Edinburgh's New Year's Eve street party has been cancelled due to surging COVID cases, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced, just as UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said England would see no new pre-Christmas curbs.

Tens of thousands of revellers from around the world typically descend on the Scottish capital on December 31 for the Hogmanay celebrations, which are marked by live music and fireworks above Edinburgh Castle.

But for the second successive year the festivities have been axed, as Scotland and the rest of Britain grapple with spiralling coronavirus infections driven by the Omicron variant.

Sturgeon told lawmakers in the devolved Scottish Parliament that crowds would be capped at 500 for outdoor public events, and 100 standing or 200 seated indoors, for at least three weeks from December 26.

The first minister, who has responsibility for health and other domestic policy areas in Scotland, added that meant live sports events including football matches will be "effectively spectator-free".

She also announced new rules on hospitality and urged people to "stay at home as much as possible" until at least the first week of January.

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