Lockdown is under way in Scotland in the fight against coronavirus.
People have been ordered to stay at home and will only be allowed to leave for shopping for basic necessities or for exercise.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said as of Monday night Britons will only be able to go out for exercise once a day under the draconian measures.
Gatherings of two of more people are banned, except for members of your own household.
People should go to the shops for essentials like food or medicine as infrequently as possible, the PM said, and should not go out to see friends or family members who do not live at their house.
People can also leave the house for any medical need, to provide care or to help a vulnerable person, or to go work – but only if this is absolutely necessary as a result of being unable to work from home.
Speaking shortly after Johnson, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the measures “amount to what has been described as a lockdown”.
Addressing the nation on Monday night, the Prime Minister said: “Without a huge national effort to halt the growth of this virus, there will come a moment when no health service in the world could possibly cope; because there won’t be enough ventilators, enough intensive care beds, enough doctors and nurses.
“And as we have seen elsewhere, in other countries that also have fantastic health care systems, that is the moment of real danger.
“To put it simply, if too many people become seriously unwell at one time, the NHS will be unable to handle it – meaning more people are likely to die, not just from coronavirus but from other illnesses as well.
“So it’s vital to slow the spread of the disease.”
The new rules mean people should only leave their homes for one of four reasons:
- Shopping for basic necessities such as food and medicine. Shopping trips should be as infrequent as possible.
- One form of exercise a day such as a run, walk, or cycle. This should be done alone or only with people you live with.
- Any medical need, or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person. This includes moving children under the age of 18 between their parents’ homes, where applicable. Key workers or those with children identified as vulnerable can continue to take their children to school.
- Travelling to and from work, but only where work absolutely cannot be done from home.
They also mean the following things are no longer allowed:
- All shops selling non-essential goods, including clothing and electronic stores and other premises including libraries, playgrounds and outdoor gyms, and places of worship will be closed.
- Gatherings of more than two people in public – excluding people you live with – will no longer be allowed.
- All social events , including weddings, baptisms and other ceremonies, but excluding funerals, will be cancelled.
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