The First Minister has confirmed she will lift the stay-at-home rule on 2 April with a condition that we stay within the Moray county boundary.
The Levels system in operation last year will return on 26 April with mainland authority areas going into a modified Level 3 and islands into Level 2. She added that she hoped the whole country could be in Level 0 by the end of June.
Nicola Sturgeon added that she hoped for a return to normality by the end of June.
She also confirmed that a phased re-opening of non-essential businesses can start from 26 April as planned.
The time line confirmed today includes:
Friday 2 April
- Stay-at-home rule lifted, but staying local is essential
Monday 5 April
- Contact sports for 12–17-year-olds can resume
- More students in further education can return to all-campus learning
From this date, we will see a phased re-opening of non-essential retail including
- Click and collect will resume
- Some businesses such as homeware stores, car dealerships and garden stores
- Hairdressers and barbers salons’ will re-open
Monday 12 April
- All school pupils back to school full-time
Monday 26 April
- All mainland areas to adopt a modified level 3 (Islands will adopt level 2)
- Travel restrictions on journeys within mainland Scotland lifted completely
All remaining non-essential retail and close-contact services can re-open including:
- Tourist accommodation with some restriction on hospitality functions
- Museums and galleries to re-open
- Gyms offering one-to-one service
Other relaxations include:
- Work in people’s homes can restart
- Group size at weddings and outdoor gatherings will increase to 50.
- Six people from three households will be able to meet outdoors, and six people from six households for those aged 12-17.
- Driving tests can resume
Hospitality will also get the green light:
- Takeaway food can be collected indoors
- Cafes, restaurants and bars will be able to re-open for outdoor service for groups of six people from three households, with no requirement for food to be purchased. A curfew of 10pm will be in place.
- Limited indoor service till 8pm with a requirement for food to be consumed, and no alcoholic drinks to groups of four people from two households.
- Track and trace will be in force with a requirement to keep customer details for three weeks.
People who are shielding will also be able to return to work on this date.
A step in the right direction for some sort of normality to return to both business and personal lives.