Q&A: How does the PM's Lockdown update affect Scots?
Last updated 11th May 2020
Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has made a TV address across the UK setting out his plans for how the lockdown might be lifted in the weeks ahead.
Here's a Q&A on how it affects us in Scotland.
Q: Does his plan apply to the whole of the UK?
A: No. Devolved governments in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales have power to make their own decisions on a number of matters, including health, and some have already done so. The Scottish Government also has the power to decide how they are enforced by the police.
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has scrapped the cap on daily exercise but warned that it is not an excuse to meet up in groups at parks or beaches, to sunbathe or have picnics and barbecues.
Q: If I'm in England am I still limited to how much I can exercise outdoors each day?
A: Not anymore. From Wednesday people will be encouraged to take more outdoor exercise - even an unlimited amount.
Q: Can we sunbathe?
A: Not here in Scotland. In England people will be allowed to sit in the sun in their local parks.
Mr Johnson's speech indicated this could only be done with members of your own household, but it is understood people will be allowed to sunbathe or chat in a park with one other person from a different household, so long as a two-metre distance is maintained.
Q: Can I drive elsewhere to enjoy the outdoors?
A: Not in Scotland. Here the rules remain that exercise should be taken locally and from your home.
In England people can can drive to parks or beaches but only with members of your own household and they cannot cross the border to Wales or Scotland for leisure activities where different restrictions are in force.
Q: What about outdoor sports?
A: They are still not allowed in Scotland. In England it must be limited to doing so only with members of your own household.
Tennis courts and golf clubs could reopen in England from Wednesday, so long as social distancing measures are enforced.
Other permitted activities will include water sports and angling.
Q: Can I return to work?
A: In Scotland the government advice remains to Stay At Home and only go to work if you are a key worker and if it is not possible to do your work from home.
In England the advice is to continue to work from home if you can, but if that's not possible you should go to work. Those in construction and manufacturing, "should be actively encouraged to go to work'', the Prime Minister said.
Q: Can I use public transport?
A: In Scotland the government advice remains to Stay At Home. Mr Johnson advised people to avoid public transport "If at all possible because we must and will maintain social distancing, and capacity will therefore be limited''.
He said public transport operators, just as with workplaces, will be following the "Covid-secure'' standards.
Transport Secretary at Westminster Grant Shapps said on Saturday that even with England's public transport network running at full capacity, it could only safely cater for 10% of the usual passenger load with the two-metre social distancing rule in place.
Q: Can my friends and relatives visit me from outside the UK?
A: Most will soon be subject to a quarantine if they do.
To prevent reinfection from abroad, Mr Johnson said he was serving notice that it will soon be the time - with transmission significantly lower - to impose quarantine on people coming into this country by air''.
No further detail was given but a previous report suggested travellers from Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man will be exempt from the quarantine.
A joint statement from Downing Street after the address said Mr Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron had agreed quarantine measures would not apply between France and the UK at this stage'' for themanagement of our common border''.
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