Covid: Nicola Sturgeon says more restrictions 'may be unavoidable'

Further restrictions on "high risk" sectors may be unavoidable as Omicron surges across the country, Scotland's first minister has warned.

In a letter to the prime minister, Nicola Sturgeon said urgent financial help was needed to protect businesses from the "economic shock".

She said the huge number of people likely to be infected could overwhelm the NHS and other critical services.

And she said more restrictions "while undesirable, may now be unavoidable".

The Omicron variant is expected to replace Delta as the dominant form of the virus in Scotland by Friday.

Some 45% of the 5,951 Covid cases reported across the country on Thursday were suspected to be the new variant.

Ms Sturgeon has urged people to reduce contact with other households "as much as you possibly can", with advice to limit socialising to three households at a time in the run-up to Christmas amid fears of a "tsunami" of new infections.

New regulations requiring shops and hospitality venues to reduce the spread of the virus will come into force on Friday, with guidance for businesses published on Thursday afternoon.

Firms will need to enforce physical distancing, cut down on crowding in shops and at bars, and enable staff to work from home wherever possible.

In her letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Ms Sturgeon said that failing to put financial support in place for businesses meant that the UK's economic recovery was being put at risk.

She urged him to either re-establish the furlough scheme or give the devolved administrations the means to set up similar initiatives of their own.

Ms Sturgeon added: "The sheer number of people likely to be infected in the period ahead risks overwhelming the NHS and disabling the economy and other critical services.

"If left unchecked, Omicron will deliver a significant economic shock that will see lack of staff and pressure on already stressed supply chains lead directly to business failure."

She added: "Frankly, if we do not get Omicron under control we are sacrificing the economic recovery we all want to see.

"If the Treasury does not provide financial compensation and protection, this result becomes all but inevitable."

The Scottish government announced £100m of its own funding for struggling businesses on Tuesday, but opposition parties said there was no timeline for then the money would be distributed.

And they have accused the government of causing confusion over when guidance on the new rules for business would be issued - and when the rules will come into force.

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said: "This guidance has now, finally, been published. But there's still no word on when struggling small businesses will get the funding they desperately need to survive this difficult period.

"This is about people's jobs and their livelihoods. Nicola Sturgeon must commit to getting this vital cash to businesses before Christmas.

"Nicola Sturgeon is calling for more support from the UK government before she's even able to tell Scottish businesses when they'll get funding from her government."

The advice on limiting social gatherings is not enforceable in law, but Ms Sturgeon has said people should "not think of it as optional".

However, there will be new legal requirements for businesses from Friday - a day sooner than the government had initially indicated.

Guidance published on Thursday said firms should look at installing barriers or screens to ensure physical distancing and avoid bottlenecks at entrances and in corridors.

It said the government would "strongly encourage the use of table service where possible", and that retail settings should use "signs, floor markings and queue management systems to help people keep a safe distance from others".

Hospitality firms in Scotland say they have already taken a £1bn hit because of advice to cancel work Christmas parties, and bars and restaurants say the effect of guidance to limit social interactions could be "devastating".

Ms Sturgeon said she was "acutely aware of and deeply concerned" about the impact of advice on businesses.

Scotland's Finance Secretary Kate Forbes has urged the UK government to provide around £500m immediately to help "make a dent" in grant support for Scottish businesses.

She told BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime programme: "The greatest risk right now is that we wait too long, England goes into lockdown, something like furlough is reintroduced and suddenly it is available to Scottish businesses - but three or four weeks too late."

The UK government has made some funds available to the devolved administrations, although Scottish ministers say this has been brought forward from next year and had already been allocated within budgets.

A UK government spokeswoman said the Treasury had "given the devolved administrations the certainty they need to spend more money in the coming weeks", and would continue to engage with them.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar also said business owners were "anxious" about the future of their firms and workers.

He said: "What they will not appreciate is politics or bickering. What they will expect is for the Scottish and UK governments to work together in the national interest to protect people's lives and livelihoods."