NICOLA STURGEON has confirmed that a circuit breaker lockdown will not be considered amid a sudden surge in Covid cases. 

Speaking at a media briefing held today, the First Minister said that a third lockdown will not be used to curb a spike in new infections.

However, Ms Sturgeon said that the Scottish Government "can’t and shouldn’t rule anything out in the midst of a pandemic". 

She said: "The measures which have been in place for the last 17 months have in themselves caused serious harm. They have disrupted schools, hurt the economy and affected wellbeing.

"That is why - even although, if we are at all responsible, we can’t and shouldn’t rule anything out in the midst of a pandemic, none of us want to go backwards to even limited restrictions.

"I want to be clear that some of the speculation you might be reading in the media just now is not accurate - for example, we are not currently considering a circuit breaker lockdown.

"For the moment, though, I do need to stress the vital importance of everyone playing their part in limiting the spread of the virus. The more we all do this, the more chance we have of avoiding the need to re-impose any formal restrictions."

The media briefing - the second to be held this week - comes after Scotland recorded a record number of Covid cases for a third consecutive day.

In the last 24 hours, a total of 6835 new infections were identified across the country. 

The cause of the recent rise in cases is thought to be from younger generations who have not yet received the Covid vaccine. 

Ms Sturgeon added: "If you are eligible and haven’t yet done so, please get vaccinated. This remains the single most important thing we can all do to keep each other safe."