aged 12 and over have now had three vaccine doses. scotland is to cut the coronavirus isolation period from ten days to seven, in line with the rest of the uk. from midnight, anyone who tests postive will be allowed to leave their homes if they record a negative lateral flow test on days six and seven. restrictions on social distancing, large gatherings and hospitality are, however, expected to remain in force untiljanuary 17th at the earliest. here s alexandra mackenzie. another new term overshadowed by coronavirus, as some children in scotland returned to the classroom. i thought they would put another lockdown on school, i did think that, and i was hoping that was going to happen. i actually feel 0k about it because we ve had coronavirus a few months ago. up to a quarter of the staff were off at the glasgow gaelic school because of covid.
that, and i was hoping that was going to happen. i actually feel 0k about it because we ve had coronavirus a few months ago. up to a quarter of the staff were off at the glasgow gaelic school because of covid. it is going to cause some challenges. i we are going to have to think about reorganising classes and having - teachers cover for their absent colleagues. - at a virtual session of the scottish parliament, the first minister said isolation rules would be relaxed from ten days to seven for those with covid, dependent on negative tests, and household contacts can take lateral flow tests from midnight tonight instead of isolating. these changes are significant and they are not completely without risk. however, at this stage of the pandemic, they do strike an appropriate balance. this comes after weeks of pressure from opposition parties. the first minister previously said it would spread infection even further.