Nicola Sturgeon confirms level four restrictions will end on Friday

Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed that level four restrictions will end on Friday.

Eleven local authority areas in Scotland are currently in level four, which is close to full lockdown.

They are due to move out of level four on Friday 11 December.

At the daily lunchtime briefing on Monday, the First Minister said: “We have always said, and said when we applied level four to these areas, that those authorities would move out of that level on Friday and I can confirm that that remains the case, that will be the case.”

She said the Scottish Government would be considering what level should apply to those areas and the Cabinet would take a decision on it on Tuesday morning.

The national situation is “clear and positive”, she said, although the picture varies from region to region.

Sturgeon noted that closer to five per cent of coronavirus tests are now coming back positive, which is the level the World Health Organization says means the virus is under control, and the number of new cases in Scotland has been falling for the last few weeks.

Details were also given of the rollout of coronavirus testing for visitors to care homes

Fourteen care homes in five council areas will be trialling lateral flow testing kits this week.

Testing kits will then be sent out to all care homes across Scotland from next Monday.