Gigs could return in Scotland from September 14th, following the announcement of changes to Phase Three lockdown restrictions.

The new guidance, announced by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, would allow music venues to reopen, assuming that social distancing measures are in place and crowd numbers are limited.

And the same rules will apply to outdoor events, which can resume from August 24th, although it’s likely that audiences will have to remain seated at outdoor events at least for the next few weeks, unless situated in a large open space.

Theatres and music venues will also be able to commence preparations on August 24th for a September 14th public reopening date.

The news comes along with a raft of guidance for other leisure activities and venues, with sports stadiums, swimming pools, gyms, bingo halls, amusement arcades, snooker and pool halls, driving lessons and bowling alleys all able to plan their resumption with hygiene and social distancing measures in place.

The First Minister said: “On balance, taking account of the different harms that COVID and the restrictions imposed to tackle it are inflicting on the country, we have decided that the re-openings pencilled in for the 24 August can proceed.

“I must stress though that such re-opening should only happen when the appropriate guidance covering that activity or setting has been implemented. We will also monitor the impact carefully and, as with everything else, we will not hesitate to reimpose restrictions should that prove necessary.”

“The 24 August changes include some outdoor live events – with physical distancing, enhanced hygiene and restricted numbers. We hope that further changes will be possible from 14 September, in line with what is currently set out in the route map.

The latest advice can be found on the Scottish Government website.