Scotland’s ‘stay at home’ lockdown restriction will be lifted on April 2, Nicola Sturgeon has announced.
The First Minister said that the rule will be replaced with guidance to ‘stay local’ for at least three weeks.
In a statement to MSPs at the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday, Sturgeon revealed plans to move Scotland into level one of the coronavirus restrictions in early June, before shifting to level zero by the end of that month.
Mainland Scotland and some islands have been under level four restrictions – carrying stay at home guidance – since January 5.
Orkney, Shetland and islands in the Highland and Argyll and Bute local authority areas – with the exception of Skye – are currently under level three restrictions.
The Scottish Government’s updated framework on the planned easing of restrictions is available here and the indicative dates can be viewed at a glance below.
All of the indicative dates are subject to change in accordance with the prevalence of the virus and the progress of the vaccination programme.
FROM FEBRUARY 22:
SCHOOLS: Primaries one, two and three returned to class full-time on Monday. Nursery children also went back on that date, along with some senior pupils facing assessments in S4-S6 on a part-time basis.
CARE HOMES: Regular visiting will resume in Scottish care homes from early March, with residents allowed to have two designated visitors each. Each designated visitor will be able to see their relative once a week.
SOCIALISING: Rules eased from Friday, March 12 to allow outdoor meetings of four people from two households.
SPORT: Non-contact outdoor group sports for 12-17-year-olds – in groups of up to 15 – were also permitted to resume from March 12.
FROM MARCH 15:
SCHOOLS: The second phase of schools reopening began on Monday, March 15. Primary four to seven pupils returned full-time and all secondary school pupils are back on a part-time ‘blended learning’ basis until Easter.
UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES: Phased return of a further small number of priority students for in-person learning.
COMMUNAL WORSHIP: Places of worship will reopen with numbers restricted to 50 – up from the previously proposed limit of 20 – from Friday, March 26, providing two-metre physical distancing can be accommodated.
FROM APRIL 2:
STAY AT HOME: The ‘stay at home’ order will change on Friday, April 2 to ‘stay local’, allowing for travel within a local authority area for non-essential purposes.
FROM APRIL 5:
HAIRDRESSERS: Hairdressers and barbers can reopen, but only for pre-booked appointments.
RETAIL: More retailers including click-and-collect services, garden centres, car dealerships, homeware and electrical repair stores allowed to reopen.
SPORT: Outdoor contact sports for 12-17-year olds may resume.
FURTHER EDUCATION: More university and college students can return for in-person teaching.
FROM APRIL 12:
SCHOOLS: All pupils will return to school full time after the Easter holidays.
FROM APRIL 26:
RETAIL: All non-essential retail permitted to reopen.
TRAVEL: Travel within mainland Scotland is allowed. UK-wide travel may be allowed either from April 26 or “as soon as possible thereafter”, with confirmation due to be announced earlier in the month.
SOCIALISING: Up to six people from three households can meet outdoors, while six under-17s can meet people from up to six different households. Up to four people from two households can socialise indoors in a public place, such as a cafe or restaurant.
HOSPITALITY: Hospitality venues like cafes, pubs and restaurants can open until 8pm indoors – but without alcohol – and 10pm outdoors where alcohol is allowed to be consumed.
GYMS: Gyms can open for individual exercise.
TOURISM: Tourist accommodation can open with restrictions in place.
DRIVING LESSONS: Driving lessons and tests can resume.
WEDDINGS AND FUNERALS: Funerals and weddings including post-funeral events and receptions can take place with up to 50 people, but no alcohol may be served.
VISITOR ATTRACTIONS: Indoor attractions and public buildings such as galleries, museums and libraries can open.
FROM MAY 17:
SOCIALISING: Up to four people from two households can socialise indoors.
HOSPITALITY: Venues can open and sell alcohol indoors until 10.30pm or outdoors until 10pm.
SPORT: Outdoor adult contact sport and indoor group exercise can restart.
RECREATION: Cinemas, amusement arcades, and bingo halls can open.
EVENTS: Small-scale outdoor and indoor events can resume subject to capacity constraints.
SUPPORT: Face-to-face support services (where not possible to deliver remotely) can resume.
FURTHER EDUCATION: Universities and colleges can return to a more blended model of learning. Non-professional performance arts can resume outdoors.
WORSHIP: Communal worship can open, subject to capacity constraints.
FROM EARLY JUNE:
SNS GroupLEVELS: Scottish Government plans to move Scotland into level one in early June.
SOCIALISING: Up to six people from up to three households can socialise indoors in a home or public place. Up to eight people from three households – or eight households for under 17s – may socialise outdoors.
HOSPITALITY: Hospitality can remain open until 11pm.
EVENTS: Attendance at events can increase, subject to capacity constraints.
SPORT: Indoor non-contact sport can take place.
WEDDINGS, FUNERALS AND PLACES OF WORSHIP: Numbers of guests at weddings, funerals and in places of worship may be able to increase.
FROM LATE JUNE:
LEVELS: The Scottish Government plans to move Scotland into level zero by the end of June.
OFFICES: A phased return of some office staff.
