SCOTLAND will reimpose full lockdown restrictions if people continue to flout coronavirus guidelines, the Justice Secretary has said.
Humza Yousaf also said ministers would consider putting curbs on socialising and travel into law after a significant number of breaches over the weekend.
It comes after Nicola Sturgeon said she “would not hesitate” to legislate to keep outdoor meetings below eight and ban travel outside local areas to suppress the spread of coronavirus.
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However, the Scottish Police Federation has raised concerns new laws would be unenforceable.
Figures from Police Scotland indicate there were 1,391 compliant dispersals from 7am on Friday to 7am on Monday, with 650 after police warning.
Officers issued 16 fixed penalty notices following the emergency coronavirus legislation, but no arrests were made in relation to Covid-19.
Mr Yousaf told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme: "What gave the First Minister and understandably gave us cause for concern in the Government is the level of compliant dispersals or dispersals that had to take place after a warning.
"They were clearly up on previous weekends and even when we've had sunnier weather during lockdown, they were up on those weekends as well."
He said people are travelling more than five miles to visit beauty spots and meeting in groups of more than eight, despite guidelines.
Mr Yousaf conceded there was an element of people being "demob-happy" after weeks of lockdown.
But he added: "We are still reporting people dying remember, every single day, because of this virus."
He continued: "If people do flout the guidance, that's why we have to give consideration to either putting that guidance into law but inevitably the consequence of this will be that we will not progress through the phases of lockdown, instead, frankly, we'll go back to phase 0, which was what the last ten weeks was like."
Mr Yousaf said he speaks to Police Scotland's Chief Constable on a near-daily basis.
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"The police's view on enforcement will certainly be part of our consideration," he added.
However, he said the vast majority of people are complying with the guidelines.
He said: "If you think about the last ten weeks, there have never, in my lifetime certainly, been police powers, or powers that have been given to the police, that have probably had so much effect of people's civil liberties, freedom of movement.
"That is because we are living in completely unprecedented times."
Mr Yousaf said data from this weekend will be taken into account, and ministers will not rush into a "knee jerk" decision.
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