Police have been handed powers to break up large indoor gatherings including house parties to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Nicola Sturgeon unveiled the crackdown after alarm at the way Covid is making a comeback in Scotland.
House parties where people are ignoring strict rules on social mixing have been blamed for a spread in clusters such as Aberdeen, which is still in a local lockdown.
Sturgeon also announced councils will be able to shut businesses failing to meet regulations.
At the Scottish Parliament, the First Minister said: "We know that large house parties pose a very real and significant risk of clusters and outbreaks. "
She continued: "So – for use in cases of flagrant breach and as a last resort – we intend to give the police powers of enforcement to break up and disperse large indoor gatherings.”
Sturgeon confirmed 77 new cases of Covid in Scotland in the past 24 hours, the worst for nearly three months. It is causing alarm while children go back to school and more restrictions are being eased.
The SNP leader said not all hospitality business have imposed health guidance effectively.
But existing powers only allow emergency closures by area.
"We intend to give local authorities the power to act in respect of individual, specific premises that are breaching guidelines and risking transmission of the virus," Sturgeon said.
"This power would enable local authorities either to close such premises – or to impose conditions on their opening – where they deem that is necessary for the purpose of preventing, protecting against, or controlling the spread of infection."
She said: "We believe that both of these new powers are necessary to continue to suppress the virus.”"
The Scottish Government will lay regulations next week, and the powers will cone into force from Friday August 28.
