Drinking outside in all level four areas will be illegal from Saturday

Addressing Parliament this afternoon, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, announced that as of Saturday, it will be illegal to consume alcohol outside in all level four areas.
Drinking outside in all level 4 areas will be illegal from SaturdayDrinking outside in all level 4 areas will be illegal from Saturday
Drinking outside in all level 4 areas will be illegal from Saturday

While different areas in Scotland have different rules on outdoor consumption of alcohol, the new restrictions mean that for every area under level four restrictions, it will now be illegal.

Therefore, buying a takeaway pint from a pub and drinking it outdoors will not be allowed.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Before the pandemic, local authorities had the power to make by-laws to prohibit alcohol being consumed in public places.

For example, it was legal to drink alcohol outside in Edinburgh, but not in Glasgow, Aberdeen or Dundee.

The First Minister said that that she understands it will not be a popular move but that it underlines the fact that nobody should be leaving their homes to socialise anyway.

Ms Sturgeon continued on to say that the situation in the country “remains precarious and serious” so it was necessary to bring further rules in to suppress the virus.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

She added that further steps needed to be taken to stop people from interacting both indoors and outdoors because the case numbers are so high and the new variant is “so infectious”.

All six new measures announced will come into force on Saturday, January 16.

These include a limit being placed on the ‘click and collect’ service, with only retailers selling essential goods being allowed to continue the service and takeaways no longer being able to allow customers inside when picking up orders, everything must be handed through a hatch or doorway.

A message from the Editor:Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.