Nicola reveals her easing of lockdown road map
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has revealed a detailed road map to get the country through and out of the Covid-19 crisis in a bid to bring some semblance of normality back to Scotland.
The plan breaks down into five stages, the first being the current strict lockdown measures but from Thursday (May 28) it is planned to move out of the strict lockdown into phase one.
The range of those potential changes has already been spelt out in the First Minister’s address to Holyrood and in the policy document which she encouraged people to read.
People from different households can meet outdoors, non-contact outdoor activities in the local area – like golf, hiking, canoeing, outdoor swimming, angling – will be “unrestricted” but the schools will not reopen to pupils until August nor will the construction sector fully restart work.
The Scottish Government is obliged to review the lockdown every three weeks and this would be the natural time to consider whether to move from one stage to the next but Ms Sturgeon said it can be done before that if it is clear progress is being made.
But at all phases hygiene rules – hand washing, coughing into tissues, not touching your face – remain and except for phase four social distancing would be in place.
To move from phase one, which starts next week, to phase two the R-number will have to remain consistently below one as the government moves from the restrictive lockdown to test, trace, track and isolate to contain the spread of the virus.
Phase Two
Phase two will see another major easing of stay at home advice as people will be able to meet family and friends outside in larger groups as well as people from other households indoors with physical distancing and hygiene measures.
The people of Scotland will also be able to get their first dram or pint at their local pub so long as it has an open outdoor space with physical distancing and increased hygiene routines with similar measures in place for restaurants.
The “default” setting position will be for remote working but some businesses can reopen though they will be encouraged to manage travel demand through staggered start times and flexible working patterns.
There will be greater flexibility to drive locally for leisure and exercise purposes and public transport operations will increase services but capacity would still be significantly limited to allow for physical distancing.
However, some indoor non-office based workplaces can resume based on yet to be decided guidance, including factories and warehouses, while the construction industry can move to later phases of its restart plan.
There may be geographical differences in approaches to transport depending on circumstances, something that was raised before as some rural areas did not appear to have the same level of infection as elsewhere.
There would be positive news for the University of the Highlands and Islands as well as others conducting research in the region because campus-based lab research could restart.
Outdoor markets can reopen along with previously closed small retail units but they would all be subject to physical distancing, hygiene measures and controls on numbers of people.
Playgrounds and sports courts will also be available for use and in a long-awaited move there will be a resumption of professional sport in line with public health advice, with many sports fearing the long-term impact on their teams.
Community and public services will also be scaled up, registration offices will for important duties and marriages, civil partnerships and other types of ceremonies to take place with a limited number of attendees and people can attend places of worship for private prayer.
Health boards will implement remobilisation plans to increase the provision for the backlog of demand, urgent referrals and the triage of routine services, including the reintroduction of some chronic disease management.
The range of GP services, optometry and ophthalmology services and see an increase in availability of dental services and an increased number of home visits to shielded patients and visiting care homes by family members will be allowed if it is clinically safe to do so.
Phase Three
The government considers phase three to be a major step forward where life “will begin to feel closer to normal” and there will be a distinct move to “a more open life and economy” with the virus suppressed through test and protect across Scotland but some areas will potentially get additional local measures.
Communities will be fully engaged and participating in the transition back to a more open life and economy and the significant number of changes, impacting many people, may be introduced over more than one of the three week review cycles.
But for many, meeting family and friends in more than one household inside will be available while finally people can drive beyond their local area for leisure and exercise purposes.
Public transport will be operating full services but capacity will still be significantly limited and travel at peak times will be discouraged as far as possible but again local circumstances mean there can be more adaptation.
In what is a major development, children will return to school under a blended model of part-time in-school teaching and part-time in-home learning with schools expected to open on August 11 along with all childcare providers.
Universities and colleges will also have a phased return through a blended model of remote learning and limited on-campus learning prioritised
Indoor office workplaces including contact centres can reopen and larger retail premises can restart operations with pubs and restaurants allowing customers inside while personal retail services including hairdressers.
Museums, galleries, cinemas, and libraries will also be able to reopen their doors, as can gyms and there will be a relaxation of restrictions on accommodation providers like hotels, B&Bs and holiday homes.
Some live events will be permitted with restricted numbers and physical distancing restrictions and outside of health and social care, the main changes to public services will be a further resumption of the justice system processes and services.
In this phase people can meet in extended groups subject to physical distancing and places of worship can open to extended groups subject to physical distancing and hygiene safeguards. Funeral attendance measures will be relaxed and so too will restrictions on marriages, civil partnership and other services to beyond close family.
In health and social care there will be an expansion of screening services and adult flu vaccinations in care homes and at home and those suffering tooth ache will once again be able to get help from dental practices.
Phase Four
Finally, when the country graduates to phase four of the transition through the crisis, the virus will remain suppressed to very low levels and is no longer considered a significant threat to public health but society will have to stay safety conscious.
It is expected that a vaccine and/or an effective treatment may have been developed while test and protect continues to be fully operational in all 14 health board areas.
Basically Scotland will be open with precautions and the importance of hygiene and public health must be emphasised – the government warns that “it could be many months, or longer, until we reach this phase.”
There would be very little restrictions on gatherings except obeying hygiene measures while public transport would be operating a full service at full capacity, though some physical distancing may remain in place.
Schools and child care provision would be operating with any necessary precautions so too will college and university campuses.
Though people would still be encouraged to work remotely with flexible working hours, all types of workplaces would be open and all types of outlets would be open but people would still be encouraged to shop locally.
Sport, culture and leisure will see a further relaxation of restrictions on live events in line with public health advice and public services would be operating fully, in line with public health advice, with modifications and changes to service design, including increasing use of digital services where appropriate.
Mass gatherings could resume and all ceremonies could now take place with any necessary precautions and health and social care services will see the full range of services provided with greater use of technology to provide improved services to citizens.
At this point, daily life would essentially return and Scotland, much changed, will get its freedom back.
