UK Edition
Nicola Sturgeon has been accused of signing a "death sentence" for thousands of Scotland's pubs and restaurants after announcing hospitality firms serving more than half the population must shut for at least 16 days this weekend.
The First Minister said that all licensed premises in the Central Belt, with the exception of hotels for residents and takeaways, will be required to close indoors and outdoors from 6pm on Friday.
Under Ms Sturgeon's latest complicated set of rules, they will remain shut for three weekends until Sunday Oct 25, but this period could be extended as the end date will be kept "under review."
The tough measures will apply in five health board areas - Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Arran, Lothian and Forth Valley - covering around 3.4 million people or 60 per cent of Scotland's population.
Cafes that do not have an alcohol license can stay open until 6pm but snooker and pool halls, indoor bowling alleys, casinos and bingo halls will also shut.
Although mandatory travel restrictions were not imposed, Ms Sturgeon urged people living in the five regions to avoid "public transport unless it is absolutely necessary" and "not to travel outside the health board area they live in."
In the remainder of the country, licensed premises will be allowed to open for indoor service between 6am and 6pm but will be barred from selling alcoholic drinks.
They will be permitted to continue serving alcohol outdoors until the existing curfew time of 10pm, subject to Scotland's limit on gatherings of six people and two households.
The First Minister announced £40 million of support for affected businesses but the hospitality sector said this was not nearly enough and she had "effectively signed a death sentence for many businesses", despite the "real problem" being socialising at home.
The Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA) warned more than two-thirds of pubs, bars and restaurants "could be mothballed or go under", along with more than half the sector's jobs.
Willie Macleod, executive director of UK Hospitality, said: "This is a total catastrophe. It is likely to be the final straw for many that were only just hanging on."
Business groups and MSPs also lashed out at Ms Sturgeon for failing to provide the evidence to justify the shutdown, which is far more draconian than measures implemented south of the Border.
They criticised the lack of notice, consultation or detail on how the £40 million will be distributed and highlighted uncertainty created by mixed messages over a 'circuit breaker' lockdown in recent weeks.
Although Ms Sturgeon reopened the economy at a slower pace than Boris Johnson in the summer, an analysis by Ms Sturgeon's most senior public health officials showed Scotland had the highest 'R' virus reproduction number of any of the four home nations.
It also showed Scotland's doubling time for cases was estimated to be 9.3 days, compared to 11.6 days in England, 11.4 in Wales and 13.7 in Northern Ireland.
At the current daily rate of growth, of seven per cent, it said the number of infections would reach the previous peak recorded in March by the end of this month. Scotland yesterday recorded a record 1,054 cases.
Adam Tomkins, a Scottish Tory MSP, said: "If this isn’t a damning indictment of Sturgeon’s failed strategy, I don’t know what is." Richard Leonard, the Scottish Labour leader, said pubs and bars were being treated like "Sodom and Gomorrah."
Unveiling her blueprint, Ms Sturgeon admitted that "in many respects" it represented a "backward step" but insisted it was not a lockdown as "we are living much more freely now than in the spring and early summer."
She said the restrictions were "intended to be short, sharp action to arrest a worrying increase in infection".
"Without them, there is a risk the virus will be out of control by the end of this month," she told MSPs.
Ms Sturgeon announced that in the Central Belt contact sports, with the exception of professional sport, outdoor live events and group exercise activities will be banned. Gyms will remain open for individual exercise.
The First Minister also unveiled plans for a review of her government's testing strategy and a new "strategic framework setting out the different levels of intervention which can be adopted in the future, either locally or across Scotland." This will be put to a vote in parliament.
But Stephen Montgomery, spokesman for the Scottish Hospitality Group, said: "This is not a 'short, sharp shock', rather a crippling stranglehold that will result in many Scottish pubs and restaurants unable to reopen in lockdown areas if this becomes indefinite."
Andrew McRae, the Federation of Small Businesses' Scotland policy chair, said: "Without sufficient support from government, today’s moves could mean last orders for many independent pubs and restaurants."
Tracy Black, CBI Scotland director, said the latest restrictions were "a crushing blow for a vital part of the Scottish economy" and it was "deeply disappointing" that Ms Sturgeon ordered firms to close without providing details of financial support.
Liz Cameron, the Scottish Chambers of Commerce chief executive, said: "A complete and utter lack of consultation with business only serves to compound the blows of these restrictions.
“We simply cannot continue to keep switching the lights of the economy on and off. Where is the plan to show that this action will stop the spread and where is the plan to manage working and living with the risks of this pandemic in the medium term are questions businesses are asking."
David Lonsdale, director of the Scottish Retail Consortium Director, said: "The current approach falls well short of what is required."
Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Tories' Holyrood leader, said: "A one-day consultation after today’s announcement – and just hours before businesses are forced to close their doors - is just not good enough.
Willie Rennie, the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, said: "These complex set of measures are being rushed through at break neck speed and look more like a panicked knee jerk reaction than a considered, debated and agreed strategy. "
Johann Lamont, the former Scottish Labour leader, told Ms Sturgeon those "responsible for the kite flying and briefing over the last few weeks" should be "ashamed of themselves."
But Ms Sturgeon said: "The people she is inviting me to 'sort out', I guess the people she's referring to are advisers to me and the government who right now are working around the clock to try and help this country through a pandemic."