Fife, Perth & Kinross and Angus move into level 3 restrictions

Kirkcaldy

Kirkcaldy is one of three areas which have moved from level 2 to level 3

Fife, Perth and Kinross and Angus will enter the weekend under tougher Covid restrictions.

The three local authority areas are due to move from level two to level three of the Scottish government's five-tier system at 06:00 GMT on Friday.

The change means about four million people in Scotland are now living under this tier.

The first minister announced the changes in her first review of the Covid alert system on Tuesday.

In level three areas, restrictions see cafes, pubs and restaurants allowed to open until 18:00 to serve food and non-alcoholic drinks to groups of up to six from two households.

Alcohol sales are not permitted indoors or outdoors. All leisure and entertainment venues are closed at this level, including cinemas.

No non-essential travel is allowed out of a level three area. Indoor exercise, which includes gyms, are restricted to individual and not group exercise.

New levels from Friday

Level 3 - Angus, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow, Inverclyde, Midlothian, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Perth & Kinross, Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, West Dunbartonshire, West Lothian.

Level 2 - Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Argyll & Bute, Borders, Dumfries & Galloway.

Level 1 - Highland, Moray, Orkney, Shetland, Western Isles.

Addressing the Scottish Parliament earlier in the week, Nicola Sturgeon said the "necessary and precautionary" decision to move Fife, Perth and Kinross and Angus to level three was taken because cases in all three areas were on a "sharply rising trajectory".

The change hits the hospitality industry particularly hard.

Ahead of Perth and Kinross' move into level three, Gleneagles Hotel, announced it would close for 11 weeks, from Friday 13 November until 31 January.

The hotel shut its doors for four months earlier this year as part of the national lockdown.

'This time is worse because we don't know when we will reopen again'

George Mackay fears his bar will face tougher restrictions for a long time

George Mackay runs the Path Tavern in Kirkcaldy. He has decided to close completely because it is not worth it for him to serve food without alcohol.

He is also doubts about whether he will be open again before Christmas.

He told BBC News: "We will open on Friday and Saturday to honour bookings but then that's it.

"I'm really disappointed we are closing again and I can't see it being any less than three weeks. At least with the furlough scheme the staff will get paid."

Mr Mackay has spent large sums on adapting his premises, installing screens and booking regular deep cleans. He feels he can operate safely.

He said: "Every Saturday morning I have five regular customers - couples - where one has a pint and the other has a small glass of wine. I have regulars who are widowers and they come in every night for two pints and then they go home.

"There is nobody in here not doing it right. They wear masks, sit away from each other. What's the risk?"

There are currently no areas of Scotland under the most severe level four restrictions - which could be broadly compared to the national lockdown currently in place across England.

But officials are monitoring sharp rises in cases in Stirling and Inverclyde, and to a lesser extent South Ayrshire, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire - which are all already in level three.

The islands, however, will welcome a loosening of their restrictions at the same time.

Up to six people from two households in Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles will be able to meet inside their homes from Friday.

In Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles, people can visit other households from Friday

Ms Sturgeon said this was possible because cases in the islands were "very low and sporadic", but warned that people who have travelled from the mainland should avoid in-house mixing for a time to limit the risk of importing the virus.

Anouska Civiko, from the charity Mind Your Head, said: "It's a very long winter here on Shetland, so for people to be able to have visitors in their own homes and see family and friends again it is just going to give everyone's mental health and wellbeing a significant boost ."

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