Scotland lockdown update: Nicola Sturgeon announces the new roadmap out of lockdown
17 March 2021, 08:57
The timetable for easing lockdown in Scotland has been revealed, with pubs, restaurants and hairdressers opening in April.
Nicola Sturgeon has announced a detailed roadmap to get Scotland out of lockdown.
During a speech on Tuesday, the First Minister revealed the key dates for the re-opening of retail, pubs, restaurants and hairdressers.
She said: "I know how difficult the last few months have been. And I will never underestimate – or stop being grateful for – the sacrifices that everyone has made.
"But now – thanks to those sacrifices and the success of the vaccination programme – we are in a much brighter position."
The Scottish Government will lift the official ‘stay-at-home’ requirement from 2 April, with other restrictions lifted over the coming months.
New Scottish lockdown rules - key dates:
2 April
‘Stay at home’ will be replaced with guidance to ‘stay local’, with Ms Sturgeon explaining: “Initially, though we hope for no more than three weeks, ‘stay-at-home’ will be replaced by guidance to stay local – in other words, not to travel outside your own local authority area unless for an essential purpose.”
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5 April
Monday April 5 will see hairdressers open for appointment only, while click-and-collect retail services will be allowed to serve customers.
Garden centres, homeware stores, car showrooms and forecourts will also be allowed to reopen, as well as non-contact sport for 12-17-year-olds.
Students will also be allowed to return to on-campus learning.
12 April
All children will return to school full-time after the Easter holidays, which is April 12 for many.
26 April
Two weeks later, pubs, restaurants and cafes will be allowed to reopen outdoors.
While alcohol sales will be allowed and there will be no ‘substantial meal’ rule, all venues will have a curfew of 10pm.
Non essential shops, gyms, libraries, museums and galleries will also be allowed to reopen, along with tourist accommodation.
People will be allowed to meet their friends and family outdoors in groups of six, from up to three different households.
The guest limit on weddings and funerals will be increased to 50 people.
Ms Sturgeon also hinted suggested some indoor hospitality may be allowed to open if Covid cases continue to fall, but this would be limited to groups of four from two households, with no alcohol and no service after 8pm.
From April 26, people who are on the shielding list will be allowed to return to work.
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17 May
This would be when Scotland moves down to level two risk level, which would allow pubs and restaurants to serve alcohol indoors up until 10:30pm.
Cinemas, bingo halls and amusement parks would also be allowed to reopen, while four people from two households would be allowed to socialise in a private home.
June
While the details are still dependent on the success of the vaccine rollout and hospitalisations, the country could move to level one in June.
The First Minister said: “For me to set a precise date for all of that right now would involve plucking it out of thin air – and I’d be doing it to make my life easier, not yours.
“I am not going to do that. But I do believe that over the coming weeks – as more and more adults are vaccinated – it will be possible to set a firmer date by which many of these normal things will be possible.
“I am optimistic that this date will be over the summer.
“I know I will not be the only one now looking forward – with a real sense of hope – to hugging my family this summer.”
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