Covid in Scotland: Hospitality industry 'is lockdown scapegoat'
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The hospitality industry is being "scapegoated" by the government as it moves to ease lockdown restrictions, business owners have said.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced a plan which will see hairdressers and garden centres allowed to reopen from 5 April.
All shops, gyms and tourist accommodation can return from 26 April.
But indoor hospitality including pubs, restaurants and wedding venues will still face some restrictions.
Ms Sturgeon confirmed on Tuesday that cafes and restaurants will be able to open outdoors until 22:00 from 26 April and sell alcohol.
However, indoor hospitality can only open until 20:00, alcohol will not be allowed and people must meet in groups of up to four people from two households.
Alan Henderson, of the McGinty's group which runs pubs, restaurants and a hotel in Aberdeen, accused the government of double standards.
He told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme: "It is the one industry again that has been scapegoated. There are restrictions which are unnecessary.
"We keep getting told it's based on data rather than dates, but when they don't have the data they still pick on our industry.
"The hospitality industry is happy to stick to the data - but unfortunately the Scottish government is not."
Up to 50 people will be able to attend weddings and funerals under the new plans.
Wedding venues will continue to face some restrictions
However, Duncan McConchie of the Wedding Industry Alliance said a continued ban on alcohol sales would "turn venue owners into police".
He said: "People will drink, but they will go to their cars and drink. They will go to the toilets and drink.
"Whereas, if we are allowed to sell alcohol, we are then in charge of the alcohol that those guests consume."
Mr McConchie said the industry was "broadly accepting and happy" with Tuesday's announcements, "but the devil is in the detail that comes back to bite us".
Julia Eeeles, who owns The One Lounge hairdressing and beauty salon in Glasgow, said partial reopening without allowing for beauty treatments would leave her worse off.
"The problem for me - and I think there will be a lot of beauty salons like this - is that I've got two hairdressers but 10 other members of staff.
"So I am actually under financial strain having to open up just for two people.
"It means I have to run the salon, run reception and use all my gas and electricity. It doesn't help me as a business owner."
Priority groups
Ms Sturgeon also announced that the "stay at home" lockdown order will be lifted from 5 April.
People will still have to stay inside their own local authority areas until 26 April, when the travel ban will be lifted within Scotland.
All children should return to school full-time after the Easter break, which for some will be from 12 April.
The first minister said the government was on track to hit the target of giving a first dose of vaccine to all priority groups - including "a significant majority of Scotland's adult population" - by mid-April.
She said this would "give us confidence to ease restrictions much more significantly from 26 April".
It is expected that all areas which are under level four restrictions will move down to level three from that date.
Other changes from mid-May could include the return of cinemas, amusement arcades and bingo halls, along with adult outdoor contact sports and indoor group exercises.
But Ms Sturgeon said that to come up with precise dates for other changes - like "normal family gatherings where we can hug our loved ones, sporting events, gigs and nightclubs" - would involve "plucking it out of thin air".
