 Ysbawr Faginigwad Cymru Ysbawr Faginigwad Cymru erbyn yn ffaith o'u cyfnodd yn gyntgen i'ch myfyr exploredu iawn i chi'w cynnwys hiwed. Yr Argynfu Minister wedi'u cwestiynau a'r argron dim sefyd i chi ymdegau i chi, ymdegai'r Argynfu Minister. Mae gefn眼edd i chi'n ei wneud, a��ddwch chi'n ei ffred ymgrodd o Omicron. that I will confirm no immediate changes to the protections that are currently in force or to the advice that we are giving the public. However, I will also talk about the data that we will be monitoring closely in the days ahead as we assess the likely impact of this wave of infection and the continued necessity and proportionality of our response. I will also briefly summarise the protective measures that took effect earlier this week to help to slow spread and provide some further detail of the support that is available to businesses. Finally, I will report on the delivery of booster vaccinations. First, today's statistics. 15,849 positive cases were reported yesterday, and 28.9 per cent of all tests carried out. It is worth noting that the much higher test positivity that has been experienced over recent days may be partially explained by people being more selective about when to go for a test over the Christmas period. However, that is by some margin the highest overall daily case number reported in the pandemic to date. 679 people are currently in hospital with Covid, which is 80 more than yesterday, and 36 people are in intensive care one fewer than yesterday. I will say more shortly about the numbers of people with Covid in hospital and why that is an important indicator as we judge the most proportionate response going forward. Sadly, a further three deaths have been reported taking the total number of deaths under this daily definition to 9,836. Once again, I want to send my condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one. It is clear from the figures that the wave of Omicron that has been predicted is now rapidly developing. Omicron now accounts for around 80 per cent of all cases, and over the past week the number of reported cases of Covid overall has increased by 47 per cent. We should also bear in mind that the area transmission over recent days will not yet be fully evident in the reported figures. It is reasonable to assume that we will continue to see steep increases in cases in the days and, indeed, possibly in the weeks ahead. That said, it is also important to remember that our individual and collective behaviour will influence how fast or otherwise the virus spreads. The current surge would almost certainly be even higher but for so many people following advice to cut down on social interactions in the run-up to Christmas. Given the speed and extent of the transmission that we are experiencing now, it is really vital that we all continue to take sensible precautions and limit social interactions for a further period as we learn more about the likely impact of this wave of infection and as we complete the booster vaccination programme. Obviously, one of the factors that we are looking at most closely is the proportion of Omicron cases that require hospital treatment. That will tell us more about the severity of Omicron for individuals and also about the overall impact that it is likely to have on the NHS. That will therefore inform our on-going response. Before I say more about that, though, it is worth emphasising that there are other reasons to do all that we can at this stage to slow down the spread. Firstly, whatever the overall impact of Omicron turns out to be, we know that this virus will cause serious illness and death for some. We also know that, for others, long Covid will cause on-going suffering. Secondly, we know that high levels of infection and therefore sickness absence will be disruptive to the economy and the delivery of critical services. I will say more later about how we are seeking to mitigate that. However, as things stand, none of us should be complacent about getting Covid. We should take steps to avoid it if we can. There is no doubt, however, that the data that we are looking at most closely just now is the conversion of cases into hospital admissions. There are here some grounds for optimism. Over the past week, published studies have suggested that the risk of hospitalisation from Omicron is lower—possibly significantly lower—than for other strains of the virus. What is not yet fully understood is why this might be the case, whether it is because Omicron is inherently less severe or because of its greater ability to infect those who have had prior infection or been vaccinated, which means that more of those who get it carry a level of immunity that protects them from more serious illness. We do not yet know the answer to that, but either way, if it is the case that a much lower proportion of people with Omicron need hospital care compared to other strains of the virus, that is really good news, especially as Omicron is now the dominant strain, and good news both in terms of individual health and overall impact. Of course, it would inform how we respond in the weeks ahead. However, and this remains key for at least the next couple of weeks, we do need to show continued caution as we assess in real time the impact that these higher case numbers will have on the NHS. It is encouraging that, at least until now, the rise in cases that it experienced over the past few weeks has not translated into a corresponding rise in hospital admissions or occupancy. On the contrary, the number of people in hospital with Covid has so far remained broadly stable. However, again, we do need to exercise caution. The numbers in hospital with Covid in England is now rising quite sharply, which may be a sign of things to come here. Indeed, today's reported increase in hospital occupancy here of 80 is the biggest increase that we have seen for some time. We also know that there is a time lag between rising cases and hospital admissions. Of course, in terms of sheer numbers, the benefits of a lower rate of hospitalisation could be quickly cancelled out by the much higher case numbers, resulting from significantly increased transmissibility. We will monitor all of this data very carefully in the days to come. As well as looking at headline numbers, we will also be interrogating the detail—for example, the breakdown between those in hospital because of Covid and those in hospital who have Covid but were admitted for different reasons. We will also be looking at whether the average length of stay in hospital for those with Omicron is different to other variants. All in all, I would expect that, within the next couple of weeks, we will have a clearer picture and that that will then help us to reach informed judgments about the most proportionate response going forward. In the meantime, however, while we better understand the impacts and while more and more of us get the added protection of booster vaccinations, which will of course help to reduce the impacts of Omicron, we must try to avoid the sheer volume of cases overwhelming us. That is why it is prudent indeed—I would say that it is essential—that we act to slow transmission at this stage as much as possible. Indeed, that is why additional protections were announced last week and are now enforced, and I will summarise those shortly. It is also why, over Hogmanay and New Year's Day, and for at least the first week of January, we are advising everyone to stay at home more than normal, to reduce contact with people outside our own households and to limit the size of any indoor social gatherings that do take place so that they do not include people from any more than three households. We also try to ventilate indoor spaces as much as possible. It remains our advice, our strong advice, that lateral flotests should be taken just before meeting up with anyone from another household. If that shows a positive result, it is vital to immediately isolate and book a PCR test. You should also isolate and book a PCR test if you have symptoms that might be Covid. Following that advice is difficult and frustrating at the best of times, I know, but it is even harder at this time of year, but it really does help and it will be helping already, notwithstanding these very high case numbers, so please stick with it for now. In addition to this general advice to the public, the new protective measures relating to hospitality, public indoor places and live events that I set out last week are now in force. We will review those on an on-going basis, but at this stage our expectation is that they will be in force until 17 January. That means that for now, limits on the size of live public events, though private life events such as weddings are exempt. For indoor standing events, the limit is 100, for indoor seated events, 200 and for outdoor events, 500 seated or standing. Some question the rationale for this, so let me set it out again. Firstly, the higher transmissibility of Omicron means that large gatherings have a much greater potential to become rapid superspreader events. Second, there are transmission risks associated with travel to and from such events. Thirdly, they place significant demands on emergency services, such as the police and the ambulance service. At a time when emergency services are already dealing with high levels of staff absence due to the virus, not having large-scale public events allows those services to focus on the delivery of core services to the public. As well as limits on large events, further protections are now in force for hospitality and other indoor public places. A requirement for table service has been reintroduced for venues that serve alcohol for consumption on the premises. Guidance has been issued to the effect that indoor hospitality and leisure venues should ensure a one-metre distance between different groups of customers. One group, whether it is made up of one, two or three households, should be physically distanced from other such groups in the same venue. Finally, unfortunately, night clubs are now closed until 17 January, unless they have decided to remain open without dancing as hospitality premises, in which case they will be required to follow the same rules and guidance as other hospitality venues. All of those protections are important to help us to deal with and to reduce the impact of the public health challenge that Covid represents. However, they also have a very significant impact on businesses. Two weeks ago, I announced £100 million to support businesses affected by the advice to minimise contacts over the festive period. We have already detailed the allocation of that. However, last week I announced a further £275 million of support, and I can give some further detail today of how the first £100 million of that additional support is being allocated. £16 million will be made available to support public transport providers through existing Covid support schemes. £27 million will go to the culture sector and a further £17 million to the events sector. A further £32 million will be allocated to hospitality and leisure businesses with an additional £10 million for those parts of the hospitality industry, most severely impacted by the requirement for table service, and up to £5 million will be allocated to nightclubs that are required to close. We are also working closely with the sport sector. Sporting events are obviously affected by the limit on spectators and by cancellations due to Covid absences. However, we also know that some of that impact will be alleviated by the rescheduling of events, so we want to make sure that the support that we provide is effectively targeted, and we will be confirming further details soon. In total, we have now reached decisions on the allocation of £207 million of the £375 million being made available for business support, and councils are now working to get that money into bank accounts as fast as possible. Decisions on the allocation of the remaining funds will be confirmed following consultation with affected sectors on how it can be best targeted. I know how difficult all of that is for business, and I really wish that it wasn't necessary, and I hope that it's not necessary for long. However, there simply isn't an easy trade-off between protecting health and protecting the economy. If Covid continues to spread rapidly, the economic impact in the form of staff absences and diminished consumer confidence will be severe, and we are already seeing those impacts. Doing nothing won't help business. We must protect public health and the economy together by slowing the speed at which Covid is spreading while we complete the booster programme. There are two further issues that I want to touch on this afternoon. I mentioned earlier the need to mitigate the impact of staff absences on the economy and critical services. Obviously, the best way of doing that is by stemming transmission, but we must also ensure that the requirements for isolation are proportionate. I indicated last week that we were weighing the risks and benefits of shortening the isolation period for index cases and also potentially easing the requirement for all household contacts to isolate following a positive case. Those are finely balanced judgments, and we are considering the current trends in infection carefully. However, I can confirm that we do hope to reach decisions in the next week with any changes taking effect from 5 January, and we will keep Parliament updated. In the meantime, we have introduced a sectoral exemption scheme, subject to appropriate protections, and I can confirm today a further change that will help to ensure that the exemption scheme, which is dependent on speedy turnaround of PCR tests, is effective. The current surge in cases means that testing capacity, sampling and processing capacity are under pressure. We are now prioritising some slots for essential workers, such as NHS and transport staff, as well as for those who are clinically vulnerable or eligible for new Covid treatments. That ensures that essential workers will get the test results that they need to qualify for an exemption promptly. That is a sensible step to take at this stage. However, notwithstanding this priority for essential workers, let me stress that testing remains available for anyone who needs it. If you try to book a test and cannot find a slot in a location, you can get to, do try again later, additional PCR slots are released throughout the day. Test and protect is now focusing its telephone tracing on high-risk settings, such as care homes. The majority of us, if we test positive, will be contacted by text or email rather than by phone, so if you are contacted by test and protect, either as a positive case or a close contact, please do respond and complete the online form and make sure that you follow all advice given. The final point and the vital point that I want to update on today is the progress of the vaccination programme. Before I do so though, let me address this point. I have heard people asking in recent days what the purpose of booster vaccination is if we still have to restrict our activities for a period. I understand that question, but it is the answer that is vital for all of us to understand. Firstly, getting a booster does not mean that we will not get Covid, though it will reduce the chances of that, but what it does do is significantly enhance our protection against serious illness. Getting boosted could quite literally save your life. Because it does not completely stop us getting or passing on the virus, those not fully vaccinated are still at significant risk. We will not get the full benefit of the booster programme as a country until the maximum number of us is fully vaccinated, which means that anyone choosing not to be vaccinated without good reason is acting irresponsibly. However, the key point is that until the programme is completed and we are getting closer to that every day, we still need to slow down the spread. In recent weeks, there has been a huge increase in booster appointments, and I want to put on record again my thanks to everyone involved in the delivery of the programme and to everyone coming forward to be boosted. 75 per cent of those eligible for a booster or a third dose have now received one. That represents excellent progress, but to deliver maximum benefits, we need maximum numbers to get boosted as quickly as possible. We want to get to or as close as possible to the target of having 80 per cent of eligible adults boosted by the bells. Getting there depends on both capacity and demand. Let me make it very clear that we definitely have enough capacity now to meet that target. What we need between now and the end of the week is high demand. Eligible people who are not yet boosted to come forward now and get the jag. High numbers of positive cases are making things more difficult, because if you get the virus, you cannot get the vaccine for a period afterwards, so cancellation and do not attend rates have been creeping up this week as case numbers have risen. To everyone out there who is not yet boosted but could be, please book an appointment now or go to a drop-in clinic. If you have an appointment book for January, please reschedule it for this week. There are plenty of slots available. Please do not delay. Every single booster jag administered now is a step on the road back to normality. Remember that if you have not had your first or second jag yet, it is never too late for that either. Please make sure you get those now. To draw my remarks to a conclusion, it is an understatement to say that the situation that we face now is not what any of us want. I have to be clear that the period immediately ahead will not be an easy one. I hope that the clearer picture that we will have in the next couple of weeks will also prove to be a much more positive picture. We can all help to make it so, so please get fully vaccinated. Do it this week. The more of us who are boosted, the less severe the impact of Omicron will be and the sooner we will all return to normality. Secondly, please test regularly. The advice if you are meeting other people is to test before you go every single time and take your test as close as possible to the time that you will be seeing other people. This is really important if you are planning to meet people from other households over Hulgnane, although I would encourage you to please minimise that. Finally, take all the other precautions that can help to make a difference. Work from home whenever possible. Stay at home right now more than normal and reduce your contacts as much as possible, as I said, even over Hulgnane. If you do visit indoor public places, limit the number of households in your group to three at most. We have a face covering on public transport, in shops, and when moving around in hospitality. Make sure that the covering covers fully your mouth and nose. Keep windows open if you are meeting indoors and follow all advice on hygiene. Sticking to this is really hard, but it keeps us safer and gives us the ability to slow down spread of the virus as we complete the all-important booster programme. This is another understatement being another really difficult year. Despite the renewed challenges that we face now, I firmly believe, largely because of vaccination, that 2022 will be a better year. Let me conclude by thanking everyone again for all the sacrifices made over this year and by wishing everyone a very happy new year when it comes. The First Minister will now take questions on the issues that are raised in her statement. I intend to allow around 55 minutes for questions and it would be helpful if members who wish to ask a question put R in the chat function now. I call on Douglas Ross. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I begin by putting on record that I recognise the hardship faced by people across Scotland at this time. Because of the restrictions that we have seen scaled back or cancelled Christmas and new year celebrations, but there is some good news. The booster programme continues to be rolled out, increasing our protection against the Omicron variant for anyone who has not done so yet to out and get their booster. Last week, I again asked the First Minister to make changes to self-isolation rules, to allow household contacts to end self-isolation if they have a negative PCR result, and to reduce the isolation period from 10 days to 7 if they test negative twice. However, the First Minister's message today on the essential changes is yet again to tune in next week. We have had the groundbreaking Omicron study that shows that, while it is more transmissible, it is less severe. What more information do you need to take the steps on self-isolation that we have been calling for for weeks? This is one of the most important and difficult decisions that we will take in recent days. I know that England has already reduced the self-isolation period for index cases. Wales has not done it. I do not believe that Northern Ireland has done it yet, either. That illustrates the finely balanced nature of the judgment, and I will say a bit more about that in a moment. However, it is also important that we understand the context for making that decision. Douglas Ross rightly points to the more positive news in the studies that were published just before Christmas. However, as the authors of the studies point out, it is important not to over interpret the studies or get carried away by the initial data that they provide. Although they suggest that the hospitalisation rate associated with Omicron is lower than for other variants—perhaps significantly lower—that will not give us any benefit if the overall volume of cases cancels that out and leads us to a higher number of people going into hospital overall. That is why it is really important that we do not allow the infection numbers to overwhelm us. That brings me back to why the decision on isolation is important to get right, because if we release people from isolation while they may still be infectious, then yes, we will relieve some of the pressure that we are seeing on the economy. That is not to be underestimated, but that will be short lived, because the risk that we take is that we will accelerate the spread of the virus and then the pressure on the economy will increase in the medium to longer term. We need to get that right. Why do I say that we are still taking a few more days because we have a very rapidly rising number of cases right now, which is both a reason to do this but also a reason to be cautious about doing it? We have some fluctuation in case numbers inevitably because of the Christmas period. We need to settle that a little bit over the next few days and then we need to reach a judgment that is right in terms of weighing the risks and the benefits of that, so we would expect to do that over the next few days, with any changes coming into effect from immediately after the new year holidays. The final point that I would make is that while the focus—because England has already done this—is on reducing isolation for index cases from 10 days to 7 days, it is not the only change that we should be considering. We have a situation right now in the wake of Omicron, where we ask all household contacts of positive cases to isolate for 10 days. I hope that we can ease that up as well. I think that it makes sense to make sure that we are making changes in a coherent manner. Those things are not easy. I do not underestimate the reasons why there are calls for us to do this. I hope that we will do this, but I do not think that anybody particularly looking at the case numbers that are being reported today would fail to see why it is important that we take a very responsible approach to this and make sure that, as far as it is possible to do with any aspect of handling the virus, we are getting it as right as we possibly can. I will keep Parliament updated over the next few days around the detail of any changes that we decide on and propose. Businesses across Scotland are struggling with the impact of these restrictions at what should be their busiest time of the year. Many of the same businesses are also affected by the self-isolation. Absences and a lack of staff cover will mean premises having to close early or not open at all, despite staff members' testing negative. I have been speaking to businesses throughout the festive period, and they are trying to plan for the next few weeks and months, but the First Minister's indecision on the self-isolation rules is continuing to cause them trouble to plan for the period ahead. What is also causing them trouble is a lack of financial support. Weeks ago, I asked the First Minister in the chamber to get this financial package to businesses before Christmas, and she promised to do everything possible to deliver that. Given that so many businesses are in dire straits and need of financial assistance now, can I ask the First Minister why they are still waiting for the money to come through? Douglas Ross describes indecision as responsibility. The most important burden on my shoulders is to be as responsible and as measured in taking these decisions as possible. I know that critical services are struggling with staff absences. If case numbers continue to rise, that will become more difficult, which is why we need to try to slow down the increase in cases, because it is the virus, not self-isolation that is the cause of the problem. However, the self-isolation rules need to be proportionate so that they are not exacerbating that problem. I do not argue in any way with the central premise of the question here, but there is an element of common sense that needs to be applied as well, and that is where careful judgment comes into play. If we ease up on the self-isolation rules too quickly and we do not take sufficient care, then, even though we are doing that for good reasons, all we will do is increase the overall numbers of infections because we will contribute to the spread. Therefore, the problem that businesses are suffering will not get better, but it will actually get worse. Those are not easy judgments to arrive at. Governments elsewhere are struggling with that as well. I recognise the importance of speed, but I hope that others will recognise the importance of being measured and responsible in that as well. Dealing with the virus—we have all learned this over the past couple of years—every action has a reaction. Every decision that you make has a potential consequence, sometimes an adverse consequence. That calls for careful decision making, which is what we have tried to do throughout this. As I said, we will reach a decision on this over the next few days with any changes coming into effect after the new year period from 5 January. However, we are not doing nothing in the meantime. The sectoral exemption scheme is important and is already helping in many key sectors. The changes that I talked about today to ensure prioritisation for essential workers in access to testing will help further. There is no sense in which we are not taking the issue seriously, but we are simply trying to avoid compounding a problem as we try to solve that problem. Secondly, the financial support available for businesses in Scotland right now is significantly higher proportionally than it is in England. I cannot put so much for Wales and Northern Ireland. That demonstrates the seriousness with which we are taking this, and money is flowing and will flow to businesses as quickly as possible. From announcing it through to making the money available to councils through to, I think, just days before Christmas, COSLA leaders meeting to agree that they would disperse those funds to the checks that are being done right now to get the money out of the door. It is being done at pace, and money will start flowing to businesses in the days to come. Of course, there will be more of it as we allocate the additional funds that we have made available. The First Minister has just confirmed that the money did not get to those businesses before Christmas, and that is unfortunate, because they are really struggling now. The First Minister also mentioned access to testing. Today, we have seen widespread reports of a lack of availability of testing across Scotland. Over the past few days, we have heard of results taking up to four days to come through. That undermines confidence in our testing system, particularly when people are having to isolate over the festive period. I realise that this is a UK-wide global issue, but what can I ask the Scottish Government to ensure that people can get tested and are confident that they will get their results quicker? That is a UK-wide system, and I do not say that in any way to pass responsibility. We are working closely with the UK Government to make sure that the flow of testing remains as we need it to be. There were steps taken to constrain demand in England last night, which I understand mean that there are no bookings available today for physical test sites in England. While that change was being made last night, there was an administrative error made that restricted slots in the other three nations that have now been rectified. I went on to the system myself just about half an hour before coming to make my statement, and Scotland and Wales were the only parts of the UK where there was availability of PCR tests at physical sites. We monitor that on an on-going basis. There is work being done to make sure that testing capacity continues to increase, but also the prioritisation for that testing capacity is also being given due regard, and I covered some of that in my statement. There have been lengthening turnaround times. We hope that they will return to normal over the course of the next couple of days. There will continue to be pressure on tests, but it is important that the system continues to flex and respond. I have confidence that that will be the case, and we will continue to liaise closely with the UK Government about that. One final point to make—perhaps that is a factor in some of the constraints put on demand in England over the past few hours—is that the testing system, such as other parts of the economy and critical services, will suffer from abstinence rates because of Covid, which comes back to the earlier points about the need to take decisions, albeit careful decisions, around things such as self-isolation. Those are all interlinked matters, and that is why we continue to keep all of them under close review. I would like to offer my deepest sympathies to those who have lost a loved one, especially at this time of year. I also want to pay tribute to Scotland's vaccinators who continue to go above and beyond. Over the Christmas period, all our front-line workers have worked tirelessly to keep us all safe and secure, so I thank each and every one of them and, of course, their families. I also thank all those who have come forward during the holidays to get their boosters and to repeat a plea. If you have not yet received your first dose or your second dose or a booster dose, please book an appointment or visit a drop-in centre today. I know what the First Minister says on isolation periods and a decision on 5 January, but staff absences are spiking out and that is having knock-on effects on our services and on industry. Can the First Minister share the scientific evidence that she is relying on when asking people who have tested negative to remain in isolation for 10 days? I note, for example, that there are some countries that are looking to reduce it to five days. That was announced just today. Every restriction has a knock-on effect for workers and businesses, particularly in hospitality and retail. I repeat calls for the UK Government to work with devolved Governments to support workers at this time of crisis. Many are literally fighting for survival. Industries associated with hospitality events and retail also appear to have fallen through the cracks. What actions has the Scottish Government taken to ensure that all those who are eligible for support are actually receiving it? What plans are in place now to widen support to those affected businesses—for example, the taxi trade—who have seen their income collapse and are not currently eligible for extra help? On the issue of staff absences, I recognise the burden that this is placing on businesses and on many services across the country. That is why it is important that we make the self-isolation rules more proportionate, if we can. The science that Anasaro asked me to give is all to do with the incubation period. We know that people can become infectious and test positive for the virus after a period of seven days. In fact, if we cast our minds back to the earlier part of the pandemic, the isolation period was not 10 days as it is now. It used to be 14 days, so it has already been shortened, which has already introduced greater risk into that. If we are going to do that further for good reasons, we have to be aware that we increase that risk. If we get that wrong, if we increase the risk too much, any benefit from that will be outweighed by faster spread of the virus, which will not solve the problem for businesses. It will compound the absences problem for businesses. I am not disagreeing with anybody who is saying that this is an important decision, but I would ask for an understanding of why it is important to get this right. It is also correct to say that different countries are coming to different conclusions here. The Centre for Disease Control in the United States has, as I understand it, and I may be not getting this entirely right, but reading some of this this morning, as I understand it, this is for asymptomatic cases, only has reduced the isolation period to five days. Again, there is some difference of opinion about the appropriate degree of risk. All of that says that we need to weigh those things carefully, because if we do not do that, then any benefits that we might get in the immediate term will be outweighed by the increased risks in the longer term. In terms of business support, I continue to hope that the UK Government increases the level of support that they are making available to business so that we are able to do likewise, although proportionately we are already delivering significantly higher business support. As I said in my statement, we have made decisions and confirmed announcements on allocation of £207 million, of the £375 million that we have made available. The remainder of that, we are consulting with different sectors. That will include considering support for the taxi sector. We have previously provided support for the taxi sector, but we know that it is one part of the economy that suffers considerably from fewer people going out and socialising. We are very much in our minds as we reach decisions on the allocation of the remainder of that money, and we will set out those decisions as soon as possible. I welcome those comments, particularly in relation to the taxi trade, and I look forward to seeing the details of that additional support. The First Minister referenced testing in her statement and also in response to previous questions. We know that testing is the key to breaking transmission and reducing transmission as well, from lateral flow tests for visiting friends and family to the PCR tests which determine the spread and pace of the virus that is core to our response. I know what the First Minister said around looking 30 minutes before she came on, but I have had constituents who have been touching people across Scotland this morning not being able to access tests and also struggling to access lateral flow tests and devices to issues around delivery online. Even people have been asked to travel to different parts of the country or having to wait as long as 72 hours to get the results. I ask the First Minister to consider the disruption that this is having on front-line workers, the disruption that it is having on services, on businesses and literally putting livelihoods on the line. What action has been taken to increase the capacity of testing, to increase the availability of testing and also the speed of results as we approach hugminy testing is the way to get us through this crisis. Testing is one of the ways to get us through this crisis. It is a really important way, but I would not want to give the impression that it is the only way. Getting vaccinated is also really important, and following the advice to school transmission is also vital at the moment. As I said in response to the previous question, as demand was constrained for England last night, an administrative error led to slots being removed for the other three nations, that has been resolved. There will be fluctuations in availability. There will sometimes be slots available in places that are not easily accessible, which is why what I would say to people is to go back and check later, because new slots are made available for PCI tests throughout the day. The work of ensuring that there is adequate supply of testing, both the sampling capacity, which is the local test sites, the mobile testing unit where the tests are taken, through to the laboratory processing capacity, is fit for purpose. We know that, for some people, getting speedy access to test results is even more important than it is for everybody, and it is important for everybody. That is why we are also within the availability capacity. We are making sure that there is a priority, given the essential workers, those who are most clinically vulnerable and those who are now eligible for some of the new treatments for Covid. Those are on-going issues of priority work for the Scottish Government, but this is a UK system, so we require to ensure that that is done in partnership with the UK Government and the other nations. I would say to people that there is testing capacity there, so please, if you have a positive LFD or if you have symptoms or if you are advised to get a test, please make sure that you book it. There is also supply of LFD tests, either from test sites or from pharmacies or by ordering online, so please make sure that you make full use of that. I asked the First Minister eight days ago to set out our national capacity for PCR testing and how that would be expanded to deal with a surge in demand. As we have heard already today, we have seen numerous reports of delays across Scotland. At this time, MSPs are still in the dark about the reach of our capacity, so I remind the First Minister of her commitment to me to update Parliament on this matter through the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. Last week, I met the hospitality sector. It told me that the money on offer from the Scottish Government at the moment represents just one-eighth of its January pay bill. It will barely last them three days. Today's 16,000 cases will leave them in serious doubt that they will be allowed to reopen on 17 January. Many businesses are on the verge of making irreversible decisions and people are losing their jobs. If our Government chooses to extend restrictions beyond the 17, what reassurance can it offer that further support will be made available to a hospitality sector already on its knees? First Minister, I will make sure that information on capacity and the changing nature and volume of capacity is placed in spite. However, as I said when the question was posed to me before, I remind people that capacity right now is not a fixed thing. There are efforts on going all the time to maximise capacity on a daily basis and, indeed, to increase capacity. Therefore, it is important that it is not seen as something that is fixed and unchanging. We do know that capacity is under pressure. Yesterday or the day before, we reached demand to cup about 85 per cent of available capacity, which is getting to a level where we will start to see lengthening turnaround times. That is on-going work that we do to make sure that those issues are being resolved on a daily basis. On the issue of business support, we are making business support available to the maximum of our financial wear with all. The £375 million that we have already confirmed is, I would say, two things. First, proportionally, it is way beyond what has been made available by the UK Government for England, even though businesses there are facing the same pressures or many of the same pressures. Secondly, I know that it is not enough—I have said that all along—but we do not hold in Scotland the borrowing powers to extend financial support any further. The way the Barnett formula works is that we only get a flow of resource when the UK Government takes decisions for England, which, as is their right, they are not choosing to do at the moment. Therefore, we need to see a response from the UK Government that will allow us to increase that support further. In the meantime, we are providing support as far as we are able to do. I do not think that it is helpful to speculate beyond the 17 January at this point. I very much hope—and it is our intention—that those protections are in place only until the 17 January, but as has been the case since day 1 of this pandemic, we have to keep the situation under review. What I said in my statement is worth repeating. Yes, we have a rapidly rising number of cases right now, but we know that we need to dud the impact of that through monitoring very carefully the health and NHS impact. I think that we will have a much clearer picture over the next week or two that will then allow us to make informed judgments about how we deal with that in as proportionate a way as it is possible to do. Emma Harper, to be followed by Sandesh Gulhane. Given the December 23 announcement by WHO that the virus can spread through short and long-range aerosol or short and long-range airborne transmission, what on-going assessment is being made regarding the implementation of FFP2 and FFP, face masks, front-line healthcare workers as a first-line prevention measure against acquiring Covid, which is already causing high sickness and absence among healthcare workers in Scotland? I remind colleagues that I am part of NHS D&G's vaccination team. We have reviewed the WHO recommendations from last week and noted that the WHO has not changed its position on the route of transmission of Covid, where it is therefore satisfied at this stage that those areas are covered within the winter respiratory guidance that was published in November at the end of November. That guidance provides staff with the opportunity to risk assess what level of PPE is required, so it already allows for healthcare workers to wear FFP3 masks or masks of similar standards in settings where care is provided to patients with suspected or confirmed Covid. The health and safety executive is frequently consulted and supports the guidance in place. We will continue to review all the international evidence and advise on any required changes through the Covid nosocomial review group. We know the dangers posed by Omicron and the balance that needs to be struck, but people struggle with the inconsistency. Rangers fans were saying that as there was busier than Ibrox and Celtic fans were also distraught. Knowing that shopping streets and malls across the country were heaving and comparable to football stadia, my question is, does the First Minister understand the value the societal role of Scottish football plays in the mental health of hundreds of thousands of people in our communities? Will the Government provide additional support to protect the mental health of fans? I do understand the importance of sport, football and other dictator sport. The benefits of that are seen in terms of mental health and a whole host of other ways. Nobody, according to me, takes the decisions that we have had to take over the course of this pandemic lightly. I have tried to set out the rationale for limiting large-scale events. It is about the super-spreading nature of big events, given the higher transmissibility of Omicron, but also the greater impact that those events have on emergency services that are already stretched and some of the risks associated with the travel to and from events. It is not easy, nobody wants to be in that position, but those are the reasons why the Scottish Government, in common with many other Governments, has taken those decisions and hopefully they will not last for very long. There is always the ability to point to inconsistency. I am never sure when questions like that are posed to me, whether the argument is that we should not have restrictions in football or we should also have restrictions on shopping malls. We want to limit and minimise the protections that are in place and therefore the restrictions on people's lives, but I would ask people to remember that our core, the bedrock of the advice that we are giving right now, is to stay at home as much as you can. Certainly more than would normally be the case at this time of year to try to limit your contact with people in other households and keep those contacts where they are happening as small as possible. That applies regardless of the setting. There is no magic wand to wave to get ourselves out of that. The closest we have to that is vaccination, which is why that remains so important. However, while we navigate this latest wave of infection, given the greater transmissibility, all of us accepting that some of those things are just inescapable at the moment, acting in line with the guidance, will get us through those things more quickly than will otherwise be the case. However, I, of course, understand and, as a citizen, experience these restrictions just like others do, so none of us want these to be in place for any longer than is necessary. Thank you, Presiding Officer. We know that antiviral medication reduces the risk of people becoming severely ill with Covid. For the 180,000 people shielding in Scotland and for their families, that is very welcome indeed. However, I understand that the eligibility criteria for getting the medication was decided by the four chief medical officers, and it does not cover all those currently shielding and misses out key vulnerable groups. Will the First Minister urgently review the criteria so that no one who is shielding is left out? Will she also ensure that the process is streamlined, because having to access a PCR test and then wait for test and protect phone when case numbers are rising can lose valuable time? Indeed, for some, they were contacted beyond the five-day window too late to get the medication, and I am sure that she will agree that we need to act quicker. I will come back to one of the points that I made in my statement that I am sure that Jackie Bailey heard clearly. I am not sure that Jackie Bailey is suggesting that I, as a politician, with no clinical qualifications should somehow substitute my judgment on eligibility for that of the four chief medical officers. I think that it is right that, on issues of eligibility for antiviral treatment, particularly at this stage, there are questions for clinicians and for our clinical advisers. Of course, we will want to see the numbers and the range of people who access antiviral treatment expand as treatments continue to expand and as our access to and the availability of these treatments continues to increase. I genuinely believe that those are decisions that are best informed by clinical advisers, not by politicians, and I will continue to listen carefully to what they say. The point about the speed of access to PCR tests is an important one. I know that I went through a lot of information in my statement, so genuinely I know that it might have been easy to pick up on that, but the prioritisation that I spoke about within the PCR testing system for essential workers, I also said that we were making slots available as a priority for those clinically vulnerable and for those who are eligible for the new antiviral treatments to make sure that they are getting these test results timeously in order to not lose out on access to treatments. That is one of the important changes that I covered in the statement earlier. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Recent weeks have made it painfully obvious that Scotland's funding arrangements are simply not fit for purpose, especially during a public health emergency. While I recognise that the Scottish Government is limited in the support that it can provide with the fiscal levers that it has at the moment, can the First Minister expand on what more can be done to support business in the face of limited UK Government action? Can she provide an update on any further discussions that she has had with the Treasury on the funding that she announced and whether it will need to be repaid? Since the start of the pandemic, we have provided more than £4.4 billion in support to businesses up and down the country. That has been vital help, but I recognise that it does not go far enough to compensate every business for every loss that it has suffered. The Treasury has responded well in the pandemic to date. In this phase, we are seeing the limitations in the way in which funding decisions are taken across the UK. Whatever one's view on the Barnett formula, it is not fit for purpose in the face of a public health emergency. It depends on the UK Government deciding to take decisions for England, which is its responsibility. However, when Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate responsibilities to take public health decisions, we cannot access funding when we do so. There is clearly an asymmetric funding arrangement that constrains our ability to take those decisions. Notwithstanding that, we have, as I have said over the past two weeks, made available £375 million to support businesses. That is proportionately significantly in excess of the money that is made available by the Treasury. In terms of some of the decisions that the Treasury has taken, not all of that, as I have covered before, is new money. There are still some questions about whether any of it will require to be paid back. However, we are acting now to maximise the support that we are able to provide to businesses and, indeed, to get that to businesses as quickly as possible. Murdo Fraser, to be followed by Daniel Johnson. Thank you, Presiding Officer. The First Minister said that there were 679 people in hospital today with Covid and that the Scottish Government would be breaking down that figure between those who are in hospital because they have Covid as opposed to those who were admitted for other reasons but turned out to test positive. I think that that figure has published a very helpful figure in terms of telling us how serious the risk from Omicron is. In the meantime, in relation to the 36 people in intensive care and the 679 in hospital, do we know how many of those are vaccinated as opposed to unvaccinated? Does the First Minister think that the publication of that figure would be helpful in reinforcing the message to the public that they need to get vaccinated and to take up a booster in order to best protect themselves? I do not have those figures yet, but we are looking to publish much more detailed breakdowns across all those different factors as quickly as Public Health Scotland can provide that robust breakdown for us. In previous waves of the virus, Public Health Scotland did provide some breakdown earlier about the distinction between those in hospital because of Covid and those in hospital with Covid but nevertheless in for some other reason. I am using broad figures here and they may or may not bear out with Omicron, but in past stages it has been roughly, very roughly, 70 per cent in hospital. I will correct myself later if I am getting those figures wrong, but around 70 per cent in hospital because of Covid and between 20 per cent and 30 per cent in hospital with Covid but not as their primary diagnosis. We do want to understand that breakdown much more with Omicron and, as we do, we will certainly look to publish those figures to aid public understanding as well. Of course, that said, somebody in hospital is somebody in hospital and therefore providing that pressure on the national health service through no fault of their own. On the issue of vaccination, again, we will look to provide more detail on that as it is available, but we do know, and I think that we know this already, that vaccination with a booster jag gives all of us significantly enhanced protection against serious illness from Covid. If you are not boosted, you are at much more risk not just of getting the virus, but of becoming seriously unwell and potentially dying from the virus. Therefore, I appeal to everybody who is not yet boosted but who is eligible to be so to do it now, because not only is your failure to do so putting yourself at risk, you are denying the country the maximum benefit of this vaccination programme. The more of us who are vaccinated, the less risk we are all at and therefore the less need there will be for continued restrictions on how we live our lives. I do not think that any of us can overstate the importance of booster vaccination. Businesses understand the constraints that the Scottish Government is operating under without borrowing powers to fund additional support measures. However, as the First Minister will be aware, the restrictions have had an impact on small businesses across my constituency in Kelvin that can remain open but have experienced a significant reduction in footfall. As we look to new year's sales, what plans does the Scottish Government have to publicise the Scotland Loves Local campaign further? As we look onwards, what considerations are being given to bringing forward the next round of funding applications for the Scotland Loves Local fund? I think that it is really important to highlight the plight of small businesses, particularly those in our high streets, but also how important they are to the economy overall. We announced back in August a £10 million Scotland Loves Local multi-year programme that includes the Scotland Loves Local fund, a national marketing campaign and a loyalty card scheme. All of those things will be really important as we go into the new year and try to promote the benefits to our high streets of people choosing to shop locally whenever they can. Scotland Loves Local is about building the wealth of local communities, revitalising town centres, so we will keep the effectiveness of that campaign under review and also look to how we make sure that the funding for that flows as quickly as possible to businesses. The phasing and the profiling of that we will certainly keep under review over the early part of next year. The First Minister just referenced the plight of small businesses. That is a critical time of year for retail and hospitality businesses in any circumstances, but after the last two years it may well determine whether they survive at all. Given that the budget just published forecasts £2.8 billion of revenue from non-domestic rates, can I ask what assessment the Scottish Government has made on the cost of lost tax revenue from business failures precipitated by the current restrictions? Given what the First Minister said about getting that critical money into business bank counts as quickly as possible, what steps are being taken to ensure that that happens? Can I remind Parliament of my register of interests? The First Minister Councils are responsible for administering the money, because a leader has met just a few days before Christmas to agree that they would administer this crunch of funding. Therefore, the work to get that money out the door is under way. In terms of some of the generic funding, where businesses in hospitality, for example, that were funded previously, local councils will be contacting those businesses, so it is not a case of a further application. However, there are still, as is always the case with public money, basic checks that need to be done to make sure that businesses are still in operation and are eligible for that support. However, that is being done at pace, and it is important that that money gets to businesses as quickly as possible. I will ask the finance secretary to write to the member with any details of current up-to-date assessments of the impact on business rates, revenue of the current restrictions and the impact that they are having on businesses. However, of course, we have recognised the importance of exemptions and relief around business rates over the course of the pandemic for certain sectors. We had the most generous business rates relief for retail and leisure, hospitality and aviation over the course of this financial year, and we have, in the budget, announced further support for part of the next financial year. We recognise the importance of that, but we also recognise the importance of a healthy revenue stream from business rates to fund other public services. However, I will ask the finance secretary to write with more details of any current assessments that we are doing. John Mason, to be followed by Gillian Mackay. Thank you very much. I wonder if the First Minister can say anything more about how business support is being done in sectors, because it strikes me as incredibly difficult. Even within a sector, we have heard that some taxi firms have done much better than expected, some have done worse, some restaurants are very busy, some are not. Some sports events are cancelled, some are postponed. I wonder if you can say how we are going about this. That is a really important question. Much of the amounts that we have already made decisions on allocations around that has been provided, for example, to hospitality in terms of set level grants and hospitality businesses that previously got grants, will be contacted to get the latest round of funding. However, other sectors, without going into the details of which ones, have been discussing how the way in which financial support is provided can better be tailored to reflect actual losses by different businesses. I reference some of the issues there in the sports sector, which is being badly affected right now, but some of that will be recouped as events are rescheduled. That will not be possible for everything. This is a mixture of one-size-fits-all grants and much more targeted support, taking account of the variable degree of impact within different sectors. On that latter one, it is important that we consult properly, which is why some of the funding that we have made available is still consulting how best to allocate and distribute that. However, in general terms, we have already confirmed just over £200 million that will go to hospitality businesses, the wedding sector, supply chain businesses, wholesalers affected by hospitality cancellations, parts of tourism, public transport providers and the culture and events sector. Decisions on the allocation of the remaining funds may be more targeted but will also enable, as I hope, to reach sectors. I have already referenced the taxi sector that is not already covered by the support that has already been announced. Gillian Mackay, to be followed by Jenny Mintle. Thank you, Presiding Officer. DO2 monitors are being shared by multiple classes in some schools. With case numbers still rising and the return from school holidays just over a week away, could the First Minister set out what measures are being considered to ensure that the return to school is safe for pupils and staff and minimise any disruption to learning and whether she has received any update from the GCVI following the approval of the Pfizer vaccine by the MHRA for 5 to 11-year-olds? In response to the first part of the question, we previously made funding available to local authorities for the acquisition of CO2 monitors and looked to local authorities to make sure that they are doing proper assessments of ventilation and making any changes required. Ventilation is a key part of how we ensure that schools are kept as safe as possible. Updated guidance was issued around safety in schools and other education settings just before the end of term to give local authorities and schools clarity on the steps that they are required to take in advance of the new term. Let me repeat that it remains our priority to keep schools open to minimise further disruption on children's education, but it is vital that we, in doing so, make sure that schools are kept as safe as possible. On the JCVI point, some recommendations have already been made around vulnerable young people and access to vaccines. Obviously, there are issues around making sure that we have adequate supplies of vaccine and there are adequate supplies of vaccine for the programme at the moment. I hope that we will be in a position in the not-too-distant future where we can offer the possibility of vaccination to 5 to 12-year-olds, but we continue to be informed by the recommendations of the JCVI in that regard. I fully appreciate the First Minister's desire to provide comprehensive responses, but we have many members who would like to put a question, and I would be grateful if we could pick up the pace. I call Jenny Minto to be followed by Megan Gallacher. To ask the First Minister what plans are in place to mitigate the effects of current increased transmission of Covid on lifeline ferry services. I will try to be brief on my answers, but let me repeat my offer. Rather than stinting on the answers, I give people to stay here for as long as is required to answer all the questions that members have for me. That, of course, is a matter for you. On lifeline ferry routes, a matter of critical importance. We are seeing an impact on ferry services as we are across our other transport providers. CalMac is engaging with the maritime and coast guard agency around allowing passengers to remain in vehicles, for example, when certain restrictions are imposed, but there are also other steps being taken to try to ensure that, as cases rise, we are minimising the impact on those services. I will ask the transport minister to keep the member and indeed all members with an interest, particularly in ferry services, up-to-date over the next few weeks. I thank the First Minister for her comment. That being the case, given the level of interest, I would suggest that, in the first instance, we continue to do around 330, but we will see how we are progressing. I call Megan Gallacher to be followed by Pauline McNeill. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Mental health nurse beyond throughout the pandemic. However, many across all psychiatric services have found themselves in dangerous situations, as they have had to restrain patients without the support of a psychiatric doctor, security team or police presence. That is due to the strain on our NHS during the Covid-19 pandemic. First Minister, many of those nurses are newly graduated university students. What additional measures can the Scottish Government put in place to help to protect mental health nurses on the front line? I think that that is an important point. Mental health nurses in all parts of the NHS do a vital job, but those who are most on the front line dealing with particularly vulnerable patients not only do a vital job, but they often do that job at some risk to themselves. The support services are vital. I will ask the health secretary to write to the member with further details of the support services in place and what further action we can take to ensure that they are notwithstanding the pressures that are being faced. People working in those positions do not feel themselves even more exposed than might otherwise be the case. Pauline McNeill, to be followed by Rona Mackay. First Minister, as you know, the hospitality sector is absolutely terrified of the impact of recent substantial restrictions, but especially smaller venues that cannot easily apply the one-metre distancing. Given that you said earlier that the support could be tailored to those who need it most, should there be a rapid business response team set up to ensure that the £42 million that you announced today is targeted where it is really needed to ensure survival of those businesses? We need to get the balance right and we are seeking to do that between a level of funding support that will be available to all businesses. It is never going to be enough to fully compensate them, but the grant approach with standard levels of grant is an important way of doing that. Over and above that, we look at businesses across whole sectors or within sectors that are being disproportionately impacted. As well as additional funding for the hospitality sector, today I announced a further £10 million for businesses within that sector who are most impacted by the return to table service, and many of them will be the ones that are most impacted by the return to some form of physical distancing. That will allow that slightly more targeted approach to augment the general baseline level of grant support that is available. We will seek to be as generous as we can be, but also as targeted as we need to be, and the discussions that we have with individual sectors will allow us to tailor that response appropriately. Rona Mackay, to be followed by Alexander Burnett. Tragically high-profile court cases in the media recently have emphasised the risk of domestic abuse to children. Will the First Minister join me in using her social media platform this afternoon to highlight services for children or adults worried about children at this time can turn to if they are concerned for their safety? I would like to thank Rona Mackay for raising this issue. Clearly, the conditions that we are all living under right now do further increase the risk to children, to young people, to those who are vulnerable to domestic abuse. Children and young people, of course, have the right to be protected from all forms of harm and domestic abuse always has an impact on any children. Let me just share some information for anybody listening who needs help. If you are a child or a young person and you are worried about anything or you are looking for advice right now, you can phone that on 0800 1111. If you are a child or a young person, please do not hesitate to call Childline for any help or advice that you think you need. If anyone else is worried that a child they know might be in immediate danger, my advice would be to contact the police on 999. If you are worried about a child not in immediate danger, you should share your concerns with your local authority, social work department. Those agencies will then assess the risk and take appropriate action to protect the child. I will share Childline contact details on social media later today, once this session of Parliament has concluded. Over the past few days, there have been worrying reports of a significant increase in the time for individuals to receive their PCR results. In some cases, as long as four days, people have been forced to isolate from family and close friends over Christmas and Boxing Day because they are awaiting test results. Given that both Christmas and the rise in demand for tests due to Omicron were entirely predictable, how is that allowed to happen? What urgent action is the Scottish Government doing to address that and ensure that it does not happen again? This is a UK Government-wide system. It is administered by the UK Government. We work closely with the UK Government to make sure that capacity is sufficient and that any issues are resolved as quickly as possible. We take joint responsibility for that. We see lengthening turnaround times over the past few days. That will happen when demand is high. Of course, high demand is being compounded by high-staff absences, even in our testing system right now. I hope that those turnaround times are shortening again and we will continue to be shorter over the next period. As I said earlier on, we have also built in some prioritisation within the system to make sure that, while everybody needs to test results as quickly as possible, those who most need them quickly get that priority. The work with the UK Government to ensure a speedy and effective turnaround of the testing system is work that is on-going on a daily basis. To ask the First Minister what steps the Scottish Government has taken to assist those suffering from long Covid to return to work, particularly our front-line health professionals. The NHS already has policies in place that help to facilitate a return to work and encourage attendance for employees where health issues impact on their ability to be at work. Employees can be facilitated in a return to work by discussion with their manager and occupational health. Occupational health can support managers and workers with a safe return to work. There are a number of options available that support employees back into the workplace—flexible working, for example, phased returns or a change to duties or working pattern. Covid-sick pay policies continue to apply, including for those with long Covid. Anybody in that position, health professionals or others, I encourage and advise a discussion with your employer. If you have occupational health services at your place of work with them, you can discuss how best you can return to work in a way that suits your health circumstances. The First Minister has talked about decisions being reached around 12 January. Indeed, the isolation period for index cases is potentially being announced as early as 5 January. I know that the First Minister will not have underestimated the effect of the new virus type on pupils and our young people returning to school, and particularly those who are returning in January to their preliminary exams. Can she say what discussion has been had over the 2021-22 exam diet and what new advice has been given to schools regarding the evidence from those pupils who will need to isolate? There is no change at present to the arrangements that were set out by the Education Secretary not too long before the Christmas recess. I cannot recall exactly when she set that out, but the expectation of exams going ahead this coming academic year, but also the contingency arrangements in place and the considerations that would inform any of that. I am happy to ask the Education Secretary to write to the member with a reminder and an update on those plans. The range of Covid challenges that are experienced by many of my constituents has highlighted the critical role that is played by Scotland in leading and delivering world-class Covid-19 research, particularly as we respond to variants such as Omicron. What assurance can the First Minister provide that everything will be done to support continued funding opportunities for research activity, both in the short and the long term? We continue to work through both the chief scientist office and NHS Research Scotland to invest in research infrastructure that will support health boards in hosting and participating in a very wide range of clinical research. That obviously includes research relating to all clinical areas and, in particular, to studies associated with Covid—helping to understand Covid—files of Covid treatments and vaccine. Support for research in specific clinical areas is provided by clinical research networks and specialty groups. I recognise the importance of continued support for that. We take the opportunity to pay tribute to everybody across our research community whose work over the past couple of years has helped us to get to where we are now, with a much greater—not a full—understanding of Covid, but a much greater understanding and, of course, with the advances that we have seen around vaccines and treatment for Covid as well. Sharon Dowie, to be followed by Marie McNair. Thank you, Presiding Officer. While our pubs, nightclubs and hotels require support because of the direct effects of the Government's restrictions, many other businesses such as those in the supply chain and taxi drivers are also losing income at what should be their business time of the year. I have also been contacted by local small businesses who feel that they have been put into an unofficial lockdown as people do what is being asked by the Government and stay at home. Can the First Minister reassure me that all businesses who have been affected by restrictions will be able to access Government grant funding? I have already covered that on a number of occasions today, so I will briefly recap. Obviously, the level of funding available in Scotland is proportionately much greater than is the case elsewhere in the UK, because we have prioritised support for businesses. Of the £375 million, just over £200 million of that has already been allocated. That covers hospitality, leisure, events and some of the supply chain businesses that are affected by the advice that we have given and some of the other protections that are in place. The remainder of that funding, we are in consultation with different sectors. I have already said that that will include the taxi industry, for example, to ensure that those parts of the economy, even if they are not directly affected by some of the protections in place, nevertheless have an indirect effect. We cannot compensate every business—I have said that already—without further significant funding being made available by the Treasury, which is why I hope that all members, including the member, will join us in calling on the Chancellor to make that additional funding available so that we can go even further than we are going from within the Scottish Government's own resources. Maureen MacNeir, to be followed by Liam Kerr. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Bill Macron variant has meant that some public health measures have had to be introduced to protect the public and their national health service. Those measures are asking that social contact is limited. The first measures will be concerned about the impact that those measures could have on social isolation. What efforts are the Scottish Government making to give advice and support to people who may be impacted most by social isolation? There is no doubt that the advice that we are giving right now has an impact on isolation and loneliness, and we will be exacerbating that for many people. It is one of the reasons why I hope that we do not have to give this advice for very long, but the more we all stick to it now, the quicker we will get through this. There is a range of support that is available. I would highlight now the national assistance helpline, which is available Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. That can assist with practical support that people need while self-isolating, for example, but it can also link individuals to local support services to help to reduce social isolation. The number for that is 0800 111 4000. We have also committed to additional investment to tackle social isolation and loneliness, and we have already made an additional £1 million available to support the work of organisations involved in that area. Lastly, support is available through a range of different organisations. I would highlight breathing space, career heads, the Scottish Association for Mental Health and Samaritans have a 24-hour phone line as well. This is a tough time for everybody, particularly for those living alone and already isolated, but support is out there if you need it, and please make sure that you use it. Liam Kerr is called by Rosa Grant. The Scottish Omicron study suggests that there is a two-thirds reduction in the risk of Covid-19 organisation for those with Omicron, although it looks as though there will be a far greater number of cases. How have the conclusions of the study informed and shaped the Government's Covid strategy? The study is encouraging. Just like everybody else, I want it to be borne out with further data. It is already informing how we are going to go about assessing judgments over the next phase. I went into that in quite some detail in my statement about looking much more at the impact, not just at the overall case numbers but at the impact of those cases, particularly on individual health of people infected, but also the overall health impact of the wave on the NHS. I really want to believe that what the early data is telling us turns out to be the case, and there is no reason at this stage to believe that it will not be. However, when you have the authors of the studies themselves saying that it is early data, that it needs more data to be sure, and that the much higher transmissibility of Omicron could outweigh the benefits of a lower risk of hospitalisation, therefore we still need to be cautious in the immediate terms, I think that that needs to continue to inform our approach. We all want that to be over as quickly as possible. However, as I have said in relation to the fine judgments around self-isolation, if we take precipitate action that feeds greater spread of the virus, we set ourselves back rather than propel ourselves forward. It is difficult for everybody to make sure that we get those judgments as right as we possibly can. It is concerning that the First Minister has said that hospitality support will be allocated on the same basis as before. Businesses that do not pay business rates such as floating hotels and restaurants lost out previously. Also, kennels and catteries that were categorised as storage and distribution businesses but depend on tourism to be allocated and categorised as such. Can I ask the First Minister if she will ensure that those businesses will receive equal assistance this time? I recognise the issues that are being raised here. There is always attention between having as standardised a system as possible, to get the money out the door as quickly as possible, the more targeted and bespoke these schemes become, the longer it takes to establish and check eligibility and actually get the money to businesses, which is why for hospitality we have, at least for the initial funding, operated on the basis of the same approach to grant funding as previously. However, as I have said a few times already today, with the portion of the funding that we have not yet taken decisions around, we want to look at more targeted support for sectors that have not previously been supported or who do not get the more generic support. I cannot guarantee that every form of business that Rhoda Grant has mentioned will be covered, but I will give a guarantee that we will look to reach as many businesses as possible and, with the next tranche of funding, try to target that as carefully as we possibly can. Willie Rennie, to be followed by Graham Simpson. This weekend has been suggested that care home visiting should be stopped. I support the visitors of the mental wellbeing of residents. It is common sensible. What does the First Minister have to say to anxious families and can she guarantee them that safe visiting will continue? My apologies to Willie Rennie. His line broke up a little bit in the middle of that question. I think that I got the gist of it, but if I appear to be answering a question he did not ask me, that is the reason. He asked me about comments at the weekend, which I think came from the chief executive of Scottish Care about the need to stop care home visiting. If I am misquoting anybody, I apologise for that. I do not want to go back to a position where we do not have visiting in care homes. The safety of residents in care homes is obviously, for reasons that we all understand, vitally important, but we want to continue to support safe visiting. As we have faced on the Tron, we have issued guidance about what safe visiting means in terms of numbers. However, for the mental health of residents in care homes and for the mental health and wellbeing of their families and loved ones, it is really important that we continue to support safe visiting. I can give an assurance that that is a priority for us. The First Minister has told us that she does not know how many people are in hospital because of Covid and how many people are in intensive care because of Covid. Of those, how many are unvaccinated? Public Health Scotland should have those figures, and if it does not, then questions need to be asked. Can the First Minister ensure that those figures are published today and that they are published every single week from now on in? We need to publish figures when there are robots. Public Health Scotland is working to break down those figures as much as possible. We publish data at a level of granularity that is probably among the best anywhere, but we always want to understand that carefully. However, it takes work and effort, and it takes a lot of expertise to do that in a way that is robust and reliable. I absolutely refute the suggestion that Public Health Scotland has been dragging its feet on that. Public Health Scotland is an organisation full of people who are working literally round the clock to help with the response to Covid and to the wealth of information that it already publishes, which has helped to inform our response. As this data becomes more robust, it will do so, too. However, let me thank everybody in Public Health Scotland for the work that they do literally as we speak. I think that many people will be deeply concerned by the answer that the First Minister just gave to my colleague Graham Simpson. She has not been very clear about the statistics, and this is something that the public deserve to know very clearly about. What the First Minister has been clear about is that the Government has put in place restrictions and guidance to slow transmission while we increase vaccination. Given that the First Minister has said that we remain on track to meet our vaccination target by the end of this year, when will the Government set out its conditions for reducing restrictions in the new year? As has been the case, we will take account of transmission rates, vaccination and overall health impact. Anybody who listened to my statement will see that one of the key conditions there is being as assured as we can be that the volume of cases is not going to overwhelm the economy, the NHS and cause serious health harm. I wish possibly more than anybody in this Parliament that these decisions were really straightforward and binary and that there was a manual that told you exactly what to do. That is not the case for any Government anywhere. It involves good advice, good clinical expertise, which the Scottish Government is very blessed and lucky to have, and it involves careful judgment. On some occasions, I accept that we will not always get absolutely right, but we try our best to get that as right as possible. I come back to—the public should not be disappointed in the answer that I gave to the previous question. The public should be assured about that so that the public knows when it is reading data published by Public Health Scotland that it can have a confidence in the robustness of that data. I was just reading before I came into the chamber, the Prime Minister said this morning that the majority of people in ICU in England were unvaccinated, and then a clarification had to be issued saying that that was just anecdotal evidence. I do not think that we want to be in a position where we are making decisions on the basis of anecdotal evidence. We want this information to be robust, and we are very lucky in Scotland to have the expertise and the skills of Public Health Scotland in getting us into that position. Thank you. That concludes the statement by the First Minister on Covid-19 update, and I close this meeting.