Lockdown restrictions in Scotland are likely to be relaxed slightly from 28 May, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has today confirmed.
Ms Sturgeon made the announcement as she unveiled a four-phase “route map” aimed at restarting society.
The first phase will include allowing people to meet outside with people from one other household.
Schools will not reopen until the new school year begins after 11 August, with children returning to a “blended model of part-time in-school and part-time at-home learning”.
However, teachers and other school staff will return during June to prepare classrooms for the new term.
An increased number of children will also have access to critical childcare and the Scottish Government will provide “transition support for children going into primary 1 or moving from primary 7 to secondary school”.
She added: “To reflect the fact that children will still be doing part of their learning at home, we are going to invest a further £30 million to provide laptops for disadvantaged children and young people to study online. “
People will also be able to sit or sunbathe in parks and open areas, and will be able to meet people from one other household – although only initially in small numbers and only while outside.
Different households should remain two metres apart from each other, and visiting inside other people’s houses will not be permitted in the first phase.
Waste and recycling services, along with some outdoor businesses, will also be allowed to reopen and the construction industry will be allowed to resume.
Any workplaces permitted to return in phase two will be able to prepare for the return of staff during the first phase.
The First Minister also said a “phased resumption” of aspects of the criminal justice system will take place, along with a gradual restart of NHS services, such as cancer screenings, which were paused as a result of the outbreak.
Despite outlining the new moves, Ms Sturgeon said that they are not currently in place, and said that there is a chance the stricter measures could be reapplied if the spread of the virus increases.
She said: “I hope they will bring some improvement to people’s wellbeing and quality of life, start to get our economy moving again, and start to steer us safely towards a new normality.
“It’s important to stress, though, that while the permitted reasons to be out of your house will increase, the default message during phase one will remain ‘Stay at Home’ as much as possible.”
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