Scotland's new regional lockdown levels system comes into force

The new regional lockdown levels system announced by the Scottish Government last week has come into force as of 6am this morning.
Scotland's new lockdown levels come into force todayScotland's new lockdown levels come into force today
Scotland's new lockdown levels come into force today

The new restrictions, which will see differing measures depending on the prevalence of Covid-19 and the severity of the virus, legally came into force this morning.

It means some areas of Scotland are able to reopen restaurants, pubs and bars until 10.30pm, while areas such as the central belt and Tayside see a continuation of restrictions introduced in mid-October.

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Two main restrictions remain in place nationwide, namely the ban on households meeting indoors and not travelling to or from any area subject to level three restrictions.

The Scottish Government has also launched a postcode checker to help people find out which restrictions apply where they live.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “Our new levels approach enables us to respond quickly and flexibly as required, particularly in areas where we are concerned about the rate at which the virus is spreading.

"It is important we all comply with the rules in our area if we are to successfully suppress the virus, avoid the need for tighter restrictions, and protect the NHS.

People across Scotland have faced significant restrictions since late September as we work to stop the increase in Covid cases across the country. Prevalence of the virus is currently lower in Scotland than in other parts of the UK and there are some signs that those earlier restrictions may be starting to slow the rate of increase.

“However, we continue to monitor the spread of the virus in all parts of Scotland to assess if, to what extent and at what speed the slowdown is continuing. No one wants to see tighter restrictions but people can be reassured that, if we need to put in place the protections that come with higher levels, we will not hesitate to do so.”

The list of local authorities which are in each level are:

Level 1: Highland, Moray, Western Isles, Orkney, Shetland

Level 2: Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen, Fife, Scottish Borders, Dumfries and Galloway, Argyll and Bute, Perth and Kinross, Angus.

Level 3: Inverclyde, East Dunbartonshire, West Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, City of Glasgow, South Ayrshire, East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire, Stirling, Falkirk, Clackmannanshire, City of Edinburgh, Midlothian, West Lothian, East Lothian, Dundee, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire.

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