Covid in Scotland: Nicola Sturgeon prepares to announce new restrictions

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Media captionNicola Sturgeon announces extension of ban on meeting in houses

A ban on visiting other people’s homes is to be imposed across Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced.

The measure is already in place for more than 1.75 million people in Glasgow and some neighbouring areas.

But Ms Sturgeon said it would be rolled out across the whole of Scotland from Wednesday in a bid to get the virus under control again before winter.

She also confirmed that Scotland would be following England in imposing a 10pm curfew on pubs and restaurants.

The curfew will be in place from Friday – with Ms Sturgeon warning that any premises that do not comply could be shut down completely.

Indoor and outdoor gatherings in Scotland were restricted to six people from two households just two weeks ago.

However, the number of people testing positive for the virus has continued to increase since then – with the average number of new cases every day now reaching 285, compared to only seven a day in July.

The first minister said hospital and intensive care admissions were also starting to rise, with more older people testing positive.

She said the country therefore had to go further to prevent the virus spreading unchecked, and that the scientific advice was that household interaction was a “key driver” of transmission.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption People in Glasgow and other parts of the west of Scotland are already unable to visit other people’s homes

Ms Sturgeon said the Scottish government had therefore decided “after careful consideration” that visiting other people’s homes will no longer be permitted.

The move means Scotland will have tougher coronavirus restrictions than England – where people can can still meet in groups of up to six in a house.

She said: “One of the reasons we have decided to do this is that our early data suggests this restriction is starting to slow the increase of cases in the west of Scotland.

“So if we extend it nationwide now, in an early and preventative way, we hope it will help to bring the R number down and the virus back under control.”

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Grandparents will still be able to provide informal childcare under the new restrictions

Ms Sturgeon said the new restrictions on visiting other households would be reviewed every three weeks – and stressed that they will “not necessarily” be in place for as long as six months, as some reports have suggested.

There will be exceptions for those living alone, or alone with children, who form extended households.

The rules will also not apply to couples who do not live together, or to tradespeople or for the provision of informal childcare – such as by grandparents.

Meetings in public indoor settings – such as pubs and restaurants – will continue to be limited to a maximum of six people from two households.

Image copyright PA Media Image caption Ms Sturgeon urged people not to book foreign trips during the October holiday

And up to six people from two different households can continue to meet outdoors, including in private gardens.

However, children under the age of 12 will be exempt from both the limit of six and the limit of two households if they are meeting outside.

And young people aged between 12 to 18 will be exempt from the two household limit – so will be able to meet outdoors in groups of up to six.

Ms Sturgeon acknowledged: “The measures I am announcing today are tough – I will not pretend otherwise – but they do not represent a full-scale lockdown of the kind imposed in March.

“Indeed, today’s measures are an attempt to avoid another lockdown.

“By acting early and substantially, our hope is that these new measures will be in place for a shorter period than would be the case if we waited longer to act.”

‘Circuit breaker’

The first minister said she was keeping the option of a so-called circuit breaker – a short period of nationwide lockdown – under review.

She urged people not to book overseas travel for the October break “unless it is absolutely essential”, and advised against car sharing with people outside your own household.

Ms Sturgeon made her statement to the Scottish Parliament shortly after Prime Minister Boris Johnson outlined new measures in England in the House of Commons.

The two leaders and their counterparts in Wales and Northern Ireland have held talks over a UK-wide approach over the past 24 hours.

It comes as the UK’s Covid-19 alert level moved to 4, meaning the virus is “high or rising exponentially”.

What has the reaction been?

Stephen Montgomery of the Scottish Hospitality Group, which represents more than 50 pubs and restaurants, accused Ms Sturgeon of “singling out” the industry despite “very little evidence” that it is linked to the spread of the virus.

He said: “With 90,000 Scottish jobs at risk we are heading towards a cliff edge and time is running out.

“We have been speaking with government and that will be ongoing but there is only a matter of months before the restrictions on our industry will have irreparable long-term damage on our sector.”

The Scottish Tourism Alliance said the curfew on pubs and restaurants was “likely to be the last straw for many businesses which were only just managing to break even”.

The Scottish Chambers of Commerce warned that “stricter measures in Scotland are undeniably more dangerous for the survival of businesses” and called for more support to be given by both the Scottish and UK governments.

Ruth Davidson, the leader of Scottish Conservative group at Holyrood, said the country was facing a “hard, dark winter” and said she had concerns about relatives not being able to visit loved ones in care homes.

And Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said it was clear the Scotland’s test and trace system was “not working” and that “too often the system is overwhelmed”.