Covid in Scotland: Sturgeon confirms level 4 restrictions will end on Friday - BBC News
Nicola Sturgeon says 11 councils in west and central Scotland will come out of the highest tier of restrictions.
Glasgow is one of the areas which are subject to the highest level of restrictions

The 11 Scottish council areas which are subject to the highest tier of Covid-19 restrictions will exit level four on Friday, Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed.

The first minister said a decision on the levels that each region will be placed in will be taken on Tuesday.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman had said on Sunday that "all options are on the table" for the areas, before revising her comments later in the day.

Ms Sturgeon confirmed the councils "will all come out of level four".

She said it was likely that most of the areas would drop into level three, with the government taking a "cautious" approach to alert levels.

The 11 council areas in west and central Scotland', including Glasgow, were placed in the top tier of restrictions on 20 November in a "short and sharp" effort to contain the spread of the virus.

This was described as a three-week measure which would come to an end on 11 December.

However, some doubt appeared to be cast on this when the health minster was interviewed on the BBC's Sunday Politics programme.

Asked whether some of the level four areas "will remain so after the end of next week", and whether they could still be in the top tier at Christmas, Ms Freeman replied that "all options are on the table".

She later clarified that the 11 councils would come out of level four on Friday, and that her comments were intended to be about "what level below four they'll go into".

Speaking at her daily coronavirus briefing on Monday, Ms Sturgeon reiterated: "We've always said that those authorities would move out of that level on Friday and that remains the case."

The first minister said she would not pre-empt the review, as the levels for each council are due to be signed off by her cabinet on Tuesday morning.

However, she said she would continue to take a "cautious" approach.

She added: "The one thing that we are being firm about is that the level four areas will all come out of level four.

"Whether they go to level three, which I think is probably likely, or whether any of them might go to a lower level, that's something we will look at over the course of the day."

The council areas currently subject to level four restrictions are: East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, West Dunbartonshire and West Lothian.

The rest of the country is in levels one to three of the five-tier system. Ms Sturgeon said the government would also be looking at whether any other areas should either move up or down a level.

Meanwhile, the first Covid-19 vaccines are to be administered in Scotland on Tuesday.

Ms Sturgeon said this was "extremely positive news" - but that it was "important we not drop our guard."

She said: "Now we can see the prospect of the return to a more normal way of life, that should give us all the more incentive to stay safe and keep each other safe."

The first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine - which offers up to 95% protection against Covid-19 illness - arrived in Scotland over the weekend, and have now been delivered to local health boards.

Staff who will administer the vaccine will be the first to receive it, with the more elderly and vulnerable groups of the population next in line.

Ms Sturgeon said: "Vaccination is a major logistical exercise and it will take us time to work through the programme. The recent news doesn't remove the need for caution during this winter period."