London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 23, 2025

Covid in Scotland: New regulations come into force

Covid in Scotland: New regulations come into force

New legal restrictions on businesses to help control the spread of Covid-19 have taken effect in Scotland.

Firms are now legally required to take measures to minimise transmission amid concerns about the Omicron variant.

Shops and hospitality outlets have to work to reduce crowding and queueing, erect screens and barriers and enforce the wearing of face masks.

Scottish ministers have offered £100m of support to firms, and called on the UK government to provide more funds.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon warned on Thursday that further restrictions on "high risk" sectors may be unavoidable.

Omicron is expected to be confirmed as the dominant strain of Covid-19 in Scotland on Friday, with Ms Sturgeon saying this would "drive an even more rapid increase in cases".

The first minister said the new variant was spreading "exceptionally fast", warning that health services could be overwhelmed and that "many people will become severely unwell and die".

Scots have been urged to limit social interactions in the build-up to Christmas, meeting with no more than three households at a time, and people have been encouraged to postpone work parties.

This advice has not been backed up in law, as happened earlier in the pandemic, although Ms Sturgeon said people should not view it as being "optional".

However, new curbs have now come into force for business owners and the operators of shops and hospitality venues.

From a minute past midnight on Friday, businesses are required to "have regard to guidance" from the government, and to take "reasonably practicable" measures to minimise the spread of the virus.

These include "measures which limit close face to face interaction and maintain hygiene" by changing the layout of premises and avoiding bottlenecks in entrances and corridors.

Specific guidance for the tourism and hospitality sector has also been published, urging premises to revert to table service where possible, managing queueing areas so that customers can remain at least a metre apart, and to consider introducing one-way systems to "reduce the pressure on pinch points within premises".

Hospitality outlets had voiced concerns about a wave of cancellations after people were urged to defer Christmas party plans, with claims the industry has already taken a £1bn hit.

The Night Time Industries Association warned of "mass business failures and bankruptcies", while TV chef and restaurant owner Nick Nairn said "really strong leadership" was required with people in the industry "starting to come apart at the edges".

'No light at the end of the tunnel'

Business operators across a range of sectors have been hit by recent advice to cancel Christmas parties and restrict social gatherings.

Beautician Alana Forrest, owner of Pink Lily in Aberdeen, said: "December is usually our busiest time of the year but since the advice to cancel Christmas parties we've had an influx of cancellations. This week alone we've had 30 that we know of.

"It has a huge impact on business, particularly for the make-up girls. They rely on people going to occasions. All 15 of the staff here are self-employed, so when there's a whole diary cancelled that's a person's wage for the week and there's nothing being put in place to support people.

"The majority of people are cancelling because they don't need things done for their Christmas parties, but also because people are having to self-isolate.

"It felt like we were almost back to normality and it's now a bit of a kick in the teeth again. There's not been any support put in place and because it's not law - it's just suggestions - they don't have to provide any sort of support for our industry. So many people are suffering again and there's no light at the end of the tunnel."

The Scottish and UK governments have become embroiled in a row over funding for business support, with calls for the furlough scheme to be reintroduced.

The Treasury has provided £220m of immediate funding, but Scottish ministers contend that this had been brought forward from next year and had already been budgeted for.

Scottish Finance Secretary Kate Forbes said the UK government should provide £500m immediately to fund grant support for Scottish businesses.

Speaking to the BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme, Ms Forbes did not say whether the Scottish government wanted to close businesses if it secured UK government money - but said it "could not rule out having to go further on any front".

She said: "We know that we can't go further without additional funding - right now businesses are seeing a reduced amount of trade even though it isn't lockdown, so people voting with their feet because of the message to reduce transmission.

"The argument is even if we were to go any further, we would absolutely need greater financial support."

Ms Sturgeon wrote to Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday saying urgent financial help was needed to protect firms from the "economic shock".

The UK government said Mr Johnson would speak to Ms Sturgeon in the coming days, with a spokesman adding that ministers were "working closely with the Scottish government on the shared challenge the new variant poses".

He added: "We've acted rapidly to support and give the Scottish government the certainty to spend additional money in the coming weeks - exactly as they have asked in our discussions - and we will continue to listen carefully as that co-operation steps up."


Nicola Sturgeon: Omicron is spreading "exceptionally fast" in Scotland


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
×