Scotland to move to second phase of lockdown easing as shops to reopen from June 29

Face coverings will become mandatory on public transport in Scotland from Monday
Imogen Braddick18 June 2020

Scotland is ready to move to the second phase of the country's plan to ease out of lockdown, the First Minister has announced.

Nicola Sturgeon told MSPs in Holyrood that the progress made in suppressing the virus was "clear and substantial".

“Taking account of that progress and the other evidence we are required to assess, I am therefore very pleased to confirm that the Scottish Government has concluded that we can now move into the next phase of our exit from lockdown," she said.

People who live on their own, or only with children under 18, will be able to form an “extended household group” with one other household from Friday, Ms Sturgeon said.

This means they will be able to meet indoors without the need for physical distancing, as well as stay overnight.

If anyone from the extended group contracts the virus, then the whole group will be required to self-isolate.

The First Minister also urged Scots to stay within a roughly five-mile radius of their home for recreation, but not for meeting family.

From Friday, people will be able to meet those in two other households while outside, with no more than eight people gathered at a time.

People will also be able to go inside to use the toilet when meeting in someone else’s garden, the First Minister added.

She also confirmed that those who are in the shielding category will be able to go outside for exercise from Friday, as well as meeting people from one other household, as was the case for the general public in phase one, so long as social distancing measures are adhered to.

UK Schools begin to reopen during Coronavirus lockdown ease

1/21

From Monday, the First Minister said the Scottish construction sector will move to the next phase of its restart plan, dentists will be able to open, professional sport can resume and places of worship will be able to reopen – although only for individual prayer and not services.

Face coverings will also become mandatory on public transport in Scotland from Monday.

Then, from June 29, outdoor markets, playgrounds and sports facilities will reopen, along with attractions such as zoos and “garden attractions”, but visitors should not travel more than five miles from their homes, and tickets should be bought in advance.

Restrictions on moving house will also be dropped and weddings will be allowed to go ahead, but only if they are outdoors and with "limited numbers".

Non-essential retail businesses will also be allowed to open again on June 29, with some restrictions in place.

Premises will only be able to open if they have outdoor exits and entrances, meaning shopping centres will remain closed.

The First Minister also said that further health services, including more access to GP services and the resumption of services which were postponed by the NHS in March, would resume.

However, the First Minister warned that the virus “has not gone away” and that the reason the virus had been suppressed to its current levels was “because of lockdown”.

“So as we gradually remove the restrictions that have kept it under control, there is a very real risk that transmission could rise again," she said.

The First Minister warned that the virus has not gone away
PA

“That is why – if we don’t want to go backwards – we must progress carefully.”

Ms Sturgeon also warned against frustration at the easing of restrictions moving too slowly.

She told MSPs: “If – as I believe is the case – frustration, leading to a premature easing of too many restrictions, is our biggest risk right now, it is equally true that patience could reap our biggest rewards.

“If we can suppress the virus more – get as close as possible to eliminating it now – then we give ourselves a better chance, not just of controlling future outbreaks or clusters, but of doing so through more targeted measures, rather than general, blanket restrictions on our way of life.

“The alternative – which would happen if we moved too quickly – is the virus continuing to circulate at a higher level of transmission. The measures that are then needed to stop it running out of control are more restrictive and have to be applied more generally and for longer.

“So, difficult though I know it is, the prize for going a bit more carefully now is a recovery that is much more sustainable – and one that will, I hope, allow more normality to be restored to our everyday lives.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in