Scotland restrictions: Some easing of rules to start on Friday

Up to four friends aged 12-17 will be allowed to meet outdoors with 2m social distancing from Friday

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has outlined a number of new rules that will allow people to socialise outdoors from Friday.

Scotland, along with the rest of the UK, has been in lockdown since early January due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the number of cases has fallen in recent weeks due to restrictions and the successful rollout of vaccinations.

Now, Ms Sturgeon has announced that up to four people from two households will be allowed to meet in an outdoor setting, including in parks and gardens, from 12 March.

Four young people, aged 12 to 17, from four different households will also be allowed to socialise from Friday, making it possible for many secondary school friends to meet in parks or gardens.

First minister Nicola Sturgeon said that she would make further announcements about reopening shops, hairdressers and restaurants next week

Outdoor non-contact sports and organised group exercise will also be permitted for all children and adults, in groups of up to 15 people from Friday.

The first minister said these measures were only possible because of the "immense sacrifice" the vast majority of Scottish citizens had made over recent weeks, but said that "caution is still essential at this stage".

It's already been known that all of Scotland's school pupils will return to the classroom from next week, with primary children to go back full-time and secondary students to have some in-class time before the Easter break.

In addition to these announcements, Ms Sturgeon said that almost 40% of the entire adult population had now received one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

There will also be more restrictions lifted for places of worship ahead of some big religious celebrations.

From 26 March, up to 50 people will be allowed to gather in places of worship as long as the buildings are big enough to safely adhere to two-metre social distancing rules.

This means religious communities may be able to gather for important festivals such as Passover, Easter, Ramadan and Vaisakhi.

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