Football fans back and hopeful signs for hospitality
We've been getting the reaction from football fans and hospitality venues after the First Minister's announcement on Covid restrictions
Football fans are set to be back in stadiums across Scotland from next week.
The Scottish Government will lift restrictions on attendance at outdoor events.
But there will be greater need for checks on Covid passports, or alternatively negative lateral flow tests.
Today the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said "our guidance will now stipulate that the organisers of large events of 1000 or more people should check the certification status of at least 50% of attendees, rather than the current 20%, or at least 1,000 people, whichever figure is higher"
Fans react to the news:
Bosses of hospitality venues will have to wait a bit longer for news on their sector though.
But Nicola Sturgeon was positive ahead of the review of those measures next week.
She said she hopes that review will lead to measures like limits on indoor live events, table service and social distancing indoors being lifted.
That's good news for venue owners like Stuart McPhee who runs Siberia Vodka bar on Aberdeen's Belmont Street.
He told Northsound News: "The change in tone is very welcome, we've now shifted away from that extremist 'stay at home' messaging that we were seeing
"I think that in itself was one of the more damaging measures that was actually in place.
"And the tone shift will give people the confidence, and hopefully customers the confidence to visit setting that they've potentially stayed away from.
"Clarity is very important and hopefully we will build beyond that."
And there are some signs Scotland is "starting to turn the corner" on the Omicron variant spike, Nicola Sturgeon told MSPs.
The First Minister said: "The situation in Scotland just now is undoubtedly serious but perhaps less so than it might have been, and there are also some signs that we may be starting to turn a corner."
But Ms Sturgeon added that there are still some uncertainties which are yet to be addressed.
"I have already explained the uncertainties in the data which mean that the picture is not yet as clear as we would like it to be," she added. "And, of course, we do not yet know what impact the post-Christmas return to work and school will have on the level of infection.
"What we do know is that staff absences resulting from high levels of infection are causing disruption in the economy and in critical services and that the NHS remains under very severe pressure indeed."