Business leaders welcomed indicative dates over lockdown easing as hairdressers, non-essential retailers, pubs, restaurants and cafes all prepare to reopen next month.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon last week outlined a route back to recovery which will include the stay at home message being replaced with stay local guidance from early April.
Scotland-wide travel will again be permitted from April 26 with most businesses back open from then.
Indoor social gathering can resume, with limited numbers and social distancing in mid-May with most restrictions expected to be scaled back in June.
All of these are conditional on the continued suppression of Covid-19 in communities.
Chief executive of Dunbartonshire Chamber of Commerce, Damon Scott, welcomed the move.
He said: “This will enable many businesses and customers to start planning and preparing for reopening with confidence and optimism.
“In particular, the intention to relax travel restrictions should support the viability of the tourism, hospitality and retail sectors.
“The restart grants that were also announced should also help businesses in these sectors to hit the ground running and meet pent-up demand.”
Although travel outwith your own authority area is not encouraged until late April, Damon says this should help promote the Shop Local message which the chamber has been integral in developing.
He went on: “While the stay local guidance is in place, this provides an opportunity for local communities to continue to support the local businesses that lie at their heart.
“This message aligns perfectly with what we are trying to achieve with our Shop Local activity – local businesses need the support of their communities both in the short and longer term to help them bounce back, protect jobs and keep money in the local economy.”
