People in Scotland could be faced with tougher lockdown restrictions following news of a discovery of a new variant of coronavirus in the UK. Nicola Sturgeon described the news of the new strain as “clearly a potentially concerning development” in the fight against Covid. Yesterday, Uk Government Health Secretary Matt Hancock revealed cases involving the new variant are “increasing rapidly”, with initial analysis suggesting that it is growing faster than the existing variants. Around 1000 cases have so far been identified of the new strain, predominantly in the south of England. Commenting on the news, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed that Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Gregor Smith had briefed her on the news, and it is being closely monitored.