Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Nov 14, 2025

Christmas Day guidance in Scotland 'will not change'

Christmas Day guidance in Scotland 'will not change'

Scots will not face fresh restrictions on Christmas Day gatherings, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said.

People have been advised to reduce their contacts as much as possible in the coming days, but have not been asked to cancel Christmas plans.

And Ms Sturgeon said guidance for individuals would not change despite ongoing concerns about Covid-19.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has also ruled out immediate changes to regulations for people in England.

However, he said data would be "under review hour-by-hour", and that the UK government would not hesitate to "take further action" to protect public health.

Concerns about the faster-spreading Omicron variant of Covid-19 - now the dominant strain of the virus in Scotland - have raised speculation about new restrictions on people and businesses in the days running up to Christmas.

Scotland recorded more than 6,700 new infections on Monday, with the percentage of tests coming back positive at its highest level since January, at 15.2%.

Meanwhile, the UK as a whole reported 91,743 Covid cases, the second-highest daily total since mass testing began.

Asked if people could plan their Christmas Day celebrations on the basis of advice already given, Ms Sturgeon told BBC Scotland: "Yes."

The first minister said she wanted "people to have clarity about what we are expecting of them", and that they should "listen carefully to advice".

The government has asked people to reduce their contact with other households as much as possible and to stay home "as much as is feasible" on the days around Christmas, but that they can go ahead with their main family celebrations.

Ms Sturgeon also said people attending Christmas gatherings should take a Covid-19 test beforehand, practice good hygiene, and move to reduce their contacts again following the weekend.

The Scottish cabinet will meet on Tuesday morning, before Ms Sturgeon updates MSPs on the latest data and plans in the afternoon.

The Scottish government has already enacted some new guidelines for hospitality businesses and shops, and Ms Sturgeon said ministers would be looking at whether anything else could be done on that front.

She said: "Cabinet tomorrow will look at the data and we will consider - we haven't taken any decisions - whether there are any other steps we need to take, both to slow down the spread of infection and to take account of the fact that because of the rising number of infections we are seeing quite high staff absences across the economy and in public services.

"All of this has to be balanced and we will come to balanced decisions tomorrow.

And if we are deciding to do anything else - as I say I am not changing the advice for individuals around Christmas - I will set that out to parliament tomorrow."

Ms Sturgeon was speaking moments after Mr Johnson confirmed no immediate changes will be made to rules in England.

Speaking after a two-hour cabinet meeting, the prime minister said there were still "some things that we need to be clearer about before we decide to go further".

He said ministers were "looking at all kinds of things" and would "rule nothing out" in terms of future action.

Mr Johnson added: "Unfortunately I must say to people that we will have to reserve the possibility of taking further action to protect the public, to protect public health, to protect our NHS."


Nicola Sturgeon says she wants "people to have clarity about what we are expecting of them" ahead of Christmas Day


Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Cristiano Ronaldo Embraces Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup Vision with Key Role
Saudi Arabia’s Execution Campaign Escalates as Crown Prince Readies U.S. Visit
Trump Unveils Middle East Reset: Syria Re-engaged, Saudi Ties Amplified
Saudi Arabia to Build Future Cities Designed with Tourists in Mind, Says Tourism Minister
Saudi Arabia Advances Regulated Stablecoin Plans with Global Crypto Exchange Support
Saudi Arabia Maintains Palestinian State Condition Ahead of Possible Israel Ties
Chinese Steel Exports Surge 41% to Saudi Arabia as Mills Pivot Amid Global Trade Curbs
Saudi Arabia’s Biban Forum 2025 Secures Over US$10 Billion in Deals Amid Global SME Drive
Saudi Arabia Sets Pre-Conditions for Israel Normalisation Ahead of Trump Visit
MrBeast’s ‘Beast Land’ Arrives in Riyadh as Part of Riyadh Season 2025
Cristiano Ronaldo Asserts Saudi Pro League Outperforms Ligue 1 Amid Scoring Feats
AI Researchers Claim Human-Level General Intelligence Is Already Here
Saudi Arabia Pauses Major Stretch of ‘The Line’ Megacity Amid Budget Re-Prioritisation
Saudi Arabia Launches Instant e-Visa Platform for Over 60 Countries
Dick Cheney, Former U.S. Vice President, Dies at 84
Saudi Crown Prince to Visit Trump at White House on November Eighteenth
Trump Predicts Saudi Arabia Will Normalise with Israel Ahead of 18 November Riyadh Visit
Entrepreneurial Momentum in Saudi Arabia Shines at Riyadh Forward 2025 Summit
Saudi Arabia to Host First-Ever International WrestleMania in 2027
Saudi Arabia to Host New ATP Masters Tournament from 2028
Trump Doubts Saudi Demand for Palestinian State Before Israel Normalisation
Viral ‘Sky Stadium’ for Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup Debunked as AI-Generated
Deal Between Saudi Arabia and Israel ‘Virtually Impossible’ This Year, Kingdom Insider Says
Saudi Crown Prince to Visit Washington While Israel Recognition Remains Off-Table
Saudi Arabia Leverages Ultra-Low Power Costs to Drive AI Infrastructure Ambitions
Saudi Arabia Poised to Channel Billions into Syria’s Reconstruction as U.S. Sanctions Linger
Smotrich’s ‘Camels’ Remark Tests Saudi–Israel Normalisation Efforts
Saudi Arabia and Qatar Gain Structural Edge in Asian World Cup Qualification
Israeli Energy Minister Delays $35 Billion Gas Export Agreement with Egypt
Fincantieri and Saudi Arabia Agree to Build Advanced Maritime Ecosystem in Kingdom
Saudi Arabia’s HUMAIN Accelerates AI Ambitions Through Major Partnerships and Infrastructure Push
IOC and Saudi Arabia End Ambitious 12-Year Esports Games Partnership
CSL Seqirus Signs Saudi Arabia Pact to Provide Cell-Based Flu Vaccines and Build Local Production
Qualcomm and Saudi Arabia’s HUMAIN Team Up to Deploy 200 MW AI Infrastructure
Saudi Arabia’s Economy Expands Five Percent in Third Quarter Amid Oil Output Surge
China’s Vice President Han Zheng Meets Saudi Crown Prince as Trade Concerns Loom
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
Syria Holds First Elections Since Fall of Assad
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
×