Scotland has delayed plans to ditch face coverings in public places because of a rise in Covid cases. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon had said that from March 21, the law would not require Scots will not need to wear a face covering but that date has now been pushed back.
It had been expected that from that date, wearing face masks in shops and other indoor public places would be "strongly recommended" by the Scottish Government. However, she has today said the law will stay in place until April due to a rise in cases of Covid-19. Ms Sturgeon said it would be "prudent" to keep mask rules in place due to a spike in cases. These will be reviewed again in two weeks, and are likely to be converted to guidance in early April.
Ms Sturgeon said a sharp rise in infections was putting "significant pressure on hospital capacity", but that vaccines were still giving people good protection. All other restrictions on businesses and services are to move from legal requirement to guidance from March 21.
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The UK Government has removed the requirement for masks to be worn in England, and the Welsh Government had said all legal requirements are due to be removed on March 28, although this remains to be confirmed at the next Covid lockdown review. You can read all the details about what that means in practice here.
In the last seven days, 444,201 coronavirus cases were reported - a 48.1% increase on the previous week. The Covid Infection Survey, carried out by the Office for National Statistics, has also shown an increase in cases across the UK, which Health Secretary Sajid Javid said was "expected" following the easing of restrictions in England in late January.
Travel rules are also being scrapped by the UK Government something which has led to criticism by ministers from devolved governments.
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