Boris Johnson has warned there could be "considerable" pressure on the NHS for a number of weeks due to the surge in Omicron cases across the country.
The Prime Minister urged people to stick to the rules in a bid to curb the rapid spread of the variant that was first identified in southern Africa in November.
Restrictions were imposed on Scots in the lead up to Christmas with limits to indoor and outdoor events.
Pubs and restaurants were encouraged to impose physical distancing once again with table service required in boozers across the country.
Cases of Omicron rocketed during the festive period with Scotland recording its highest daily rate since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.
Positive cases and isolation rules has meant there is considerable pressure on health board services in Scotland and across the rest of the United Kingdom.
And, according Johnson the situation isn't going to get any better any time soon.
He said: "I think we've got to recognise that the pressure on our NHS, on our hospitals, is going to be considerable in the course the next couple of weeks and maybe more.
"There's no question that Omicron continues to surge through the country.
"It is plainly milder than previous variants, but we're also in a different position.
"We've got plan B in place and people should never forget that.
"We've got the measures that we were using, making people wear masks on public transport in confined spaces, where you're meeting people you don't know.
"Working from home, if you can, but we're also continuing the massive booster rollout.
"Not just the booster rollout, but the vaccination programme for those who haven't yet even had their first or second vaccination."
The Scottish Government has confirmed there were 20,217 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours.
Test positivity is currently at 34.9 per cent meaning more than one third of all tests taken returned positive results.
There are currently 1,031 people in hospital confirmed to have the virus with 38 being treated in intensive care.
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