FANS ALLOWED INTO STADIUMS

But still red cards for hospitality and retail

SOME of the toughest restrictions in Scotland will be lifted next week as Nicola Sturgeon yesterday admitted the country must learn to live with coronavirus.

The First Minister said large outdoor events, such as professional football matches, would be allowed to go ahead with full crowds.

Miss Sturgeon said it was time to ‘adapt’ the approach to containing coronavirus as she confirmed some curbs would be removed from Monday.

But she said restrictions on hospitality, retailers and other indoor settings will remain in place.

She also raised the prospect of the controversial vaccine certification programme being extended.

The definition of ‘fully vaccinated’ in Scotland will now include only those with booster jabs.

Speaking at Holyrood, Miss Sturgeon insisted that restrictions had ‘helped to

‘Waiting for ad hoc updates’

mitigate to some extent the impact of the Omicron wave’, with cases estimated to be around 30,000 a day in early January rather than the predicted 50,000.

She said: ‘it is very likely that the situation we face now, though serious, would have been even more challenging without the renewed sacrifices made by people across the country over these last few weeks.’

Miss Sturgeon also said a revised framework on dealing with the virus will be published within weeks as she looks to move away from the restrictive measures ‘that we are all tired of and which do harm in other ways’.

it follows claims from public health experts that the pandemic is now entering the endemic phase in Scotland – meaning Covid will become a seasonal virus.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: ‘A new phase of the pandemic must mean a new approach – one that recognises we will be living with Covid in some form for years to come.

‘People cannot live their lives waiting for ad hoc updates on what the rules will be day-to-day.

‘Businesses and workers cannot plan for the future properly if they cannot predict the Government’s response.’

Scotland has been under tougher restrictions than those south of the Border since Boxing Day.

Outdoor events are limited to just 500 people, while indoor seated events have a maximum of 200 and just 100 people can attend standing events.

The restrictions led to Edinburgh’s Hogmanay street party being cancelled for the second year and football chiefs bringing forward the winter break.

From January 17, the limit on outdoor events will be lifted but limits on indoor events will stay.

Miss Sturgeon said event organisers must check that at least 50 per cent of attendees have vaccine passports – rather than the current 20 per cent – or 1,000 people, whichever figure is higher.

From Monday, the definition of ‘fully vaccinated’ for the purpose of vaccine certification will mean those who received their second jab more than four months ago will have to be boosted.

A negative lateral flow test will also be accepted.

As well as refusing to lift the limits on indoor events, Miss Sturgeon said further restrictions on hospitality and retailers would remain in place until January 24.

Since December 27, pubs and restaurants have been forced to reintroduce table service only, onemetre social distancing and limits on groups to just three households. Nightclubs have also been shut since this date.

Despite coronavirus cases beginning to fall, Miss Sturgeon said these restrictions will remain in place for another week.

Yesterday, a further 10,392 positive cases were recorded, with 1,479 people with Covid now in hospital, 54 of those in intensive care units.

However, Miss Sturgeon revealed that last week there had been an average of 12,700 Covid cases a day – down 17 per cent from the previous seven days.

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said the downward trend was not due to government restrictions but ‘because of people’s good sense’ adding: ‘The people of Scotland got this right, not the Government’.

Mr Ross said ministers must now look to ‘balance’ restrictions in favour of the economy and wider health concerns, and hit out at suggestions the vaccine certification scheme could be widened to include more venues.