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Nicola Sturgeon has rejected implementing further restrictions but told the Scottish Parliament the omicron variant "is rapidly developing", with daily infections at a record high. 

She said 15,849 more Covid infections had been reported in the past 24 hours, with a 28.9 per cent test positivity rate. The daily figure was the highest "by some margin" but there are "some grounds for optimism" that the risk of hospitalisation and serious illness is much lower with omicron. 

Ms Sturgeon said the numbers of people in hospital with Covid had remained "stable" despite the greater infections and vowed to interrogate the difference between those in hospital because of Covid and those admitted for unrelated reasons who catch it. 

She said limits on indoor gatherings of three households and advice to "stay at home more than normal" would continue for "at least the first week of January".

Nightclub closures, restrictions on hospitality and limits on event sizes would continue until at least January 17. A decision on whether to relax self-isolation rules will be made for January 5. 

Ms Sturgeon said: "Given the speed and extent of transmission now, it is vital that we continue to take sensible precautions and limit social interactions for a further period, as we learn more about the likely impact of this wave of infection and complete the booster programme."

Read more here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/covid-latest-news-cases-rules-restrictions-omicron-isolation/

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