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Coronavirus: Scottish government to announce 2m rule decision Coronavirus: Face coverings to become mandatory in Scottish shops
(about 7 hours later)
Scotland's first minister is expected to announce whether the country will follow England in relaxing its 2m social distancing rule. The use of face coverings will become mandatory in shops in Scotland from 9 July as coronavirus restrictions are eased, Nicola Sturgeon has said.
Nicola Sturgeon is due to receive updated scientific advice which will form the basis of her decision. Non-essential shops have reopened in Scotland and bars and restaurants are due to open up again later this month.
Many pubs, restaurants and other businesses want the distance reduced before they reopen later this month. The first minister said the 2m physical distancing rule would be eased for some premises when the country enters the next phase of its routemap on 10 July.
There has also been speculation that the advice on wearing face coverings in public could be toughened. And she said face coverings would be mandatory in shops from that date.
Face coverings are currently only compulsory on public transport - with the Scottish government "strongly advising" that people also wear them in enclosed spaces such as shops. Ms Sturgeon also announced that children under the age of 12 would no longer need to maintain physical distancing from other households while outdoors from Friday.
Ms Sturgeon has also said she will announce changes that will "help make this a slightly more normal and less frustrating summer holiday for many young people". The first minister had ordered further scientific study of the 2m (6ft 6in) physical distancing rule after it was announced a "one metre plus" system would be introduced in England.
Social distancing rules in England are due to change at the weekend to coincide with the reopening of pubs, restaurants, hotels and hairdressers south of the border. She said advice was clear that "as the distance between people decreases, the risk of transmitting the virus increases", but said this could be "mitigated by other measures".
The new guidelines in England say people should remain 2m apart where possible. 'Serious economic implications'
But a new "one metre plus" rule is also being introduced which allows people to remain at least 1m apart so long as they take other steps to reduce the risk of transmission. The first minister said the "general advice will remain unchanged" and that "as far as possible" people should remain 2m away from other households.
These measures include not sitting face-to-face, reducing the number of people able to enter an enclosed space such as a shop, and ensuring hand-sanitiser is available to use. But she said in view of the "serious economic implications" of maintaining the rule in all circumstances, she would allow "exemptions for specific sectors" where a 1m (3ft 3in) distance could be used if other safety measures are introduced.
The World Health Organization recommends keeping a distance of at least 1m, with many countries that have adopted this guidance insisting on people wearing masks. An example of this would be a pub or restaurant being allowed to relax the physical distancing rule when they can reopen from 15 July if plastic screens are used to separate customers, or better ventilation is installed.
Several other countries have social distancing rules ranging from 1.4m to 1.8m. Businesses will also be expected to display "clear signage to show people are entering a 1m zone", and to collect a list of customers and their contact details to help trace them if there is an outbreak.
What will reopen in Scotland and when? The change to the distancing rule will be introduced from the start of "phase three" of the government's "route map" towards lifting lockdown, currently set to be reviewed on 9 July.
29 June - Most non-essential shops, many indoor workplaces, visitor attractions including zoos, outdoor sports courts and playgrounds And Ms Sturgeon said that from the start of phase three, the use of face coverings would become mandatory in shops, with exemptions for young children and people with certain health conditions.
3 July - Five mile travel distance relaxed, most self-catering holiday homes and second homes can be used She said that using face coverings was "one thing we can do to reduce risk, not a substitute for other things".
6 July - Outdoor hospitality such as beer gardens can reopen "We have proceeded for a period with a voluntary approach to this," she said. "Some people are complying and some are not, I'm not pointing fingers or trying to blame people for that but we have to make a judgement if we're heading into a period where more people are interacting.
10 July - People can meet in extended groups outdoors and with two other households indoors "And we've been having a discussion with more sectors like retail about reducing distancing, and that increases the importance of mitigations like face coverings."
13 July - Shopping centres can reopen, organised outdoor contact sports for children can resume, dentists can reopen for most routine care 'Extremely disappointed'
15 July - Pubs, restaurants and all holiday accommodation can reopen, as can hairdressers, barbers, museums, cinemas, libraries and childcare Business group CBI Scotland welcomed the easing of the social distancing rule, saying it would "make a substantial difference to the viability of thousands of firms in Scotland", particularly in the leisure, tourism and hospitality sectors.
Read more about the lockdown easing timeline here However, the Scottish Grocers Federation said it was "extremely disappointed" at the move to make face coverings mandatory, saying it would increase pressure on staff to enforce measures.
The Scottish Conservatives have accused Ms Sturgeon of following a "go-slow" approach to relaxing the 2m rule that risked leaving Scotland behind both economically and socially. Ms Sturgeon said shop staff would not be expected to enforce the rule, with the police instead mandated to issue fixed penalty notices to people not wearing face coverings.
Speaking last month, Ms Sturgeon said she was under no illusions about the potential economic benefits of changing the social distancing guidelines. She accepted that this may not be an easy rule to police, saying officers would act "very proportionately and sensitively".
But she stressed that doing so would also bring a greater risk of the virus spreading. The current five-mile limit on travel for leisure purposes is to be eased from Friday, with Ms Sturgeon urging people to "behave responsibly" and "be sensitive to people living in rural areas".
The first minister added: "We have asked in what settings, what circumstances and with what additional mitigation it might be possible to accept the risk of people not keeping to a 2m distance. However, there will be an exemption for some towns in the Dumfries and Galloway area where an outbreak of the virus is being investigated.
"That advice will be available by the 2nd of July. Until then the position here in Scotland remains the same - we are advising people to maintain 2m physical distancing." Ten positive cases have been identified around Annan and Gretna, although Ms Sturgeon said she was "very hopeful this outbreak will be contained".
Ms Sturgeon has predicted that Scotland is close to eliminating the virus, with only 35 deaths recorded over the past week - the lowest weekly total since March. She said people in surrounding areas should "assume there is a higher risk of infection right now" and avoid travelling, adding: "I am genuinely sorry about that, but this outbreak is sharply reminding us just just how infectious Covid is."
But she has also warned that "unpopular decisions" could still need to be taken to prevent a resurgence, and has urged people not to become complacent and to continue following the guidelines.