Lockdown Easing Delayed In Scotland

Current Covid restrictions will remain in place in Scotland until July 19 following a 40 per cent rise in new cases over the last week.

FIRST Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced today, June 22, that the restrictions in Scotland will remain in place after original plans for the entire nation to move to Level 0 on June 28 have been scrapped.

“Assuming we are meeting the revised strategic aim, we hope that all parts of Scotland, not currently in that level, can move to Level 0 on July 19,” Ms Sturgeon said, according to Sky News.

“That means, for example, that the limits for household gatherings indoors will increase from that date, and up to 200 people will be able to attend weddings and funerals.

“We also hope – assuming the data supports this – that the general indoor physical distancing requirement can be reduced from two metres to one metre.

“And we hope, from that date, to lift the outdoor requirement to physically distance.

“In addition – in recognition of the reduced risk of outdoor transmission and therefore the desire to encourage people to stay outdoors as much as possible – we hope that limits on informal outdoor social gatherings, in private gardens for example, will also be removed at this stage.”

Sturgeon added that she believes plans to lift remaining restrictions on August 9 are “possible and proportionate”.

“Our assessment – on balance and assuming we meet the necessary conditions on vaccination and harm reduction – is that it would be possible and proportionate to lift the major remaining legal restrictions on August 9,” she told parliament.

“We will consider and make a final assessment nearer the time of whether – as we hope – this could include the lifting of the legal requirement to physically distance indoors as well as outdoors.”

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