Nicola Sturgeon keeps Covid restrictions despite 'significant fall' in infections in Scotland

Covid restrictions in Scotland are to remain unchanged, Nicola Sturgeon confirmed, as she said the “significant fall” in infection levels the country has seen in recent weeks had now “levelled off”.

The First Minister confirmed a meeting of her cabinet earlier on Tuesday had decided that the remaining baseline measures would stay in place “for now”.

And, while she said Scotland “may be close to the time when face coverings no longer need to be worn in the class room”, she added that “we have not yet reached that stage”.

The issue of wearing face coverings in school will be considered again on February 8, Ms Sturgeon added.

Updating MSPs at Holyrood, the First Minister said: “No-one wants young people to have to wear face coverings in the class room for a moment longer than necessary.

“But given the current uncertainty about infection trends in the immediate future, and the relatively high levels of Covid in the younger age groups, continued caution is prudent at this stage.”

Her comments came as she revealed that 26 cases of the new BA.2 Omicron sub-variant have so far been confirmed in Scotland.

She stressed there was no evidence that this new form of the virus causes more severe disease the Omicron, or has greater ability to escape the immunity conferred by vaccines or previous infection.

But she said it “does appear to have the ability to outrun the main Omicron variant, which may indicate that it is more transmissible”.

Ms Sturgeon told MSPs that investigations into this were ongoing.

However, she told Holyrood that overall the “most recent data continues to give grounds for optimism”, with the First Minister saying that “the situation we are in now is much less severe than we had thought it might be”.

She added that the fall in cases over the first three weeks of January was “now reflected in a fall in the number of people being admitted to hospital”.

Last week, 602 patients with Covid were admitted to hospital, down from 768 in the week ending January 21.

The latest figures also showed 1,177 people in hospital have Covid – down from 1,394 a week ago – with the number in intensive care also decreasing.

Ms Sturgeon, speaking the day after a relaxation of the requirement for home working, told MSPs: “We can continue to be optimistic, as we look ahead to spring.

“Case levels are likely to remain high for some time – and may increase further as a result of the recent easing of protections.

“But there are good grounds for confidence that we are again entering a calmer phase of the pandemic.”