People in West Lothian will be allowed to celebrate Hogmanay with their loved ones as Nicola Sturgeon confirmed there will be no changes to the covid restrictions.
But the First Minister did plead with people to stay at home as much as possible in the coming days in a bid to slow down the spread of the Omicron variant.
A record number of Omicron cases were reported this week and West Lothian remains top of Scotland's hot spots, with West Lothian with a huge 1,202.9 cases per 100,000 of population.
However at at a virtual session of the Scottish Parliament today, Ms Sturgeon said the numbers of people requiring hospital treatment for coronavirus has remained broadly stable, with 36 people currently in intensive care units.
She said people should still restrict any social gatherings to members of three households - and to take lateral flow tests each day they plan on meeting others.
Restrictions already brought in from Boxing Day include pubs and restaurants reintroducing social distancing indoors and customers must order while seated at a table.
Nightclubs have been forced to close for at least three weeks and all outdoor public events are restricted to crowds of just 500.
The First Minister said these restrictions would stay in place until there was better understanding of the new variant, adding: "While we better understand the impacts and while more and more of us get the added protection of booster vaccinations - which will help reduce the impacts - we must try to avoid the sheer volume of cases overwhelming us.
"That is why it is prudent, indeed essential, that we slow transmission as much as possible."
Don't miss the latest news from the West Lothian Courier. Sign up to our free newsletter here
