Scotland's Nicola Sturgeon said on Wednesday that she is more nervous now than about previous changes during Scotlands reopening of lockdown measures, as the country permits the reopening of pubs, restaurants, cafes, hairdressers, cinemas, hotels, galleries, museums and childcare.
Speaking at the government’s daily coronavirus briefing, the First Minister admitted that this “marks the biggest step for Scotland out of lockdown so far”, and said that the government "deliberately waited" until the coronavirus was at “very low levels” before ending certain restrictions.
She also warned that the moves were “the highest-risk” changes made so far and that despite the virus dropping to seriously low levels, the risks of the disease spreading inside public establishments still remains.
— STV News (@STVNews) July 15, 2020
Sturgeon urged people to enjoy the newly recovered ability to drink in pubs, eating restaurants, and go to the hairdressers but also stressed that it should be done "carefully" and in cooperation with staff.
She also said that customers should take their business elsewhere from firms not adhering to physical distancing and tracing rules.
— Radio Borders News (@yourbordersnews) July 15, 2020
The new measures come as part of the governments 'Phase 3' of its plan to come out of lockdown. Some changes were introduced last Friday, seeing indoor meetings between up to three households – a maximum of eight people – as long as the 2-metre social distancing was adhered to
Outdoor meetings of up to five households and no more than 15 people, were also permitted. As well as the reopening of beer gardens.
Face coverings were also made mandatory in shops as they already were on all public transport and taxis.
Scotland has utilised its devolved status to ease its lockdown measures behind England, which saw pubs and restaurants reopened on the 4 July.
5 new cases of coronavirus were detected in Scotland, with just 2 currently being treated in intensive care. The government has confirmed that there have been no deaths from the virus in 7 days.
