Scots will be allowed to meet-up on Hogmanay to toast the New Year as Nicola Sturgeon today confirmed there will be no changes to the country's covid restrictions.
The First Minister told MSPs at a virtual session of the Scottish Parliament that a record number of positive covid test results had been registered yesterday.
But the numbers of people requiring hospital treatment for coronavirus has remained broadly stable, with 36 people currently in intensive care units.
The SNP leader made a fresh appeal for Scots to remain at home as much as possible in the coming days in a bid to slow down the spread of the Omicron variant.
It comes amid reports that some revellers are heading south of the Border to take advantage of nightclubs remaining open in England.
And a UK Government minister insisted Scots could move around the country for New Year if they so wished.
Sturgeon repeated her plea for Scots to restrict any social gatherings to members of three households - and to take lateral flow tests each day they plan on meeting others.
Under previously announced restrictions, pubs and restaurants in Scotland have reintroduced 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 restrictions would remain in place until health experts had a better understanding of the Omicron variant of coronavirus.
She told MSPs: "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."
She added: "And it is also why, over Hogmanay and New Year’s day, and for at least the first week in January, we are advising everyone to stay at home more than normal; to reduce contacts with people outside our own households; and to limit the size of any indoor social gatherings that do take place so that they don’t include people from any more than 3 households.
"Also try to ventilate indoor spaces as a much as possible.
"It also remains our advice that lateral flow tests should be taken just before meeting up with anyone from another household.
"If that shows a positive result, it is vital to immediately isolate and book a PCR test. You should also isolate and book a PCR test if you have symptoms that might be Covid.
"Following this advice is difficult and frustrating at the best of times. It is even harder at this time of year. But it does help. So please stick with it for now."
UK Government minister Chloe Smith had earlier said people are "more than free to move around" the UK over the New Year.
Smith told the BBC: "I think perhaps I should just add the obvious constitutional point here, which is that we are one country and people are more than free to move around inside our country under the general law, obviously.
"But also at this time in terms of any Covid restrictions, as I understand it, there are, of course, slightly different points of guidance and regulation operating in the different parts of the UK.
"Given the general point that I think people could hear from all of the administrations in the UK is that it's time to be cautious, the best thing to do is to get boosted and to make use of lateral flow testing so that you can keep yourself healthier and, crucially, keep those around you, wherever you are, healthier and safer too."
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