Scots are being braced for a longer lockdown as Nicola Sturgeon sent a clear signal the rules are likely to be tightened.
The First Minister said it is “very unlikely” the rules imposed on Boxing Day will be lifted in any way at the first review this month.
Sturgeon said: “We will review the current lockdown which is in place until at least the end of January. We haven’t completed that yet, when we do I will set that out.
“I wouldn’t want to raise expectation that we will lift all of these restrictions at the end of January, I think it is very unlikely we will have a wholesale lifting of these restrictions and there may not even be any lifting of these restrictions as soon as the end of January.
“We will have to consider all of that carefully and set that out in due course.”
More than 5000 people have now died in Scotland after a positive Covid test.
The landmark figure follows another 54 deaths in the past 24 hours.
Sturgeon earlier met her top team of SNP government ministers to discuss lockdown guidance.
The First Minister has already said services like click and collect shopping, takeaways and the construction industry could be restricted.
Sturgeon also the public to avoid "day trips" to the beach and parks.
Meanwhile, Scotland's national clinical director Jason Leitch said people should not meet for coffee outside.
Sturgeon did not confirm what rules will change today. She will update the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday after a final decision with public health officials and her cabinet.
“As I indicated yesterday, one of the things we discussed was whether there are any areas – takeaway, click-and-collect services being two examples – where we think there is a need to further tighten restrictions to reduce occasions and reasons for people to be out of their homes at the moment,” she said at today’s coronavirus briefing in Edinburgh.
“We are continuing to consider these options a little bit further and I can tell you I will update parliament tomorrow on any decisions that we reach over the course of the day.”
