The lockdown in Scotland will be eased at the end of the month, the Scottish government has announced.

First minister Nicola Sturgeon announced a five-phase “route map” for the “relaxation” of the coronavirus lockdown in Scotland.

She said the new rules are “not set in stone” and they will be reviewed every three weeks, as required by law.

Some of the rules will start on 28 May, with some a few days after, Ms Sturgeon said.

The new rules are:

• People will be able to sit and sunbathe outdoors
• People will be able to meet one person from another household, if they stay two metres apart outdoors – including in gardens
• Visits inside another household are not allowed
• Non-contact sports like golf, fishing, bowls and tennis will be allowed
• People will be able to travel – preferably walk or cycle – to carry out activities, but they should try to stay close to home
• Recycling and waste services will resume
• Outdoor industries like agriculture and construction will resume
• Garden centres will be allowed to open
• Some services like social work will resume
• Some parts of the criminal justice system will resume

Ms Sturgeon said people need to continue to wash their hands, remain two metres apart and stay at home as much as possible.

She said a test, trace, isolate and support system – called Test and Protect – is being trialled and “will be a crucial tool in controlling the virus”.

As part of the first phase, Ms Sturgeon said teachers will return to work in June to prepare for schools to open for the new year after 11 August.

Transition support will be given to children going into primary one or moving from primary to secondary schools.

More children will also have access to critical childcare, especially outdoor nurseries, which has so far only been provided for children of key workers during the lockdown.

Ms Sturgeon also said during phase one there will be the “gradual opening” of drive-thru food outlets.

Some of the new Scottish lockdown rules that will be introduced next week came into play in England last Wednesday but Ms Sturgeon said at the time it would not be safe for Scotland to follow the same timetable.

She said this was because the R number – the number of people one person infects – has been higher in Scotland than in other parts of the UK.

But, over the past few weeks the number of people dying with coronavirus has fallen, so has the number of patients in hospital.

Source: Read Full Article