Scotland will go into a new lockdown with people ordered to stay at home for January to tackle the escalating Covid-19 crisis, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said.
Ms Sturgeon told the Scottish parliament that from midnight, people will face a legal requirement to stay at home except for essential purposes, similar to the lockdown imposed at the start of the pandemic in March last year. "The situation is extremely serious," she said.
Ms Sturgeon said schools will stay shut to most pupils until February, meaning an additional two weeks of home learning for most pupils.
The Scottish Government had already announced the festive break was being extended to 11 January, with ministers having originally planned for remote learning until 18