Nightclubs in Scotland to close from 27 December

Nightclubs in Scotland are to close for three weeks from 27 December in an attempt to tackle the spread of the Omicron variant.

Deputy first minister John Swinney said the decision was taken after engaging with the late-night sector.

Pubs and other hospitality venues selling alcohol must return to table service with one-metre social distancing between groups for three weeks from 27 December under plans announced by Nicola Sturgeon on Tuesday.

Swinney said nightclubs "should not operate" during this period and financial support would be made available to affected businesses.

However, nightclubs will have the option of staying open as a bar, with distancing and table service.

Swinney said: "Having engaged with the sector, we now propose to require that nightclubs should not operate as such for this three week period.

"While it would be open to them to operate with distancing and table service, and that option will remain, we consider that closure and regulation, combined with financial support, may reduce losses and help these businesses weather what we hope will be a short period until they are able to operate again."

He added that the Scottish government was "acutely aware" of the financial impact on businesses and that details of a £375m support package will be set out shortly. A fund of £66m has been made available to hospitality.

Gavin Stevenson, vice-chair of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) Scotland, said the decision was "regrettable" but the additional support for closed venues was a "pragmatic compromise".

"We are grateful to ministers and civil servants for taking the concerns of the sector into account and committing to additional funding for those businesses," Stevenson said.

"We await further details of the additional support which will now be made available, and would urge ministers to ensure that the new closure grants are proportionate to the scale of need so as to ensure the survival of hard pressed Scottish businesses and protect the jobs of staff who rely on them."

Nightclubs in Wales and Northern Ireland have also been ordered to close after Christmas, alongside other restrictions on hospitality.

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