Scotland has recorded a record number of daily Covid cases as the number surged above 6,000 for the first time.
A total of 6,835 new cases were reported on Friday – more than 1,800 above the previous highest figure.
This is the third time this week a new record has been set.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the sharp rise was a “cause for concern” – but the Scottish government was not currently considering the introduction of a circuit breaker lockdown.
However, she stressed the importance of everyone “playing their part” in halting the spread of the virus.
Ms Sturgeon had previously said the country was at a “fragile and pivotal moment” in the pandemic.
She said on Friday that she could not rule anything out, but that no-one wanted to “go backwards” to even limited restrictions.
Ms Sturgeon urged people to get vaccinated, test themselves regularly and “tighten up again” on following the current guidelines.
She encouraged people to meet outdoors, avoid crowds, keep a safe distance from others and minimise physical contact.
And she added: “I hope we can get through this with all of us behaving sensibly and appropriately.”
The daily test positivity rate reported on Friday was 14.2%, up from 11.5% the previous day.
A record number of tests had been carried out on Thursday – but Ms Sturgeon said that did not entirely explain the increase in case numbers, which have doubled over the last seven days.
“It’s important to point out that case numbers are rising across the UK just now, but after a period of slower increases in Scotland the rise here is particularly sharp at the moment,” she said.
“That is possibly, at least in part, a reflection of the fact that our schools return earlier, with the increased interactions that come with that.
“And although vaccination has significantly weakened the link between a high volume of new cases and serious harm to health, it hasn’t completely broken that link.”
BBC