Adapting restrictions for people who live alone

I am 66 years old and live on my own in a coastal village on the Moray Firth. I do not have any contact with family members other than through facebook. For some years I have enjoyed the company of a small circle of friends and in particular have undertaken daily exercise dog walking with a friend who is a widow of the same age who also lives alone. Although we maintain separate households several miles apart, we used to get together most days of the week to share the main meal of the day which we would take it in turns to prepare. My idea is that people in Scotland who live alone should be permitted to meet with one other person who also lives alone for exercise and to satisfy the fundamental and critical human need for company and to share meals and other activities.

Having face to face contact with other people is critical to physical and mental wellbeing and whilst this need is readily met for people who live with partners and or their children it is an unmet need for people who live alone. It is in effect subjecting people who live alone to unfair and prejudicial restrictions not experienced by people who live in family units. Adapting restrictions to allow people who live alone to exercise and spend time with one other person who lives alone would not risk spreading the virus to other members of either person because they live alone. It would however go some way to meeting their critical need for the company of other people and help to maintain their wellbeing. It would also mean that people who live alone are not being treated unfairly by restrictions which allow family members living in the same house to meet regularly.