FREEDOM FRIDAY
»»First Minister to bring down lockdown borders 10 days early »»6 people from 6 households can meet outside from end of this week
SCOTLAND is set for Freedom Friday as covid travel restrictions are lifted 10 days early.
Nicola Sturgeon also announced people could meet in groups of up to six family and friends.
The First Minister said falling virus cases enabled her to speed up the changes.
SCOTLAND is set for Freedom Friday, with people allowed to travel around the country once more to meet up to five family and friends.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced yesterday she was bringing down the local authority borders 10 days ahead of schedule, as well as changing plans for meeting up outdoors.
From Friday, six people from six households can meet outside. Restrictions will remain for travel to some islands until April 26.
Some people living in Level 4 have been unable to see family and friends in other council areas for more than six months.
However, there will be strictly no socialising indoors until at least next month and no tourist accommodation will open until April 26.
At her regular briefing yesterday, Sturgeon announced there had been another 221 coronavirus cases but she contrasted the figure with January when there was an average of 2000 cases a day.
She said the reductions, together with the fact 60 per cent of adults had now been vaccinated, had enabled her to ease some restrictions sooner than expected.
With all schools back full-time by next week, together with hairdressers and some retail outlets re-opening, she said she could not go further.
But she said: “Because data over the last two weeks has been so encouraging, I can give a bit more certainty to individuals and businesses about the way ahead – and indeed accelerate one aspect of the exit from lockdown which I think is important for our personal wellbeing.”
She announced all parts of the country would move to Level 3 on April 26.
“On that day, shops will fully reopen, pubs, cafes and restaurants will be able to fully open outdoors, and indoors on a more restricted basis,” she said.
Hospitality businesses will need to close at 8pm indoors and 10pm outdoors, with alcohol only allowed to be served outside.
Sturgeon pointed out indoor hospitality would be reopening three weeks ahead of England.
She also indicated the country would move to Level 2 on May 17, Level 1 at the start of June and Level 0 at the end of June. And she said that while under Level 0 people would still be living with some restrictions, she hoped that later in the summer there would be a further relaxation to allow folk to live more normally including being able to hug loved ones.
The First Minister also indicated people would be able to meet in each other’s homes from May 17.
But she said: “The change to existing plans because of improved data does not allow us to throw caution to the wind.
“We have limited headroom, so any changes have to be for the best mental health and wellbeing and to give families the opportunity to get together.”
It is expected borders will be reopened between Scotland, England and Wales on April 26 but the prospect of overseas travel may still be a long way off.
Sturgeon said: “We will have to endure international travel restrictions for a bit longer. It is the price we have to pay for fewer restrictions at home and to protect the progress here.” She admitted that restriction easing was not “riskfree” but denied she had accelerated ending some restrictions to suit the election timetable.
She said: “If I was acting on an election timetable, I’d probably open up a lot more quickly.
“Anybody who thinks that hasn’t been paying attention to what we
»»And they’ll be able to travel around the country as restrictions are lifted
have been doing carefully and cautiously over the past number of months.”
However, Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the Scottish Beer and Pub Association, said the announcement “falls short of what is required to make licensed premises viable”. She added: “The
First Minister points to indoor reopening being ahead of England but without alcohol service, it is meaningless.”
Chief executive of the Scottish Tourism Alliance Marc Crothall welcomed the easing which he said would come as a “huge relief ” to many businesses. He said: “This is positive and critically important news, particularly for our island communities who have had an extremely anxious and concerning period awaiting news on whether or not their easing of restrictions would be aligned with the mainland.
“While many hospitality businesses will not be able to operate as they would wish within the coming weeks in relation to guidance around social distancing and alcohol, I know that the First Minister’s announcement will bolster many hundreds of accommodation providers, other hospitality businesses and their suppliers.”
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar welcomed Sturgeon’s announcement but raised concerns over the vaccine rollout.
He said: “We must ensure the promise that all over-50s and the JCVI priority list would be vaccinated by mid-April is met.
“There are still concerning regional variations, for example across NHS Lothian only 76.1 per cent of those aged 50-54 have had their first dose compared with the national average of 82.6 per cent.”