Nicola Sturgeon has admitted that she is 'profoundly concerned' by the recent Omicron threat and told Scots to stay at home unless it is absolutely necessary.
In an emergency briefing before First Minister's Questions at Holyrood today, Sturgeon gave an update on the Covid-19 statistics for Scotland, whilst also relaying how vital the vaccine booster programme is in stopping the spread of the virus.
On Tuesday, the First Minister added to the recent guidance on calling work Christmas parties by asking Scots to limit indoor contact to just three households during the festivities.
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Today, Sturgeon admitted that the increase in Omiciron cases means that by tomorrow, it is expected to become the most dominant variant in the country.
She said: "Omicron is spreading exceptionally fast and I am profoundly concerned by the scale and immediacy of the challenge it poses.
"As we speed up vaccines, we must also act to slow the spread of the virus down. If we do not, the consequences will be significant. If we do not act now, the overwhelming of the NHS, which we have managed to avoid, could happen.
"Please reduce you contact with people from other households other than your own as much as you can. For now, please stay at home more than you normally would and as much as is feasible."
The First Minister issued this advice and asked people to reconsider their plans over the coming days and ask themselves, is it as safe as it needs to be and is it vitality enough to you to justify that risk
She added: "Every interaction before Christmas increases the risk of us getting Covid and having that taken away.
"I am acutely aware of and deeply concerned about the considerable impact of this advice on businesses, although let me repeat, businesses will also suffer if we don't act to slow the virus."
Sturgeon finished by urging the UK Government to act and provide financial support for businesses, saying that she is making an attempt to hold a meeting with Boris Johnson later today so discuss financial aid.
