BREAKING: Staggering amount of Scotland's current Covid-19 cases linked to new strain of virus

Nicola Sturgeon has apologised after she was photographed without a face covering at a wake. [View email online]( [Subscribe]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [The Scotsman] Dec 24, 2020 Good afternoon, Welcome to your coronavirus update from [The Scotsman.]( Before we begin, please consider taking out a [digital subscription]( with us from just £3 a month for unlimited access to all our stories. Or you can now give the gift of a digital subscription to a loved one [here](. Readers of this newsletter can get a 20% discount on[gift subscriptions]( with the promo code SCOTGIFT20. Nearly 40% of Covid-19 cases in Scotland linked to new strain of virus More than one in three Covid-19 cases in Scotland are likely to be linked to the new mutated version of the virus. Concerns around the high transmissability of the virus have also led to Nicola Sturgeon ordering mainland Scotland to be under level four restrictions for a minimum of three weeks from Boxing Day. [Read the latest on the new strain of coronavirus here.]( Experts warn East Lothian could be the epicentre of Covid-19 after Christmas The Scottish Government’s scientific advisers show that the region is the most likely council area in Scotland to record more than 300 cases per 100,000 people in the week following Christmas. Experts have warned that East Lothian could be the epicentre of the coronavirus following the planned relaxing of restrictions on Christmas Day. [Read more on why experts are pinpointing the area of the epicentre.]( More headlines from today - [Travel between UK and South Africa is banned - and recenr visitors must quarantine]( - [Is the South African Covid-19 strain more infectious than the UK strain of the virus?]( - [More than 300 people waited a week or more for contact tracing interview]( Before you leave... It has a been a tough year for all of us, however, we've got through 2020 together. We'd like to thank you all for your support of us throughout the year, and we look forward to bringing you quality news, features and exclusives in the new year. We would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a very merry Christmas from everyone here at the The Scotsman. Have one on us. [>> For the latest breaking coronavirus news as it happens, keep up to date with our live blog](. Thank you for reading and stay safe, Graham Falk [Nicola Sturgeon tells MSPs ‘I’ll be making sure I don’t drop my guard again’ after face mask Covid breach]( Nicola Sturgeon has apologised after she was photographed without a face covering at a wake. [{$escapedtitle}]( [Subscribe to The Scotsman today!]( [Article Image]( [Could there be another nationwide lockdown in Scotland after Christmas? Everything you need to know]( A second, March-style lockdown has not been ruled out by the First Minister [Article Image]( [Christmas Gift Guide 2020: great ideas to delight people of all ages, for all budgets]( We’ve rounded up presents to please everybody, be it a secret Santa gift or a luxury present to spoil your beloved. Here are all of our Christmas gift guides for 2020 in one place. Promoted by The Scotsman [Article Image]( [Coronavirus in Scotland: Ex-paratrooper on charity walk set to isolate in tent in forest]( A former British paratrooper who spent the first lockdown on a previously uninhabited Shetland island is to isolate in his tent in a forest when new restrictions come into force in Scotland. [View more news]( Please note Due to the unprecedented nature of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic we have launched this new daily newsletter to keep you up to date with the latest official information and advice. How to opt out of these emails We are sending these daily Coronavirus email bulletins in addition to our daily newsletter emails. If you would like to opt out of only these additional Public Interest emails, and continue to receive your regular daily newsletters, please [click here](. You have received this email as you have an account on The Scotsman, published by JPIMedia Publishing Ltd. To manage your individual newsletter preferences with us, please [click here]( and log in to your account. Alternatively you can [update]( your email preferences to choose the types of emails you receive from JPIMedia Publishing Ltd, or [unsubscribe]( from all future emails. JPIMedia Publishing Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales with registered number 11499982, having its registered address at 1, King Street, London, England, EC2V 8AU, United Kingdom. We will process your personal data in accordance with our [privacy policy](.