"less likely" in 2021 following a rise in covid cases on the continent. dozens of police officers have tested positive for covid-19 two weeks after the rangers celebrations. 21 march – fans of celtic and rangers have been praised by police scotland for following stay at home rules during an old firm clash between the football rivals. 24 march – the western isles are moved back down to level 3 from 18:00. the scottish government announces that nhs staff in scotland will receive a pay rise of at least 4%. 25 march – organisers of the belladrum festival, scheduled for the end of july, have cancelled the 2021 event. 26 march – figures from the office for national statistics indicate scotland to have the highest number of covid cases in the uk, and a slight rise in covid figures is also reported in scotland as the rest of the uk's cases level out. 27 march – the latest figures show that as of the previous day, 2,358,807 people had received their first covid vaccination, while 294,714 have received their second. on the same day, a further 563 new covid cases were recorded, along with six deaths. 28 march – a further 422 covid cases are recorded for the most recent 24 hours, but no further covid related deaths. 30 march – first minister nicola sturgeon confirms the "stay at home" order for scotland will be lifted from friday 2 april, while hairdressers, barbers, garden centres, click and collect and homeware stores can reopen from 5 april. 31 march – the latest figures show that 2,463,069 people have received their first covid vaccination, and 338,443 have received their second, while covid-related deaths continue to fall. april 2021 1 april – dr gregor smith, scotland's chief medical officer, says that doses of the moderna covid-19 vaccine could arrive in scotland within days. the quarantine rules are amended to allow children arriving unaccompanied into scotland to quarantine at home rather than at a designated hotel. 2 april – the "stay at home" order is lifted in scotland, and replaced with a three-week "stay local" order that requires people to stay within their local council area. 3 april – thousands of people gather at edinburgh's the meadows to enjoy the good weather. three arrests are made after fighting breaks out among some of the parkgoers. 5 april – hairdressers, barbers, garden centres, click and collect and homeware stores are permitted to reopen. health secretary jeane freeman tells bbc radio scotland's good morning scotland the scottish government is looking at the possibility of a "digital certificate" as a way for people to prove they have been vaccinated. 6 april – first minister nicola sturgeon confirms that all secondary school pupils will return full time to the classroom after the easter holidays. they will no longer need to follow social distancing rules, but must wear face coverings throughout the school. 7 april – the first doses of the moderna covid vaccine are administered in scotland at the sse hydro in glasgow. the scottish government gives its approval for 12,000 spectators to attend euro 2020 matches at hampden park in june, meaning roughly 25% of the stadium's crowd capacity will be utilised. 8 april – health secretary jeane freeman says the scottish government failed to understand the needs of social care when discharging elderly patients from hospital to care homes during the pandemic. 10 april – national clinical director professor jason leitch receives his first covid vaccination. 11 april – a further 250 new covid cases are recorded for the most recent 24-hour period, and no further deaths. 13 april – invitations are to be sent out to adults in the 45–49 age group for their first covid vaccine. first minister nicola sturgeon announces that the stay local rule will be lifted from friday 16 april, allowing people to travel around scotland. six people from six separate households will also be able to meet up outdoors. the easing of these rules has been moved forward in order to help people's mental health. the edinburgh international festival will return in 2021, but exclusively with outdoor events. 14 april – figures from national records of scotland indicate march 2021 to be the first month since october 2020 when covid was not cited as the leading cause of death. 16 april – the stay local rule is lifted for scotland and up to six people from six different households are allowed to meet up outside again, but people are still not permitted to stay overnight outside their council area, and the advice remains for people to shop within their council area whenever possible. 18 april – a full breakdown of covid-19 related deaths in every scottish care home is published by the crown office. 20 april – first minister nicola sturgeon confirms the reopening of outdoor hospitality, gyms and non-essential retail from monday 26 april. non-essential travel between scotland and the uk's other home nations is also permitted again from that date. 21 april – official figures have indicated the lowest weekly covid-related deaths since october 2020, with 24 death certificates mentioning the virus in the week of 11–18 april, down from 34 the previous week. public health scotland says it "cannot rule out" a link between the discharge of patients from hospital and care home deaths from covid-19. 22 april – public health officials confirm that a digital scheme to enable people to prove their vaccine status is under development. 23 april – scotland's r number falls for the first time in four weeks, dropping from 1.0–0.8 to 0.7–0.9. nine of the 16 entrances to glasgow's kelvingrove park are locked to discourage visitors after public disturbances, while police warn people not to break covid regulations over the coming weekend, which is forecast to have sunny weather. 26 april – non-essential shops, gyms, swimming pools, pubs, restaurants and cafes are allowed to reopen, while travel between scotland and the rest of the uk is also permitted again. as the number of second covid vaccines passes a million, figures show that 1,068,704 people (23.5% of the adult population) have received their second vaccine, while 2.8 million (61%) have had their first dose. rapid flow tests are made available to everyone in scotland, and can be picked up from walk in test centres and drive through centres without an appointment from 3.30pm each day. 29 april – universities are reported to be in talks with the scottish government over plans to allow overseas students to bypass hotel quarantine. 30 april – every scottish council area apart from moray has met the criteria for dropping down to level two restrictions by having a weekly average of below 50 covid cases. moray had 50.1 on 27 april, having initially met the criteria the previous day. may 2021 2 may – following the first full week of trading for non-essential retail in scotland, the scottish retail consortium (src) declares the reopening a success, and says scottish retailers have performed better than their counterparts in england and wales. 4 may – jillian evans, head of health intelligence at nhs grampian, warns that level 3 restrictions may remain in place past mid-may in moray if covid case numbers do not fall. mcgill's bus services calls for social distancing rules on public transport to be relaxed in order to cater for the increased volume of passengers associated with the easing of covid rules. 5 may – figures from national records of scotland indicate that 20 of the 32 council areas recorded no covid deaths in the week of 26 april–2 may; 19 covid related deaths were recorded in total during that week. figures from scotland's health service show that more than a billion pieces of personal protective equipment (ppe) have been issued since the start of the pandemic. more than 40 covid cases are linked to a school in moray as nhs grampian reports an increase in the number of hospital admissions. 6 may – figures published by public health scotland show scotland has experienced its first seven-day period without any covid deaths for eight months, with no deaths recorded between 29 april and 5 may 2021. public health officials warn that moray is experiencing "uncontrolled, sustained community transmission" of covid-19, with a case rate of 81 in 100,000. 8 may – scotland records a day without any covid related deaths. 10 may – following an investigation health officials have concluded that residents of a midlothian nursing home at the centre o a covid outbreak experienced "unnecessary harm and suffering". scotland records a day without any covid related deaths. 11 may – first minister nicola sturgeon confirms that people will be allowed to meet up indoors from monday 17 may, while hugging will also be permitted. in other changes, a traffic lights system for international travel is to come into effect from 17 may. 12 may – as scotland prepares to move from level 3 to level 2 restrictions concern grows about increasing cases of covid in glasgow, where the rate is 58.3 per 100,000, slightly above the threshold for moving down to the lower level. the western isles health board confirms that every adult in the region has been offered their first covid vaccine, with 86.7% having received a first vaccine. 13 may – the scottish solicitors bar association announces a boycott of courts by criminal lawyers on monday 17 may in protest at the lack of funding from the government during the covid crisis. 14 may – first minister nicola sturgeon confirms that glasgow and moray will remain in level 3 restrictions for a further week after the rest of scotland moves to level 2 on monday 17 may due to high rates of covid in those areas. the decision to play the 2021 scottish cup final in front of 600 fans at hampden park is overturned because of rising covid cases in glasgow. 15 may – the latest figures show that 3,003,339 people (roughly two thirds of the population) have now received their first covid vaccine, with 1,599,519 having also received their second. several arrests are made when thousands of fans gather in glasgow city centre after rangers win the 2020–21 scottish premiership. they had been asked not to gather. 16 may – on the eve of the day when scotland is set to move from level 3 to level 2 restrictions, the country's national clinical director professor jason leitch warns glasgow may have to stay in level 3 restrictions for longer than the initial extra week that is planned. 17 may – most of mainland scotland, with the exception of moray and glasgow, moves from level 3 to level 2 restrictions, allowing pubs and restaurants to open for indoor service, and other venues such as bingo halls and cinemas to reopen. hugging is also permitted. the scottish island regions move to level 1. the number of covid cases continues to rise in glasgow, with cases now above 100 in 100,000. 18 may – it is reported that deputy first minister john swinney is to be appointed as minister for covid recovery. it is revealed that an application to have 10,000 rangers fans in attendance at ibrox stadium for a trophy presentation was rejected by the scottish government. 19 may – first minister nicola sturgeon announces her new government following the 2021 scottish parliament election. appointments include humza yousaf as health secretary and confirmation of john swinney as cabinet secretary for covid recovery. the scottish government confirms that people travelling overseas will be able to access a vaccine certificate, either online or by request through the post. national records of scotland confirms that three deaths in scotland have been linked to "extremely rare" reactions to the covid vaccine. 20 may – figures shows that in the week up to 17 may, east renfrewshire rises to 118.3 cases per 100,000, above glasgow at 112.1 to become the highest council area in scotland meaning it could be moved back up to level 3 measures. 21 may – following a review, moray is to be moved from level 3 to level 2 restrictions from midnight, leaving glasgow as the only council area in scotland to remain in level 3. the general assembly of the church of scotland reconvenes, having been cancelled in 2020, but sessions are