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Breaking: First Minister gives the green light for the reopening of hospitality, retail, gyms and swimming pools while she anticipates reaching level zero by late June


By Scott Maclennan

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First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

The reopening of hospitality and non-essential shops will go ahead this Monday as planned, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed.

It marks the biggest changes in Scotland since the country went back into lockdown on Boxing Day.

The First Minister also revealed a target of late June to move to level zero followed by reaching a state that looks more like normality "deeper into July."

But from Monday the following will be permitted:

  • Children who have been shielding can return to school
  • All shops which are still closed will be able to reopen
  • Informal childcare can restart
  • Access to public buildings, galleries museums and libraries
  • All close contact services such as beauty parlours can reopen
  • Cafes, pubs and restaurants can reopen to sell alcohol in outdoor settings where groups of up to six from up to six different households can meet
  • Cafes, pubs and restaurants will be able to open indoors until 8pm in the evening but not yet able to serve alcohol
  • Swimming pools and gyms will also be able to reopen.
  • It will be possible to collect take away food indoors

Additionally, non-essential work can restart within people's homes like painting and decorating, along with driving lessons and tests.

Travel between Scotland, England and Wales will also be allowed for the first time this year.

The target date of Monday 26 April was originally announced by Ms Sturgeon in February.

This follows hairdressers, click and collect services and homeware shops reopening on April 5.

At that time, outdoor contact sports for 12 to 17 year was also re-started.

Some restrictions were eased earlier than expected due to falling infection rates.

Restrictions on travelling around Scotland and rules on the number of people allowed to meet outdoors were relaxed on Friday.

Ms Sturgeon also gave a timeline to move back to "normality" assuming that the data remains positive regarding Covid infections.

"Taking all of the recent data into account, I am pleased that from Monday, April 26, most parts of the country that are in level four will move down to level three," she said.

"We then expect assuming that the data continues to go in the right direction, the all of Scotland will move to level two on Monday, May 17. And that shift will mean, for example, that from May 17 will mean people will be able to meet in small numbers in each other's homes for the first time in a long time, there'll be further reopening of hospitality and outdoor contact sport for adults will resume.

"Then if circumstances permit I can confirm that it would be the intention to move to level 1 on Monday June 7 before then, I hope, moving to level zero in late June and then as we go into the deeper part of the summer to something much more like normality over the course of July.

"So, we are hopeful, very hopeful of seeing sustained progress in the weeks and months ahead."

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