Hospitality sector hit hardest with new coronavirus restrictions announced by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
THE hospitality sector in Moray will be affected by further coronavirus restrictions announced by the First Minister.
Pubs, bars, restaurants and cafés will only be able to open from 6am-6pm from this Friday, with only food and non-alcoholic drinks served indoors.
Pubs and hotels will still be able to serve alcohol until 10pm but only in outdoor settings.
The measures take effect from 6pm this Friday and will be in place until Sunday, October 25.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the measures were necessary to curb a worrying rise in coronavirus infections.
She has announced there will be Scottish Government support - up to £40 million - made available to all businesses affected by the temporary measures.
Five regions - Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Arran, Lothian and Forth Valley - will see an almost complete shutdown of the hospitality sector for the two week period which covers three weekends. Venues will still be able to do takeaways.
Ms Sturgeon said the measures were necessary otherwise there was a "real risk of the virus running out of control before the end of this month".
"None of this is easy and I am acutely aware in every decision we take, lives and jobs are at stake."
Schools, colleges and universities will remain open.
The move follows a rise in coronavirus cases.
In the last 24 hours a further 1054 people have tested positive in Scotland, taking the total number to 34,760.
There are 319 people in hospital receiving treatment for Covid, with 28 people in intensive care.
The total number of deaths of people who have tested positive for Covid stands at 2533, with the number of deaths linked to Covid now at 4276.
The ban on meeting friends and family indoors remains in place, unless you are in a bubble with one other household to support a vulnerable person or provide childcare.
Ms Sturgeon said the situation was not as serious as when lockdown was first introduced on March 23 and insisted this was not a return to lockdown.
"It is important for the morale of all of us that we don't forget that important progress has been made.
"The situation is better now than it was in March. We are benefitting from the sacrifices made over the summer by driving the virus down to very low levels and we have helped to ensure that despite several weeks of increases the total number of cases is just 13 per cent of the peak level back in March.
"Cases are rising but not as quickly as they were in March."
The First Minister has not retintroduced a travel ban but urged people to think if their journey is necessary, however, she said people with trips booked for the October holidays can still take these.
People who were shielding following the first lockdown, do not have to return to shielding but have been urged to take extra care when out and about.
Shops have been asked to go back to the two metre distancing rule and reimplement one way systems.
