First Minister issues guide to easing lockdown over the rest of Phase 2 and early Phase 3

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Announcing the route map changes, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said:

“The sacrifices that have been made – and I know how hard and at times painful they have been – have suppressed the virus. They have also protected the NHS, and have undoubtedly saved a significant number of lives.

“They have also brought us to the position where we can now look ahead with a bit more clarity to our path out of lockdown, and I hope details announced today will provide people and businesses with more certainty in their forward planning.

“But let me be clear that each step on this path depends on us continuing to beat the virus back. That is why we must do everything in our power to avoid steps being reversed.

“The central point in all of this is the virus has not – and it will not – go away of its own accord. It will pose a real and significant threat to us for some time to come.

“Maintaining our progress also means all of us abiding by public health guidance. Wearing face coverings in enclosed spaces, avoiding crowded places, washing our hands and cleaning surfaces regularly, maintaining physical distancing, agreeing to immediately self-isolate and get a test if we have symptoms – all of these basic protections matter now more than ever as we all get out and about a bit more.”

Indicative dates: confirmation subject to relevant evidence reviews and phase criteria being met. Not all detail is shown below.

Monday 29 June

Indoor (non-office) workplaces resume once relevant guidance is implemented.

Includes: factories, warehouses, labs and research facilities.

Excludes: indoor workplaces due to open in Phase 3 (e.g. non-essential offices and call-centres).

Street-access retail can re-open once guidance is implemented. Interiors of shopping centres/malls remain closed for non-essential shops until Phase 3.

Outdoor markets can re-open once guidance is implemented.

Relaxation on restrictions on housing moves.

Outdoor sports courts can re-open.

Playgrounds can re-open.

Registration offices open for high priority tasks.

Marriages & civil partnerships allowed with minimal attendees – outdoors only.

Zoos and garden attractions can open for local access only (broadly within 5 miles) in this phase

Phase 2 – Indicative Dates

Travel distance restriction relaxed – 3 July

Self-catering accommodation and second homes (without shared facilities) permitted – 3 July

Outdoor hospitality (subject to physical distancing rules and public health advice) – 6 July

Phase 3 – Indicative Dates

People can meet in extended groups outdoors (with physical distancing) – 10 July

Households can meet indoors with up to a maximum of two other households (with physical distancing) – 10 July

Organised outdoor contact sports can resume for children and young people (subject to guidance) – 13 July

All dental practices begin to see registered patients for non-aerosol routine care. Work will begin to return aerosol generating procedures to practice safely – 13 July

Increasing capacity within community optometry practices for emergency and essential eye care – 13 July

Non-essential shops inside shopping centres can re-open (following guidance and with physical distancing) – 13 July

All holiday accommodation permitted (following relevant guidance) – 15 July

Indoor hospitality (subject to physical distancing rules and public health advice) – 15 July

Hairdressers and barbers – with enhanced hygiene measures – 15 July

Museums, galleries, cinemas, monuments, libraries – with physical distancing and other measures (e.g. ticketing in advance) – 15 July

All childcare providers can open subject to individual provider arrangements – 15 July

Phase 3 – Advice on dates at 9 July Review (unlikely to be before 23 July)

Non-essential offices and call centres can re-open following implementation of relevant guidance (including on physical distancing). Working from home and working flexibly remain the default

Universities and colleges – phased return with blended model of remote learning and limited on campus learning where a priority. Public health measures (including physical distancing) in place.

Places of worship can re-open for congregational services, communal prayer and contemplation with physical distancing and limited numbers

Easing of restrictions on attendance at funerals, marriages, civil partnerships, with physical distancing (limited numbers).

Following will be subject to further public health advice:

Live events (outdoors) – with physical distancing and restricted numbers.

Live events (indoors) – with physical distancing and restricted numbers.

Indoor gyms – with physical distancing.

Other personal retail services – with enhanced hygiene measures.

Other indoor entertainment venues (e.g. nightclubs, bingo, theatres, music venues).

Public services continue to scale up and re-open safely

Schools: 11 August: Schools should be preparing for children to be able to return to school full time in August (conditional upon ongoing scientific and health advice). This date may fall in Phase 3 or Phase 4, depending on broader progress. The blended model of schooling remains a contingency plan.

Shielding: The changes set out here do not apply to people who have been advised to shield. Their advice is to continue to shield until 31 July, although outdoor exercise and meeting people from another household in groups of up to 8 people is allowed, provided people follow strict physical distancing. We will continue to review the evidence leading up to 31 July and will continue to refine the advice as and when clinicians recommend it. By 31 July we will have put in place a new approach to shielding that will support people to make more individual decisions based on an understanding of their own risk profile and what matters to them, rather than blanket advice for the whole population.

St Andrews QV (Qui Vive) is an independent not-for-profit, non-political platform for news and debates about issues that are important to the Town. It exists to hold decision makers and public services to account while its editorial policy is to accommodate all shades of opinion from all parts of the community, prioritising evidence-based arguments. St Andrews QV is a member of the Independent Community News Network and is committed to the Community Journalism Charter

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