Scottish cinemas, theatres and concert venues set to remain shut until at least May

Scotland’s cinemas, concert venues and theatres are set to remain closed until at least May under Nicola Sturgeon’s plans to bring the country out of lockdown.

The An Lanntair arts centre in Stornoway was able to stage live events late last year. Picture: John Maher

A return to the controversial levels system is also expected to rule out drive-in events and cinemas reopening until then.

The Scottish Government’s proposed timetable could allow museums, galleries and other indoor attractions to reopen by the end of April, under plans to kick-start a “substantial reopening” of the economy by then.

However their reopening plans could be affected by travel restrictions which are not expected to be confirmed until much nearer the time.

The First Minister hopes all parts of the country will be able to move to level three of its five-tier system from 26 April, the earliest date for the reboot of Scottish hospitality and tourism.

However a detailed timetable for easing restrictions into the summer is not expected to be set out until the middle of next month.

Indoor and outdoor events were only previously allowed in level one areas, included the Highlands, Outer Hebrides, Shetland and Orkney, last year.

With different parts of Scotland expected to be on different levels, it could be well into the summer before live events are allowed in areas with the highest infection rates.

The Usher Hall is one of the main venues normally used for the Edinburgh International Festival.

The Scottish Government has refused to set out provisional dates for the return of events and festivals, unlike the UK Government.

Boris Johnson’s plans to bring out of lockdown would see drive-in events allowed to operate from 12 April. Other outdoor events will be allowed from 17 May, while indoor venues could operate at half-capacity from then.

Geoff Ellis, chief executive of Scottish event organisers DF Concerts, said: “It’s reassuring that, ultimately the outcomes in Scotland are likely to be very similar, including timescales, as the rest of the UK, especially given the lower number of cases in Scotland

"Many people are naturally a bit deflated after yesterday’s positivity, but I’m sure it’s only going to be a short delay before Scotland has the same outlook as England in terms of the summer.

"The vaccine roll out and reduction in cases is the really positive news that we all needed to hear and we are where we thought we would be had the Prime Minister not said as much as he did.”

Ms Sturgeon said: “In addition to the concerns of businesses, I also know people across the country are anxious for as much clarity as possible.

"I want to give as much as possible while avoiding giving false assurance or picking arbitrary dates that have no grounding at this stage in any objective assessment.

"I’m as confident as I can be that the indicative, staged, timetable I’ve set out - from now until late April when the economy will start to substantially re-open - is a reasonable one.

“In mid March - when we have made further progress on vaccines and have greater understanding of the impact of the initial phase of school return - I hope we can set out then more detail of the further reopening that will take place over April and May and into a summer when we hope to be living with much greater freedoms than we are today.

"For now, however, the most important priority we still have is to suppress the virus.”

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