People across Stirling are being urged to adhere to current Covid protections as the first cases of the Omicron variant are revealed in Scotland.
Six positive cases from the variant, first reported in southern Africa, have now been confirmed - with four in Lanarkshire and two in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area.
It is also believed the latest cases have been caught within the community itself, with all close contacts of the positive cases being asked to self-isolate for the next 10 days regardless of their vaccination status.
The latest update up to Saturday (November 27) reported a further 44 positive Covid cases for Stirling, with 367 cases being recorded in the week-long period up to November 25.
Across the Forth Valley health board area, 183 positive cases were reported on Saturday, with 1,504 new cases tallied for that same seven-day stint.
At a special briefing on Monday morning, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon labelled the new variant as "the most challenging development in the course of the pandemic for quite some time".
Ms Sturgeon also stressed for everyone to "significantly step up and increase compliance" with existing measures including the use of face masks, handwashing and getting vaccinated while more information is discovered about the new variant.
The First Minister said: "The Scottish government will consider carefully in the coming days whether any further actions are required, as we get more information about the impact of Omicron, and the extent of its presence in Scotland.
"But the point I want to stress now is that the same measures that worked against previous strains of this virus, will also help us curb transmission of this new variant.
"So if in recent weeks you’ve been sticking a bit less strictly to the public health advice, which is entirely understandable, now is the time to start following it rigorously again.
"Every one of us can make a difference in protecting ourselves and each other."
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