Speaking earlier in the Scottish Parliament, the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon MSP outlined the latest update on lockdown restrictions as well as key milestone dates moving forward for the easing of lockdown.

Please see below an initial summary of what was announced today by the First Minister:

2 April:

• Lifting of the ‘Stay at Home’ requirement and replacing it with a ‘Stay Local’ message (retaining the current, local authority-based travel restrictions for at least a three-week period)

5 April:

• The resumption of outdoor contact sport for 12-17-year-olds
• Return of college students within the top three priority groups identified by Colleges Scotland as most likely not to complete this academic year (estimated as 29% of learners)
• Reopening of non-essential ‘click and collect’ retail
• Extending the list of retail permitted to include:
  • garden centres (indoor and outdoor)
  • Key cutting shops
  • Mobility equipment shops
  • Baby equipment shops
  • Electrical repair shops
  • Hairdressers and barbers (with shopfronts – not mobile services), by appointment only
  • Homeware shops
  • Vehicle showrooms (appointment only) and forecourts

*The prohibition of in-home socialising will continue to be kept under review at this date.

12/19 April, depending on term times:

• All children back to school full-time

26 April:

Assuming the data allows it, The Scottish Government expect a more significant reopening of the economy and society from 26 April.

This will likely include the following easings:

• Extending outdoor socialising to permit up to 6 people from up to 3 households to gather
• Allowing 12-17-year-olds to meet outdoors in groups of 6 from up to 6 households
• Travel within all of mainland Scotland permitted (subject to other restrictions that remain in place)
• Remaining shops can reopen and mobile close contact services can resume
• Gyms can reopen for individual exercise
• Tourist accommodation to reopen (self-catering accommodation to be restricted in line with rules on indoor gathering)
• Work in people’s homes to resume • driving lessons to resume
• Weddings and funerals for up to 50 (including wakes and receptions with no alcohol permitted)
• Libraries, museums, galleries re-open
• Outdoor hospitality to open till 22:00 with alcohol permitted. Indoor hospitality permitted without alcohol and closing at 20:00
• Social mixing in indoor public places will be subject to the current maximum of 4 people from up to 2 households.
• The prohibition of in-home socialising will continue to be kept under review at this date.

17 May:

From 17 May, the Scottish Government hope to introduce the following easings:

• Re-introducing in-home socialising for up to 4 people from up to 2 households
• Further re-opening of hospitality: bars, pubs, restaurants and cafes can stay open until 22:30 indoors with alcohol permitted and 2 hour time-limited slots and until 22:00 outdoors with alcohol permitted
• Adult outdoor contact sport and indoor group exercises can resume
• Cinemas, amusement arcades and bingo halls can re-open
• Small scale indoor and outdoor events can resume subject to capacity constraints (to be confirmed following stakeholder engagement)
• Colleges and universities can return to a more blended model of learning
• More in-person (face-to-face) support services can resume
• Non-professional performance arts can resume outdoors

Business Support:

• On 22 March, one final four-weekly payment of the SFBF, with no new claims permitted.
• On 19 April, all SFBF recipients automatically given a combined two-week supplement and a one-off restart grant: up to £7,500 for eligible retail premises; and up to £19,500 for eligible hospitality and leisure
• The infrastructure for the SFBF will be retained and used as required in future for business support linked to any local outbreaks

Travel:

• Ban on non-essential travel between Scotland and the rest of the UK and the wider Common Travel Area (CTA) (i.e. the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) will also be kept on review, with a view to relaxing the ban – or targeting it only on travel to and from particular areas in the rest of the CTA – when it becomes safe to do so.

Full details can be found via this graphic.