Pubs, hairdressers and cinemas to reopen in Scotland from July 15, Nicola Sturgeon confirms

Pubs, hairdressers and cinemas will be able to open from July 15 if coronavirus continues to decline in Scotland, subject to social distancing, Scotland's First Minister has announced.

Nicola Sturgeon said the move was possible thanks to "real and sustained progress" in suppressing Covid-19.

People in Scotland will be allowed to meet up with two other households indoors from July 15 and outdoor hospitality such as beer gardens will be allowed to re-open from July 6.

Ms Sturgeon also said the five-mile travel limit will be lifted from July 3, while non-essential retail within indoor shopping centres to re-open from July 13.

However, she warned if the Covid-19 virus begins to take hold again, then the move out of lockdown "will be halted".

Outdoor hospitality such as beer gardens will be allowed to re-open from July 6 in Scotland. Credit: PA

If Covid-19 cases continue to reduce, Scotland will enter phase three of lockdown on July 9.

The Scottish Government intends to allow households to be able to meet people from more households outdoors with physical distancing from July 10.

From July 13, organised outdoor sports for children will resume and nonessential shops within indoor shopping centres will reopen.

The tourism sector and all holiday accommodation will then be able to reopen from July 15.

The tourism sector and all holiday accommodation will be able to reopen from July 15 in Scotland. Credit: PA

To applause from MSPs in the chamber, she said barbers and hairdressers will also be able to open from July 15.

Households will be able to meet indoors with people from up to two other households, subject to physical distancing and strict hygiene measures, and museums, galleries, monuments, cinemas and libraries will also be able to reopen.

Nicola Sturgeon said: "If at any stage there appears to be a risk of its resurgence, our path out of lockdown will be halted and we may even have to go backwards."

The First Minister said while the pace of easing lockdown in Scotland is "slower than England’s", it is "right for our circumstances and, I hope, more likely to be sustainable than if we went faster".

Nicola Sturgeon delivering a statement on Covid-19 at the Scottish Parliament. Credit: PA

The First Minister also urged Scottish people to continue to follow Government advice to ensure that Covid-19 continues to be suppressed.

She said: "The choices we have made to date as individuals, and collectively as a society, have brought us this far – albeit with a lot of sorrow along the way.

"But arguably, the choices we make in the coming weeks will be even more important – as we learn to work, socialise and live alongside each other again, but in a way that keeps the virus under control.

"For us to meet each other indoors again, for more businesses to reopen, for children to return to school on a full time basis in August – all of that depends on all of us acting for the common good."

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