STREETS EMPTY AS CURFEW KICKS IN
‘Acted with great responsibility’
FOR a brief moment, it seemed as though Scotland was returning to some sort of normality.
But the latest lockdown measures announced at the end of last week have plunged the country into a new state of eerie inactivity.
Traffic-free roads, deserted train stations and emptied streets have become a regular occurrence over the past couple of days.
In Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire, a police officer was the only pedestrian walking through the town’s main street in front of the normally busy Lion & Star bar after 10pm on Friday.
In August, the popular venue was packed with customers benefiting from the Eat Out To Help Out scheme.
Meanwhile, Edinburgh’s usually bustling streets were reduced to a trickle of people leaving pubs and bars to observe the new curfew.
Friday saw the first night of the new measures designed to help tackle recent surging cases of coronavirus, including the 10pm curfew and limiting venues to table service only.
The Scottish Government said the policy was aimed at limiting transmission of the virus in hospitality settings while allowing venues to continue trading.
It was also made mandatory for visitors to pubs and restaurants – as well as serving staff – to wear face coverings when not seated at their tables.
Venues are forbidden from playing background music, must enforce strict rules on hygiene and distancing and have to record customers’ details for the Test and Protect programme.
Police Scotland’s chief constable, Iain Livingstone, last week said that patrols would be increased to ensure compliance with the new rules but praised venue owners, adding: ‘The vast majority of licensees have acted with great responsibility.’