In a second major cross-Border split, the UK Government said the self-isolation period for positive cases in England was being cut from 10 to seven days if they get negative results from lateral flow tests on days six and seven.

The change followed a review by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), which said it reflected the latest evidence on the period for which people who have the virus can transmit it to others, while supporting public services and supply chains over the winter.

But Ms Sturgeon refused to follow suit despite a surge in the number of people self-isolating with omicron over the past week, putting severe pressure on services and transport links.

Mr Ross said: “The current self-isolation rules could grind essential services and the economy to a halt. We understand the need for caution – but the current rules are not sustainable.

“The First Minister wants to be cautious – but this seems too cautious. This level of caution belonged before we had the data that this new, game-changing study has provided.”

Mr Borthwick said: “The early data on the health harm posed by omicron has showed that hospital admissions are much lower than academics expected.”

He added: “The Government needs to make clear what it requires to enable the removal of these additional restrictions at the earliest possible moment, otherwise January will be staggeringly bleak for businesses and jobs.”

‘Very fragile stage of pandemic’

But Ms Sturgeon told First Minister’s Questions the pandemic was at a “very fragile stage” and reducing self-isolation to a week risked “inadvertently” allowing the virus to spread further.

The First Minister insisted she was not “dismissing” the advice of the UK experts, but said she was listening “most carefully” to her own clinical advisors.

Opposing the relaxation of restrictions, Ms Sturgeon tweeted that “we must act to slow transmission while boosters completed. Otherwise higher transmissibility could outweigh lower severity and still overwhelm us”.

John Swinney, the Deputy First Minister, told Holyrood’s Covid committee: “Even if the proportion of cases needing hospital care is lower, a smaller proportion of a much larger number of infections will place a significant burden on the National Health Service.”