PLANS to allow the resumption of some outdoor sports from next month in Scotland including fishing have been backed.
Nicola Sturgeon said restrictions may be lifted on limited pursuits outside within days of the next review date of May 28 so long as progress continued to be made to suppress the coronavirus.
Details of the proposals to gradually ease the lockdown will be unveiled this Thursday when the First Minister publishes a routemap on the way forward.
Ahead of the document being published she gave an update on some of its contents at the Scottish Government's daily briefing on the pandemic.
She said: "Within a few days of that, we will aim to allow, for example, more outdoor activity such as being able to sit in the park, meet up outdoors with someone from another household as long as you stay socially distant, some limited outdoor sporting activities like golf and fishing, the opening of garden centres and recycling facilities, and the resumption of some outdoor work."
Her remarks were welcomed by for the Scottish Gamekeepers' Fishing Group.
"We would welcome a return to local area angling and outlined to ministers last week how we feel this may be done safely, minimising the risk of Covid-19 transmission," a SGA Fishing group spokesman said.
“We await to see what Thursday’s announcement brings- and the Government’s timetable for any changes- but allowing a limited and staged opening of fisheries to local anglers would see people benefitting from the physical and mental health benefits of getting outside and into nature.
“Angling is a solitary sport and can be carried out with minimal, if any, contact with others. Social distancing is achieved very easily. Obviously, public health must continue to be the principal concern nationwide but we see no reason why local area angling cannot be compatible with that goal."
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