The First Minister has warned Scotland will need to "do more to slow down the virus" as vaccinations are rolled out.
Nicola Sturgeon said "tough" decisions were ahead as she announced plans to hold a Scottish cabinet meeting tomorrow.
Education secretary John Swinney has now confirmed The Education Recovery Group will meet.
He said the group will consider current advice for schools and early learning.
READ MORE: Coronavirus: High cases continue as another 2,137 people test positive
Important update from FM @NicolaSturgeon. The Education Recovery Group will meet tomorrow in advance of Cabinet to consider the current advice in relation to schools and early learning. https://t.co/DajRTK1NPq
— John Swinney (@JohnSwinney) January 3, 2021
Writing on Twitter, Ms Sturgeon said the steep rise in cases and the pressure on the NHS seen in parts of England "is a sign of what may lie ahead".
The Scottish Government is set to act "quickly and decisively in the national interest", she added.
"Vaccines give us way out, but this new strain makes the period between now and then the most dangerous since start of the pandemic.
"For now, please continue to take Covid seriously - it is a real threat to life and health and, if it runs out of control, it damages the economy more too.
"Please stay at home as much as possible and avoid non essential interactions with other households. Thank you."
It comes after 2,137 new positive cases of Covid-19 were reported in the latest figures.
A total of 21,451 tests reported results, of which 10.8% were positive.
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here