Announcing the new restrictions in the Scottish Parliament, Ms Sturgeon said that she was making £40m available to assist businesses affected by the new restrictions.
The new measures will come into effect from 6pm on Friday 9 October and last through two weeks and three weekends to 25 October, and come as the UK government in London is understood to be considering a similar “circuit breaker” plan.
All licensed premises in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Arran, Lothian and Forth Valley health board areas – covering the whole of the populous central belt area, including capital Edinburgh – will be closed for both indoor and outdoor operations.
In the rest of the country, indoor hospitality venues will be allowed to operate only between 6am and 6pm daily and will be barred from selling alcoholic drinks.
UK news in picturesShow all 50
UK news in pictures 7 October 2020 Artist Hannah Uzor with her painting of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, Queen Victoria’s African goddaughter, at Osborne, the Queen’s seaside home on the Isle of Wight. The organisation is displaying the portrait as part of a plan to feature works of overlooked black figures connected with its sites
English Heritage/PA
UK news in pictures 6 October 2020 Two swimmers run into the sea as the sun rises over Boscombe beach in Dorset
PA
UK news in pictures 5 October 2020 Veteran fundraiser Lloyd Scott, who is attempting to climb the Three Peaks whilst wearing a deep sea diving suit, is followed by members of his support team during his challenge on Ben Nevis in Scotland
PA
UK news in pictures 4 October 2020 Liverpool players look dejected after their Premier League match against Aston Villa ended 7-2 at Villa Park stadium in Birmingham
AP
UK news in pictures 3 October 2020 People on a Northern Line train in London, after the 10pm curfew pubs and restaurants are subject to in order to combat the rise in coronavirus cases in England
PA
UK news in pictures 2 October 2020 England’s Charlotte Banfield takes part in a practice session ahead of the 2020 Korev Lager English Adaptive Surfing Open at The Wave in Bristol which takes place tomorrow
PA
UK news in pictures 1 October 2020 A worker spray cleans the Beatles statue in Liverpool
PA
UK news in pictures 30 September 2020 An actor dressed as pantomime dame waves a flag at the entrance of a theatre before marching on Parliament to demand more support for the theatre sector amid the COVID-19 pandemic, in London
AP
UK news in pictures 29 September 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson reacts whilst talking with students during his visit to Exeter College in southwest England
AFP via Getty
UK news in pictures 28 September 2020 A student gestures at the window of the Birley Halls student accommodation, for students at Manchester Metropolitan University, as many students live in a temporary lock-down in a bid to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus Covid-19 on the campus. There are concerns that some young people will face the prospect of being confined to their halls of residence over Christmas
AFP/Getty
UK news in pictures 27 September 2020 The censored side of Cold War Steve’s artwork on Boscombe beach in Bournemouth, England. The satirical artist Cold War Steve has been ordered by the council to cover up a massive windbreak depicting a naked Boris Johnson chasing a pig, which was due to be displayed on Boscombe beach. The artwork was commissioned as part of Bournemouth’s Arts by the Sea festival
Getty
UK news in pictures 26 September 2020 Police move in to disperse protesters in Trafalgar Square in London, at a ‘We Do Not Consent!’ mass rally against vaccination and government restrictions designed to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus, including the wearing of masks and taking tests for the virus
AFP via Getty
UK news in pictures 25 September 2020 Flowers are laid down outside the custody centre where a police officer was shot dead in Croydon, south London
Reuters
UK news in pictures 24 September 2020 A member of the Jewish community inspects an Lulav, which makes up one of the ‘Four Species’, or Arba Minim in Hebrew, before purchasing in London, England. The Four Species, which are mentioned in the Torah, are the Etrog, a citrus fruit, the Lulav which is the frond of date palm, the Hadass, a myrtle bough and Aravah, a willow branch. The items are tied together and are used in ceremony during the week-long festival of Sukkot. Members of the Jewish community across the world have been celebrating the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashanah this year under the shadow of the Coronavirus pandemic
Getty Images
UK news in pictures 23 September 2020 Hei Hei the cockatiel, who was rescued after it landed on a fishing boat 10 miles out at sea near Troon in South Ayrshire
Scottish SPCA/PA
UK news in pictures 22 September 2020 A staff member looks at a wall of faces of descendants related to the Mayflower. It is a part of the Mayflower 400: Legend and Legacy exhibition, the UK’s largest ever commemorative exhibition on the Mayflower. Held at The Box museum in Plymouth, there are works on loan from both Smithsonian and Peabody institutes in America
PA
UK news in pictures 21 September 2020 A mural commemorating Kevin Clarke, who died after he was restrained by Metropolitan Police officers on 9 March 2018, in Lewisham, South London. An inquest into his death is currently ongoing
PA
UK news in pictures 20 September 2020 A flypast to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain flies over Westminster Abbey, London
PA
UK news in pictures 19 September 2020 People sit outside on a street closed to traffic to try to reduce the spread of coronavirus so bars and restaurants can continue to stay open, in the Soho area of central London. Fresh nationwide lockdown restrictions in England appear to be on the cards soon as the British government targeted more areas Friday in an attempt to suppress a sharp spike in new coronavirus infections
AP
UK news in pictures 18 September 2020 A model presents a creation during the Bora Aksu catwalk show at London Fashion Week 2020
Reuters
UK news in pictures 17 September 2020 World kickboxing champion Carl Thomas during his attempt to run a marathon while pulling a plane at Elvington Airfield near York. The attempt is raising funds for Ollie’s Army Battling Against Battens, an organisation campaigning to raise GBP 250,000 to fund a clinical trial aimed at saving the sight of children with CNL2 Batten Disease
PA
UK news in pictures 16 September 2020 Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions
UK Parliament/AFP/Getty
UK news in pictures 15 September 2020 People enjoying the autumn sunshine as they punt along the River Cam in Cambridge
PA
UK news in pictures 14 September 2020 Early morning light bathes the skyscrapers of the City of London, at the start of a week in which the UK is expected to bask in temperatures of more than 30 degrees
PA
UK news in pictures 13 September 2020 England celebrate after they dismissed Australia’s Alex Carey to win the second ODI match of the series at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester
PA
UK news in pictures 12 September 2020 Protesters outside BBC Broadcasting House in central London, as marches and rallies form across the country calling for a 15% pay rise for NHS workers and an increase in NHS funding
PA
UK news in pictures 11 September 2020 An empty migrant dinghy floats off the beach at St Margaret’s Bay after the occupants landed from France in Dover
Getty
UK news in pictures 10 September 2020 A view of small boats thought to be used in migrant crossings across the Channel at a storage facility in Dover, Kent
PA
UK news in pictures 9 September 2020 EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier, left, arriving from the Eurostar with EU Ambassador to the UK, Portuguese diplomat Joao Vale de Almeida at St Pancras International railway station, London, for the latest round of the negotiations on a free trade deal between the EU and the UK
PA
UK news in pictures 8 September 2020 Dawn over Coquet Island, a small island off Amble on the Northumberland coast
PA
UK news in pictures 7 September 2020 A hovercraft arrives to Southsea, Hampshire from the Isle of Wight
PA
UK news in pictures 6 September 2020 Forensics officers near the scene of multiple reported stabbings in Birmingham
Reuters
UK news in pictures 5 September 2020 Anti-migrant protesters demonstrate in Dover against immigration and the journeys made by refugees crossing the Channel to Kent
PA
UK news in pictures 4 September 2020 Activists take part in a demonstration against the HS2 hi-speed rail line outside the Department of Transport
AFP via Getty
UK news in pictures 3 September 2020 Peter Baker, who plays Trigger in the musical version of Only Fools and Horses, sweeps the stage of the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London, after observing a 15 minute silence to show solidarity with those in the theatre industry that have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic
PA
UK news in pictures 2 September 2020 Kadie Lane, right, 11, and Brooke Howourth, 11, hug on their walk to Marden Bridge Middle School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, for their first day of term, as schools in England reopen to pupils following the coronavirus lockdown
PA
UK news in pictures 1 September 2020 Extinction Rebellion protesters sitting outside The Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London
PA
UK news in pictures 31 August 2020 Surfers at Long Sands Beach, Tynemouth
PA
UK news in pictures 30 August 2020 Black Lives Matter protesters march through Notting Hill in London in the first Million People March
EPA
UK news in pictures 29 August 2020 A protester reacts as she demonstrates against the lockdown and use of face masks, amid the coronavirus disease outbreak, outside Downing Street in London
Reuters
UK news in pictures 28 August 2020 Caribbean soca dancers display their costumes as they promote the first ever digital Notting Hill Carnival, following the cancellation of the normal Carnival festivities due to the continued spread of the coronavirus disease, in London
Reuters
UK news in pictures 27 August 2020 Father and son team Chris and Sam Milford from historic building conservation specialists WallWalkers begin restoration work on the spire of Norwich Cathedral, which stands at over 312ft high. The first known spire was completed in 1297
PA
UK news in pictures 26 August 2020 Giant waves at Seaham in County Durham, as the bad weather continues
PA
UK news in pictures 25 August 2020 An assistant at the Wallace Monument cleans the case which houses the William Wallace sword in the Hall of Arms room at the monument near Stirling as they prepare to re-open
PA
UK news in pictures 24 August 2020 Restored World War Two landing craft LCT 7074 is transported from from the Naval Base in Portsmouth to its final resting place at the D-Day Story at Southsea
PA
UK news in pictures 23 August 2020 Jenny Nguyen and Tony Cao, from Vietnam, pose for wedding photos on Tower Bridge in London, as it remains closed to vehicles after it was stuck open on Saturday due to a “mechanical fault”. The landmark’s Twitter account confirmed only pedestrians and cyclists could use it on Sunday morning
PA
UK news in pictures 22 August 2020 England’s Zak Crawley hit 267, joining the exclusive Double Hundred club, on day two of the Third Test match against Pakistan at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton
PA
UK news in pictures 21 August 2020 Harri Teale gathers lavender during the annual harvest on the Wolds Way Lavender farm near Malton in North Yorkshire
PA
UK news in pictures 20 August 2020 Parents and a student react after checking GCSE results at Ark Academy in London
Reuters
UK news in pictures 19 August 2020 Tate Modern workers hold a strike outside the gallery in London, to protest the institution’s announcement that it would cut more than 300 jobs from its commercial arm, Tate Enterprises
PA
Outdoor bars, restaurants and cafes outside the five health board areas will be allowed to remain open up until 10pm and will be allowed to sell alcohol up to that time.
People in the central belt of Scotland have been asked to avoid public transport unless absolutely necessary in the next two weeks.
While a travel restriction is not being enforced on people in the central belt, Ms Sturgeon urged those living in these areas not to travel beyond their own health boards.
The First Minister said: “I’m well aware that the measures I have outlined today are disruptive to many businesses – obviously especially hospitality businesses – and they will be unwelcome to many people across the country.
“But although they are significant as they need to be to make an impact, they do not represent a lockdown. In fact they are designed to reduce the likelihood of a future lockdown.
“We’re not requiring people to stay inside all day as we were earlier in the year. Schools will stay open, learning will continue in our universities and colleges, shops will continue to trade, businesses like manufacturing and construction will continue.
“And these new restrictions are intended to last for 16 days, they are intended to be short, sharp action to arrest a worrying increase in infection.”
Despite the recent spike in infections north of the border, Ms Sturgeon stressed that cases are not rising as quickly as in March, and are currently just 13% of the highest point of the pandemic.
But she warned that without the temporary restrictions there was “a very real risk that the virus will run out of control by the end of this month”.
“With them, we hope to slow down its spread,” she said. “That will help us keep schools and businesses, including hospitality businesses, open over the winter.
“And fundamentally, it will also save lives.”
Source: UK Politics - www.independent.co.uk