Coronavirus: Non-essential journeys to Scotland ‘might break legislation’

Individuals who journey to Scotland for something aside from important functions are “doubtlessly in breach of the legislation”, Nicola Sturgeon has stated.

The Scottish first minster stated there was no want for “confusion”, at the same time as totally different lockdown guidelines come into impact in several components of the UK.

Boris Johnson has urged extra individuals to return to work as a part of a plan to step by step ease restrictions in England.

However Ms Sturgeon stated that in Scotland, “lockdown stays in place for now”.

She stated: “In case you are in Scotland, then the legislation in Scotland applies – and the legislation says that simply now you possibly can solely be out of your personal house for important causes.”

And he or she pressured that “it isn’t OK to drive into Scotland to magnificence spots to go to locations and for leisure”.

• Reside: Newest on coronavirus in Scotland
• How lockdown guidelines differ between Scotland and England

The prime minister is to set out additional particulars about his “roadmap” in the direction of lifting the virus lockdown in a while Monday, having unveiled the “first cautious steps” in a tv deal with on Sunday night.

He stated individuals in England who can not make money working from home ought to begin to return to the office, whereas guidelines round outside train and recreation are to be eased.

Ms Sturgeon stated the legislation and steerage in Scotland had not modified, and stated: “I might hope all employers would respect that.”

Whereas individuals are actually allowed to exit greater than as soon as a day for train, Scots are nonetheless anticipated to remain at house aside from for important work, to purchase meals or drugs, or for train.

At her every day media briefing, the primary minister was requested about individuals who reside close to the border with England.

She stated: “In the event you reside within the Scottish Borders and also you come throughout the border to go to the grocery store, you would definitely not be breaking the legislation should you have been getting meals, that is an important objective.

“In the event you reside simply south of the border and you’re employed in an important job then equally that’s completely reliable.

“However in case you are coming to Scotland and usually are not lined by these important functions, you then doubtlessly could be in breach of the legislation.”

‘Respect the principles’

Ms Sturgeon added: “In the event you reside in Scotland proper now and you are not working in the mean time, or working from house, then my recommendation is you need to proceed with that proper now. We aren’t encouraging extra individuals to return to work proper on the minute.”

The primary minister stated she didn’t assume there was any plan or want for “elevated policing” on the border, however warned individuals in England to not journey to Scottish magnificence spots for recreation.

The UK authorities’s steerage paper for individuals in England states: “When travelling to outside areas, it will be important that folks respect the principles in Scotland, Wales and Northern Eire and don’t journey to totally different components of the UK the place their meant actions there could be prohibited by laws handed by the related devolved administration.”

The UK authorities has accepted that there may very well be “modest divergences” as “totally different components of the UK transfer at barely totally different speeds”.

Overseas Secretary Dominic Raab informed BBC Scotland that “we’ll see totally different nations transfer at barely totally different speeds, and that is reflective of the truth that the prevalence and the transmission fee of the virus is at totally different levels in several components of the UK”.

Ms Sturgeon additionally stated the truth that Scotland may very well be on a “barely totally different timeline” to the remainder of the UK was not “for any political motive”.

She stated it was as a result of “the Scottish authorities shouldn’t be but assured that these modifications might be made safely in Scotland but, with out operating the danger of the virus doubtlessly operating uncontrolled once more”.

The primary minister stated the speed at which the virus was spreading – the “R quantity” – was nonetheless “barely greater in Scotland than the remainder of the UK on common”, justifying differing approaches.

She stated: “Shifting at totally different speeds in several components of the UK, for good proof based mostly causes, needn’t be a trigger for confusion.

“Confusion solely arises if we as politicians, and the media who report on us, are both unclear in what we’re asking individuals to do, or if we give a deceptive impression, even by omission, that selections that apply to at least one nation solely are literally UK-wide.”