THE Scottish Government yesterday set out a route-map showing plans to ease out of the coronavirus lockdown.
The four-phase plan will begin as of next week, with a number of measures being relaxed on May 28.
More outdoor activity including sports; meeting other households and the re-opening of recycling centres are among those being re-introduced at what is being described as 'Phase 1'.
But these are entirely dependent on dramatically reducing coronavirus in the country and successfully implementing a “Test and Protect” strategy.
But what about pubs?
For those of us hankering for a leisurely drink in our local, the subject of returning to Scotland's pubs has been addressed in the route map.
Current lockdown restrictions mean pubs and restaurants have been forced to close.
The measures introduced yesterday also reveal that pubs will be forced to remain closed during 'Phase 1' - meaning they will not be open on May 28.
What about beer gardens?
Much of the new data being discussed by Scottish Government officials is around the potential for greater outdoor activity - which can be seen around plans for easing exercise restrictions.
As such, the re-opening of pubs will begin with beer gardens.
Under the plans, pubs and restaurants with outdoor spaces can reopen in 'Phase 2' - the exact date of which is not yet clear.
This will be done provided social distancing is met and there are increased hygiene measures.
So, when can I get inside a pub?
The route-map suggests that pubs can open their indoor spaces from 'Phase 3' in the four-phased plan.
This will again only be done with physical distancing indoors and increase hygiene routines.
Finally, by 'Phase 4', all pubs will be open as normal - with improved public health advice.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel