Scotland bans alcohol inside pubs and bars as Nicola Sturgeon announces 6pm curfew in 16-day Covid clampdown

The restrictions will come into force from 6pm on October 9

Pubs, restaurants and cafes in most of Scotland are to be barred from selling alcohol indoors for more than two weeks in a major push to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Announcing the move on Wednesday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that indoor hospitality venues will only be allowed to operate between 6am and 6pm daily, selling food and non-alcoholic drinks only.

Outdoor bars, restaurants and cafes will be allowed to remain open up until 10pm and will be allowed to sell alcohol up until that time.

The restrictions will come into force at 6pm on Friday and are intended to end after October 25.

However, all licensed premises in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Arran, Lothian and Forth Valley health board areas will be closed for both indoor and outdoor operations.

Cafes without a licence to sell alcohol will be allowed to open until 6pm, the First Minister said, in a bid to combat social isolation among the public.

She denied the country was going back into lockdown, stressing that the 16-day hospitality crackdown was needed to prevent a return to the strict rules seen during the Spring.

Ms Sturgeon said the new measures might feel like “backwards step” but they were “tough but necessary”.

Nicola Sturgeon described the new restrictions as 'tough but necessary' (Sky News )
Sky News

The SNP leader said Scottish authorities were using a more “targeted approach” than they did in March in order to keep businesses open.

She also insisted that the measures would be kept “under review”, adding: “The more we comply, the more effective they will be.”

She told MSPs: “These new restrictions will last for 16 days. They are intended to be short, sharp action to arrest a worrying increase in infection.

“However, although they are temporary, they are needed. Without them, there is a risk the virus will be out of control by the end of this month.

“But with them, we hope to slow its spread. That will help to keep schools and businesses open over the winter. And it will save lives.”

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Alongside the hospitality measures, Ms Sturgeon announced that face coverings are become mandatory in indoor communal settings across Scotland.

In the coming weeks, regulations will be introduced to expand the rule, which will mandate a covering in places such as staff canteens and corridors in workplaces, the First Minister confirmed.

She also announced that compliance with public health advice would also be strengthened for areas – such as self-quarantine – where it is still falling short of targets.

Shops will also be asked to return to the two-metre social distancing rule, having previously been allowed to reduce the distance to one metre to allow for more customers.

In addition, people in the central belt of Scotland have been asked to avoid public transport unless absolutely necessary over the next two weeks.

Ms Sturgeon said that while travel restrictions were not being imposed, residents in the five health board areas should only use public transport when travelling to work, school or other unavoidable reasons.

Conservative MSP Ruth Davidson said today's announcement was putting further “massive restrictions” on people’s lives and livelihoods.

She said small businesses needed details on financial support and they did not have the time to wait.

But Ms Sturgeon insisted that her government would work to target the support to businesses most in need, with an additional £40 million in funding to be made available to those impacted.

The First Minister said she was “grateful” for the work done by hospitality businesses to stop the spread of Covid-19, but warned: "The R number seems to have risen above 1 approximately three weeks after the hospitality sector opened up.

“We know that more than one fifth of people contacted by test and trace, report having visited a hospitality setting.”

She added: “All of these reasons, significantly restricting licensed premises for 16 days temporarily removes one of the key opportunities the virus has to jump from household to household.

“It is an essential part of our efforts to get the R number significantly below 1.”

Acknowledging the challenges ahead, Ms Sturgeon urged the public to comply with the new restrictions.

She told the Holyrood briefing: “Sticking to all of this isn’t easy, after seven long months.

“But it is essential. It’s the best way to look out for each other, and now more than ever, we all need that spirit of love and solidarity that has served us so well.

“And hard though it is to believe it right now, all the hard sacrifices we are making will hasten the brighter days that do lie ahead.

“So, let’s all stick with it – and above all, let’s stick together.

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