Covid in Scotland: New rules trigger wave of cancellations

Scotland's new Covid rules have triggered a wave of cancellations across the country.

Edinburgh's Hogmanay events have already been called off and the popular panto season is ending prematurely.

The Irn-Bru Carnival, billed as the biggest indoor attraction of its kind in Europe, will now finish on Christmas Eve instead of 16 January.

And Scottish Premiership clubs have been asked to vote on when the winter break should be introduced.

Meanwhile the Scottish government has confirmed details of a £21m support package for organisations and freelancers who have been hit hard by the fresh restrictions.

Under new rules designed to slow the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, all outdoor events will be limited to just 500 people from Boxing Day.

Indoor events such as concerts will be limited to 200 people if they are seated, or 100 for standing.

Table service and 1m social distancing will return to the hospitality sector from 27 December.

All the new restrictions will be in place for three weeks - although there will be no limit to how many people can meet up at Christmas.

Jo De Sylva, owner of MacGregor's Bar in Inverness, said the new rules meant there would be fewer tables, fewer seats, and fewer people coming through the door.

"Clearly that is going to affect the income we are going to get over this festive period," she said.

"Traditionally, this is a busy period for us but now it is not going to be any different than a Tuesday night in November."

Among events set to be affected by the restrictions are the Old Firm derby on 2 January and a Hearts-Hibs match the following day.

Meanwhile, crowds at the horseracing at Kelso are due to be capped at 500, while meetings at Musselburgh and Ayr early next month will be held behind closed doors.

Iain Gordon, of the Pavilion Theatre in Glasgow, said the sector would "just have to get on with it" but the situation was hugely frustrating for his staff and customers alike.

Its panto, The Magical Adventures of Cinderella, will now end its festive run on Friday.

Mr Gordon said his theatre has spent at least £65,000 on new ventilation measures and air flow monitors in order to meet new Covid guidelines.

He told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme: "We've done it all and it seems like it has all been nothing. Why go through the vaccines, the passports and then you keep doing the same thing. There's going to be a halt on it sometime."

In Edinburgh, the final performance of the Sleeping Beauty panto at the King's Theatre has been brought forward to Christmas Eve.

The Hydro in Glasgow has cancelled the Wizard of Oz panto on 28 Dec, a gig by comedian Bill Bailey and the L.O.L Surprise! LIVE event for children.

The P&J Live venue in Aberdeen has also cancelled scheduled dates for Bill Bailey and the L.O.L Surprise! LIVE event.

Bailey said the dates will be rescheduled but, highlighting the different rules between Scotland and England, the comedian confirmed his shows in Birmingham, Manchester and Nottingham are all still on.

Aberdeen Performing Arts confirmed its three venues - His Majesty's Theatre, The Music Hall and The Lemon Tree - will close for three weeks from Sunday.

The Dundee Rep said its run of A Christmas Carol would conclude on Christmas Eve as the introduction of 1m distancing meant a maximum capacity of 110 people.

However, it has confirmed performances will be made available to stream on demand from Christmas Eve until 2 January.

A spokeswoman said: "This decision ensures we conclude the run of live/'in-person' shows on a high, while still giving our audiences a chance to continue to enjoy the show in the week ahead."

Eden Court, the largest theatre venue in the Highlands, has cancelled all its panto performances from 26 December.

The Inverness venue's panto is one of its biggest sources of revenue and this year's is a performance of Cinderella, postponed from 2020.

Last year's postponement cost Eden Court £350,000 in revenue and affected the jobs of 14 performers.

A number of major events were cancelled ahead of the first minister's announcement on Tuesday.

They included concerts by Deacon Blue and Amy Macdonald and the Big Burns Supper festival in Dumfries

Shetland's famous Up Helly Aa festival, which was scheduled for 25 January, was called off in August due to the pandemic.

The Scottish government said a £21m support package from the £100m announced last week and will be allocated as follows:

Creative freelancers can apply for between £500 and £2,000 from the cancellation fund which opens on 6 January.

Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said the fund would help protect the livelihoods of those who work in the sector.

Meanwhile, other events, scheduled to take place later in January have been left in limbo for now .

Organisers of Celtic Connections in Glasgow, which is due to start on 20 January, said the restrictions and the review timeline "present significant challenges for the festival".

They confirmed all aspects of programme are being reviewed and pledged to update audiences as soon as possible.

Wales had already announced plans for sporting events to be held without crowds from Boxing Day, and London has cancelled its New Year's Eve event in Trafalgar Square.