RESTRICTIONS on pubs, nightclubs and indoor events will be scrapped from Monday as Scotland enters a "calmer phase" of the pandemic.

Nicola Sturgeon said there was "renewed optimism" with Covid cases and hospital admissions now in decline, as she confirmed that the Scottish Government will not expand the need for vaccine passports to hospitality businesses.

From Monday, all restrictions implemented in response to the Omicron surge will end, meaning table service will no longer be mandatory in pubs and restaurants can return to full capacity without physical distancing.

Nightclubs and adult entertainment venues can reopen from January 24 with requirements for Covid passes still in place, while attendance at indoor events - currently capped at between 100 and 200 - can return to normal.

Guidance advising Scots to limit socialising to a maximum of three households at a time will also come to an end from Monday, although the public is advised to be cautious and avoid unnecessary social interactions until the end of January.

Working from home, where possible, should also continue although Ms Sturgeon said she anticipated moving to a "more hybrid model" from February.

The First Minister said the latest data on infections and hospitalisations "gives us confidence that we have turned the corner on the Omicron wave". 

She added: "A combination of booster vaccinations, the willingness of the public to adapt their behaviour to help stem transmission, and the temporary protective measures introduced in December, has helped blunt the impact of the Omicron wave."

The Scottish Tories have called for vaccine passports and facemasks in schools to be scrapped by February, with a phased return to workplaces and a gradual end to self-isolation rules from then on. 

Scottish Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health, Dr Sandesh Gulhane, said Ms Sturgeon should accept that that the vaccine passport scheme “is a dud and scrap it altogether". 

He added: “The First Minister's statement did begin a sea change in the government’s policy, starting to shift from a rules-based approach more towards trusting the Scottish public, as we were pushing for."

The UK Government is expected to lift its Plan B measures - vaccine passports and working from home - from January 26, although facemask rules may continue temporarily. 

Downing Street is also reportedly considering plans to replace mandatory self-isolation for infected individuals - enforceable through fines - with guidance to stay-at-home instead from March, with requirements for travellers arriving in the UK from abroad to take a Covid test reportedly set to be axed. Pre-departure Covid tests for those boarding flights to the UK have already been dropped.