Nicola Sturgeon has hinted a two week "circuit breaker" lockdown may be needed if people don't stick to current measures to help contain the coronavirus.

The First Minister was asked about the possibility after her deputy First Minister told MSPs earlier today the concept was being "explored".

She told journalists that the key point was that if infections continued to rise they would go from younger people to older people and that vulnerable older people would fall ill and be admitted to hospital, intensive care and die.

"That is the path this virus will take if we don't get in its way and interrupt it," she said.

"That's the point, we interrupted it again in the summer and we can do it again and that means all of us sticking to these rules and doing all the things that we are advised...We mustn't think that anything is inevitable."

She added: "The measures we introduced last week a month from now or thereabouts should have an impact on the figures we are seeing if we all stick to what we are being asked to do."

At the start of the briefing the First Minister revealed that a further 640 new coronavirus cases have been recorded in Scotland over the last 24 hours.
She also reported seven new virus deaths – the highest daily figure since June 17, taking the total recorded under that measure to 2519.

The latest figures also showed that 14 more people were in hospital with coronavirus than yesterday, taking the total to 137.

The First Minister explained that of the new coronavirus cases identified, 232 were in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area, 160 were in Lothian, 73 were in Lanarkshire and the remaining 175 were spread across nine other health board areas.

The percentage of people to test positive of all swabs reported yesterday was 10.3 per cent.

Earlier today the Deputy First Minister told MSPs on the Covid 19 committee that the circuit breaker measure was "being explored" following a suggestion from the UK Government's scientific advisory group on emergencies (Sage). 

His comments followed a question by the committee's deputy convener Monica Lennon.

"Monica Lennon is correct that the circuit breaker concept is being explored simply because we have a suggestion that that may be a necessary intervention from the thinking that comes out of Sage," he said.

"No decisions have been taken to take such a step nor have we had advice so far that such a move would be required."

Last week leaked "circuit breaker" plans drawn up by the Scottish Government were published on an online political news website.

The document was not verified but is thought to be genuine.
Its plans include: 
* School closures
* Remote learning only at universities and colleges
* Closure of all hospitality for two weeks
* Stay At Home messaging returns
* Potential five or 30 mile travel restrictions
* Closure of entertainment venues
* No visitor attractions
* No personal retail services such as hairdressers or driving lessons

Lennon later asked about what would be involved in the "circuit breaker" and whether schools would be closed.

The deputy First Minister pointed to schools being closed for the October holidays in the coming weeks anyway.

"Frankly, the last thing I want to do is to have to close schools," he said, pointing to little evidence of in school transmission of the virus.

"Obviously in October...there are planned school holidays, they vary from a week in most parts of the country to the two week tattie holidays that will start here on Friday in Perthshire, Angus and Dundee...and that will be over a three week period. So the schools will be off."

National clinical director Jason Leitch explained that the general idea of a circuit breaker or stay at home order was based on "buying time" to drive down the rate of the virus spread to allow the authorities to prepare for the coming winter period.

He said some modellers across the world had suggested the possibility of repeated two week circuit breakers but added that such an intervention would have implications for the economy, for society and for schools.

"It's a very very difficult balance about whether we think this new iconic measure would be something we would recommend for Scotland and then the decision makers...would then have to decide whether to do or not," he told MSPs.