Coronavirus: 'Stay at home' rule lifted

Scotland's 'stay at home' rule has been lifted - and replaced with an instruction to 'stay local'.

It comes during the latest phase of lockdown measures easing across the country.

But we still cannot leave our own council area - with that rule set to change on April 26.

Professor Jason Leitch, the national clinical director, told Original 106: "What we're suggesting is that this weekend, we can start to get out a little bit more, so you don't just have to go from door back to door again - you can move around.

"We'd still like you to that within your local authority, so it's not a big change, but it just allows a little bit more freedom.

"It depends where you live how much difference this will make. In some of the more urban places where the local authorities are quite small, it might not make that much difference, but in some of our rural areas - even though we're asking them to stay local - will allow people to do just that little bit more."

Prof Leitch says the coronavirus numbers allow the Scottish Government to make the changes.

He said: "The data is stable at worst, if not falling slightly. The case rate, though, is a bit stubborn - so I'd like to see that move more - but we're not seeing what we saw at the beginning of this outbreak: broad community transmission and very fast acceleration.

"The behaviour of each of us matters, and the second thing is the vaccination programme. Now, 50% of Scotland's adults have had their first dose, we're reaching the end point for those top nine most vulnerable groups, but then we're moving to all adults into July and that will make such a huge difference."

On Monday, further rules will relax allowing the likes of hairdressers and garden centres to reopen - and click-and-collect services to resume.