Pubs, restaurants and cafes in Scotland barred from selling alcohol indoors

Pubs, restaurants and cafes in Scotland are being barred from selling alcohol indoors for more than two weeks, Nicola Sturgeon has announced. In areas with particularly high infection rates, all licensed premises will be forced to close both indoor and outdoor services, though can continue doing takeaways.

They will be able to continue selling alcohol outside, up until the 10pm curfew.

Sturgeon said an evidence paper published today indicates that the R number seems to have risen above 1 approximately three weeks after the hospitality sector opened up.

“We know that more than one fifth of people contacted by test and trace, report having visited a hospitality setting. All of these reasons, significantly restricting licensed premises for 16 days temporarily removes one of the key opportunities the virus has to jump from household to household, she added.

“It is an essential part of our efforts to get the R number significantly below 1.”

In the coming weeks, the Scottish Government will introduce regulations to expand the rule, which will mandate a covering in places such as staff canteens and corridors in workplaces, Nicola Sturgeon announced.

Compliance with public health advice, the first minister said, would also be strengthened for areas – such as self isolation – where data shows it is not yet high enough.

Shops will also be asked to return to the two metre physical distancing rule, having previously been allowed to reduce the distance to one metre to allow for more customers.