Two hospitality businesses in the north and north-east have been forced to close due to the impact of the coronavirus.
The Westhill Chip Shop on Tower Road in Inverness has said that it will be closing permanently due the challenges of the pandemic.
Owners of the chip shop shared on social media that its last day of trading will be next week on Sunday, August 29.
They wrote: “Unfortunately, we have decided to close the chippy. Two lockdowns and now major supplier issues have taken a toll on us.
“The shop will still be opening after next Sunday, but will be back to being The Codfather. The staff and myself would like to thank all our customers over the past two years, without you all we would have never made it this far.”
Meanwhile, The Cult of Coffee in the Rosemount area of Aberdeen will be temporarily closed due to staff having to self-isolate.
The contact from track and trace has left the small team with staff shortages, so they will be closing their doors until they can all return to work.
In a post on Facebook, the coffee shop apologised for the inconvenience caused by the closure and thanked its customers for their “incredible support”.
Wider impact of Covid
Since the move beyond Level 0 on August 9, the number of daily cases reported in Scotland have been gradually rising.
The move brought new guidelines into force surrounding self-isolation which meant close contacts no longer had to “automatically” isolate at home for 10 days.
Anyone who is double-vaccinated for at least two weeks and has no symptoms can end their isolation period if they have a negative PCR test result.
The track and trace system is continuing to be used in public places which is having an impact on many businesses, such as The Cult of Coffee.
The new rules also apply to schools with whole classes no longer having to self-isolate if one person tests positive.
Instead, contact tracing is being prioritised to prevent the spread of the virus.
Just one week into the new term, Ellon Academy has confirmed a positive case within the school.
A letter shared on the school website confirmed that close contacts will be contacted by Test and Protect and that the school will remain open within government guidelines.