Nicola Sturgeon has said she will “likely” delay the lifting of Covid restrictions in Scotland.
The First Minister this afternoon said that "in all probability” she will halt the easing of restrictions, scheduled to lift on Monday, June 28.
The Scottish Government had hoped to move Ayrshire and all areas of Scotland to the lowest level of restrictions from that date.
However, the timetable looks set to be delayed following a rise in case rates and hospital numbers driven by the spread of the Delta variant of coronavirus.
Scores of Ayrshire schools have undergone contact tracing operations in the last fortnight, with hundreds of pupils at home asked to stay away or self-isolate.
And Symington Primary was forced to shut last week as NHS chiefs attempt to stop the spread of the virus.
In a statement to Holyrood, Ms Sturgeon said there would be no changes this week to the tiered levels currently in place around Scotland. Ayrshire's three council areas will, therefore, remain in Level 2.
And she stressed her hope that vaccines were "weakening the link" between those contracting the virus and the number of hospitalisations.
She said: “We need to buy sufficient time for vaccination to get ahead, and that is the reason for caution at this juncture."
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