Nicola Sturgeon has said families can enjoy a relatively normal Christmas Day together after deciding not to impose limits on the number of people or households allowed to attend.
Places of worship will also remain open but Sturgeon said worshippers should be vaccinated and take a test in advance of celebrations.
However, the first minister warned against mixing with more than two other households in the run-up to Christmas as part of efforts to slow the spread of the Omicron variant.
There will be no legal obligation to keep numbers down but Sturgeon stressed that following the guidance would increase the chances of loved ones being able to enjoy a more relaxed festive celebration.
She said a ban limiting numbers of people interacting was not being considered due to the “negative impact this has on mental health and wellbeing” but that transmission chains would be broken by cutting down social interactions and taking lateral flow tests before they meet friends or family.
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“I know how much I am asking of everyone today, after a difficult and painful two years,” she told MSPs. “I would not be doing so if I did not believe it necessary.”
There were 3,177 positive cases reported north of the border, with 541 people in hospital having recently been confirmed as having with Covid-19, a fall of 20. The number of people in intensive care fell by one to 38. Six deaths have been reported, bringing the total to 9,725.
There are two confirmed Omicron cases in hospital but that total is likely to be higher as further sequencing and testing is carried out.
The variant has been identified in 27.5 per cent of cases in Scotland, having risen from about 4 per cent a week ago. The R number, the average number of people that one infected person will pass on a virus to, may be above four, Sturgeon said.
“This is not the update I wanted to be giving just a few days before Christmas,” she said. “And I am painfully aware that it’s not an update anyone wanted to hear.
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“However, we have a duty to take decisions — no matter how unpopular — that will get us through this as safely as possible. I will not shy away from that responsibility. The fact that I am asking for further sacrifice today underlines how severe we think the risk posed by Omicron is.”
She said that further guidance would be brought in for businesses, including a legal requirement to allow staff to work from home if they can do so.
Physical distancing will be reintroduced in shops, who will also be urged to introduce protective screens and measures “control the flow of customers” to avoid crowding and bottlenecks.
Pubs will be told to avoid crowding at bars and between tables in an effective reimposition of table service. There was no mention of any physical distancing in hospitality venues.
Sturgeon called for the Treasury to reintroduce furlough funding but said that “with some considerable difficulty” the Scottish government would provide about £100 million to support businesses, mostly in hospitality and the food supply sector, as well as £100 million to help people who are self isolating.
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As she got to her feet, the Treasury confirmed that more money from the UK reserve would be made available to the devolved administrations to help with vaccine rollouts and support health services. The amount will be set in the coming days and will remain under review.
Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, said: “Throughout this pandemic, the United Kingdom has stood together as one family, and we will continue to do so.”
Sturgeon said the Scottish government was targeting allowing all adults to book a booster appointment before the end of the year but that it “is not possible to guarantee that absolutely everyone over 18 will have been vaccinated by December 31”.
The booster programme will take priority over the flu vaccination rollout, while health boards will offer additional drop-in centres and the reintroduction of mass vaccination centres is being considered.
Anyone who lives in the same household as a person who has tested positive for the virus is “advised to self-isolate for ten days” but exemptions can be applied for to allow essential workers to return to the front line if they take daily lateral flow tests, Sturgeon said. Trains were cancelled over the weekend because of Covid-related staff absences and it was reported today that hundreds of police officers are currently off work.
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Entire school classes will not be required to isolate when a pupil tests positive. New advice for how schools “can operate safely in the new year” will be delivered by the end of the week.
Care homes have been told to limit the number of visitors to no more than two at a time, with the same limit applying for hospital patients.
Douglas Ross, the Scottish Conservative leader, welcomed the plans for mass vaccination centres and the additional financial support for businesses.
“We need to know when this funding will come forward,” he said. “Small businesses are crying out for help now and they need to know this money will reach them before Christmas.”
