The First Minister has warned people to stick with Covid guidance over the festive period - or face the introduction of further restrictions.
The cautious message was delivered by Nicola Sturgeon earlier this week as she confirmed that controversial plans to extend the use of ‘vaccine passports’ to venues such as cinemas and restaurants would not be introduced.
It follows a surge in Covid cases in Europe, with several countries re-introducing certain restrictions in an effort to clamp down on rises in case numbers.
Stirling recorded a further 46 Covid cases at the latest update on Monday, with a total of 476 reported in the week-long period up to November 20.
Meanwhile, across Forth Valley as a whole, 178 positive cases were reported on Monday - with more than 1500 cases being racked up for the same seven days up to November 20.
Five Covid-related deaths were also reported across the region up to November 20, with one of these in Stirling.
At her latest statement to the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday, Ms Sturgeon confirmed the situation in Scotland with case numbers had “stabilised” in recent days - but warned an increase in indoor mixing over the winter months would increase the risks of transmission.
The First Minister also confirmed that existing legal measures such as the requirement to wear face coverings in indoor public settings would remain in place and urged people to get vaccinated to reduce the risks over Christmas.
Ms Sturgeon said: “We all desperately want a more normal Christmas than last year.
“But we must - all of us - take sensible, proportionate measures to reduce the risk of a New Year hangover of surging cases, more pressure on the NHS, and an inevitability of renewed restrictions.
“We can all play our part in avoiding this.
“This is what all of us, government, businesses and individual citizens, must do together - as part of a social compact - to keep each other as safe as possible and allow us to live as freely as possible.”
She added: “Over these next crucial weeks, wear your face coverings and follow all advice on hygiene and ventilation - wash your hands and surfaces and keep windows open when you have people round.
“If you have eased up on this recently - as I know many of us will have - now’s the time to tighten up again.
And the First Minister warned that if the message wasn’t heeded, then all possible options would be looked into to avoid a major winter spike in Covid cases.
“If our situation does deteriorate, it may well be that extending covid certification is a more proportionate alternative to the re-introduction of more onerous restrictions on, for example, hospitality,” Ms Sturgeon added.
“We will continue to liaise closely with businesses about this and about what they must do in the coming weeks to minimise that risk.”
Stirling MSP Evelyn Tweed said: “As winter and colder weather approaches, the pressure on Scotland’s health services continues to be significant.
“We must do all we can to keep ourselves safe, including taking up offers of vaccinations and boosters, working from home where possible and testing regularly.
“As we’ve seen throughout Europe, this virus holds no regard for age, background or belief. We must take every precaution possible to reduce the spread of Covid-19 this coming winter season.”
