is taking place to make sure funds get into bank accounts as quickly as possible.

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Ms Sturgeon outlines the new advice on testing, which she says has been "carefully considered".

People who have symptoms should still book a PCR test. However from tomorrow, if you do not have symptoms and get a positive result using a lateral flow test, you do not have to book a PCR test.

Instead, Ms Sturgeon says, people should immediately isolate and report their results online so that contact tracing can begin.

The risk of getting a false positive on a lateral flow test is very low - about three in 10,000, she says.

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The first minister confirms two changes to the self-isolation rules will take effect from midnight.

• Those who test positive for Covid will still be advised to isolate for 10 days but Ms Sturgeon says there will now be an option to end isolation after seven days as long as you have no fever and record two negative lateral flow tests. One must be no earlier than six days after testing positive and the other must be at least 24 hours after that.

• The second change applies to close contacts of positive cases, including household contacts, who are under 18 years and four months or who are older than that and fully vaccinated (two doses of a vaccine and a booster). The requirement to self-isolate will be replaced by the requirement to take a lateral flow test every day for seven days. Those who are not fully vaccinated will still be asked to isolate for 10 days and be asked to take a PCR test.

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The requirement for "fully vaccinated" household contacts to self-isolate will be replaced by taking lateral flow tests every day for seven days.

The self-isolation period for Covid cases is to be cut from 10 days to seven, if people record two negative tests and have no symptoms.

This change has already been made in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The first minister says the changes will take effect from midnight.

The first minister says the surge in cases driven by Omicron is continuing in Scotland and there has been an 87% increase in new cases in the last week.

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