We always like to keep you all up to date with the NE250 especially following a government update. Things change continuously with COVID-19 and we want to make sure you are all in the know of the do’s and don’ts when it comes to travelling to Scotland, something in England, Ireland or Wales that you can do may be completely different when you visit Scotland. 

Wednesday 7th October Nicola Sturgeon implemented tighter restrictions on Bars and Restaurants, this is due to them being considered of higher risk.

The virus has been spreading particularly quickly in the central belt of Scotland.

It is expected that the new rules will be primarily focused on “hotspot” areas, such as the Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Lanarkshire, Lothian, Forth Valley and Ayrshire and Arran health board areas.

From 9th October Nationwide;

• Hospitality (food and drink): all premises may only open indoors between 6am and 6pm, with no sales of alcohol
• Hospitality (food and drink): premises may open outdoors until 10pm, with sales of alcohol (where licensed)
• Takeaways (including from pubs and restaurants) can continue
• Evening meals may be served in accommodation for residents only but no alcohol can be served
• Current meeting rules, maximum of six people from two households, continue to apply
• Specific life events, such as weddings and funerals, may continue with alcohol being served, with current meeting rules for these events (20 person limit in regulated premises only)

Central belt area focusing on five health board areas (Ayrshire & Arran; Forth Valley; Greater Glasgow & Clyde; Lanarkshire; Lothian):

All licensed premises will be required to close, with the exception of takeaway services

Cafés (unlicensed premises) which don’t have an alcohol licence will be able to open between 6am and 6pm

• Takeaways (including from pubs and restaurants) can continue
• Evening meals may be served in accommodation for residents only but no alcohol can be served
• Specific life events, such as weddings and funerals, may continue with alcohol, with current meeting rules for these events (20 person limit in regulated premises only)
• No group exercise classes for indoor gyms and sports courts, pools with an exemption for under 18s
• No adult (18+) contact sports or training, except professional sports, indoor or outdoorNo outdoor live events
• Snooker/pool halls, indoor bowling, casinos and bingo halls are to close
• Public transport use should be minimised as much as possible, such as for education and work, where it cannot be done from home
• Current meeting rules, maximum of six people from two households, continue to apply

Additionally, from this weekend, shops across Scotland are asked to return to two metres physical distancing and reintroduce the mitigations they put in place earlier in the pandemic, including one-way systems.

We hope this helps not only if you are travelling on the NE250 but also assists you in further afield from the NE250.

We hope you are all safe and well at this time.