Threat of Scots five-mile legal travel limit is shelved by Humza Yousaf

Nicola Sturgeon had warned that limit could be enshrined in law after hundreds flocked to beauty spots during the first weekend of lockdown being eased. The First Minister also hinted that a legal cap of eight on the number of people gathering outside may be introduced. The measures do remain as official guidance for Scots in phase one of lockdown.

But Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf today said the prospect of them being enshrined in law is now on hold.

"I am in regular contact with the Chief Constable about public behaviour and levels of compliance," he told MSPs today.

Humza Yousaf says no new laws are now planned

"The Scottish Government does not consider it to be necessary at this time to create new offences to enforce the rules.

"However, we will continue to monitor the situation and not hesitate to legislate or indeed put existing guidance into regulation if necessary."

Police were forced to disperse more than 2,000 gatherings when the first phase of lockdown exit came into force the weekend before last.

But Mr Yousaf said today those issues were "far fewer" during the weekend just passed.

"The overwhelming majority of people are acting in line with the rules," he added.

"I would like to take this opportunity to simply record my thanks to thse who are playing a vital role in reducing the spread of the virus.

"I cannot stress enough how important it is that people follow the rules, the R number remains precariously close to one and we're at a very critical stage."

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Joy Yates

Editorial Director

Threat of Scots five-mile legal travel limit is shelved by Humza Yousaf

Comments