Places of worship in Scotland are to reopen for communal gatherings on 26 March, in time for Easter and other religious festivals including Passover and Ramadan, first minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced.
In the latest relaxation to coronavirus lockdown restrictions north of the border, Ms Sturgeon also brought forward to Friday the date on which up to four people from two households will be allowed to meet in outdoor spaces, including private gardens. And she said that the rule will be relaxed further for 12-17 year-olds to allow up to four teenagers from four different households to get together with friends.
In what she acknowledged were “minor” changes to the rules, Ms Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh that from 12 March, outdoor non-contact sports involving up to 15 people will also once again be permitted.
And she announced that a national silence will be held on 23 March – the anniversary of the first lockdown beginning – in memory of all those who have lost their lives.
The Scottish government has so far been more cautious than Boris Johnson’s administration in London in setting out a timetable for the lifting of lockdown, setting out dates only as far ahead as the last week in April, when it is hoped to return to a system of regional tiers in Scotland. Mr Johnson has named 21 June as the day he hopes most restrictions will be gone.
But Ms Sturgeon told MSPs she will next week set out a firmer timetable for the reopening of venues, including non-essential shops, pubs and restaurants and tourism destinations.
The announcements came as the first minister confirmed that that 466 positive coronavirus tests and 19 deaths from Covid-19 were recorded in Scotland in the latest 24-hour period.
She announced a possible, but unconfirmed, new case of the Brazilian P1 variant in Scotland, involving an individual who travelled from Rio de Janeiro via Paris on 19 February.
But she stressed that the infected person had followed all self-isolation rules and is believed to present no risk to the wider community.
