Thread by @theSNP

📺 Watch @NicolaSturgeon's live statement to Parliament on the latest COVID updates in Scotland.

⏰ Tune in now on scottishparliament.tv or follow the thread below.

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "2,527 positive cases were reported yesterday – 11.6% of all tests carried out.

743 people are in hospital with Covid – 7 fewer than yesterday.

And 60 people are in intensive care - 1 more than yesterday."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Sadly, a further 17 deaths have been reported in the past 24 hours, which takes the total number of deaths registered under the daily definition, to 9,495.

Once again, I send my condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "More positively, the progress of the vaccination programme continues to be very good.

4,340,162 people have now had a first dose and 3,940,314 have had both doses.

In total, 88% of all those over 18 are now double vaccinated."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "In addition, 77% of 16 and 17 year olds, and 58% of 12 to 15 year olds, have had a first dose.

In line with updated JCVI advice, we are now preparing to offer second doses to 16 and 17 year olds."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "As of now, on first, second, third and booster doses, Scotland is still the most vaccinated part of the UK.

I want to again record my thanks to everyone involved in organising and delivering the vaccine programme."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Looking across Europe, we can see very clearly that the Covid situation is deteriorating again.

As a result, Covid measures are being tightened or re-introduced in many countries - for example, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany and Slovakia."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "At the most severe end of the spectrum, Austria is back in full lockdown and also mandating compulsory vaccination.

All of this is a stark reminder that the threat of the pandemic is not yet behind us."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Covid is continuing to force governments everywhere to take really difficult decisions.

That is also true here in Scotland.

While, thankfully, we are not at this stage seeing the rapid rise in cases that others are experiencing, the situation does remain precarious."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Cases are on the rise, to a greater or lesser extent, in countries all around us - including here in the UK.

And we are entering a period when - understandably - people will be socialising and mixing more than normal."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "So even though our position now is relatively stable compared to some other countries, we must continue to take care and not allow ourselves to be lulled into any false sense of security."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Last week, I noted that cases had increased gradually over the previous fortnight from just over 2,500 new cases a day, to just over 3,000.

Since then, the situation appears to have stabilised again."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "In the last 7 days, the average number of new cases being recorded each day has fallen from just over 3000 to just under 3000 - a fall of around 3%.

However, there continues to be quite a marked variation between different age groups."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "In the over 60s, cases fell by 19%. This, at least in part, is likely to reflect the good progress of the booster programme."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "In the under 60s, though, there was only a very slight decline.

A small fall in cases in those aged under 25, was almost balanced out by a very small increase in the other age bands under 60."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "In younger age groups, cases have been broadly static in the past week.

That said, a number of different factors will be at play over the next few weeks and this combination makes it difficult to be certain about the course the pandemic will take over the festive period."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "On the one hand, the booster programme will continue to gather pace, and more people in younger age groups will receive their primary vaccinations."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "On the other hand, we can also expect more indoor mixing to take place - as the weather gets colder, and we head towards the festive season.

In addition, there is likely to be some waning of vaccine immunity - which, of course, is why booster jags matter."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Adding the fact that the R number is hovering at or slightly above 1 leads us to this conclusion - our situation is more positive than we might have expected it to be at this point, but it is still precarious.

We need to get the R number back below 1."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "That means having in place a range of proportionate protections to keep the country as safe as possible while we continue to live as freely as possible."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "That is why Cabinet decided this morning to retain for a further period all the remaining legal protections, such as the requirement to wear face coverings and - subject to a change I will set out shortly - to keep in place the Covid certification scheme..."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "...and to intensify our public information campaign in the weeks ahead."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "I want to now set out and emphasise the range of protections we judge to be essential if we are to navigate this winter as safely as possible and without the need to re-introduce more onerous restrictions."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "As we approach the festive season, I am appealing to everyone across the country to comply with all of these protections with renewed care and commitment - to keep ourselves safe but also to show our solidarity to those around us.

Firstly, vaccination."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "The duty of government is to deliver the vaccine programme - especially, at this stage, boosters - as rapidly as possible.

Right now, that is my government’s top priority."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "More than 1.4 million people - just over 30% of the total over-12 population - have so far had a booster or third dose.

Within the most vulnerable groups, 87% of over 70s and 76% of those at highest clinical risk already have the protection of a booster or third dose."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "As I mentioned earlier, we are already seeing the positive impact of boosters in the case numbers.

So the programme is going exceptionally well but we are doing everything possible to speed it up further."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Delivering the programme as quickly as possible is the government’s responsibility - although of course we are reliant on and eternally grateful for the commitment of NHS workers."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "The duty and responsibility of all of us as citizens is to get vaccinated as soon as we are able.

If you haven’t yet had a dose of vaccine that you are eligible for, please make arrangements to get it now."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "That's even more important if you are planning to socialise over the festive period.

If you're meeting up with loved ones and you're not as fully vaccinated as you could be, you're putting them at unnecessary risk.

To be blunt, you could be putting their lives in danger."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "The most precious gift we can give anyone this Christmas is to be vaccinated - and also tested which I’ll say more about shortly - before we meet, hug or spend time with them."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "So, if you haven’t had a first or second dose yet, it’s not too late - please do so now.

And please also get your booster as soon as you are able."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "A booster jag reduces the risk of symptomatic infection by more than 80%.

So it isn’t just a small top up – it is every bit as important as the initial vaccinations."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "If you are aged over 50, or are in one of the higher risk groups - and are over 24 weeks from your second jag - you need to book an appointment online via the NHS inform website or via the helpline.

The helpline number is 0800 030 8013."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "If you live in many parts of the Highland area, or on one of the island areas which doesn’t use online booking, you will be contacted separately by your health board.

But for everyone else, please use NHS inform, or call the helpline."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "For those aged 40 to 49 who are next in line for boosters - and for 16 and 17 year olds who will now be offered a second dose - information on booking appointments will be available very soon."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Above all today, I want to reinforce this vital message to every person eligible for vaccination, including pregnant women - whether for a first, second, third or booster jag, please book an appointment without delay.

And get your flu jag too, if you are eligible."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Getting vaccinated remains the single most important thing any of us can do to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities.

You could well be saving your own life, and the lives of your loved ones."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "You will be helping the NHS, and you will be maximising our chances of getting through this winter, without the need for further restrictions."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "The vaccine programme is the bedrock of our fight against Covid - but other protections are vitally important too."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "The Scottish Government will be intensifying our public awareness and information campaigns over the winter period, to ensure everyone knows what is being asked of them."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Firstly, as well as vaccination, we are asking everyone to take regular lateral flow tests.

We have been asking people to do this routinely twice a week."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "However, over the festive period, we are asking for extra effort - and so this next request is vitally important."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "On any occasion that you are socialising with others - whether that is going out for drinks or dinner, visiting someone at home, or even going shopping somewhere that might be crowded - please take a test before you go."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "And if the lateral flow test is positive, do not go.

Instead get a PCR test and self isolate while you wait for the result.

This way, you are minimising the risk of inadvertently passing the virus on even if you don’t have symptoms."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Also, please continue to wear face coverings on public transport, in shops and when moving around in hospitality settings.

This remains a legal requirement, but it's also a vital protection - face coverings may reduce the risk of transmission by over 50%."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Remember, good ventilation also reduces risks in indoor spaces. So please open windows if you have people round.

And lastly, please continue to work from home whenever possible."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "I know this isn’t always easy for workers - nor always convenient for employers. But it makes a difference and will help us navigate our way through this difficult winter period."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "The average number of contacts people are having in the workplace has doubled in recent weeks, and as we head deeper into winter, this will create an increased risk of transmission.

The virus transmits when people interact."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "And when people go to work they interact in a number of ways – including through travel, during lunch breaks, and after work.

So support for home-working, whenever possible, remains one of the most effective protections we have at our disposal just now."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Let me turn now to the Covid certification scheme which Cabinet also discussed this morning, and set out the decisions we reached and the rationale for them."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "For context, it is worth bearing in mind that Covid certification is far from unique to Scotland.

Similar schemes are in in place in many other parts of the world."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "In fact, in recent weeks, certification schemes have been announced, reintroduced or extended in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Northern Ireland and elsewhere.

Many cover a wider range of premises than Scotland’s."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "However, we must reach decisions based on our own circumstances and so I can confirm that the judgments we arrived at this morning are as follows."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Firstly, for at least a further three week period, we will retain vaccine certification for the venues and events currently covered by it - that is late night licensed premises with a designated area for dancing..."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "...unseated indoor events of 500 people or more, unseated outdoor events of 4,000 people or more, and any event with 10,000 people or more."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Given the current state of the pandemic, it would not be appropriate at this stage to remove this protection against transmission."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Secondly, however, we have decided that from 6 December it will be possible to access venues or events covered by the scheme by showing either proof of vaccination, as now, or a recent negative lateral flow test result."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "When we first launched the scheme, one of its primary objectives was to help drive up vaccination rates.

This is still important, obviously, but actual and projected uptake rates mean we judge it possible now to include testing."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Doing so will also ensure that the scheme remains proportionate, and help our wider efforts to stem transmission through greater use of LFD tests more generally."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Cabinet also considered the possible extension of the scheme to a much wider range of premises, including theatres, cinemas and hospitality venues.

This was a very finely balanced decision, however at this stage we have decided not to extend the scope of the scheme."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "We have taken account of the fact that - although our situation is precarious - cases are currently stable and indeed slightly declining, and concluded that at this stage, extension would not be proportionate."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "We were also mindful of the need to get across the message that it is important to be vaccinated and tested ahead of socialising anywhere - including in homes and shopping centres, for example - not just in those that might be covered by a certification scheme."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "I said last week that we would take this decision with the utmost care and we have done so.

It is important to stress, however, that we must keep it - as we do all possible protections - under review."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "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."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "We are all sick and tired of this virus and the impact it is having on our lives.

I understand that. I am also grateful for all the sacrifices everyone has made."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Thanks to those sacrifices, we are in a much stronger position now than I would have dared hope just a few weeks ago.

But I can’t emphasise strongly enough that our position is still precarious."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "The next few weeks do pose risks.

Cases are rising in countries around us, and the festive period will bring more travel and more socialising."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "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."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "We can all play our part in avoiding this.

To everyone watching, my request in a nutshell, is as follows - please pass it on to your friends and family."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "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."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Over these next 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 eased up on this recently, as many of us will have, now’s the time to tighten up again."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Work from home if you can. If you think you could be working from home and aren’t, raise this with your employer.

And employers, please facilitate home working as far as possible."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "To all of you, make sure you get any and all vaccine doses you are eligible for, including flu.

For my part, I will make sure the government keeps rolling out the vaccination programme as quickly as possible."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "And, finally, on any occasion that you intend to socialise or mix with people from other households - whether that is in a pub, restaurant, house or shopping centre - do a lateral flow test first."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "Government has made sure you can order these tests free through NHS Inform or get them at a local test site or pharmacy.

If you don’t have them already, order some now and keep your supply topped up."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "All of these precautions matter. They are part of our social compact.

They will help protect us and those around us, and help protect our NHS."

@NicolaSturgeon FM: "So please, stick with them - so that we can, I hope, have a more normal Christmas, but without jeopardising our prospect of a much brighter new year as well.

Thank you."