Sturgeon admits rule of six is 'arbitrary' amid fears family Christmas gatherings face axe

Nicola Sturgeon has admitted that new curbs on meeting people are “arbitrary” and “not perfect” but urged Scots to follow the rules in an attempt to save Christmas.

In a significant tightening of restrictions, the First Minister announced on Thursday that indoor and outdoor gatherings will be restricted to six people, from a maximum of two households, from Monday.

The move has thrown family Christmas celebrations into doubt, with Jason Leitch, the Scottish Government’s clinical director, admitting yesterday that while Christmas was not being cancelled, “some of the larger gatherings at Christmas” might be.

Ms Sturgeon said “there is not an exact science” for arriving at the six-person limit, but said that with virus cases on the rise, there was a need for “trade-offs” to allow schools and businesses to remain open.

She said that while she could not  guarantee that Christmas would be "fine", behaving in a way to drive down the virus would offer “the best chance” of having “more not less normality by the time we get to Christmas”.

On the new restrictions on gatherings, she said: “In terms of the number six, there is always going to be a degree of arbitrariness around this. There is not an exact science for six versus four versus eight. What we have to do right now is limit people’s interaction so we slow down the spread of the virus.

“It’s not perfect, I wish there was some straightforward, simple science that answered all these questions for us.”

While in England Boris Johnson has also moved to ban meetings of six or more, there is no limit on the number of households. However, in Scotland, children aged 12 or under do not count towards the limit, a measure the Prime Minister has been urged to follow.

Ms Sturgeon said she had sought advice on whether children’s birthday parties could still be allowed to take place, but was accused by opponents of sending “muddled messages” ahead of Monday’s clampdown.

There was still confusion last night over whether amateur sports, such as five-a-side football games between friends, would be allowed under the new regime. Ms Sturgeon has said “organised sports” will be allowed to take place, but asked what this would entail, she said further information would be published on the Scottish Government website “over the next couple of days”.

Monica Lennon, Scottish Labour’s health spokeswoman, said: “Muddled messages are really unhelpful. The Scottish Government needs to do its homework before these lockdown rules are announced.

"The First Minister sounding unsure and hesitant is not good for public confidence. Families want to do the right things and they deserve straightforward information.”

Meanwhile, it was announced that a ban on visiting others indoors, which has been in place in five council areas in the Glasgow area, will be extended to North and South Lanarkshire from today.

It means that around 1.7m Scots - roughly a third of the country’s population - will be covered by the local lockdown rules.

It follows a rise in cases in the areas, with 204 positive coronavirus cases identified across Lanarkshire since September 4. The rules were already in force in Glasgow City, East Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire, East Dunbartonshire and West Dunbartonshire.