Face coverings and social distancing will remain in place when Scotland moves to a ‘modified’ level zero of Covid restrictions from next Monday, the Scottish government has announced.
These “modifications” also include a midnight curfew for hospitality venues and a continuation of the working from home guidance.
Scotland’s First minister, Nicola Sturgeon, states she is taking a “gradual approach” to the easing of restrictions which will be better for public health and the economy.
Key features of the new provisions to Covid rules include:
- Face coverings will remain mandatory for “some time”.
- Physical distancing in indoor settings will be reduced to 1 metre from the current rule of 2 meters.
- Hospitality venues will have a midnight curfew.
- Customers will not have to pre-book two-hour slots for eateries or restaurants, but they will have to continue providing their contact details for Test & Protect.
- Employees will continue to work from home until Scotland moves Beyond Level 0, which has been provisionally set for August 9.
- Self-isolation rules will also change when Scotland moves Beyond Level 0. People who have received 2 doses of the vaccine and are asymptomatic after contact with someone with a positive Coivd case can return to work after a negative PCR test.
In conversation with the SRC, Scottish Finance & Economy Secretary Kate Forbes MSP said,
It’s clear Scotland is not yet out of the woods with Covid restrictions, but retailers will be reassured the sense of progress is being maintained, even if the pace has slowed. Moving to Level 0 next week should simplify retail operations somewhat, but physical distancing and face-covering rules remain and will still affect customers and colleagues.
“Whilst we recognise the government’s desire for caution on encouraging workers back to offices, it is likely this will further push back the recovery for city centres and high streets where footfall
“The Scottish Government needs to be prepared to consider how best to support struggling retailers if the return back to normal trading continues to take longer than anticipated.
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