THE legal requirement for physical distancing and limits on gatherings is set to be removed on 9 August when all venues across Scotland are able to re-open, but some protective measures will remain in place.
This includes the use of face coverings indoors and the collection of contact details as part of Test and Protect. Capacity limits of 2000 people indoors and 5000 people outdoors will also remain in place although some exceptions may be possible on a case-by-case basis. These will be reviewed on a three-weekly basis to ensure they remain proportionate.
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Adults identified as close contacts of someone who has tested positive for Covid-19 will also no longer be automatically required to self-isolate for 10 days from 9 August. Anyone who is double-vaccinated with at least two weeks passed since their second dose and who has no symptoms will be able to end self-isolation if they return a negative PCR test. The same conditions will also apply to anyone aged between five and 17 years old, even if they have not been vaccinated. The requirement to take a PCR test will not apply to children under the age of five.
Test and Protect will also implement revised guidance for under 18s. This means that the blanket isolation of whole classes in schools will no longer happen and a targeted approach, that only identifies children and young people who are higher risk close contacts, will be adopted. Fewer young people will have to self-isolate, and most will be asked to self-isolate for a much shorter period of time. To allow time to monitor the impacts of these changes, the majority of the mitigations that were in place in schools in the previous term will be retained for up to six weeks. This will help support a safe and sustainable return to education after the summer break.
While the gateway condition on vaccination has been met, with 92% of those over the age of 40 protected by two doses of the vaccine, there are still many more people who have not had the vaccine, cannot have it, or are not yet eligible for it. Invitations for vaccines are now going out to 12 to 17-year-olds with specific health conditions that make them more vulnerable to Covid. This follows the recent advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. We expect to have offered the first doses to this group by the end of August.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said:
“The move beyond level 0 will entail the lifting of most of the remaining legally imposed restrictions – most notably, on physical distancing and limits to the size of social gatherings. It also means that from 9 August, no venues will be legally required to close.
“This change is significant and it is hard-earned. The sacrifices everyone has made over the past year and a half can never be overstated. However, while this move will restore a substantial degree of normality, it is important to be clear that it does not signal the end of the pandemic or a return to life exactly as we knew it before Covid struck.
“Declaring freedom from, or victory over, this virus is in my view premature. The harm the virus can do, including through the impact of long Covid, should not be underestimated. And its ability to mutate may yet pose us real challenges.”
Commenting on the Scottish Government’s announcement, Shane Taylor, policy manager at Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, said:
“Today’s announcement moving Scotland ‘beyond level zero’ was meant to finally mark the starting line of the marathon to rebuild our shattered economy. Unfortunately, while there are some clear and meaningful steps forward – such as the removal of physical distancing and the reopening of all businesses in the night-time economy – this isn’t the ‘beyond level zero’ that many envisioned.
“Businesses still aren’t being given a straight shot to deliver the desperately needed work to rebuild prosperity in communities rocked by the economic impact of COVID. Mixed messaging on the return to the office, continued restrictions on hospitality and convoluted approval processes and capacity limits on our live events sector will all act to constrain our recovery ambitions. For many of these rules, the timescales for their removal are yet to be laid out.
“Moving beyond level zero should have been the moment where the economic recovery truly began, instead, remaining restrictions continue to hollow out our city centres and put our world-class live events and culture sector at risk. The Scottish Government must immediately set out indicative dates and an endpoint to the COVID rules that remain in force.
“Crucially, this must remove any ambiguity on the return to the office, giving businesses and employees the space to come to arrangements which work for them.”
