Public again told to 'stay at home' from Boxing Day
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People living in tier four areas should stay at home as much as possible, Nicola Sturgeon has said.
It is the first time the First Minister has repeated the advice of the first lockdown in March.
Most of Scotland – including the Highlands – will enter tier four from one minute past midnight on Boxing Day morning, in an attempt to halt the spread of a new strain of coronavirus.
“For those living in level four areas – which from Saturday will be the vast majority of us – our strong advice is to stay as local as possible and to stay at home as much as possible," Ms Sturgeon said.
“We will be considering in the days ahead whether we need to place that advice in law.
“As more evidence of the impact of this new strain becomes available, we will consider whether there is a need to strengthen level 4 restrictions any further.”
The First Minister also said that homeware stores and garden centres in level four areas would have to close from Boxing Day, with the exception of click and collect.
The changes were announced during a statement to Parliament on Tuesday.
She said: “Given the severity of the situation we face and the need to limit interactions as much as possible, we intend to define essential retail more narrowly than we have done recently.
“In short, that means homeware stores and garden centres will be classed as non-essential and will therefore require to close, with the exception of click and collect.
“Financial support will remain available for businesses affected and the finance secretary is urgently assessing what more the Scottish Government can do, particularly for the sectors most affected."
