Nicola Sturgeon limits football matches and outdoor events in Scotland to 500 people

First minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced strict limits on football matches and other live events in Scotland in a bid to stem the rise of the Omicron variant of Covid.

Ms Sturgeon announced that the capacity of sports and other outdoor events would be capped at 500 people for three weeks from 26 December because of the risk of “super-spreader” events.

Large New Year street parties – including the Hogmanay celebration in Edinburgh – will be cancelled, while numbers at concerts and other indoor events will be limited to 100 standing or 200 seated.

“This will of course make sports matches, including football, effectively spectator-free over this three-week period,” Ms Sturgeon told the Scottish parliament on Tuesday.

“I know how disappointing this will be for those looking forward to these events,” she added. “Difficult though it is, please follow this advice over New Year – minimise Hogmanay socialising as much as you can.”

Ms Sturgeon has made clear there will be no new restrictions on socialising before Christmas, beyond the current “strong” guidance to limit mixing to three households.

“We are not changing the advice for Christmas I set out last week … I want to be clear to individuals that the advice I gave out last week is the advice that will take us through Christmas.”

But the first minister said more restrictions would be imposed on Scotland’s hospitality venues immediately after Boxing Day.

From 27 December, table service-only will be reintroduced for venues serving alcohol. “And we will also ask indoor hospitality and leisure venues to ensure one-metre distance, not within, but between groups of people who are attending together,” she said.

The new rules will impact the festive fixtures, which include top-flight football derbies in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee and the double-header between Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh in the United Rugby Championship. The restrictions on events do not apply to private events such as weddings.

Omicron is now firmly established as the dominant strain of coronavirus in Scotland, with 62.9 per cent of cases believed to be the new variant.

Scotland is to receive extra funding after chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a £1bn rescue package for the hospitality and leisure sectors, including grants of up to £6,000 for each eligible firm.

Ms Sturgeon told MSPs that recent funding from the Treasury will give Scotland an extra £175m to spend now. Announcing an additional £100m from the Scottish government budget, she said the total package for business support over the next three weeks would be £375m.

The first minister said she had a “good conversation” with Boris Johnson on Friday, but said the UK government was still “constraining” her ability to bring in further restrictions.

Ms Sturgeon’s announcement comes as the Welsh government announced earlier on Tuesday that sporting events in Wales will be played behind closed doors from 26 December to tackle the spread of Omicron. Nightclubs in Wales will be closed from 27 December.