Beer garden and cafe customers told to stay safe or go home

Be patient, avoid crowds and prepare to hand over your contact details if visiting beer gardens or pavement cafes today, Nicola Sturgeon said.

The First Minister was outlining advice for customers enjoying outdoor hospitality venues as restrictions on them were relaxed on Monday.

It comes as Scotland has now gone three days in a row without any new coronavirus deaths, Sturgeon revealed, with just four people testing positive for the virus in the last 24 hours.

Speaking at the Scottish Government’s daily Covid-19 briefing, she urged people to comply with measures put in place by bars and cafes which are reopening.

They include providing contact information for Scotland’s coronavirus ‘test and protect’ system should you require to be traced.

‘If you go to a bar or a restaurant outside right now, if it feels totally normal, exactly like it was before this pandemic, then something is wrong.’
Nicola Sturgeon

The First Minister warned Scots: “If you are not willing to do that you really shouldn’t bother going at all.

“If you see a crowd gathering particularity at a bottle neck point, avoid it.

“These are really risky situations so don’t take that risk.”

She added: “If you go to a bar or a restaurant outside right now, if it feels totally normal, exactly like it was before this pandemic, then something is wrong.”

The FM also called on customers at the newly-reopened businesses to be respectful to staff members.

She expressed some concerns at images of crowded streets in England after pubs opened on Saturday, urging people to avoid crowded areas.

But she added a “couple of images” doesn’t mean that the “vast majority” of people are not obeying the rules.