Nicola Sturgeon has urged fans considering travelling to Blackpool to watch Saturday's Celtic vs Rangers match in a pub to think again.
The First Minister hammered home the point as she revealed that at least 180 people have returned from the seaside holiday hotspot with coronvavirus in the last month. That's more than from any other area outside of Scotland.
The two rivals face off in a match of enormous importance to the title on Saturday afternoon at Celtic Park.
Steven Gerrard 's men currently sit atop the Scottish Premiership by a point but the Hoops have a game in hand.
And Sturgeon told today's coronavirus briefing that Blackpool, home to supporters clubs for both sides, is “now associated with a large and growing number of Covid cases in Scotland”.
The town is in the second tier of the UK government's three tier system and pubs are allowed to remain open until 10pm.
And the First Minister was adamant that people who haven't already booked a break in the town should not be going, and certainly not to watch a football match.
She advised: “If you were thinking about going to Blackpool and haven’t booked please do not go.
“Please do not travel to Blackpool this weekend to see the Old Firm match…
“Don’t do it. Watch the football at home – don’t act in a way that is putting people at risk.”
Fans in the central belt will not be able to watch the game in pubs after they were shut until October 25, while hostelries in other parts of the country can't sell alcohol inside their premises and have to shut by 6pm.
