NOW WE CAN MEET AGAIN
Scots can gather for a picnic or barbecue as long as numbers limited and distancing followed
LOCKDOWN EASES ON HOTTEST WEEKEND OF THE YEAR
‘Don’t put loved ones at risk’
FAMILIES and friends will finally be able to reunite for picnics and barbecues from today – as Scotland basks in a heatwave.
nicola Sturgeon yesterday confirmed the first loosening of the restrictive lockdown measures which have been in force for more than two months.
As temperatures in some parts of Scotland hit highs of 29C, people will be able to meet members of another household in groups of up to eight outdoors.
They can sunbathe and enjoy picnics or barbecues, although they have been told to take their own food, cutlery, plates and cups.
Garden centres will be allowed to throw open their doors from today, to be followed by recycling centres on Monday, while non-contact outdoor sports such as fishing, tennis, golf and bowling can take place.
Most outdoor work can also resume, with the construction industry given the green light to prepare for a return.
Travel for leisure or exercise is also permitted again. Guidance states this should be restricted to a maximum of five miles, although it will not be enforced by law.
But Miss Sturgeon yesterday issued a plea to people not to flock to tourist hotspots, and urged national parks and areas of natural beauty to keep their car parks closed to the public.
There was also a warning to avoid family hugs and for couples who do not live together not to get too intimate – with new guidance set to be published spelling out what is allowed in these relationships.
The First Minister also stressed that people should still stay at home as much as possible – and said this could help ensure infection rates do not rise and allow more measures to be relaxed, with the next review due three weeks from now.
Scotland entered phase one of lifting lockdown as figures published yesterday showed that the number of people in hospital with symptoms of the virus declined by 13, to 1,238, while those in intensive care fell by one, to 37.
A further 12 deaths were registered in the 24 hours to yesterday morning, taking the death toll for those who have tested positive for coronavirus to 2,316 since the beginning of the outbreak.
Announcing the ‘careful and cautious’ changes to lockdown yesterday, Miss Sturgeon said: ‘From tomorrow the regulations on meeting other people will change.
‘You and your household will be able to meet with another household out of doors – for example in a park or in a private garden.
‘We said last week this should be in small groups – and to give you greater guidance on that, we are asking that the total number of people between the two households meeting up should be a maximum of eight.
‘Please keep it to less than that if you can.’
She said being allowed to sit or sunbathe in parks and open areas will be ‘welcomed by many – particularly in this weather’.
Scotland’s interim chief medical officer, Dr Gregor Smith, even issued a warning to be careful in the sunshine over the sunny weekend, saying people should take precautions to protect themselves against the risk of skin cancer.
The Met Office said today could produce the hottest day of the year, with Scotland recording some of the highest temperatures in all of the UK.
Yesterday saw a new temperature high for the year in Scotland. The 25.7C (78F) at Leuchars in Fife beat the country’s 2020 record high of 25.3C (77.5F) seen at Floors Castle in Roxburghshire on May 20.
Most lockdown restrictions will remain in place, however, with people still urged to work from home if they can, while high street shops, cafes and restaurants will remain closed.
The most vulnerable groups who are currently ‘shielding’ in selfisolation are also being told to continue to do so.
Miss Sturgeon said she ‘strongly’ recommends limiting travel to five miles when visiting other households but confirmed there will be no legal limit on this.
She also urged those visiting family or friends to stay outdoors and two metres apart and avoid touching the same hard surfaces. ‘I suspect many of you will be planning a picnic or a barbecue this weekend,’ Miss Sturgeon said.
‘If you are, not only should you stay two metres apart from those in the other household, but each household should also bring its own food, cutlery, plates or cups. Don’t share these things.
‘And please – don’t go indoors. Being in someone else’s house should still be avoided, unless of course you are providing support to someone who is vulnerable.’
Many national parks and other beauty spots have closed down their car parks during lockdown – and were yesterday urged to keep them closed during the first phase of easing restrictions.
Miss Sturgeon said: ‘We simply don’t want, in this phase, to see large numbers of people at tourist hot spots or local beauty spots.
‘Crowds of people – even if they’re trying to socially distance – bring more risk than we judge is acceptable and safe at this point. So if you do go somewhere and find it is crowded, please use your judgment, change your plans and go somewhere else.’
She said people should still stay at home as much as possible because lockdown is only being modified and ‘is not over’.
In a message to families and couples who don’t live together, she said: ‘The instinct to hug somebody you love is a really strong one
– especially when you haven’t seen that person for quite some time. And I know that for some – couples who live apart for example – for them, this is even more difficult. And I want to assure you that we are considering that point very carefully.
‘But for now – whether it’s parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles, siblings, partners from other households – don’t put your loved ones or yourself at risk.’
Public health expert Professor
Linda Bauld, of Edinburgh University, called for new guidance to make clear when intimate relationships between people who do not live together can resume.
Asked about the comments yesterday, Miss Sturgeon said: ‘I absolutely recognise that, for couples who are not living together, therefore are not part of the same household, asking them when they can meet up again to stay two metres distant, for obvious reasons, for an extended period of time is particularly difficult. We are looking specifically at that. There will always be a limit to the extent to which a government can or indeed should issue guidance about, as you asked me, people’s intimate physical relationships.
‘But nevertheless we are looking at this issue in particular to see whether we can provide some guidance that allows people to live their lives sensibly but also in a way that is as safe as possible.’
Comment – Page 16