Here’s what’s happening in Scotland (since 29th May) regarding the easing of lockdown restrictions

As of Friday, May 29^th, Scotland has officially relaxed some of the lockdown measures after seeing a decline in the rate of infection regarding Covid19. It should be noted at this early stage though that should the infection rate go back up again then we may see stricter lockdown restrictions being re-introduced – just FYI.

The reason I’m writing this post is mainly because I noticed a lot of people on facebook groups I’m involved in asking what the restrictions were like in Scotland, so I thought I’d give you a quick run down on the situation here at the moment as well as links to reputable sources such as the Scottish Government website so you can keep up to date on what’s happening whether you live here or are planning on visiting in the future!

Question 1 – Should we still stay at home as much as possible and maintain social distancing?

The short answer is yes – that is what is recommended by the Scottish government! Should you have to leave your place of residence though, it is advised that you maintain strict social distancing measures whereby you keep at least a 2-meter gap between yourself and anyone outside of your household.

Question 2 – What are some of the things we can we do now in Scotland since the easing of lockdown on May 29^th?

According to the Scottish Government, as of May 29^th:

• 2 households are now allowed to meet outdoors – up to a maximum of 8 people – provided that social distancing and hygiene measures are still maintained.
• Public spaces can now be used for recreational purposes to do such things as sunbathe, sit in the park or have a picnic. People shouldn’t share food and drink between households and shouldn’t use shared facilities such as bathrooms. You should also bring your own cutlery, cups etc and use a hand sanitiser before eating.
• You can now travel short distances for outdoor leisure and exercise – suggested to be up to 5 miles from your house.
• Food outlets, restaurants and cafes are now able to provide delivery, take-out and drive-through options.
• Non-contact outdoor sports such as golf, outdoor tennis and angling can now resume providing social distancing and hygiene measures are put in place.

Question 3 – When will Scotland ease lockdown restrictions further?

It will all depend on the rate of infection and how quickly it goes down. The Scottish Government is reviewing restrictions every 3 weeks so at that stage we will know whether the current phase of restrictions will continue or go up or down.

How I’ve been dealing with lockdown personally…

I’ll be honest, life feels a little strange right now in Scotland. I’ve been fortunate enough that neither myself nor my family have been ill with Covid19 thus far (touch wood), so it sort of feels like we’re in a little bubble, cocooned within our houses. At times the death rate really hits you when you sit down and watch the news and it’s hard to take in to be honest, yet at other times it all seems a bit unreal even though you know this is very real and that life may well have changed forever in some ways as we know it.

As far as experiences of lockdown, I’ve went through phases personally of being super productive and having waves of creativity, to having no motivation at all and really struggling with lockdown and being indoors for so long. I’ve now went into a third sort of in between phase, where I am getting used to it, but at same time I am welcoming a little easing of restrictions despite being nervous as well about the potential of another spike in infections happening in Scotland. I’ve noticed within myself and my family since the lockdown began to ease a wee bit though that we’ve been really enjoying the simple things in life again. For example, like a walk through the park or sitting down outside with a coffee. It’s also been fantastic to finally visit family again (outdoors with social distancing in place in their gardens) after so long of not being able to see or speak to them face to face.

We’ve also had a good few months of scorching sunshine and warm weather here in Scotland which we wouldn’t normally get– at least not as prolonged as it has been and as early in the year as we’ve experienced it. So whilst I should have been in Spain for 2 weeks in May, I was actually experiencing better weather in my garden on certain days than what was happening in Salou where I was meant to be! It all felt a bit bizarre to be honest, although I can’t deny I was enjoying this one aspect of lockdown. It has been a shame though for those people who don’t have a garden they can enjoy who would have been stuck indoors at all times unable to venture out into a garden for fresh air. I’m not sure how I would have got by if I had have been in this situation.

On top of everything, as a mature student who was in her final year of university, I also handed in (online) my last assessments during the lockdown which, on top of what was happening with coronavirus, was stressful to say the least! It was also somewhat of an anti-climax, knowing that my graduation ceremony has been cancelled due to Covid19, and that I’ll just be receiving my documents in the post. Nevertheless, having the remainder of my uni assessments to complete during the earlier stages of lockdown was a welcome distraction initially.

At the moment, I am trying to distract myself from lockdown by building a new online business remotely with a friend/business partner whilst also simultaneously getting ready to start my masters in Edinburgh in September. Now that the lockdown restrictions have eased somewhat though, I am also keen to embark on walks a little further away outdoors in Scotland whilst not going too far from home. Hopefully if all goes to plan and the rate of infection continues to drop, we will be able to ease restrictions further in Scotland and continue our path back to some sort of normality…