COMMUNITIES in the south west of Scotland will still need to restrict travel to five miles while the rule across the rest of Scotland is to be relaxed – while some businesses will be able to reduce the two-mete rule.

Some businesses will be able to cut the two-metre rule in half by the end of next week in phase three of the routemap out of lockdown as long as mitigation measures are followed, young children will no longer need to physical distance outdoors and face masks are to become mandatory in shops.

Outdoor cafes and beers gardens will re-open in Scotland on Monday.

Nicola Sturgeon announced that loations including Gretna, Annan and Lockerbie will not see the travel limit relaxed after a local outbreak of Covid-19.

There have been 10 positive cases with three "high risk" work places identified in the outbreak, including Carlisle Hospital, along with two factories. 

Ms Sturgeon said she was “genuinely sorry” about the continued restriction for those communities and warned residents not to travel across the border to use pubs in England.

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The five-mile limit for leisure travel will be lifted from tomorrow as will restrictions on self-catering, self-contained accommodation.

The two-metre rule in Scotland will mostly remain at two metres, but there could be a widespread relaxation at a future date.

Ms Sturgeon said: “Our general advice will remain unchanged.

“You should remain two metres away for people in other households.”

She added that two metres will remain the “benchmark for the Test and Protect system”.

But exceptions will be allowed to relax the two-metre rule with mitigation measures to be agreed – including for public transport, outdoor hospitality, indoor hospitality and retail.

Ms Sturgeon said: “There’s risks in everything we do right now and as the advisory group said, the science hasn’t changed.  

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“It is a statement of the obvious that as you come closer to another person, your risk of transmitting a virus to them or getting it from them increases – but  the risk can be mitigated and therefore it is a valued policy judgement about the tolerances that we are prepared to accept. 

“I think we can do this in certain settings but only if the appropriate mitigations are agreed and implemented and businesses who want to operate at less than two metres are absolutely insidious in the implementation of these mitigations. That is the requirement of allowing the exemptions. 

“I do think that as we go further down the path of coming out of lockdown, we have to exercise much more individual judgment and responsibility, but to do that we have to have information.” 

The First Minister said that people will be informed about how much risk there is of picking up the virus where they live and that business-owners relaxing the two-metre rules must make that clear to customers. 

She said: “The Scottish Government is going to be producing much more detailed surveillance information that allows people to know an assessment of the risk of the virus in their own areas, that will be developed over the next few weeks. 

“Equally, if you are going somewhere and that business has decided to operate one-metre with mitigations rather than two metres, you have a right to know that before you go in so that  you can assess whether want to do that or not.” 

Ms Sturgeon added: “We are now going into a situation where we are not relying on the blunt instrument of stay at home to control this virus – we are relying on all of us doing a basket of things. If we all do that basket of things responsibly, we can continue to keep it at a level we need to keep it at.  

“If some of us stop doing some of these things or take too many risks, we’ll end up with multiple Dumfries and Galloways and that’s what we have to avoid.” 

Face coverings will be made mandatory in shops in Scotland from July 10.

Shoppers have been urged to wear the items for many weeks as scientific evidence shows the barrier can contribute to stopping people unknowingly passing the virus onto others.

The Scottish Government previously made face coverings mandatory on public transport and is enforceable by the police.

The First Minister has now confirmed that those entering shops will have to wear the protection.

Children under five will be exempt from this rule, she added, along with those with certain medical conditions. 

But she said: "For everyone else face coverings will be mandatory." 

She added: “We know the use of face coverings can reduce the risk of infection indoors.

“Face coverings in shops will be compulsory in shops from the end of next week.”

From tomorrow, children aged 11 and under will be able to play outdoors, without physical distancing, in groups of up to eight and of no more than two other households.

Children aged 12 to 17 are asked to continue to physically distance but can meet in groups of up to eight outdoors and no more than two other households at a time.

There will be no limit placed on the total number of households children can meet in one day, enabling siblings to meet separate groups or friends, or to meet groups in addition to those their parents or carers may take part in.