Nicola Sturgeon will address MSPs on the state of the coronavirus crisis in Scotland later today.
It will be the first time that the First Minister has spoken on the pandemic at Holyrood since a number of remaining Covid restrictions were lifted on August 9.
MSPs will also have a chance to cross-examine the Scottish Government’s current response to the health crisis.
The address comes amid a significant surge in infection numbers across the country.
A number of topics are expected to be covered by the SNP leader in her speech to the Scottish Parliament at around 2pm today.
Here is everything that could be covered by Sturgeon ahead of her announcement later today.
Rising case numbers
Case numbers in Scotland have taken a sharp spike since most major Covid restrictions were lifted at the beginning of last month.
The Scottish Government reported more than 7,000 new daily infections on Sunday - which is a record high since the pandemic emerged last year.
Daily case numbers also exceeded 6,000 yesterday and last Friday. The average daily number of infections currently stands at 5,667, according to the latest public health data.
Nicola Sturgeon is likely to continue to urge Scots to practice good hygiene measures and stick closely with the remain measures in place in a bid to slow the spread of the virus.
Booster jabs
In June, the Scottish Government announced that a vaccine booster programme could begin for Scots this month.
Interim guidance was issued by experts to set out the priority list for who should get a third dose of the vaccine if a booster programme is needed.
It is believed that the booster programme will coincide with the rollout of flu jabs, which health officials have said will be vital this winter as they prepare for a potentially difficult influenza season.
But officials are still waiting final advice from the JCVI before kicking off the vaccine booster programme as experts continue to weigh up the benefits of a third dose.
There are reports to suggest that any booster programme could begin as early as next Monday.
The First Minister is likely to update MSPs on the work going on behind the scenes to get the rollout started.
Reinforcement of some restrictions
Nicola Sturgeon has not ruled out the return of some restrictions amid a sharp increase in new daily infections.
It was previously speculated that the Scottish Government was considering a number of options to slow the spread of the virus - including a so-called ‘circuit breaker’ lockdown.
However, the First Minister said that plans for a brief lockdown are not currently on the table during a coronavirus press briefing last week.
Sturgeon added: “We cannot completely rule out having to re-impose some restrictions. Of course, we hope not to have to do that.”
But it appears unlikely that the SNP leader will reintroduce any lockdown measures we witnessed over the course of the last 18 months.
Remaining restrictions
Nicola Sturgeon said that rules on face coverings will be ‘kept under review’ when announcing the August 9 lifting of restrictions.
Track and trace measures and international travel restrictions also remain in place more than two weeks after Scotland’s so-called “Freedom Day”.
It is unlikely that any of these measures will be lifted amid the recent spike in case numbers.
Sturgeon has also previously stated that rules, such as the ones on face masks, will continue to be enforced for “some time to come”.
