Good afternoon, There is good news for thousands of Scots who have been shielding throughout the coronavirus pandemic after Nicola Sturgeon announced that restrictions will be relaxed from tomorrow. Those shielding will now be able to meet indoors with up to eight people from a maximum of two different households as well as going to pubs and restaurants, indoor shops, markets and pharmacies. The shielding advice is also set to be suspended completely from August 1, the First Minister announced during her daily Covid-19 briefing. A message from the editor: While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you. With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription. Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up. Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website. Your feedback is really important, please email me with any comments and suggestions at joy.yates@jpimedia.co.uk Joy Yates Editorial Director JPIMedia Scotland |