Question reference: S5W-34427
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 12 January 2021
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Current status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 26 January 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will clarify how the term, "five miles from the boundary of your local area", in the new lockdown rules is legally defined, and whether a person is only allowed to travel to the boundary of their local area, or is allowed to travel five miles from the boundary of their local area into an adjacent area.
Answer
The legal requirements that apply to travel and, in Level 4 areas, to leaving one’s home without a reasonable excuse are set out in the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) (Scotland) Regulations 2020. They are designed to allow, amongst other things, local outdoor exercise by permitting that to start and finish at a place in the local authority area in which a person lives or is within 5 miles of that area. Guidance stresses that people should stay as close to home as possible including by travelling no further than they need to reach to a safe, non-crowded place to exercise in a socially distanced way.