First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said pupils in Scotland will not return to school until 11 January and learning will remain online only until "at least 18 January".
She said there was no suggestion that transmission had become a greater problem in schools, but the delay to reopening schools in January was "necessitated" by the latest developments around the new coronavirus variant.
"We are determined, if at all possible, to get schools back to normal from 18 January," she said.
Scotland's interim chief medical officer Dr Gregor Smith added there was no clear signal to say children were any more likely to transmit the new variant than any other age group.
He said the decision on temporary school closures was a "precautionary approach" to limit the opportunity for the spread of the new variant.
Latest Stories
-
DAMC, Free Food Company, to distribute 10,000 packs of food to street kids
5 minutes -
Kwame Boafo Akuffo: Court ruling on re-collation flawed
25 minutes -
Samuel Yaw Adusei: The strategist behind NDC’s electoral security in Ashanti region
27 minutes -
I’m confident posterity will judge my performance well – Akufo-Addo
38 minutes -
Syria’s minorities seek security as country charts new future
1 hour -
Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo re-appointed as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana
1 hour -
German police probe market attack security and warnings
1 hour -
Grief and anger in Magdeburg after Christmas market attack
1 hour -
Baltasar Coin becomes first Ghanaian meme coin to hit DEX Screener at $100K market cap
2 hours -
EC blames re-collation of disputed results on widespread lawlessness by party supporters
3 hours -
Top 20 Ghanaian songs released in 2024
3 hours -
Beating Messi’s Inter Miami to MLS Cup feels amazing – Joseph Paintsil
3 hours -
NDC administration will reverse all ‘last-minute’ gov’t employee promotions – Asiedu Nketiah
3 hours -
Kudus sights ‘authority and kingship’ for elephant stool celebration
3 hours -
We’ll embrace cutting-edge technologies to address emerging healthcare needs – Prof. Antwi-Kusi
4 hours