Scotland to adopt 'zero level' Covid restrictions; face masks remain compulsory

As coronavirus cases decreased in Scotland, the government has decided to lift all Covid restrictions except face masks.

Scotland has decided to move to level zero of Covid restrictions from July 19. However, face masks will be mandatory for some more time.

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As per the 'level zero', locals will now be allowed to meet indoors and attend weddings or funerals. However, people will still be asked to work from home and outdoor meetings will be limited to a certain number that will be revealed soon.

For now, up to eight adults from four households can have indoor gatherings and 10 people can gather in a restaurant or a pub. Additionally, up to 15 people from 15 households can have outdoor gatherings and 200 people are allowed in weddings and funerals.

While many locals were hoping for total scrapping of Covid regulations, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the lifting of restrictions has been planned while keeping in mind the spread of Delta variant in other countries.

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The government is also hoping to remove the requirement of close contacts of Covid positive people to self-isolate of they have been fully vaccinated. In addition to this, authorities are also yet to decide whether school children of close contacts of Covid positive people will have to self-isolate or not.

As per the new guidelines, all fully vaccinated people who will be returning from amber list countries will not be asked to quarantine now, as long as they test negative upon arrival.

"We must stick to a cautious approach. We are easing restrictions next week, but we are not abandoning them," Sturgeon said. "And even when we move beyond level zero, we will continue to require some baseline measures such as face coverings."