Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire are to remain in Level 3 lockdown, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has revealed.
She was speaking live at Holyrood and also revealed nine cases of the new variant coronavirus have been detected in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area.
There are no other cases of the newly discovered mutant form - first discovered in the south east of England - detected in Scotland.
She said there was nothing to suggest the new variant leads to more serious illness or is faster spreading and samples are now being further analysed.
Ms Sturgeon said: “Care and caution continue to be essential.
“All 18 of the local authorities currently at Level 3 will remain at Level 3.
“While we are still seeing progress across much of the central belt as a result of the recent Level 4 restrictions, there are some areas such as East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and Fife, where cases have increased quite sharply in the last week.”
The First Minister said she believed the levels system had worked well.
But the Scottish Government will now review the levels again next week instead of reaching a decision at a cabinet meeting on January 5.
She again re-iterated caution over meeting people in the run up to Christmas, saying: “If you can avoid meeting others, especially indoors, then please do so.
“The next few weeks are likely to be the toughest part of this whole experience.
“This year there is no doubt the best gift you can give to family, if at all possible, is to keep your distance, meet outdoor and help keep each other safe.”
Another 845 cases of the virus were reported.
