Glasgow drops to Level 2 as coronavirus restrictions ease across Scotland

Glasgow has finally dropped to Level 2 of Scotland’s coronavirus measures as restrictions have been eased across the country.

While the whole of mainland Scotland was supposed to move to Level 1 on Monday, the city will join 13 other council areas in remaining in Level 2 for another few weeks.

These are Edinburgh, Midlothian, Dundee, East Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, North and South Lanarkshire, Clackmannanshire and Stirling.

Glaswegians will be able to drink alcohol indoors, meet in private residences, and hug loved ones from the weekend for the first time in months.

When announcing the move on Tuesday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon admitted while the Level 2 restrictions were “still tough” she also insisted it was “not lockdown”.

She added: “We can go into each other’s homes, we can see hospitality open, stay open indoors, so there are significant steps there.”

People can meet in homes in groups of no more than six, from a maximum of three households and can also travel from outside their local authority area to other parts of the country.

Pubs, restaurants and other hospitality venues can reopen for drinking indoors while a number of venues will be allowed to reopen and outdoor adult contact sports can start again.

However 15 council areas moved to Level 1 restrictions from midnight on Saturday: Highland, Argyll and Bute, Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire, Moray, Angus, Perth and Kinross, Falkirk, Fife, Inverclyde, East and West Lothian, West Dunbartonshire, Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders.

Under these restrictions, eight people from three households can meet inside public spaces while, outdoors, the limit has increased to 12 people from 12 households.

It also means 100 people – rather than 50 – can attend weddings and funerals.

Soft play centres and funfairs can also reopen while pubs can open slightly later indoors.

Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles council areas will move to Level 0, allowing larger groups to meet in a private residence and adult contact sport to return.

Pubs and other hospitality venues can shut under their local licensing laws, rather than abiding to a national curfew.

The maximum attendance at weddings and funerals will be 200 – rather than 100 at Level 1 and 50 at Level 2.

People can meet indoors in groups of up to four households.

Saturday’s coronavirus statistics revealed Scotland recorded its second-highest number of daily coronavirus infections since February.

There were 860 new cases of Covid-19 identified in the past 24 hours, although it is a significant drop from the 992 reported on Friday.

The death of one person who recently tested positive for coronavirus has also been recorded, taking the total number to 7,677.

Another 19,837 first doses of coronavirus vaccine have also been administered as well as 31,977 second doses.

The total of 51,814 vaccinations carried out is down by 1,331 on the figure reported on Friday but is still the second-highest since April 23.