NICOLA Sturgeon has stressed the partial lockdown in Glasgow and surrounding areas should serve as a “wake-up call” to the rest of Scotland – amid concerns that “we are not on top of the virus”.

The First Minister announced a further 86 cases of Covid-19 had been identified in the last 24-hour period in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS area - more than half of the 156 new cases across Scotland.

The stark numbers come after Ms Sturgeon yesterday banned households in Glasgow, West Dumbartonshire and East Renfrewshire from hosting others and visiting any other households – except in exceptional circumstances.

READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon announces new household restrictions in Glasgow area

She told MSPs that the restrictions had “not been put in place lightly”, stressing that they were “necessary and we believe proportionate”.

Ms Sturgeon said: “They apply only in these three council areas right now, but I think they should be a wake-up call for all of us. If we let it, this virus will spread rapidly.

“The good news, though – if we all stick to some basic rules and continue to make some sacrifices, we can stop it.”

She added: “We hope they will allow spread to be contained at an early stage without the need for further measures later.

“They apply only in these three council areas right now, but I think they should be a wake-up call for all of us. If we let it this virus will spread rapidly.

“The good news though, if we all stick to some basic rules and continue to make some sacrifices, we can stop it.”

READ MORE: Glasgow lockdown: Douglas Lumsden says city escaped 'Aberdeen' lockdown over Yes vote

The First Minister said that “doing nothing was not an option” and added that data collected “suggests that transmission in the west of Scotland is happening not exclusively, but mainly in people’s homes”.

But Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, Willie Rennie, questioned whether the Scottish Government’s contact tracing strategy, Test and Protect, is doing its job properly – warning that he was “deeply worried we are not on top of the virus”.

He said: “Infection rates in the west of Scotland are now higher than most of England and countries like Greece and Portugal, for which we have just imposed quarantine measures.

“I’m worried that we don’t seem to be on top of this. First, we locked down Aberdeen with citywide measures – now we are restricting a whole region of almost one million people.

“I wonder what we are not getting right. Test and Protect was supposed to drive the virus out before it spread. Why has this not happened in Aberdeen or Glasgow? Is it really up to the job?”

Ms Sturgeon defended the performance of Test and Protect, stressing that the public is the “first line of defence” and pointed to rising transmission of the virus across Europe.

She said: “It is because of Test and Protect that these outbreaks have not seeded wider and more widespread community transmission.

“Test and Protect, it is not the first line of defence – it cannot do all of this on its own.”

She added: “Test and Protect is there when an outbreak starts to make sure it doesn’t spread more widely and is also there to give us crucial evidence and data to know where to target additional actions.

“That’s why we have taken certain actions in Glasgow that we didn’t take in Aberdeen because the nature of the problem we are dealing with right now is not identical.”

The First Minister said it was down to the public to recognise that important restrictions remain in place as the virus is still a threat to public health.

She said: “I think all of us have got to do our jobs maybe just a bit better.

“We’re all perhaps thinking it’s over and not being as stringent and I think it’s a moment for all of us just to tighten up on how we are abiding by all of these really important rules.”