Nicola Sturgeon announces changes to Scotland's two metre rule

The First Minister said certain businesses could be made exempt from the two metre rule.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced changes to the two metre rule in Scotland.

Speaking at her daily press briefing, Ms Sturgeon said that certain businesses will be exempt from the two metre rule when Scotland enters phase three of its lockdown easing plan later this month.

Explaining the decision, Ms Sturgeon said she was trying to balance “different harms” by preventing the spread of the virus while also allowing businesses to operate properly.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced changes to the two metre rule in Scotland.

She said that, from the end of next week, businesses in the hospitality, retail, and public transport sectors will have the option to reduce the physical distancing rule to one metre, provided they also include other “mitigation”, like improved ventilation.

But she made clear that the general rule for Scots would be to stick to the existing two metre advice, insisting it was “particularly important” for people in high risk groups.

Ms Sturgeon also said the Scottish government “reserved the right” to remove the exemptions for businesses if evidence emerged of an increased infection rate.

But she also suggested that a “more general relaxation” on the physical distancing measures may be possible, if Scotland continues to suppress the virus.

The announcement comes after many of Scotland’s key independent restaurant and pub businesses called for a one metre rule for social distancing in a bid to kick-start the industry and save jobs in the hospitality sector.

On Tuesday, June 23, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced new social distancing rules in England allowing people to stand “one metre plus” away from anyone not in their household.

Scotland did not immediately follow England in cutting the two metre social distance rule, with Ms Sturgeon saying that there would be no decision on whether or not to relax the rule until her Scientific Advisory Group had examined the evidence.

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