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Coronavirus

14th Dec 2021

Scots urged to reduce household mixing in run up to Christmas

Charlie Herbert

It’s as concern grows over the Omicron variant.

People in Scotland have been asked to limit socialising to three households at a time in the build-up to Christmas, in order to reduce the spread of Covid-19.

Nicola Sturgeon made the announcement on Tuesday afternoon, saying that people should reduce their social contacts with other households “as far as possible”.

But she said the advice would not apply on Christmas Day and that people should not cancel their plans.

Businesses are also being encouraged to bring back social distancing measures and screens in shops and hospitality venues.

The Scottish First Minister told MSPs that the nation is facing a “likely tsunami” of new Omicron infection in the coming weeks, and warned of a “very significant” impact on health services.

This echoes the sentiment of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who on Monday warned that “there is a tidal wave of Omicron coming” and that the UK is now “facing an emergency.”

In the latest figures for Scotland published at 2pm on Tuesday, 3,117 new cases of Covid-19 had been reported with a further six deaths.

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