COVID-19: First Minister's Statement on 23 October
Today, 23 October 2020, the First Minister announced a new strategic approach to suppress the coronavirus. This included the announcement of a 5-level system of ‘protections’ (restrictions) which can be applied locally or nationally, depending on the prevalence of the virus.
The Coronavirus (COVID-19): Scotland's Strategic Framework was published by Scottish Government this afternoon providing the detail to this announcement. Scottish Government are now engaging with stakeholders to receive feedback, before this is debated and voted on by Parliament next Tuesday (27 October). Once approved, it will then be introduced from Monday 2 November, with the starting level in each area announced in advance. The levels applying in each local authority area will then be reviewed on a weekly basis.
In summary the impact on sport and exercise at each level, aligned to the public health advice at each level, is as follows:
Level 0: All sporting activity permitted
Level 1: No adult (18+) indoor contact sport (except professional sport).
Level 2: Same as level 1.
Level 3: No adult (18+) indoor non-contact group sport/exercise or adult (18+) indoor contact sport. No outdoor adult (18+) contact sport (except professional sport).
Level 4: Indoor sports facilities closed. No outdoor contact sport allowed for any age (except professional sport).
It should be noted that even where an activity is permitted it will still have to follow relevant guidance to protect public health.
In addition, the sport sector will be impacted by the wider restrictions at each level relating to travel, transport, stadia & events, leisure & entertainment, hospitality, schools/ colleges/ universities, workplaces and offices. The full detail for these areas is available in the Strategic Framework document – Annexes 1 & 2 (pages 58-68).
The Strategic Framework also sets out the level of support that Scottish Government anticipates making available to businesses. This will consist of small grants to businesses that are required to close by law or which remain open but are specifically required to modify their operations due to the restrictions in place.
Next Steps
sportscotland will be feeding back comments to Scottish Government on Monday afternoon on behalf of Scottish sport.
Afterward the guidance is published on 2 November, STS will work with sportscotland on updating guidance for target shooting and provide an update to members, hopefully by 9 November, if not before.