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4 key differences between Scotland and England's lockdown rules

Nicola Sturgeon and Boris Johnson have imposed different national COVID restrictions on Scotland and England respectively. (Getty Images)
Nicola Sturgeon and Boris Johnson have imposed different national COVID-19 restrictions on Scotland and England respectively. (Getty Images)

Nicola Sturgeon has announced temporary new measures aimed at restricting the spread of the coronavirus in Scotland.

These include pubs, restaurants and cafes being banned from selling alcohol indoors for more than two weeks.

It’s yet another example of the Scottish government choosing its own path in the pandemic, and imposing different rules to those of the Westminster government in England.

Watch: Sturgeon bans pubs and restaurants from selling alcohol indoors for two weeks

It means there are a number of key differences in how people’s freedoms are being restricted in Scotland and England.

Here, Yahoo News UK takes you through them...

1. Visiting people’s homes

In Scotland, people are not allowed to visit the homes of people they don’t live with. In England, people are still allowed to gather in another person’s home in groups of up to six.

2. ‘Rule of six’ differences

In both Scotland and England, there is a “rule of six”, meaning groups of up to six people are allowed to meet outdoors, or in a pub, restaurant or cafe.

The difference is how many households can make up a group. In Scotland, the group must only consist of a maximum two households. In England, there can be six different households.

In addition, children under 12 are not counted towards this six-person limit in Scotland. In England, children do count: something that has been a major point of contention among Conservative backbench MPs.

3. Weddings and funerals

In Scotland, the maximum number of people allowed to attend weddings and funerals is 20. The limits are different in England: 15 for weddings and 30 for funerals.

4. Opening hours and alcohol at indoor venues

On Wednesday, Sturgeon announced indoor hospitality venues will only be allowed to operate between 6am and 6pm between 9 and 25 October, selling food and non-alcoholic drinks only.

In England, indoor hospitality venues face a 10pm curfew and are still allowed to sell alcohol.

People sit in a pub in London Bridge, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in London, Britain, September 24, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
Pubs must close at 10pm in England. (Hannah McKay/Reuters)

Note on local lockdowns

The differences listed above refer to national restrictions. However, both Scotland and England have been imposing tougher local restrictions.

For example, after Sturgeon announced the 6am to 6pm opening hours for indoor hospitality venues nationwide, she added pubs and licensed cafes in five areas – Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Arran, Lothian, and Forth Valley – are not allowed to open at all during the 16-day period. They must shut to all but takeaway customers.

In England, meanwhile, there is no national ban on, for example, visiting someone else’s home. However, this is not allowed in numerous areas in the North East and North West, where local lockdowns have been enforced.

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