The people of Glasgow can finally hug loved ones, meet in homes and drink alcohol indoors for the first time in months, after the city dropped to level 2 of Scotland’s coronavirus measures – alongside an easing of restrictions across the country.
While the whole of mainland Scotland was supposed to move to level 1 on Monday, the city will join 13 other council areas in remaining in level 2 for another few weeks.
Announcing the move on Tuesday, the first minister Nicola Sturgeon said that while the level 2 restrictions were “still tough”, they were at least “not lockdown”. She added: “We can go into each other’s homes, we can see hospitality open, stay open indoors, so there are significant steps there.”
People can meet in homes in groups of no more than six, from a maximum of three households and can also travel from outside their local authority area to other parts of the country.
Pubs, restaurants and other hospitality venues can reopen for drinking indoors, while a number of venues will be allowed to reopen and outdoor adult contact sports can start again.
Edinburgh, Midlothian and Dundee, as well as East Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire, will all remain under level 2 restrictions. They are joined by all three Ayrshire council areas, both of those in Lanarkshire and Clackmannanshire and Stirling.
However, 15 council areas moved to level 1 restrictions from midnight on Saturday, including Highland, Argyll and Bute and Aberdeen City, as well as Aberdeenshire, Moray and Angus. Perth and Kinross, Falkirk and Fife also moved to level 1, joined by Inverclyde, East and West Lothian and West Dunbartonshire, as well as Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders.
Under the level 1 restrictions, eight people from three households can meet inside public spaces. Outdoors, the limit has increased to 12 people from 12 households. It also means 100 people – rather than 50 – can attend weddings and funerals.
Soft play centres and funfairs can also reopen and pubs can open slightly later indoors.
Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles council areas will move to level 0, allowing larger groups to meet in a private residence and adult contact sport to return. Pubs and other hospitality venues can shut under their local licensing laws, rather than abiding by a national curfew. The maximum attendance at weddings and funerals will be 200 and people can meet indoors in groups of up to four households.
