Health Secretary Humza Yousaf is warning coronavirus cases will rise after Scotland moves to ‘beyond level zero’ at midnight, and says he cannot give a “cast iron guarantee” there will not be another full lockdown.
On Monday 9 August the entire country will see the majority of coronavirus restrictions lifted, meaning all venues including nightclubs can reopen.
However some measures will remain in place, such as wearing face masks and collecting contact details for track and trace.
Speaking on The Sunday Show, the health secretary says he also expects to see more case numbers when the schools go back later this month.
Case numbers to rise as restrictions ease
Mr Yousaf said: “There is progress in our fight against the virus but it is still with us.
“The main difference people will notice is the legal requirement for physical distancing will be removed and all venues in Scotland can reopen, which is important for the night-time economy.
“But some protective measures will stay in place because Covid is still with us.
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“For example, the continued use of face masks, the collection of contact details, capacity limits of 2,000 indoors and 5,000 outdoors, and asking people to do what they’ve been doing for the last 18 months – good hygiene, testing regularly and most importantly, getting vaccinated.
“We would expect cases to rise as people interact more and in bigger numbers, and when the schools return after the summer holidays.
“That is the reason why we still have mitigations in place.”
Autumn and winter to be challenging
The health secretary added he cannot completely rule out Scotland going into another full lockdown, and adds the coming autumn and winter months may be challenging.
He added: “It is so difficult to tell – a phrase we have used often is we don’t have a crystal ball.
“The virus is unpredictable and all it takes is a new variant to make its way to Scotland.
“But at the moment we are on a positive trajectory.
“Cases are falling, hospital admissions are falling.
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“But it is too far ahead to tell you about February next year.
“Autumn and winter will be challenging because of the risks of Covid, flu and other viruses.
“We have had such a success in the vaccine so I am confident we couldn’t go back to a full lockdown, but there is no cast iron guarantee.”
Scotland will move to ‘beyond level zero’ at one minute past midnight on August 9,