All mainland council areas in Scotland - except Glasgow and Moray - have moved from Level 3 to Level 2 Covid restrictions.

Both Glasgow and Moray will remain in Level 3 while most islands have moved to Level 1. 

But what are the current levels in Scotland, what do they mean and how do they compare to the rest of the UK?

Scotland's Covid guidelines 

Apart from Glasgow and Moray, Scotland has moved to at least Level 2. 

In Level 2 areas, six people from three households will be able to meet indoors, the same number can meet in a hospitality venue, and eight people from eight houses can meet outdoors.

Hugs are also permitted between loved ones, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has still urged people to be cautious. 

READ MORE: Glasgow to stay in Level 3 lockdown as case numbers rise

Alcohol can be served indoors in pubs, cafes and restaurants, cinemas, theatres, concert halls, music venues, comedy clubs, amusement arcades, casinos, snooker halls and bingo halls can open in a further extension of what was previously announced.

Pubs can open and sell alcohol indoors until 10.30pm in two-hour booked slots. Local licensing laws will apply outdoors.

Outdoor adult contact sport can restart and non-professional performance arts can resume outdoors.

Social distancing during meetings indoors or in private gardens will be dropped, allowing people to hug loved ones again.

Universities and colleges will be able return to a more blended model of learning.

Outdoor and indoor events can also resume with maximum capacities indoors of 100, outdoors seated of 500 and outdoors free-standing of 250.

Scotland will move to a traffic light system for international travel, similar to that already announced for England, though she said Scots should “think seriously” about whether to take overseas holidays.

Scotland's Island restrictions

The vast majority of islands will move to Level 1 on Monday as a result of virus being sufficiently under control in these areas.

Up to 12 people from 12 households can socialise outdoors and up to eight people from three households can socialise indoors in a public place, with hospitality able to remain open indoors until 11pm.

Attendance at events can increase, with maximum capacities indoors of 200, outdoors seated of 1,000 and outdoor free-standing of 500.

On Sunday, national clinical director Jason Leitch urged caution as the rules relaxed.

He said: “We have decided, with advice, that on Monday the rest of the country is safe to move to the next stage.

“But we all said the hugging, the increased hospitality, that should all be done very cautiously.

“So don’t go crazy but we think it can be kept under control.”

What has been said?

Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: “Covid restrictions ease further today as many parts of Scotland move to level 2 (sadly not yet Glasgow City or Moray) and many islands to level 1.

“This is a long awaited moment but remember that the virus still poses a big threat, so please continue to be cautious & very careful.”

Deputy First Minister John Swinney told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland: “I think there is obviously grounds for a lot of optimism and the relaxation of restrictions enables people to get on with more and more of their lives.

“But the situation that we face in Glasgow and in Moray illustrates just how fragile the progress that we are making is – so I suppose what I would say to members of the public is that we need to continue to tread carefully and cautiously and wearily as we relax these restrictions.

“As we enjoy some of the freedoms that we now have, we’ve got to handle them with a great deal of care.”

When asked about lifting restrictions earlier in Moray, he added: “I doubt it could come earlier but we will certainly review it as we promised we would do in the course of this week and we’ll continue to look at other situations around the country.

“The last thing we want to do is to have local authority areas going in and out of restrictions like a yo-yo, that’s the worst of all possible models for the business community and the wider community.

Covid restrictions in England

From Monday, people in England will be able to meet outdoors in groups of up to 30, and indoors in groups of six, or two households.

Pubs and restaurants will be able to serve customers indoors, although they will be limited to table service.

Other recreational venues such as cinemas, museums, theatres and concert halls will be allowed to reopen, although there will be capacity limits on large events.

Up to 30 people will be allowed at weddings, and the cap on the number of mourners attending funerals will be lifted, in line with the safe capacity of the venue.

Secondary school pupils will no longer be told to wear face masks in class and communal areas, and university students will return to campus for in-person lectures.

The “stay in the UK” restriction will lift and people will be able to travel to “green list” countries without having to quarantine, provided they take one post-arrival test.

Covid restrictions in Wales

Wales will move to alert level two on Monday with the reopening of indoor hospitality and entertainment venues.

The reopening of indoor service for pubs, restaurants, bars and cafes as well as entertainment venues like cinemas will come alongside allowing up to 30 people to take part in organised indoor events and up to 50 people in organised outdoor events.

READ MORE: Scots cases of Indian Covid variant ‘of concern’ quadruple in a week

First Minister Mark Drakeford said the country could allow small food festivals and small live music and arts events to resume too if the Indian variant poses no need to pause relaxing restrictions.

Mr Drakeford said that though international travel would be allowed from Monday under a traffic light system, the Government’s concerns about reimporting the virus meant it would advise people not to travel abroad during 2021.

Covid restrictions in Northern Ireland 

Indoor hospitality is set to reopen in Northern Ireland on May 24 with mitigations, subject to a review on May 20.

Mitigations include permitting up to six people to sit together, removing the restriction on the number of households they can be from.

Indoor visits in a domestic setting are also to be allowed involving six people from no more than two households and indoor visitor attractions including amusement arcades, bingo halls, museums, galleries and cinemas are to reopen from May 24.