THE Scottish Government has published the legislation bringing in the new Covid lockdown, including a long list of "reasonable excuses" for leaving the house.

The statutory instrument tweaks the regulations which created Scotland's five tier system in November.

It cuts the number of people aged 12 and over who can meet outdoors to two from two households, and creates a requirement on people living in Level 4 areas - the entire Scottish mainland - to stay in their home unless they have a reasonable excuse to go out.

Although Nicola Sturgeon told Holyrood the new lockdown would last all January, she did not rule out an extension.

The new legislation does not include an expiry date.

However the regulations it amends are not due to expire until March 31.

The long list of examples of reasonable excuses, running from paragraphs (a) to (z), includes shopping for food and household items, caring for others, exercise or recreation, and receiving medical treatment, including the vaccine against coronavirus.

It also includes giving blood, feeding and animal, selling or buying a house, and voting,

Examples of reasonable excuses to leave the home: 

(a) obtain or provide— 

(i) food and medical supplies for those in the same household (including animals in the household) or for vulnerable persons, 

(ii) supplies for the essential upkeep, maintenance and functioning of the household, or the household of a vulnerable person, 

(b) work or provide voluntary or charitable services, where it is not possible for the person to do so from home, 

(c) access, provide or receive childcare, education or training, including a support service for parents or expectant parents, 

The Herald:

(d) lead an act of worship, 

(e) provide care or assistance to a vulnerable person, 

(f) visit a person detained in a prison, young offenders institution, remand centre, secure accommodation or other place of detention, 

(g) provide or receive emergency assistance, 

(h) provide or obtain medical assistance, including accessing any of the following— 

(i) audiology services, 

(ii) chiropody services, 

(iii) chiropractic services, 

(iv) dental services, 

(v) ophthalmic services, 

(vi) osteopathic services, 

(vii) services relating to mental health,

(viii) vaccination services, 

The Herald:

(i) accompany a person obtaining medical assistance, or visit a person receiving treatment in a hospital or who is residing in a hospice or care home, 

(j) avoid injury, illness or other risk of harm, or support someone who is doing so, 

(k) move home or undertake activities in connection with the maintenance, purchase, sale, letting, or rental of residential property that the person owns or is otherwise responsible for, 

(l) participate in or facilitate shared parenting arrangements, 

(m) fulfil a legal obligation or participate in legal proceedings where it is not possible for the person to do so from the place where the person is living, 

(n) vote, or register to vote, in an election (including to vote as proxy),

(o) donate blood, 

(p) access public services, including any of the following, where it is not possible for the person to do so from the place where the person is living— 

(i) social services, 4 

(ii) services provided by the Department for Work and Pensions,

(iii) services provided to victims (such as victims of crime), 

(iv) asylum and immigration services and interviews, 

(q) access services provided by voluntary or charitable services, including food banks,

(r) access waste disposal or recycling facilities, 

(s) obtain money from or deposit money with a business mentioned in paragraph 2(3)(j) or (k), where it is not possible for the person to do so from the place where the person is living, 

(t) undertake exercise or recreation— 

(i) outdoors, 

(ii) that starts and ends at the same place, which place must be— 

(aa) in the local government area in which that person lives, or 

(bb) within 5 miles of such local government area, and 

(iii) is either undertaken— 

(aa) alone, 

(bb) with members of that person’s household, 

(cc) in a gathering within [a specific legal] meaning  

The Herald:

(u) where the person is a professional sportsperson, or the coach of a professional sportsperson, coach, train or compete, 

(v) attend a solemnisation of a marriage or registration of a civil partnership, 

(w) attend a funeral or to travel for compassionate reasons which relate to the end of a person’s life, 

(x) feed or care for an animal, including obtaining veterinary services,

(y) where the person is a member of an extended household, visit a member of the household which forms the other part of the extended household in the place where that other member is living, and 

(z) facilitate the formation of an end of term household, where either or both of the student or the other household which will make up the end of term household live outwith the same area or, as the case may be, in a Level 4 area.