NICOLA Sturgeon underlined that "the fundamental advice" to everyone from today for the rest of the month will be to "stay at home".

Unlike the rules last March people can leave their homes for exercise how often they want.

The Scottish Government has also given in guidance published today the following exemptions which are described as "reasonable excuses".

* for work or to provide voluntary or charitable services when this cannot be done from home

* for education including, school, college, university (when schools open to non key workers and vulnerable children).

* for essential shopping

* to obtain or deposit money, where it is not possible to do so from home.

* for healthcare, including COVID-19 testing and vaccination.

* for childcare or support services for parents or expectant parents

* to receive a charitable support such as from food banks, alcohol or drug support services.

* to access public services where it is not possible to do so, including from home:

* to access services provided to victims (such as victims of crime)

* to access social-care services

* accessing day care centres

* to access services provided by the Department for Work and Pensions

* for services provided to victims (including victims of crime)

* for asylum and immigration services and interviews

* for waste or recycling services

* to provide care, assistance, support to or respite for a vulnerable person

* to provide or receive emergency assistance.

* shared parenting

* to visit a person in an extended household

* to meet a legal obligation including satisfying bail conditions, to participate in legal proceedings, to comply with a court mandate in terms of sentence imposed or to register a birth

* for attendance at court including a remote jury centre, an inquiry, a children’s hearing, tribunal proceedings or to resolve a dispute via Alternative Dispute Resolution.

* animal welfare reasons, such as exercising or feeding a horse or going to a vet

* local outdoor recreation, sport or exercise, walking, cycling, golf, or running that starts and finishes at the same place (which can be up to 5 miles from the boundary of your local authority area) as long as you abide by the rules on meeting other households

* to attend a marriage ceremony or registration of a civil partnership.

* to attend a funeral or for compassionate reasons which relate to the end of a person’s life. This includes gatherings related to the scattering or interring of ashes, a stone setting ceremony and other similar commemorative events.   
if you are a minister of religion or worship leader, for the purposes of leading an act of worship (broadcast or online), conducting a marriage or civil partnership ceremony or a funeral.

* to donate blood.

* for activities in connection with moving home (including viewing a property), or for activities in connection with the maintenance, purchase, sale, letting, or rental of residential property that the person owns or is otherwise responsible for. 

* travelling for the purposes of undertaking essential work on a property other than your main residence should not be used as a pretext for a holiday.  You should not stay longer than for the length of time required to undertake the necessary work.

* to avoid injury, illness or to escape a risk of harm.

* for those involved in professional sports, for training, coaching or competing in an event.

* to visit a person in a hospital, hospice or care home, or to accompany a person to a medical appointment.

* to register or vote in a Scottish or UK Parliament, Local Government or overseas election or by-election, including on behalf of someone else by proxy

* to visit a person detained in prison, young offenders institute, remand centre, secure accommodation or other place of detention.