First Minister says Scottish increase is 'concerning' as two more test positive for Covid-19 in Hawick
A three-month high in coronavirus cases in Scotland is "undoubtedly a concern", Nicola Sturgeon has said.
A further two cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Hawick, bringing the total number of people infected with the virus to 15.
On Saturday, hospital and care home visits have been suspended in Hawick after the number of confirmed infections reached 13 when members of staff at Morrisons supermarket tested positive for the coronavirus
Health bosses in the Borders took the step to suspend visits to Hawick Community Hospital and care homes in the town as a precaution to protect those who could be vulnerable to the virus.
A mobile testing unit is in place in the town.
NHS Borders is urging anyone with symptoms of the virus to self isolate and book a test. Test must be booked in advance. You can arrange your test by visiting www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or calling 0800 028 2816.
In Scotland as a whole, 160 new cases have been reported in the last 24 hours.
It brings the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic to 20,478.
With no deaths in almost a week of people who have been confirmed to have contracted the virus, the number of fatalities remains at 2,494.
The majority of new cases are in the central belt, with 69 in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area and 27 in Lanarkshire.
Speaking during the daily coronavirus briefing in Edinburgh, First Minister Sturgeon said the "quite high" numbers of new cases were "partly a result of greater numbers of people being tested" and she stressed the proportion of people testing positive was still below 1%.
Ms Sturgeon said, "The number of cases we are seeing right now is a reminder to all of us the virus is still a very real risk, it is a development that concerns me and it is one we are taking very seriously.
"We mustn't lose sight of how important it is if we are to keep schools open, build economic recovery and retain a bit more normality in our lives that we do continue to suppress the virus and push as close to elimination of it as we possibly can."