Nicola Sturgeon succumbed to pressure and today revealed a ‘phased” return to work for millions of Scots.
MSPs were told by She that the Scottish Government will update its guidance starting Monday.
With immediate effect, Johnson has removed similar rules from England.
Ms. Sturgeon stated that the requirement of two metres for physical distance in situations where facial coverings are not exempt has been reduced to one metre.
It will be applicable to receptionist duties and religious services.
Update MSPs: The First Minister also revealed a change that would affect organised activities for kids.
She stated that face covers will be no longer required by adults participating in organized activities, if they interact with children younger than five years old.
“Careful consideration” will be given to secondary school students’ requirement that they wear masks.
Douglas Ross, Scottish Conservative Leader: “While there will be some who want to work at home, I don’t see why the First Minister doesn’t leave this decision to workers and employers.
“And what does it mean for all the businesses that depend on their workers staying in the city centre and in the office?”
MSPs were informed by her that the Scottish Government was updating its guidelines and will be in effect starting next Monday.
With immediate effect, Johnson has removed similar rules from England.
The graph below shows the combined Covid mortality rate for all four UK countries. It is based upon data from the Office for National Statistics. This includes every Covid-related death certificate. The graph shows that Wales is the country with the highest Covid-related death rate, despite strict controls.
Scientists today said that Wales and Scotland’s decision to use stricter Covid restrictions during the pandemic might not have been worth it.
Today’s announcement is not the only one. Mark Drakeford, leader of Wales refuses to lift controversial ‘rule six’ for four more days.
Both nations resorted to tougher Covid curbs than England early out in the pandemic, and kept people living under economically-cripping curbs for longer.
MailOnline received no explanation from experts, who said they couldn’t see any difference between the death rates in England and elsewhere in the UK.
They argued that Omicron waves pan out in the same way across all home countries, even though Downing St was allowed to slip through with relatively few rules.
This comes despite Scotland’s cancellation of New Year’s Eve celebrations, and Mr Drakeford accusing England being a “global outlier” for Boris Johnson’s gamble not to take additional measures. Ms Sturgeon stated yesterday that the tougher restrictions placed on Scotland for Christmas were “worth it”, arguing that they maintained lower infection rates than those south of the border.
According to the latest statistics, Scotland recorded 23 deaths due to coronavirus and 8022 new cases within 24 hours.
This means that the death rate for people who have tested positive in 28 days is 10,222.
The Monday hospital admissions of 1,392 persons with Covid-19 were down by 43 and 34 respectively.
Additionally, Monday saw 15 Covid-19 confirmed patients remain in intensive medical care beyond 28 days.
The latest figures from the Scottish Government show that 4,406,999 people received their first Covid-19 shot, 4,112,264 got their second and 3,263,981 had received boosters.