Nicola Sturgeon has announced some limited relaxations to outdoor mixing in Scotland, in particular for teenagers, as she told the public that “we cannot afford to take our foot off the brake too soon” if the country is to enjoy a “much more normal summer”.
Giving her weekly update to the Holyrood parliament, Sturgeon said that, from Friday, up to four adults from up to two households would be able to meet outdoors for social and recreational purposes, as well as exercise. Travel restrictions will remain in force.
For 12- to 17-year-olds, the two-household limit on outdoor meetings will not apply, meaning that four friends from four different families can get together in a public outside space or private garden.
In another change, outdoor non-contact sports and organised group exercise will be permitted from Friday for all adults in groups of up to 15 people, while young people will be allowed to travel across local council boundaries to take part in these activities.
Sturgeon also announced the intention to allow a resumption of communal worship from Friday 26 March in time for Passover, Easter, Ramadan and Vaisakhi, and with an increase in the attendance limit from 20 to 50.
The first minister said she would set out a firmer indicative timetable next week for reopening the Scottish economy, including shops, hospitality, hairdressers, gyms and parts of the tourism sector.
Sturgeon told MSPs that, with almost 40% of the Scottish adult population having received a first dose of the vaccine, her government had “increasing confidence” it was possible to ease restrictions without the R number going above 1 again.
Sturgeon prefaced her announcements by branding the scenes of Rangers fans gathering in crowds across Glasgow at the weekend to celebrate their club’s Scottish championship win in breach of current restrictions as “disgraceful and selfish”. She said the changes were only possible “because of the hard sacrifices that the majority of people across the country continue to make each and every day”.
“Let me at the outset therefore acknowledge, and be clear that I share, the anger and despair that the vast majority of people – including, I am sure, the majority of football fans – felt at the weekend towards crowds of supporters flagrantly breaching rules that the rest of us are following every day at great personal cost.”
