Nicola Sturgeon has extended the legal necessity to wear masks in Scotland, making it the last UK nation to scrap the rules. England dropped its face mask law at the end of January. Wales dropped mask wearing in shops and on public transport on 28th March but they are still mandatory in health and social care settings and February saw face mask laws in Northern Ireland change.
In Scotland from Monday, 4th April, they will no longer be mandatory at places of worship, weddings and funerals, with the requirement covering shops, schools and public transport ending on 18 April.
The First Minister told the Scottish Parliament yesterday, “We have taken account of the very high level of infection and the pressure on the NHS, and the fact that face coverings do provide an important layer of protection against transmission of the virus from one person to another.
“However, we are also mindful that the data may now be indicating a peaking of this wave of infection which should hopefully become more pronounced over the next couple of weeks.
“We have therefore concluded, subject as always to the state of the pandemic, that the legal requirement to wear face coverings will be replaced with guidance on the following phased basis.”