Nicola Sturgeon said she cannot rule out imposing a curfew for pubs and restaurants if the number of Scots testing positive for Covid continues to rise.
UK Government ministers are already considering introducing a 10pm or 11pm curfew on hospitality businesses if local measures are unable to bring the spread of the virus under control in England.
A new poll published today also found a majority of Scots believe pubs should be forced to shut at 9pm in a bid to curb coronavirus case numbers.
But such a move would be strongly contested by the hospitality industry, which has already warned that existing restrictions are causing mounting job losses and business closures.Speaking at her daily media briefing in Edinburgh, Sturgeon said: "I.