THE spread of Covid-19’s omicron variant could force Scotland into even stricter measures, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon warned today as she tightened the rules on self-isolation.

The Scottish National Party leader said the country could face a “tsunami of infections” as Scottish government projections showed that, in the worst-case scenario, infections could surge to almost 25,000 a day by December 20.

From Saturday, household contacts of positive coronavirus cases in Scotland must self-isolate regardless of their vaccination status or a negative PCR test, Ms Sturgeon said, adding that she could not rule out introducing further restrictions.