Restrictions on indoor events in Scotland to be lifted

Restrictions on indoor events in Scotland will be lifted from 24 January, Nicola Sturgeon has announced. The Scottish First Minister described a “much more positive” situation in Scotland in an update to Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) at Holyrood on Tuesday 18 January, pointing to a reduction in case numbers and hospitalisations which mean the Omicron wave is past its peak. The Scottish Government has also decided not to extend the Covid-19 certification scheme to further venues, Sturgeon said. Ministers will also engage with businesses about a phased return to the office from the beginning of February. She said the country was once again entering a “calmer phase of the epidemic”. She added: “That then allows us to consider the adaptations we might need to make to build our resilience and manage the virus in a less restrictive way in future as we do move into an endemic phase.” The advice to limit social contact to three households will also be removed from Monday. The Scottish Government has begun work on a new strategic framework for managing the Covid-19 pandemic, to be published in the coming weeks. Measures were lifted on Monday, January 17 allowing live outdoor events to go ahead. Sturgeon introduced restrictions banning indoor events of more than 100 people seated, 200 people standing and outdoor standing events of more than 500 on Boxing Day.