Nicola Sturgeon has branded a new strain of coronavirus that has been discovered in the UK as 'potentially concerning'.
The new variant has been found in the south of England and Sturgeon has said the Scottish Government would 'monitor closely' the situation and consider more 'precautions' if necessary.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has warned MPs the number of cases involving the new variant was 'increasing rapidly' with more than 1,000 cases found.
The strain has been discovered in the south of England and comes following regions there being placed into tougher tiers of restrictions.
London and parts of Essex and Hertfordshire will face Tier 3 restrictions from Wednesday following "very sharp, exponential rises" in cases.
The First Minister tweeted: "This is clearly a potentially concerning development.
"Our CMO @DrGregorSmith has given me an initial briefing this afternoon and @scotgov will be monitoring closely.
"We will also consider whether any additional precautions are required meantime."
Hancock said: "Initial analysis suggests that this variant is growing faster than the existing variants," he said.
"We've currently identified over 1,000 cases with this variant predominantly in the South of England although cases have been identified in nearly 60 different local authority areas."
The Health Secretary said there was nothing to suggest the variant was more likely to cause serious disease and he suggested the vaccine should still be effective.
"But it shows we've got to be vigilant and follow the rules and everyone needs to take personal responsibility not to spread this virus," he said.
