Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Though we haven't been able to welcome visitors to our special wee corner of Scotland for the last few months, we have moved a step closer following the Statement given by the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, in the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday 24 June. In it, she announced general and indicative dates for the easing of travel and business restrictions as Scotland moves through Phase 2 and into Phase 3 of its Coronavirus (COVID-19) Route Map. The key indicative dates from the announcement were:

• On 3 July, the guidance advising people in Scotland to travel no more than 5 miles for leisure and recreation purposes will be lifted.
• Self-contained holiday accommodation – for example holiday cottages and lodges, or caravans where there are no shared services - can open from 3 July.
• Outdoor hospitality such as beer gardens will be permitted to re-open on Monday 6 July.
• The tourism sector generally - and therefore all holiday accommodation - can re-open from 15 July.
• Pubs and restaurants can open indoors from 15 July - but on a limited basis initially and subject to a number of conditions.

In setting out these indicative dates, the First Minister stressed that while sustained progress has been made to suppress coronavirus, the dates remain contingent on Scotland continuing to make good progress on this. She also stressed that businesses and individuals must continue to comply with the two metres physical distance rule.

This all means that our tourism business are now making plans to reopen in advance of us being able to welcome visitors back to the Peninsulas. However, to protect our community and our visitors, we must do this ‘at a safe distance’ and would ask visitors and tourism businesses alike, to follow our Coronavirus: Visitor Charter so that we can all play our part to protect one another and mitigate the risk of spreading the coronavirus.

If you want to find out more about the COVID-19 Recovery Phases in Scotland and what they might mean for your visit to the Peninsulas, then VisitScotland has an excellent summary on their website. You can get the most up-to-date information on COVID-19 in Scotland at the Scottish Government website.