Have a Happy Christmas – but hang back at Hogmanay
The Scottish Government has agreed a cautious and limited relaxation of the rules on household meetings to support people over the Christmas period.
A maximum of three households are to be able to meet in a “bubble” during a short window of time across the festive period.
Households will be able to travel between local authorities and between the four nations during December 23 and 27 to form a bubble, and must only join one bubble.
The five-day period provides time for travel, and for those who may have to work over Christmas. Households are not required to use all five days and should keep visits to no more than one or two days if possible.
Confirming the plans, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said it is clear that there is a risk inherent in any relaxation of the restrictions and asked everyone to consider very carefully whether the opportunity to mix for a few days is necessary given the risk of spreading the virus.
She said: “We know that for some, contact with friends and family is crucial during this time as isolation and loneliness can hit people especially hard over the Christmas period. The “bubble” approach aims to reduce this impact.
“But we must be clear, there cannot be any further relaxation of measures for Hogmanay. Even this short relaxation will give the virus a chance to spread. Our priority is to suppress transmission of COVID-19 and reduce the risk to the vulnerable and those who have spent so long shielding – and that involves abiding by the rules.
“Just because you can mix with others indoors over this time, that doesn’t mean you have to. If you choose to stick with the rules as they are, then you will be continuing the hard work to beat this virus and prevent its spread.”
The festive period will be different for us all this year.
Watch our video on the changes we’re making to address isolation and loneliness ⬇️
Remember, just because you will be able to meet people indoors doesn’t mean you have to.
a “bubble” should be formed household to household only (i.e. different people in a household should not pick their own bubble)
between 23 and 27 December, people can meet in an exclusive “bubble” composed of three households
you should stay with your “bubble” where they are hosting you and you should follow the travel advice for the level you are in (e.g. people being hosted in a level 3 area cannot go on an outing to a level 2 area)
within your “bubble”, you can gather in a home, an outdoor place or a place of worship
in all other settings – eg. hospitality, entertainment venues – those who have formed a bubble must only socialise with members of their own household
households deciding to form a bubble will be advised to limit social contact before and after the period of relaxation
Further detailed guidance will be published shortly.
The UK Government and the Devolved Administrations agreed on joint arrangements for an easing of social restrictions that will allow friends and loved ones to reunite over the Christmas period.
All four parts of the UK have signed off an aligned approach allowing up to three households to form a ‘Christmas bubble’ from December 23 to 27.
Individuals will also be able to travel between tiers and across the whole of the UK without restriction within the five-day period, for the purposes of meeting with their bubble. Those travelling to and from Northern Ireland will be permitted to travel an additional day either side.
The approach was agreed by Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Michael Gove, and the First Ministers of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and the deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland during a COBR meeting he chaired yesterday afternoon.
Speaking following the meeting, Mr Gove said: “The UK-wide agreement reached today will offer hope for families and friends who have made many sacrifices over this difficult year.
“We know that the Christmas period this year will not be normal, but following constructive discussions between the UK Government and the Devolved Administrations, families and friends will now have the option to meet up in a limited and cautious way across the UK should they wish.
“In coming to this agreement, we have listened to scientific and clinical advice on how best to minimise the risk and reach a balanced and workable set of rules that we hope will allow people to spend time together at this important time of year.”
Each administration will clarify their own rules on support bubbles and extended households in due course.
In England, support bubbles will continue to be counted as one household.
Christmas bubbles will be able to gather in private homes, attend places of worship together and meet in outdoor public places. Beyond this, people should continue to follow all other local restrictions in the area. Guidance is being published on Gov.uk.
As part of the agreement, each administration will be reminding households that they should remain alert to the risks still posed by the virus and consider how, where possible, they can celebrate and support more isolated friends and loved ones through alternative approaches such as video calls and meeting outdoors.
When following these new rules, people are reminded to continue to take personal responsibility to limit the spread of the virus and protect loved ones, particularly if they are vulnerable. Forming a bubble for those who are vulnerable or clinically extremely vulnerable carries additional risks.
The four parts of the UK will work together to communicate these new measures across the country and ensure that communities are aware of any variations in approaches.
Details of the new measures can be found in the joint statement, agreed yesterday.
Gyms, swimming pools and indoor sports courts can reopen from today in Scotland, two weeks earlier than originally planned.
A spokesperson for PureGym said:“We are delighted to be opening our 25 gyms in Scotland today and welcoming back hundreds and thousands of members who want to get back to working out.
“Better health and fitness is an important contributor in the fight against Covid-19. The safety of our members is our number one priority and so we have significantly enhanced our cleaning and safety standards in our gyms, in close consultation with medical experts, to ensure that they are safe places to work and safe places to workout.
“All gyms have sanitisation stations, contact-free entry and rigorous overnight deep cleaning and we’ve received highly positive feedback on cleanliness from our members in England, Wales and Northern Ireland who have already returned for millions of gyms visits without incident.”
You can find information about PureGym’s safety measures for re-opening here, and pictures of what the gyms will look like here.
Health experts have encouraged the public to take more exercise during the Coronavirus pandemic. Excess weight puts people at greater risk of serious illness or deth from COVID-19.
Lucie Bennett, Chief Nutritionist at Fitnazz, said: “We’ve just published the Biggest List on the Internet for the Benefits of Exercise, which includes a free implementable Guide”.
We are extremely disappointed that the possible opening of gyms in Scotland has been delayed until September 14th.
We know that the majority of our Scottish members (over 120,000 of them across 24 gyms!) are desperate to get back to their gyms to improve their physical and mental wellbeing and they, and the whole gym and fitness centre industry in Scotland, will be as disappointed as we are.
We have a vital role to play in the fight against obesity which is a public health challenge in Scotland and right across the UK.
More broadly, it strikes us as truly extraordinary that, in the middle of a health crisis, the First Minister and her team have not ascribed any real priority to working with us and our sector to understand our capacity to help provide for the better health and well-being of the Scottish people at this time.
Her approach seems to be in direct contrast to other countries. For example, our gyms in Switzerland are in their 12th week of opening and in Denmark we are in our 7th week after opening.
Across those countries, we have welcomed over 3 million visitors since reopening. We have been audited and visited by police and authorities in those countries on dozens of occasions and passed every test.
As far as we know, there have been no incidents of transmission or infection in our facilities – and both Denmark and Switzerland have good “track and trace” systems and tracing Apps operating.
Furthermore, we reopened gyms in Northern Ireland 3 weeks ago and in England this week and these re-openings have met with strong local support for the access to exercise and much consumer praise for the protocols, standards and safety processes that have been implemented.
In prior speeches the First Minister has alluded to “evidence” that gyms are a problem and in her speech she referenced “clinical advice” that gyms pose a “particular risk”.
We acknowledge that there are problems, challenges and risks in all areas of society at the moment – and gyms have their own specific risks of course. That is precisely why we and the entire gym and fitness industry have invested huge effort and rigour in devising safety protocols and procedures that materially reduce the risk of viral transmission.
These protocols are now allowing hundreds of thousands of people in the UK and across Europe to reap the mental and physical benefits of exercise without exposing themselves to undue risk.
We urge the Scottish authorities to share openly relevant evidence and the cited clinical advice but above all to work with our sector to understand the approaches to risk mitigation which we have successfully implemented in other countries and which stand ready to benefit the people of Scotland.
Our gyms at PureGym are, on average, the size of five or six doubles tennis courts and are exceptionally well ventilated, enabling people to work and exercise safely and securely.
Through our existing electronic entry system, we know the names and details of every single member in our facilities at any moment so can exercise tight control over attendance. As well as being staffed at all opening times we also monitor behaviour inside the gyms on CCTV so we are well prepared to oversee and enforce social distancing.
We have developed detailed, industry-agreed guidance and are confident gyms are safe places to work and safe places to workout. The protocols which have been developed with the input of recognised medical experts – cover all aspects of hygiene, disinfection, access control, physical separation, number limitations per venue, monitoring and oversight, education and training.
In summary, we urgently call on the First Minister to re-examine the current, factual evidence, engage with us and our industry bodies, and allow the Scottish people back into gyms as soon as possible so that we can support them in living happier and healthier lives.
The Council will start a three-stage phased plan for the reopening of its libraries and community centres from today, with the second and third stages being subject to committee approval.
The new plans outline that some community centres could open in the coming days to enable groups to get access to the buildings to run community-based services like crisis support and local food banks, followed by the first phase of library openings with committee approval.
All actions will be subject to approval to make sure appropriate health and safety measures are put in place.
A report will be brought to the Policy and Sustainability Committee on Thursday 6 August where, subject to approval, it is hoped stage two will see the first phase of library openings to ensure limited city-wide access and the reopening of specific community centres to support the wider opening of schools and provision of out of school care.
It will consider how the Council balances access to important community facilities with the latest public health guidance and resulting costs from putting in place additional cleaning and other steps required to open in a safe way.
If approved by committee, the third stage for w/c Monday 14 September will see further libraries and community centres re-open based on latest public health guidance.
Council Leader Adam Mcvey said: We all appreciate our community centres and libraries and we’re keen to get them open for our communities again, however we’re still in the midst of a global pandemic and need to make sure that any buildings we do open is carried out in a consistent and safe way.
“We have a three-stage approach to the reopening of Libraries and Community Centres prioritising safety and we look forward to announcing more details in the coming weeks.
“It will be great to see libraries open again but it’s also been heartening to see such a positive response to our digital service which has remained in operation throughout lockdown.
“We’ve seen the number of downloads of e-books, e-magazines and e-newspapers continue to increase with over 1.5 million downloads in 2019/20 and in April we saw an increase of 64% (ebooks), 67% (eaudio books) and 118% (emagazines and enewspapers) on the same month last year.
“We hope that this expansion of use of digital services helps more people in our communities continue to access these services going forward.
Council Depute Leader Cammy Day added: As with all our buildings, reopening them during the Covid-19 pandemic requires additional considerations to make sure they are safe for all to use including additional cleaning and reorganising the space.
“Each building has its own specific considerations which means that some buildings will be able to open sooner than others. Right now we are focussed on getting our schools open for the first day of term and a number of other buildings, including community centres, will be a key part of this work.
“We know how important our services and spaces are to the entire community and, subject to Government guidelines, we will be opening additional buildings over the coming months.
“We appreciate the patience and support from residents while we work to restart our services and we look forward to welcoming them back.”
The green light for hotels reopening came at the perfect time for one couple as they celebrate their 15th anniversary back at their wedding venue.
Steven and Sarah Hicks got married at DoubleTree by Hilton Edinburgh City Centre on 15th July 2005 – now 15 years on, the happy couple were the hotel’s first returning guests as doors reopen to the public.
To celebrate the milestone anniversary – traditionally marked with crystal – Mr and Mrs Hicks hired the same vintage car they travelled in 15 years ago for the journey to the hotel, where they were welcomed by a lone piper for a complimentary stay.
Sarah said: “We always try to stay at the hotel to mark our anniversary each year and the fact the hotel is reopening again today, just adds to the special day and makes another amazing memory at the hotel for us.”
~ Leading charity says crisis could cut its income in half this year, and urges public to support Britain’s best loved charities in months ahead ~
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is reopening the first of its shops across Scotland, as it seeks to recover from the devastating impact of the Covid-19 crisis on its income.
The charity planned a phased reopening to ensure it could create a safe working environment for its staff and volunteers, many of whom are living with heart and circulatory diseases.
Ten stores across Edinburgh and the Lothians will open today (Saturday 18th July) with all 76 shops in Scotland due to reopen by the end of July.
BHF shops in Lothian Road, Edinburgh and Leith, Dalry, Bathgate, Craigmillar, Dalkeith, Westside, Shandwick, Musselburgh and Stockbridge open at 10am Saturday 18th July.
As the doors reopen, the charity is urging the public to support it by donating good quality items, or by popping in to snap up a bargain. Every item donated or sold will aid the BHF in its recovery from the crisis, which it predicts will cut its net income in half this year.
James Jopling, Head of BHF Scotland, said: “Our shops fund a huge proportion of cardiovascular research, so the reopening of doors is welcome news for our scientists, the 720,000 people living in Scotland with heart and circulatory diseases, as well as our shoppers.
This moment was difficult to imagine just a few weeks ago, and is testament to the incredible commitment of our BHF team of colleagues and volunteers that we’ll be trading in every corner of the country within two weeks.
“But the coronavirus crisis will unfortunately have a long-lasting and devastating impact on charities like ours, with our funding for new research falling by a shocking £50m this year alone. That’s why, not only do we need urgent help from our loyal supporters, we’re also urging the UK Government to ensure funding for vital research charities. For us, it will mean we can protect the progress we have made so far and continue to transform the lives of those with heart and circulatory diseases. It’s ultimately patients who will suffer if this doesn’t happen.
“Our charity shops run purely on the support of the public, which is why we treasure every person who shops with us or hands in a donation. Every item we sell helps fund our vital research and we are so looking forward to welcoming everyone back.”
The BHF says its shops and stores will have new measures in place to keep staff, volunteers and customers safe. This includes social distancing on the shop floor, protective equipment for staff and volunteers, and facilitating contact free collection and processing of donated items.
In line with Government advice and to keep customers safe, all donations given to the BHF will now be rested for 72 hours before being placed on the shop floor. Customers will also be able to donate at new contact-free donation points set up at every BHF shop entrance.
For larger donations to BHF home stores, donors will be able to book a free collection service online from Monday 27th July. All pick-ups will be contact-free. For smaller donations, the BHF has launched a new postal donation service, making it even easier to donate without hitting the high street.
Just £16 worth of donations can support an early career scientist in carrying out an hour’s research and £25 gives a researcher an hour’s access to equipment. If donations raise £100, this would fund a DNA extraction kit to identify genes linked to heart and circulatory diseases.
To find your local BHF shop and details on when it is reopening visit: www.bhf.org.uk/shop
SESH Hairdressing in Leith has gone above and beyond standard requirements to ensure the health and safety of their clients and team ahead of reopening tomorrow (Wednesday 15th July).
Following the enforced closure since March, the salon is a different space than it was pre Covid-19 and they have implemented processes to ensure safety and minimise impact on the environment.
The team supported local Edinburgh based company, Be Safe, by having branded fabric face coverings made for the team. These Breathe Easy masks will keep the salon team safe and ensure all clients remain protected. The face masks can be washed after use to minimise waste from disposable masks. In addition to this all team members will wear face shields.
The salon is known for their caring nature and going above and beyond to ensure an enjoyable experience for their clients. It was important to SESH Hairdressing to make sure the salon visit remained a luxurious experience and believed the standard issue plastic capes which are popular post Covid-19 would hinder this.
To combat this, SESH have decided to have laundry installed in the salon which means clients will still receive the soft gown they were used to prior to the closure. All gowns will be laundered after one use, and this will dramatically reduce the waste SESH dispose of. Not only is this initiative in the interest of clients, it is also in the interest of the environment.
An extension of this caring approach which is instinctive to SESH Hairdressing and Salon Owner, Simon Hill is the avoidance of any surcharges as they reopen. It is apparent lots of salons are adding a Covid-19 charge to their clients bill to cover the cost of the required PPE.
SESH Hairdressing believes this to be within their duty of care for their clients and team and therefore will not be adding any charge to their bills. Instead a small fee between £2 – £6 will be added for any additional work involved due to the overdue nature of the appointments.
In order to make the new normal easy for clients to adapt to and understand, SESH have been using their social media channels to communicate a clear visual of what clients can expect. This will continue into the salon with clearly marked ‘SESH Sanitise Stations’ throughout the salon and clear markers through the salon to ensure clients keep a safe distance and adhere to the guidelines set out by government.
Salon Owner, Simon Hill commented: “The salon reopening is long awaited and myself and the team are all so excited to get back to doing what we love. We have taken the necessary steps to make the salon as safe as possible.
“As we believe strongly in our duty of care to our clients, we have also gone the extra mile to protect the team and clients. This also led to our decision to avoid any Covid-19 surcharges as we feel it is our responsibility to safely proof the salon for their enjoyment.”
To book an appointment at the salon you can call 0131 555 0708 and visit their Instagram page @seshhairdressing.
Ocean Terminal shopping centre will re-open tomorrow (Monday 13 July) with measures in place to welcome back shoppers both warmly and safely.
Home to leading brands, including Superdry, French Connection, Waterstones and M&S Simply Food, the entire centre situated in the heart of Leith has undergone a deep clean before re-opening, with signage and directional walkways set up to help shoppers maintain social distancing throughout its spacious malls.
Hand sanitiser stations and a continuous cleaning operation have been established.
Customer service ‘ambassadors’ will also be available to help guide shoppers and offer reassurance.
In a phased re-opening to allow the 420,000 sq ft centre to get back to normal in a calm and well-managed way, the vast majority of stores including some food outlets will be open on 13 July, with leisure and restaurants following when safely able to do so.
Hairdressers Charlie Miller, opening on 15 July, will be operating a 12-hour day to accommodate all clients and will have a variety of measures in place within the salon to ensure the safety of both client and stylist.
The Royal Yacht Britannia will re-open on Monday 27th July with an online booking system. Hygiene measures will be of a royal standard, allowing the whole family to create treasured memories together exploring the five decks of the ship.
Inline with government guidelines the centre’s leisure facilities, the Farmer’s Market and Car Boot Sale will all open again in the next few weeks.
As additional businesses reopen, customers will be kept up to date via the centre’s social channels and website.
Michelle MacLeod said: “We have had amazing support from our stores and the local community over the lockdown and it is our intention that we re-open in a calm but thorough, well-thought out way to keep our shoppers and our colleagues safe.
“We have the advantage of having a great deal of space at Ocean Terminal, and if customers are anxious, we will have staff trained to help.
“We have been liaising closely with all our stores, cafes, restaurants and attractions and we’re confident that all our customers will receive a warm and safe welcome back. It is certainly good to feel that some normality is returning, and we have worked hard to ensure the re-opening is done in the right way to protect our community.”
Ocean Terminal was recently acquired by ICG Real Estate and its Scottish partner Ambassador Group, who have pledged to invest £10m in upgrades and developments at the centre.
Taking a community focused approach to meeting the needs of the expanding residential and commercial areas across Leith, new plans include the introduction of residential, office and amenity space.
Statement given by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the media briefing in St Andrew’s House yesterday (Friday 10 July):
Good afternoon, thank you for joining us.I’ll start with the usual update on the most recent COVID-19 statistics. An additional 18 positive cases were confirmed yesterday – which takes the total now in Scotland to 18,333.
Now today’s figure for new cases is very low and we’re always going to see day to day variations in the data but I think it is probably worth noting that this is the highest figure we have seen in almost three weeks.
So we will, as you would expect, be looking into this very closely today. And while we shouldn’t jump to any conclusions – there’s no reason for us to do that yet – I think it is a sharp reminder to all of us that this virus as I keep saying hasn’t gone away – it is still present out there.
So I’d ask you to remember that in everything you do.
A total of 668 patients are currently in hospital with the virus – either confirmed or suspected. Which is 22 more than yesterday, but it includes a reduction of five in the number of confirmed cases.
A total of 12 people last night were in intensive care with confirmed or suspected COVID. That is three more than yesterday. One of those is confirmed, the other two suspected.
And since 5 March, a total of 4,115 patients who had tested positive and been admitted to hospital have now been discharged from hospital.
And I am very pleased to report that during the past 24 hours, no deaths were registered of a patient confirmed through a test as having the virus and the total number of deaths therefore remains at 2,490. Of course that’s the number under that measurement of patients who test positive through a test.
Once again, I want to convey my condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one to this virus.
And I also want to thank our health and care workers for the incredible work they continue to do.
I am joined today by the Economy Secretary – who is going to talk in a few minutes about £38 million of support that the Scottish Government is providing for new companies, in crucial sectors of the economy, which have been affected by the pandemic.
Before that, though, I want to go over some of the key changes that the Scottish Government has announced, which will take effect over this weekend and into next week.
Before I do that though I want to remind you of what I said literally just a few seconds ago. This virus hasn’t gone away so life should still not feel totally normal. The lifting of restrictions, important and welcome though it undoubtedly is, mustn’t mean the dropping of our guard. And that’s really important.
We have been in lockdown for more than three months now. But being in lockdown ourselves has meant that the virus has also been in lockdown.
As we come out of lockdown unfortunately we let it out again too. So we have to work, in a sense, even harder to make sure that it doesn’t get those opportunities to spread.
So as you think about the changes – as you think about doing things that none of us have had the opportunity to do for three months – I appeal to all of you to think even more carefully about the basic things all of us can do and – I would argue – have a duty to do – to try to make sure this virus doesn’t spread again.
But let me start with two of the things which will happen from next Wednesday – 15 July.
As many of you know, and as many of you, myself included, have been eagerly anticipating, hairdressers will reopen on the 15th. And I want to say that detailed guidance for hairdressers has now been published and therefore if you are a hairdresser or if you are planning to visit a hairdresser and want to know what that guidance says, you can find it now on the Scottish Government website.
In addition, I announced yesterday that more people would be allowed to attend services for weddings, civil partnerships and funerals, but these would be subject to a cap on numbers.
I can therefore confirm that from Wednesday onwards, a maximum – at this stage – of 20 people will be able to attend a funeral, marriage or civil partnership ceremonies or service, wherever it is taking place.
We are also removing the restrictions on the categories of people who can attend funerals – in many cases previously attendance was limited to immediate family only.
And I want to stress two points about these changes.
Firstly, and I think this is an important one for me to stress and for everybody watching to understand, that these changes apply only to services and ceremonies – other gatherings associated with them, such as wedding receptions and funeral wakes, are still subject to the rules that apply for all other indoor and outdoor gatherings.
And secondly, the limit of 20 people is still subject to strict rules on physical distancing – so if the venue that you are having a ceremony or service in can’t accommodate 20 people when physical distancing rules are in place, the number of guests will have to be smaller.
So I hope this provides some clarity for anyone who has a wedding or civil partnership in the second half of July – or for anyone who, unfortunately, is having to arrange a funeral.
We know that the restrictions on funeral services in particular have been incredibly tough – in many cases utterly heart-breaking. I therefore hope that this change is a helpful one although of course it still doesn’t permit full scale gatherings for weddings, civil partnerships, or funerals.
It is, with a limit of 20, still quite restrictive. But at present, we consider that to be a necessary precaution – but that limit will be reviewed again at the end of July.
Let me now briefly summarise the key changes which take effect from today.
First of all, it is now compulsory to wear a face covering in shops, as well as on public transport, and Jason Leitch is going to talk a bit more about that later.
There are exemptions to this – for children under 5, people with certain health conditions and in some circumstances for staff – but we encourage staff in those circumstances offer to wear face coverings.
For the vast majority of us, as customers, it is now the law that we wear face coverings in shops.
Now some people ask – and I’ve been asked this question in recent days – why we are doing this now – when the virus has been suppressed to low levels.
And the reason is quite simple – we are now starting to go out and about a lot more, and that, as I have said a moment ago, brings much greater risks of the virus spreading. So we have to put in place mitigations now that weren’t as necessary when we were all staying at home all of the time to reduce the risk of that happening.
The law coming into force today should not need to be enforced – but the police can issue fines if necessary.
But I am asking everybody to stick to the law – not from fear of enforcement, but because it is the right thing to do – it helps keep us and other people safe. I encourage people to see wearing a face covering when you go to the shops, to become as automatic as putting a seatbelt on is in a car already.
If you wear a face covering in a shop, or on a bus or a train, it reduces your chances of passing the virus on to other people. And other people – when they wear a face covering – reduce their chances of passing the virus on to you.
It is one of the ways in which we can show care for and solidarity with each other – and allow each other to live less restricted lives, without seeing a resurgence in the virus. So please, everybody, comply with this, because it is for the good of all of us – it will help keep us safe and protect everybody.
And the last point I want to address about this – and it’s again a point that’s been put to me – that it’s not very comfortable to wear a face covering. And the first thing I would say is yeah, I recognise that, but also you do get used to it, and I say that from personal experience.
You get used to it, and it becomes less uncomfortable the more you do it.
But the second, and perhaps most important thing to reflect on is this – our health and care workers in the course of their jobs to keep us safe wear masks for 12 hour shifts. Surgeons will wear them for lengthy, hours-long operations.
This is a small thing that we can do for them and for each other. So, please, comply with this. Not because the law tells you to, even although it does. Comply with it because it is about that solidarity and looking out for each other, and through this whole experience looking out for the protection of our health.
Now there are other rules which come into force from today, which affect how we can meet up with each other.
If you are in a shielding category, from today, we are not asking you any longer to physically distance from the people you live with.
You will also be able to form an extended household if you live on your own or with children under the age of 18. And I know how tough the last few months have been for all of you who have been shielding – and I hope that these latest changes are helpful and welcome for many of you.
The other changes that come into effect today don’t apply to people who are shielding, unfortunately. But they do apply to everyone else.
From today, if you are part of a non-cohabiting couple, regardless of your living arrangements, you don’t need to stay physically distant from each other, indoors or outdoors.
For everyone else there are some important changes to the rules for meeting up.
For outdoor meetings, a maximum of 15 people from up to five different households can now meet together, and limited indoor gatherings – subject to the strict guidance – are also now permitted.
These should involve a maximum of eight adults, from up to three households in total.
So if you are thinking of having people attend, you can invite people from two other households, because your household as the house holder is part of the three that is permitted.
As long as physical distancing between different households is maintained, this can include overnight stays.
But we’d recommend that in total, you should not meet with people from more than four different households in any single day – that applies to adults.
So if, for example, you have an outdoor meeting with four other households in the afternoon, don’t then invite a couple of friends over in the evening.
The ability to meet indoors – even in small numbers – is a simple pleasure that has been hard-earned by all of us. So enjoy it, but please, please be very careful. Remember why we have only now started to allow any indoor meetings – it’s because the risk of transmitting this virus indoors, is higher – and it is significantly higher than it is outdoors.
So if you are able to meet outdoors – if the weather allows – don’t rule that out. That is still the safest way of meeting up with friends and family.
But if you do meet indoors – take care, and follow all of the public health advice.
Keep 2 metres distant from people in other households; clean surfaces after people are touching them; wash your hands regularly – and especially wash your hands the first time you go into somebody’s house.
If we do all of that, then this is not risk free, but we will minimise the number of opportunities the virus has to spread.
And that is the point I want to end on.
Covid cases right now in Scotland are very low. But – as today’s figures remind us – we are still seeing new cases every day. The virus hasn’t gone away. It’s just as infectious as it ever was, and it’s just as dangerous as it ever was.
And if we let it run out of control again, not only will that be very damaging to life and to health, but it will also set back the economic recovery that is so important now to our wider lives.
So that’s why I keep stressing and will end with a reminder of the Facts that we’re asking people to remember and comply with:
Face coverings in shops and public transport – that’s the law, but in any enclosed space where physical distancing is difficult
Avoid crowded places – indoors but also outdoors
Clean your hands and hard surfaces regularly
Two metre distancing remains the rule
and self isolate, and book a test, if you have symptoms.
If all of us remember and abide by these five measures, then we have the best possible chance as we interact with each other much more of nevertheless keeping this virus under control.
Collective statement from Scotland’s museums and galleries:
We warmly welcome the Scottish Government’s announcement that museums and galleries can reopen our doors as part of the third phase of lockdown easing and we are looking forward to greeting our visitors once again.
While we are collaborating as a sector to support and share knowledge of how to best welcome back visitors, we will be reopening at varying times starting this summer and will make our individual announcements as soon as we are each able to do so.
Reopening involves individual logistical challenges which we are approaching with a focus on protecting the health and safety of our visitors and employees whilst ensuring a quality visitor experience.
We are all becoming more familiar with physical distancing and additional hygiene measures in our public spaces, and museums and galleries are similarly preparing in line with Government guidelines.
Training will enable our dedicated teams to continue to provide excellent customer support before and during visits. We support the introduction of the UK-wide ‘We’re Good to Go’ certification in reassuring all our visitors, staff and volunteers that they can be confident of their safety.
We know that our visitors are eager to visit as soon as possible so we will be encouraging them to check our opening details online before they visit.
In many cases, temporary ticketing systems will allow the booking of timed slots to enjoy our sites and our collections.
Some museums and galleries may operate on different days or times and some may open partially so checking in advance will help visitors to prepare for any temporary experiential changes.
Some museums and galleries, including those operating seasonally or reliant on the support of volunteers, may delay reopening until they are financially and operationally able to do so. We will continue to connect digitally with our communities.
Scotland’s museums and galleries and the collections they care for and display play a vital economic, educational and placemaking role in our rural and urban communities.
The pandemic has been challenging for all, and collectively, we would like to express our gratitude to the public for their ongoing engagement and support.
We look forward to doing all we can to support Scotland’s recovery as soon as is safely possible, through spaces and collections that bring us together, comfort, educate, spark conversations and inspire creativity.
