Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire to move to Level 1 Restrictions

It's good news for weddings venues and soft play businesses among others.

Author: Lewis MichiePublished 1st Jun 2021
Last updated 1st Jun 2021

Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire are heading to Level 1 Covid restrictions, the First Minister has confirmed.

The changes come in to place on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Glasgow moves down to Level 2.

But some Council areas such as Edinburgh, Dundee and all 3 Ayrshire local authorities will be held at Level 2 restrictions.

Nicola Sturgeon said case numbers were taken into consideration when making these decisions, with it decided the easing had to slow down in some areas.

Aberdeen didn't register a single covid case in the past 24 hours, and Aberdeenshire have confirmed just two cases.

What this means:

The limits on meetings in indoor public places increases to 8 people from 3 households and outdoors to 12 people from 12 households.

100 people as opposed to 50 can attend weddings and funerals.

Soft play centres and funfairs can reopen.

Caution, but optimism:

The First Minister told Holyrood that whilst some public health figures are warning there is a risk the UK could be at the beginning of a third wave, she stressed the word "could".

"The vaccines are changing the game. And that means we can still be optimistic about our chances of much more normality over the summer and beyond,'' she said.

"Indeed, in the days ahead, and while it may still feel a way off for many of us, we will publish more detailed work on what we expect life beyond Level 0 to look like, as that greater normality returns.

"Indeed, one reason for proceeding with more caution now, is to make it easier in the future to resume our progress to Level 0 - and then beyond.''

The Full Picture:

Nicola Sturgeon has said 18 local authorities will see restrictions ease this weekend.

The First Minister told MSPs that Highland, Argyll & Bute, Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire, Moray, Angus, Perth & Kinross, Falkirk, Fife, Inverclyde, East and West Lothian, West Dunbartonshire, Dumfries & Galloway and the Borders would move to Level 1 restrictions from Saturday.

Meanwhile, Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles council areas would move to Level 0.

The First Minister said that Edinburgh and Midlothian, Dundee, East Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, North, South and East Ayrshire, North and South Lanarkshire, Clackmannanshire and Stirling did not meet the criteria to see restrictions ease.

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