Stricter lockdown rules for takeaways
A ban on drinking alcohol outdoors in public in areas of Scotland under lockdown and further restrictions on takeaways are among stricter Covid-19 rules announced by Nicola Sturgeon.
Reducing which shops can offer click and collect services, strengthening the law requiring staff to work from home are among other changes, all of which will come into effect on Saturday.
A ban on drinking alcohol outdoors in public in areas of Scotland under lockdown and further restrictions on takeaways are among stricter Covid-19 rules announced by Nicola Sturgeon.
Reducing which shops can offer click and collect services, strengthening the law requiring employees to work from home and closing a loophole in the stay-at-home order are among other changes, all of which will come into effect on Saturday.
The First Minister said yesterday that the lockdown for mainland Scotland and some island areas appears to be having an effect.
However, she warned against complacency, as she confirmed 79 more deaths of confirmed corona virus patients were registered in the past 24 hours along with 1,949 new cases.
She also said it is“heartbreaking” that the death toll of people with confirmed or suspected coronavirus has now risen above 7,000.
Speaking in the Scottish Parliament, Ms Sturgeon said drinking alcohol in public outdoors in all Level Four areas of Scotland will be banned.
People will also b e barred from entering hospitality businesses for takeaway services, meaning all sales of food or drink must take place outside the premises.
Click and collect services will be limited to retailers selling essential items, such as food, clothing, baby equipment and b o oks. For those allowed to continue collection ser vices, Ms Sturgeon said “staggered appointments” will be needed to end queuing, and peo - ple will no longer be allowed inside.
Statutory guidance will be introduced urging employers to support workers to remain at home “wherever possible”, the First Minister announced.
Separately, guidance previously issued to only allow essential work to be undertaken inside people’ s homes will be put into law.
Ms Sturgeon confirmed coronavirus regulations will change to forbid people from leaving home for an essential purpose and then doing something considered not to be essential after they have left the house.
While the list of essential reasons for leaving home will not change, she said: “It does mean that if the police challenge you for being out of the house doing something that is not essential, it will not be a defence to say you initially left the house to do something that was essential.”
Ms Sturgeon urged people in Scotland to adhere to the spirit, not just the letter, of the lockdown law, saying: “Don’t think in terms of the maximum interactions you can have without breaking the rules. Think instead about how you minimise your interactions to the bare essentials to remove as many opportunities as possible for the virus to spread.
“In everything you do, assume that the virus is there with you – that either you have it or any person you are in contact with has it – and act in a way that prevents it passing between you.
“All of this means staying at home except for genuinely essential purposes, including working from home whenever possible.
“Except for essential purposes, do not have people from other households in your house and do not go into theirs.”
Business leaders said the toughened lock down restrictions in Scotland could be “revenue-crushing” and harm already-struggling retail and hospitality firms.
Scottish Retail Consortium director David Lonsdale said: “The situation with the pandemic is fast moving and we fully recognise government wants people to stay home.
“However, these further revenue- crushing restrictions and the fresh complexity they bring, together with constant chopping and changing to the Covid Strategic Framework, are disconcerting and come at an incredibly difficult time for retail.
“The businesses affected – who have already lost much of their income during the crisis – are trying to make the best fist possible of the current severely curtailed trading conditions, and that just got even harder as a result of this decision which will add to their cashflow woes.”
Mr L ons dale pushed for more support to be made available for businesses, saying current provisions will not fill the gaps left by customers forced back into their homes by lockdown.
Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Scotland po licy chairman Andrew Mcrae said :“For those businesses that now do need to cease trading, their attention will quickly turn to where they can get financial help and support from government.
“In doing so, many will find that their business is ineligible or that a fund that could help them has yet to launch. We need all the stops pulled out to get more money out the door and into struggling firms, or run the risk of mass business closures.”
There were 79 more deaths of confirmed corona virus patients were registered in the previous 24 hours along with 1,949 new cases, Ms Sturgeon said.
There are 1,794 people in hospital confirmed to have Covid-19, up 77 in 24 hours. Of these patients, 134 are in intensive care, a rise of one in the same period.
She also said a total of 155,372 people have tested positive in Scotland since the start of the pandemic.