Nicola Sturgeon has ruled out making an immediate change to self-isolation guidance which has seen thousands of households required to stay indoors for 10 days.
The First Minister said she hoped "in the very near future we will feel much more confident about opening things up" when more was known about the impact of Omicron.
It comes after a study published last night by Scottish scientists found the risk of hospitalisation for those who catch Omicron is two-thirds lower than with the Delta variant.
Hospitality businesses, theatres and football clubs all face a raft of new restrictions from December 27 onwards as SNP ministers try to limit public interaction and reduce the spread of the latest coronavirus variant.
But Scottish Conservatives leader Douglas Ross accused Sturgeon of being "too cautious" when it comes to self-isolation rules for households.
Changes to the self-isolation rules for businesses are being considered in a bid to ease pressure on public services and an update on specific sectors is expected later today.
Fully-vaccinated people who have coronavirus currently have to self-isolate for 10 days.
But that has been cut to just a week for people in England who get negative lateral flow results on day six and day seven.
The Tories want household contacts to be able to end self-isolation with a negative test - and the 10-day self-isolation period reduced to seven if someone tests negative twice.
Speaking at First Minister's Questions today, Ross said: "The changes we are calling for are necessary to protect essential services and our economy.
"The First Minister wants to be cautious - but this seems to be too cautious. Why do people who have tested negative for covid have to remain in isolation for 10 days?
"This level of caution belonged before we had the data from this new study announced last night.
"Doesn't the First Minister recognise that although we need to tackle covid, we also need our services to function fully and our economy to keep running?"
The First Minister responded: "I accept all of that - but can I stress and underline that if we act rashly right now, what we risk is a really counterproductive effect that makes what we're all living through longer rather than shorter.
"That's the weight of responsibility that rest on the shoulders of those of us having to take the decsions.
"These studies are really positive - but they are also early data, as the authors of them are pointing out.
"And when even the authors are saying 'don't get carried away' I think we should listen."
Sturgeon added: "I am following the advice given to me by clinicians and by experts and applying my judgement to that, and coming, I think, to a balanced decision that says - yes, we hope that in the very near future we will feel much more confident about opening things up in all sorts of ways because we know much more about omicron.
"We're not quite at that stage despite these positive reports."
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2021-12-23 13:10:21Z
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