More lockdown rules eased from next week
NICOLA Sturgeon has announced the latest raft of lockdown easing measures to take effect from Monday. The First Minister revealed the move from Level 3 to Level 2 will go ahead as planned.
She also said “we are able to go further” on meeting in homes.
“We consider we can go further and six from three households can meet in each other’s houses,” she explained.
“From Monday, as long as you stay within permitted limits, you can hug your loved ones again.
“The success of the vaccination programme, and continued high compliance with the various rules and restrictions, means that we have seen continued suppression of the virus in the last three weeks.
“As a result the situation overall is a very positive one, and we are now in a position to relax more restrictions and restore much more normality to our everyday lives.”
“It is almost eight months since most of us have been able to meet in each other’s homes.
“While I know all of us have been looking forward to being able to do that again, I would encourage everyone to please use judgement – close physical contact still carries risk, so if you have loved ones who are vulnerable for any reason, you should still be careful.
“And you should perhaps limit the overall number of people that you choose to have close physical contact with.”
The changes, however, will not apply in Moray, which is likely to remain in Level 3, with a final decision taken later this week.
The islands will move to Level 1 as cases are lower there.
At Level 2 the changes mean the following:
• You can meet socially in groups of up to six people from three households in your home or theirs and can stay overnight.
• Six people from three households can meet in an indoor public place like a cafe, pub or restaurant, eight people from eight households outdoors.
• Under 12s do not count towards the numbers meeting outside but do count towards indoor numbers.
• You can provide informal childcare, for example to look after a grandchild.
• Tradespeople can carry out any work in your home.
• Up to 50 people can attend weddings and funerals.
• People can travel anywhere in Scotland but not into a Level 3 or 4 area.
• Travel to England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands is also allowed but people must check the travel rules in those countries.
International travel will move to a red, amber and green system with red countries requiring hotel isolation, amber countries needing isolation at home and green countries not requiring anything.
Sturgeon said, however: “Everyone should think seriously about whether they really need to travel abroad this summer.”