In a pandemic update yesterday, Nicola Sturgeon confirmed that mainland areas of Scotland would not move to the lowest level of Covid restrictions until Monday 19 July.
A three-week delay will mean more people can get jabbed and have protection against the spreading Delta coronavirus variant, Sturgeon said.
She spoke of life beyond the levels framework and said all remaining laws would be abolished on 9 August, data depending.
“A very significant degree of normality will be restored – for individuals and for businesses,” the First Minister said.
“As I said earlier, these are indicative dates, but they allow us to plan ahead with more clarity. As always, we all have a part to play in keeping us on track."
Social distancing
The Scottish Government hopes to remove the legal requirement for physical distancing which has been “burdensome for individuals and costly for businesses.”
“So as vaccinations bear more of the load of controlling the virus, we need to consider when and to what extent we can reduce the legal requirement for it,” Sturgeon said.
Trade bodies welcomed the clarity on the easing of restrictions but reiterated calls for more flexible rules under the levels framework.
Emma McClarkin, CEO of the Scottish Beer & Pub Association said that every day with restrictions in place signalled “more hardship” and the risk of businesses collapsing.
Desperate for freedom
“It is positive we now have indicative dates alongside vaccination milestones, but we desperately need to see an end to these restrictions altogether,” McClarkin said. “Our sector’s recovery does not begin until that point. 9 August cannot come soon enough.”
Pubs “desperately” want to see flexibility on curfew rules so they can show full Euro 2020 knock-out matches, McClarkin added.
Paul Waterson, media spokesman for the Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA), said it was “absolutely crucial” that social distancing requirements were dropped as soon as possible to allow full capacity trading.
“Currently, we can only operate at around 30% of our capacity, but with increased staff costs to provide table service and fewer tables because of social distancing rules, most business continue to operate at a loss, racking up further debt every time they open the doors."
The trade body called for further financial support particularly for late-night premises and nightclubs that remain closed.