Further measures to help stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and limit non-essential contact will be introduced this weekend.
Nobody who lives in a Level 4 area should leave or remain outside their home except for essential purposes.
Working from home arrangements will be strengthened through updated statutory guidance. Working from home should now be the default position for all businesses and services, and only those who cannot do their job from home should be asked to go to the workplace.
From Saturday non-essential click and collect retail services will be prohibited in Level 4 areas and further changes will be put in place to how services open for essential purposes operate.
Timeslots will be required for collection and people should not enter a store to collect an item.
Businesses providing takeaway food will also operate on a ‘non-entry’ basis only, meaning customers cannot enter the premises when placing or collecting orders.
Restrictions banning the consumption of alcohol in public places will also be introduced.
In a statement to Parliament, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “The situation we face in relation to the virus remains extremely serious.
“We must continue to do everything possible to reduce case numbers – this is essential to relieve the pressure on our NHS and to save lives.
“Both individually and collectively, these additional measures – in further reducing the interactions that allow the virus to spread – will help our essential efforts to suppress it.
“At this critical and dangerous moment, please: Stay Home. Protect the NHS. Save lives.”
The new regulations apply to all parts of Scotland currently in lockdown and will come into effect at 00.01 on Saturday
Read the Coronavirus (COVID-19): stay at home guidance
Responding to the latest announcements, David Lonsdale, Director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said: “The situation with the pandemic is fast moving and we fully recognise government wants people to stay home. However these further revenue-crushing restrictions and the fresh complexity they bring, together with constant chopping and changing to the Covid Strategic Framework, are disconcerting and come at an incredibly difficult time for retail.
“Firms operating click and collect or food-to-go takeaway have taken every reasonable step to make their operations as safe as possible, complying with every twist and turn to government guidance and often at pitifully short notice. They have demonstrated they can operate safely and have invested significantly to make their premises Covid-secure, and it appears no evidence to the contrary has accompanied this announcement.
“The businesses affected – who have already lost much of their income during the crisis – are trying to make the best fist possible of the current severely curtailed trading conditions, and that just got even harder as a result of this decision which will add to their cash flow woes.
“The blunt reality is that the taxpayer-funded grant support on offer won’t make up for lost sales and firms’ mounting bills and debt during this pandemic. Even when we eventually emerge from lockdown shops will be unable to trade at capacity due to physical distancing and caps on numbers in stores, while the threat of a return to full business rates liability in April still looms. Decisive action is urgently required to extend rates relief into 2021-22 and avoid April’s reverse cliff edge which will see 100% reinstatement of business rates.”
“It’s vital shoppers continue to play their part, by shopping considerately, where possible alone, wearing face coverings, and following in-store signage. These are incredibly difficult times and it’s up to everyone to follow the rules to keep us safe and the virus at bay.”
Dr Liz Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said: “Today’s announcement will be very disappointing to those who have carefully adapted their businesses to be COVID safe and continue the trading that has kept them afloat up to this point.
“The lack of any certainty over when currently closed shops would be allowed to re-open added to the importance of Click and Collect services propping up many small and independent retailers.
“The Scottish Government must provide detailed evidence on how these new measures will support public health restrictions and urgently provide sufficient finance to support Scottish businesses if they are to get through yet more rules suddenly imposed upon them without prior consultation.
“Otherwise, it will only add to the growing desperation of businesses who have put finance and time aside to make their business COVID compliant, only to have to close anyway, with no clear route back to reopening.’’
STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer has voiced union frustration at the absence of definitive new restrictions to meet the upsurge in infection risk and new virus strain.
She condemned the refusal to require closure of non-essential manufacturing and construction. The STUC welcomed the pledge to strengthen the obligation on employers to allow their staff to work from home whenever possible but said it would seek urgent engagement on how this will be implemented.
Roz Foyer said: “It is becoming increasingly clear that the Government has a blind-spot in some sectors when it comes to introducing similar safeguards to last year’s first lockdown. This is causing confusion for workers and, in too many cases, allowing employers to play fast and loose with government advice.
“We have been contacted with a wide range of worker concerns about employers who are choosing to interpret the government’s position to allow them to stay open and/or require staff to attend work rather than operate from home.
“We will be urgently seeking details on how the Government intends to legislate for employers to default to home working.”
CAMRA’s Scotland Director Joe Crawford said: “Pubs are a force for good in our communities and they deserve to be supported through these latest restrictions, which have dealt another devastating blow to trade for hospitality businesses. When this nightmare is over, pubs and social clubs will be vital to the nation’s healing process – so long as they are still standing.
“Whilst no one wants to see irresponsible drinking in the streets during a lockdown, it is good that the Scottish Government is allowing pubs and breweries to continue selling alcohol in sealed containers for people to take home. This helps pubs, clubs and brewers to compete with the large supermarkets, and means that people can still get cask beer, which is under threat due to months of forced pub closures.
“I’d encourage everyone to safely and responsibly support their local breweries, clubs and pubs where they are still able to act as an off-licence and sell beer and cider to enjoy at home.”
Industry representatives wrote to the Scottish Government on Tuesday, insisting takeaways should remain permitted. Some had feared the worst, so yesterday’s announcement offers at least some respite.
Ten representative organisations from across Scotland’s Food and Drink industry wrote a joint letter to the Scottish Government’s Rural Economy Secretary, Fergus Ewing MSP, to request that food and drink takeaway services be permitted to continue.
The letter stated:-
“Dear Mr Ewing,
Potential Restrictions on Food and Drink Takeaway
Last Thursday the First Minister stated she wanted takeaway businesses to switch to delivery where possible, and we understand from subsequent media reports Ministers are considering prohibiting food takeaway activity from taking place.
Food and drink, hospitality, and catering businesses are concerned at the move away from the transparency and certainty which the Government was able to provide in the final months of last year through the Strategic Framework.
It is worrying we appear to be returning to a less considered approach – one which doesn’t effectively engage affected businesses in advance – which is less likely to provide the benefits of consultation and rounded decision making provided by the earlier approach.
It goes without saying food and drink businesses are facing an incredibly difficult time. The desired outcome of the current restrictions, with people broadly staying at home, means footfall for businesses has collapsed.
The inability to offer sit-in facilities should hopefully help prevent the spread of Covid – but it comes at a very high economic price. In the context of a very uncertain economic outlook, these are very challenging trading conditions.
One of the few chinks of light in this dim outlook has been the ability for food and drink businesses to provide takeaway and click/telephone and collect services to customers. These services allow local businesses and suppliers to keep colleagues employed, provides a service to people – many of whom now are essential workers doing vital tasks – and of course are easy for smaller businesses to operate and establish. Limiting trade to home delivery only will force some businesses to close – and also ensure customers are more likely to purchase food and drink from grocers – ensuring more people are congregating in a smaller number of places.
Beyond this we are concerned at how any measures would be implemented into legislation. From our point of view how you would distinguish between a sandwich or sausage roll or hot or cold drink sold from a pub, bakery, café, restaurant, carry-out, newsagent, petrol station, or grocery store seems impossible to ascertain, but all are providing fundamentally the same service. The same applies across hundreds of product categories and thousands of businesses.
With these points in mind we remain very concerned at the suggestion this commercial activity could be suspended – especially as there is no indication when these businesses will be able to return to normal trading. Our members undertaking these services have complied with every change to government guidance and put in place many mitigation measures and invested significantly to keep shoppers and workers as safe as possible. They are providing an important service in difficult circumstances, helping to support key workers as well as the Scottish food and drink industry.
Of course, we all support every effort to tackle Covid. If there is clear and unequivocal evidence measures in this area will proportionately suppress the virus we would recognise that. However, we haven’t been sighted on any data or public health evidence as to why takeaway services are a risk. As such, forced closure seems somewhat arbitrary and marginal in terms of contributing to the suppression of the virus – not least as the new ‘stay at home’ order has just come into effect and is substantially reducing footfall.
Finally, it is only a week since the First Minister announced the new stay at home restrictions, which explicitly allowed takeaway businesses to trade. It’s very difficult for businesses to plan in any sense when government announcements emerge without warning, providing a metaphorical damoclean sword above any business trading right now.
These are very difficult circumstances for government. We want to work with you and your officials to continue to develop and deliver the proportionate measures which will suppress Covid and keep everyone safe. We hope you will look to engage constructively with us over the next few months.
Yours sincerely
Alasdair Smith, Chief Executive, Scottish Bakers
Colin Wilkinson, Managing Director; Scottish Licensed Trade Association
Ewan MacDonald-Russell, Head of Policy; Scottish Retail Consortium
Jim Winship, Director; The British Sandwich & Food to Go Association
Jim Winship, Director; The Pizza Pasta & Italian Food Association
Marc Crothall, Chief Executive; Scottish Tourism Alliance
Paul Togneri, Senior Policy Manager; Scottish Beer & Pub Association
Dr Pete Cheema OBE, Chief Executive; Scottish Grocers’ Federation
Stuart Reddish, National President; NFRN
Willie Macleod, Executive Director, Scotland; UK Hospitality
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