Scotland fans gathering to watch tonight's match against England are being urged to exercise caution while supporters who travelled south were warned to "show respect" to the host city and follow the rules.

The First Minister said the highly anticipated game would be a great occasion and urged the home squad to "get it done".

Nicola Sturgeon had already ruled out a planned move to level zero restrictions on June 28 due to a rise in case numbers. She said today that it was unlikely that any part of the country would be moved down a level at the next review point, on Tuesday when she will provide a more detailed update.

There were 950 positive cases reported yesterday, bringing the total current number to 251,911. A total of 128 people are being treated in hospitals, 12 fewer than yesterday with no change in the number of people in intensive care (12). There were two further deaths. Scotland is experiencing around 1000 new cases every day.

The spread of the Delta variant, which originated in India, is being blamed for the upsurge. Vaccines are weaking the link between new cases and hospitalisations but the link is not "completely broken", the First Minister said.

READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon confirms a further 950 Covid cases in Scotland 

From today current, non-essential travel restrictions between Scotland and Bedford and Scotland and the Republic of Ireland will be lifted. Anyone planning to travel to Ireland will be required to self-isolate on arrival.

However non-essential travel restrictions between Scotland and Manchester and Salford will be imposed from Monday due to rising cases in the northern cities. 

The First Minister appealed to fans gathering to watch the game to exercise caution with no more than six people from three households.

She also urged fans who have travelled to London to show respect to their city host and "follow all the rules". She said she "abhorred and condemned" scenes of anti-English behaviour captured on social media and said she had advised fans without tickets not to travel south.

She said: "Please remember if you are watching the match to continue to take care.

"The point of these restrictions is to try to restrict the spread. Keep the windows open and wash your hands and please be especially careful around people who are not fully protected.

"Be respectful to our hosts in London whether that is in pubs or in the population more generally. Behave in a way that shows the Tartan Army at its best.

"I know these restrictions are particularly tiresome but this virus doesn't care about football. It's not a Scotland fan or an England fan, all it cares about is spreading from one person to another. This is a race...and unfortunately the virus keep learning to run faster.

"We should never be complacent about rising cases because even if people don't end up in intensive care they still get ill and we know that Long Covid, particularly among young people is a real issue. In terms of the rise in cases the Delta variant now accounts for the majority of cases and is around 60% more transmissable.

"That said we know that a rise in case numbers today is not resulting so far in the burden of illness that a similar level of cases would have done last year or even over Christmas and the reason for that is vaccinations."

READ MORE: Young people driving cases of Delta variant as number rise by 79%

Asked if she believed a fan zone should have been created in London for the Tartan Army Nicola Sturgeon said: "I’ve got enough on plate with decisions for Scotland.”

She said her priority was to encourage Scottish fans to behave responsibly.

National Clinical Director, Professor Jason Leitch said there was some concern about the risks posed by fans travelling south for potential, further spread of the virus.

He said:  “London is actually quite similar to Scotland, with quite a lot of variation in its boroughs. In the round, I think London looks a bit like Scotland but it’s very densely packed.

“If you break the rules of numbers you are much more likely to have the virus. People are travelling, car sharing, buses trains, these are risky areas.

"So we are concerned but if people follow the rules then I’m hopeful we won’t see virus increasing in London or virus increasing when those individuals come back."

Asked when operatings times for pubs were likely to be extended Nicola Sturgeon said an update would be provided "in due course".

The First Minister said she was optimistic about progress made in containing the virus because "at every stage" the actual hospitalisation figures had been below expected levels. Cases are younger and are not progressing to intensive care while far more elective surgery is being carried out that at the height of the pandemic last year when beds were beng reserved for Covid patients.

READ MORE: Hundreds of NHS staff in 'high risk' hospital wards not tested for Covid 

She said there had been rapid progress in first dose vaccinations, with more than 70% of 30-39 year-olds jagged and a third of those aged 18-29. She said all adults in the youngest age group should expect to have received an initial appointment by next week.

All first doses are expected to be completed by July 18, faster than expected.

"Faster progress that we thought possible, even just a few weeks ago," said the First Minister.

A total of 3,591,638 people have received the initial vaccine, an increase of 19,912 since yesterday with 19,737 receiving a second dose bringing the total to 2,535,803.

More than three quarters of those over 40 have received both doses with 97% in the over 60 age group fully protected. Nicola Sturgeon said she was looking forward to getting her own second dose on Monday morning.

The vaccines currently in use in the UK are considered effective against this variant, but protection greately increases after the second dose. 

It is hoped the delay in moving to level zero will give more time to provide boosters to people who have already received a first dose of vaccine.

She said: "It is this progress with the vaccine that gives us real hope that despite teh big increase in cases seen recently, driven by the Delta variant, we will still be able, over the course of the Summer to ease restrictions further and get back to much greater normality.

"Vaccines do seem to be weaking the link between a rise in new cases and a rise in hospitalisations." Around 13% of cases were progressing to intensive care in February and this has dropped to 5%. The link is weakened but it is not completely broken because there is still a sizeable proportion not fully vaccinated.

"I cannot stress how important it is to get vaccinated. Every single one of us who gets these vaccinations is playing a part in getting us back to normal."