They included, among others changes, a relaxation of the rules around social gatherings, the opening up of places of worship for communal prayer and congregational services, the full re-opening of our retail and hospitality sectors – all with ongoing public health measures such as physical distancing and enhanced hygiene measures. The changes to the restrictions made from the 10 th to 22 nd July were significant. This provided a solid platform for further, careful easing of restrictions, consistent with our approach to mitigating the overall harm from the crisis – to our health, economy and society more broadly. Phase 3 began (10 July) with daily new confirmed cases averaging in single digits, daily confirmed deaths averaging below one (and closer to zero) and with an estimated 700 infectious people in Scotland. It was safe to progress because we met the necessary conditions that had been set, including on suppressing the virus. Scotland progressed to Phase 3 of the Route Map following the 9 th July review.
