Scotland's local lockdown levels will remain unchanged for another week despite concerns about infection levels in some councils.

Nicola Sturgeon confirmed the five-tier allocations but said public health officials will continue to monitor Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

Both north-east councils had been put on notice yesterday but will stay at level two on the sliding scale for Scotland's 32 local authorities.

"I can confirm that the Scottish Government is not proposing any immediate changes today to the levels that currently apply to each local authority area," Sturgeon said in her weekly statement to the Scottish Parliament.

Punters enjoy a socially distanced pint in Aberdeen

"However, I need to be clear that we have been looking and will continue to look very carefully in the days to come at Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire."

Cases in both areas increased sharply in the last week - by 68% in Aberdeen, and by 42% in Aberdeenshire.

It puts the regions higher than in some level three areas including nearby Angus.

The 11 councils in the highest level four category - including Glasgow - will stay with those restrictions until December 11.

Scotland's lockdown levels by council area

Level 3

  • Orkney
  • Shetland
  • Argyll and Bute - only covers islands of Coll, Colonsay, Erraid, Gometra, Iona, Islay, Jura, Mull, Oronsay, Tiree, Ulva.
  • Highland islands, except Skye.

Level 4

  • Highland (Mainland and Skye)
  • Argyll and Bute (Mainland)
  • Western Isles
  • Moray
  • Dumfries and Galloway
  • Scottish Borders
  • Inverclyde
  • Falkirk
  • Angus
  • Edinburgh
  • East Lothian
  • Clackmannanshire
  • Dundee City
  • Aberdeen City
  • Aberdeenshire
  • Fife
  • North Ayrshire
  • Midlothian
  • Perth and Kinross
  • East Ayrshire
  • East Dunbartonshire
  • East Renfrewshire
  • Glasgow
  • North Lanarkshire
  • Renfrewshire
  • South Ayrshire
  • South Lanarkshire
  • Stirling
  • West Dunbartonshire
  • West Lothian

Sturgeon outlined what progress is being made in her statement at Holyrood.

Three weeks ago, there were 1,239 people in hospital with Covid and 102 people in intensive care.

Today the figures are 1,021 people in hospital and 70 in intensive care.

However, another 34 people died in the past 24 hours after a positive covid test within the last 28 days in Scotland. Another 754 new infections were confirmed in the past 24 hours.

Sturgeon said: "The sacrifices everyone is making are making a difference. They are getting case numbers down, reducing the numbers getting ill and needing hospital care and so protecting the NHS, and saving lives.

"That said, the level of the virus overall - and this is particularly the case in some parts of the country - is still higher than we need it to be.

"There are still pressures on the health service – and any increase in rates of infection would intensify those. As we go into the deeper winter period, there are a number of factors that may well push transmission up again. And so we could see cases and resulting illness and deaths start to rise again.

"That means we have an interest in driving cases as low as we can now. And that necessitates continued caution."