Coronavirus (COVID-19): Guidance for Festive Period (issued:25/11/20)

Between 23 – 27 December, you can form a “bubble” of up to three households.  It is not possible to change your bubble once it has been formed.

If you choose to form a bubble, you should keep the numbers within it as low as possible and minimise the duration of contact between different households in the bubble as far as possible.  You should also limit your social contact with others as far as you can before and after forming a bubble to minimise transmission risks and to protect your loved ones.

Students who have returned home form part of the household they have returned to.  All students are being offered testing before returning home.

What you can do in a “bubble”

Your bubble can meet in a private home, in outdoor public places or in places of worship.

In all other settings – e.g. hospitality, entertainment venues – if you have formed a bubble, you should only socialise with members of your own household.

Travel

Travel restrictions will be relaxed from 23 – 27 December (inclusive) to allow people to travel between local authority areas and the four nations of the UK to join their bubble.

While travelling you should minimise stop-offs during journeys except where necessary for safety and respite, and follow the Scottish Government’s guidance on travelling safely.

If using public transport you should make a plan in advance and book ahead where possible.

If you travel to form a bubble, you should stay in the area in which you are being hosted and follow the rules about travel that apply in that area.  In a Level 3 or 4 area in Scotland, for example, you should avoid non-essential travel outside the local authority area in which you are staying.  And in an area of Scotland at Level 0, 1, or 2 you should avoid unnecessary travel into any Level 3 or 4 area.

Further guidance will be available on Thursday, 26 November.

See Scottish Government website.

We’re Good to Go Scheme Survey

VisitBritain is keen to seek your view on whether they should continue with the We’re Good to Go scheme into 2021, it currently runs to 31 December 2020.

With just under 42,000 tourism businesses (2161 self-caterers in Scotland) that have applied to-date, VisitBritain is keen to gather views from those signed up and also those who did not so we get a clear balanced view.  The deadline is 30th November.

https://www.research.net/r/WG2GBusiness

Exemptions to Travel

Parliamentary Questions:  Necessary Repairs to Holiday Homes

Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether repairs that need to be carried out in holiday homes should be classed as an exemption to the restrictions regarding travelling to and from level 3 local authority areas.

Fergus Ewing: Necessary repairs to holiday homes can proceed as required in level 3 local authority areas. Although there is no specific reference in the guidance for conducting maintenance in a holiday or second home, contractors are still able to enter for maintenance purposes. In level 4 however contractors can only carry out essential maintenance. In this level, a person should only travel to a holiday or second home where essential repairs or maintenance are required. The guidelines are clear that for safety, people should avoid all unnecessary travel in level 3 and 4 and exemptions should not be used as loopholes.

For more information:

The Health Protection (Coronavirus)(Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) (Scotland) Amendment (No. 3) Regulations 2020 BKW 191120