Scotland’s stay-at-home order will be lifted on 2 April, with a phased reopening of non-essential retail beginning three days later.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon made the announcement in a COVID-19 statement to the Scottish Parliament.

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She said the stay at home order would be replaced with guidance to “stay local” – which she hoped would be in place for no more than three weeks.

The reopening of non-essential retail on 5 April will include barbers and salons, Ms Sturgeon told MSPs.

Click-and-collect retail services, garden centres, car dealerships and homeware stores will also reopen.

More students will be able to return to face-to-face learning, particularly those in college, with those at risk of not finishing their courses the priority.

The first minister said Scotland would come out of lockdown and into a “modified Level 3 on 26 April.

She said the country’s coronavirus vaccine programme will have reached those most at risk of dying from the virus by then, which will “give us the confidence to ease restrictions much more significantly”.

Travel restrictions across the country will also be dropped on that date.

“We hope that restrictions on journeys between Scotland and other parts of the UK and the wider common travel area can also be lifted, if not on April 26, then as soon as possible thereafter,” Ms Sturgeon said.

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