At last! A taste of freedom
As lockdown eases, crowds f lock to parks and beaches in Easter sun
AFTER three months of lockdown, Scots flocked to beaches and parks yesterday to enjoy a long-awaited taste of freedom.
Lured by Easter sunshine and the bright displays of spring daffodils, hundreds of families and friends could hardly contain their delight as they took advantage of the more relaxed measures introduced two days ago with the lifting of the stay-at-home order.
Temperatures hit 16C (61F) in eastern areas yesterday – even warmer than the 13C (55F) in some parts of the country on Good Friday.
While Scots are encouraged to ‘stay local’ for the next three weeks, the sudden influx of visitors to some beauty spots caused traffic chaos.
The Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park posted on social media just before 10am to warn that only a few parking spaces remained at Arrocher, Ben A’an, Ben Ledi, Ben Venue, Inveruglas and Loch Lubnaig. The Loch Lomond village of Luss was also said to be busy.
Elsewhere, socially distanced picnics and barbecues were the order of the day as friends reunited at favourite city hotspots, including the Botanic Gardens and Kelvingrove Park in Glasgow and the Meadows in Edinburgh.
At Callendar Country Park in Falkirk, Stirlingshire, five-month-old beagle Dora was pictured happily bounding through the spring flowers.
But it was also a day of contrasts, with skiers taking to the slopes in Glen Coe while crowds headed for the beaches at Troon, Ayrshire, and Edinburgh’s Portobello – although bracing conditions meant the sea was out of bounds for all but the
‘I am afraid the weather was only toying with us’
bravest. Today, however, the tantalising glimpse of spring will be temporarily snuffed out by plunging temperatures and snow across large parts of Scotland.
The Met Office has issued snow warnings for parts of the North, and forecasters say no part of the country will be ‘immune’ from snow tomorrow.
Areas including Fife, Strathclyde and the Highlands are likely to see gales and snow showers, potentially disrupting travel.
There could be as much as six inches (15cm) of snow on higher ground and temperatures could drop to -5C.
Met Office yellow warnings are in place from 6pm tonight until midnight tomorrow.
Craig Snell of the Met Office said: ‘We’re at the time of year when we traditionally see the greatest temperature fluctuations between day and night. Yesterday was a cracking day in Scotland, save for a bit of cloud in the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland.
‘But I am afraid the weather was only toying with us before we have to face what’s to come.’
Yesterday’s Easter fun in the sun came as Scotland recorded 397 more coronavirus cases – but no new deaths of Covid-19 patients.
The latest figures published by the Scottish Government indicate the daily test positivity rate is 2.1 per cent, up slightly from 2 per cent on Friday. A total of 2,535,889 people have received a first dose of a vaccination and 434,941 have received their second.
Chief medical officer Dr Gregor Smith has previously warned that large gatherings over the Easter weekend could reverse recent progress in suppressing the virus.
On Thursday, he said: ‘We can see by looking at Europe and other parts of the world how fragile our own position is. It remains imperative that we abide by the rules, we stay local and we look after each other.’
Travel outwith council areas is still largely prohibited, while outdoor meetings between adults are limited to only four people from two households.
Yesterday’s figures mean the death toll under the daily measurement – of people who first tested positive for the virus within the previous 28 days – remains at 7,614.
Meanwhile, a report shows growing numbers of people have been defying lockdown rules to visit each other’s homes, which is still illegal.
The Scottish Contact Survey found that more than a third of people saw loved ones indoors. The report covers the two weeks to April 1.
The Scottish Government assessed the possible impact of the pandemic on the NHS in the next few weeks, saying: ‘Hospital bed and ICU occupancy are projected to fall, but these both may plateau or increase as a result of schools reopening and other relaxations.’