First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has enforce home working rules until at the middle of January at least in the face of a rise in Omicron cases.
This afternoon she ordered those who can work from home to do so as infection rates continue to rise around the country.
And she warned of “very difficult” decisions on covid as she reported a ten fold increase in the new Omicron variant.
The warning comes after the statistics showed cases of Covid-19 have risen in West Lothian have risen over the past few weeks.
In the last seven days cases have soared by 150.
The First Minister said while there are still questions over the severity of the new variant, concerns remain.
She said: “Data on cases worldwide, including here at home, gives a reasonable degree of certainty at this stage that Omicron is more transmissible than the Delta variant, perhaps significantly so.
“Early - though again unconfirmed - data also suggests that Omicron is more capable of re-infecting people who have had the virus previously. In other words, it has some ability to evade natural immunity.
“And, of course, there is also a concern that it may evade to some extent the immunity conferred by vaccinations.
“The sheer weight of numbers of people who could be infected as a result of increased transmissibility and some immune evasion will create this pressure even if the disease the new variant causes in individuals is no more severe than Delta.
“Data on cases worldwide, including here at home, gives a reasonable degree of certainty at this stage that Omicron is more transmissible than the Delta variant, perhaps significantly so.”
Last week health bosses called on people in West Lothian to do their bit to stop the spread.
Supporting the Scottish Government’s Living Safely for Us All campaign, Dona Milne, director of Public Health and Health Policy for NHS Lothian, encouraged people to play their part by stepping up their efforts to curb transmission.
The campaign reinforces the key guidance on how to stay safe, and how people can protect themselves, their loved ones and those around them, particularly those at highest risk in their community.
This includes taking regular lateral flow tests, particularly before mixing with people from other households, and staying at home if the test is positive.
Dona Milne, Director of Public Health and Health Policy for NHS Lothian, said: “We’re appealing to people to live safely to help protect us all. It’s really important to follow the key Covid-19 protections already in place to help keep you and others safe and prevent the spread of this new variant.”
For more information on staying safe and protecting others, visit gov.scot/coronavirus
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