An NHS boss has called on for three Covid restrictions to be in place over winter to avoid “stumbling into a crisis” as cases rise.
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of NHS Confederation, says the UK is facing a 'perfect storm' as the number of patients in hospital remain high in colder months.
He urged for three lockdown rules to stay in place - mask wearing in crowded places, avoiding unnecessary indoor gatherings, and working from home.
Matthew Taylor told the BBC Today programme: “What we’re facing here is a perfect storm. Winter is always very tight for the NHS for a number of reasons, you add in then the number of Covid patients in hospital and that number seems now to be rising.
“Mask wearing in crowded places, avoiding unnecessary indoor gatherings, I think working from home if you can.
“I don’t underestimate that these are inconveniences but we have to make a choice if we can see what is almost inevitable down the line.”
It comes as the Scottish Government has confirmed that 24 people have died from coronavirus in the last 24 hours.
The latest figures for Scotland also showed that 2,459 new cases had also been identified overnight.
There are currently 869 people in hospital in Scotland confirmed to have the virus with a total of 46 being treated in intensive care.
Scotland's cases have taken a drop in the last month, however the sharp drop in cases has now slower.
Figures have rarely dropped below 2,000 per day in the past three weeks as we head into the winter months.
The warnings come as the highest daily level of coronavirus deaths since early March were recorded UK wide. Case numbers were also at the highest level for three months across the four nations.
Mr Taylor added that the NHS could be facing the "most challenging winter on record" this year. He urged the public to show extra support for the NHS by behaving sensibly in order to "keep themselves and others safe".
He warned that if the Government “fails to get a grip” on rising case numbers, the nation’s recovery from the pandemic could be “put at risk”.
He said: “The Government should not wait for Covid infections to rocket and for NHS pressures to be sky high before the panic alarm is sounded.”
It has been more than two months since the majority of the remaining Covid restrictions were lifted in Scotland.
However, Scots continue to live under some restrictions that could be reintroduced south of the border.
Face masks are still required in a range of indoor public places, including the likes of shops, bars, cafes, visitor attractions and public transport.
The Scottish Government also confirmed that secondary school pupils and staff need to continue wearing face coverings in the while in classroom, corridors and canteens.
The move is a contrast to England, which has removed the legal requirement for people to wear face coverings in these settings.
Contract tracing and the use of vaccine passports are also measures that remain throughout Scotland.
Scots are urged to keep as safe as possible and test two times per week - isolating if positive, showing symptoms or asked to by the NHS.
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