RESTRICTIONS brought in at Christmas in Scotland will be lifted from next Monday, Nicola Sturgeon has announced. 

However, people are being asked to continue to work from home until the start of February. 

From January 24, nightclubs are to reopen, there is an end to the three household meeting indoors rule, there will be no need for table service in bars and no need for one-meter physical distancing.

Scotland is now on the “downward slope” of infections from the Omicron wave of coronavirus, Sturgeon said.

Speaking in the Scottish Parliament, the FM set out statistics showing a “significant fall” in new cases, though the NHS remained under “acute pressure”.

She said: “Taking all of this into account, and triangulating the various sources of data, allows us to say with some confidence that the rise in cases driven by Omicron peaked in the first week of January and that we are now on the downward slope of this wave of cases.”

The Scottish Government will engage with businesses about a return to a more hybrid approach to work locations from the start of February. 

The government decided not to extend the Covid passport scheme to the hospitality industry at the moment. 

Although the latest picture was more positive, Nicola Sturgeon said it would be a "mistake" to "throw caution to the wind".

The public should continue to wear face masks in indoor settings and on public transport as well as continue to take regular lateral flow tests.