Further measures and support In Scotland

The First Minister has announced that, from midnight on Friday 17 December, new measures will be introduced to stem the flow of transmission, keep businesses and services open, and protect against pressure on health services in Scotland.

Further guidance on the additional measures announced by the First Minister will be published shortly. These include:

• Businesses, service providers and places of worship asked to take all reasonable measures to avoid crowding, encourage wearing of masks and support distancing in their premises
• Guidance to ensure that people who can work from home, do so – for those in sectors where working from home is not possible, regular testing with lateral flow tests should be undertaken
• Reinforcement of protective measures in retail and other settings including distancing, managing customer flows, and protective screens
• Reinforcement of protective measures in hospitality settings including collection of contact tracing information and measures to reduce crowding
• Guidance to increase mask wearing in outdoor crowded areas such as Christmas markets or festive celebrations.

Nicola Sturgeon also announced £100 million of additional funding to ensure the Self-Isolation Support Grant is available to those who need it, and a £100 million financial package for eligible businesses in the hospitality, and food supply and culture sectors that have lost crucial bookings over the Xmas/New Year period.