First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed to MSPs in the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday that no area of Scotland will remain in Level 4 when changes come into force from today.
The toughest tier of restrictions was imposed on 11 Scottish council areas -including Glasgow, Lanarkshire and Stirling – on November 20.
They will now all move down to Level 3.
That means non-essential shops in these areas will be able to reopen from 6am on Friday, including cafes, restaurants, shops and hairdressers.
The rest of the changes will come into effect from 6pm that day.
However, hospitality businesses in Level 3 areas must close their doors by 6pm, meaning they will have to wait until Saturday to welcome back customers for food and non-alcoholic drinks.
- Meeting others indoors
You should not meet anyone who is not in your household indoors in your home or in their home, however you can meet another household indoors in a public place such as a café or restaurant.
The maximum number of people who can meet indoors in a public place is 6 which can be from up to 2 separate households.
Children under the age of 12 from these households do not count towards the total number of people permitted to gather indoors in a public place but do count towards the maximum of 2 households permitted to meet.
Children under 12 do not need to maintain physical distance from others indoors.
Where an individual household includes more than 6 people, they can nevertheless meet as a single household even if the total number of people exceeds 6.
You can go into another household to provide care and support for a vulnerable person.
- Meeting outdoors
You can meet people from other households outdoors in a private garden or in a public place such as a park or an outdoor area of a pub. The maximum number of people who can meet outdoors is 6 which can be from up to 2 separate households.
Young people aged between 12 and 17 can meet up in groups of up to 6 at a time outdoors and are not subject to the 2 household limit. Physical distancing is required.
However, children under the age of 12 are not required to socially distance, so that they can play with their friends outside.
- Travel and transport
You must not travel into or out of Level 3 and 4 local authority areas except for essential reasons.
- Places of worship
Places of worship are required to take measures to protect individuals, worshippers, staff members and volunteers from infection by COVID-19. Indoor acts of worship are limited to a maximum of 50 people providing there is sufficient space to maintain 2 metre distancing.
Level 2
Meanwhile, five other council areas in Scotland will have restrictions eased, the First Minister said.
Inverclyde, Falkirk and Angus will move from Level 3 to Level 2, while Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders will move to Level 1.
People in areas moving into Level 2 will be able to enjoy alcoholic drinks with a main meal in licensed premises, which must shut by 8pm.
Cinemas, amusement arcades and bingo halls can also reopen while public transport is no longer deemed something which should be avoided.
Level 1
Those in Level 1 will be able to enjoy small seated indoor events as well as limited numbers inside stadiums.
Pubs can also serve alcohol until 9.30pm without customers having to buy food.
All other council areas will remain in their current levels.
You can find full guidance on all the tier levels on the Scottish Government website here.
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