First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has announced that new restrictions will be introduced from midnight in a bid to contain the new, faster-spreading strain of the virus. The new laws will require people to stay at home and work from home wherever possible, outdoor gatherings are also to be cut back, with people only allowed to meet one person from one other household.
Places of worship are to be closed, group exercise banned, and schools will largely operate via online and remote learning until at least February.
These rules will apply across the Scottish mainland until at least the end of January, and will be kept under review every fortnight. Island areas will remain in level three but they will be monitored carefully.
A further 1,905 new cases were reported this morning, with 15% of tests returning a positive result, something Ms Sturgeon said "illustrates the severity and urgency of the situation,” adding that she was "more concerned about the situation we face now than I have been at any time since March last year”, and that the "steeply rising trend of infections is threatening to put significant pressure on NHS services, and hospitals could breach capacity within three to four weeks.”
The new rules, which will be put down in law, means that Scots will only be allowed to leave home for essential purposes, such as essential shopping, exercise and caring responsibilities. No limit is to be put on how many times people can go out to exercise, as the benefits for physical and mental health are evident, but outdoor meetings are to be limited to a maximum of two people from two households.
Everyone who can work from home will be required to, and people in the "shielding" category are advised not to go in to work at all. Places of worship are to close, the number of people who can attend weddings is to be cut to five, and funeral wakes will no longer be allowed. Finally she urged people to Stay At Home to prevent the spread of the virus.
