Face masks will remain a legal requirement in Scotland until at least early April, the first minister has announced.
Nicola Sturgeon’s original proposals to make coverings optional – although advised – from Monday have been delayed due to a surge in cases.
During a Holyrood update, she announced face masks will remain a requirement in enclosed spaces and public transport.
The stance will be reviewed before the Easter recess.
What has changed?
All other Covid-19 restrictions, including track and trace, will be scrapped by next week.
The requirement on businesses to take customers’ contact details ends on Monday and all travelling restrictions in Scotland will be lifted on Friday, in line with the rest of the UK.
Ms Sturgeon said keeping the requirement to wear a face covering is “prudent” due to rising case numbers in Scotland.
“I know this will be disappointing for businesses and service providers such as day care
services,” she added.
“However, ensuring continued widespread use of face coverings will provide some additional protection – particularly for the most vulnerable – at a time when the risk of
infection is very high, and it may help us get over this spike more quickly.
“We will review it again in two weeks – before Easter recess – and our expectation now
is that this regulation will convert to guidance in early April.”
‘We cannot keep kicking can down the road’
The decision to delay the decision to drop face mask rules has raised concerns from business leaders across Scotland.
Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce described the announcement as “deeply disappointing”.
Chief executive Russell Borthwick said: “We cannot keep kicking the can down the road forever.
“Scotland’s recovery is lagging behind other parts of the UK and we have members in retail who are watching colleagues in England recovering at twice the rate seen here. We cannot continue to operate with this start-stop lever being pulled just weeks apart.”
Andrew McRae, policy chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “The impression that Scotland has a ‘first-in, last-out’ approach to covid restrictions frustrates many in business.
“At a time when debt-laden firms are facing dramatic fuel and utility hikes, operators are looking for Ministers to inject confidence, not seed doubt.”
Changes to testing
Ms Sturgeon also confirmed the following changes to testing, starting from April 18
- People without symptoms will no longer be advised to test twice weekly
- Advice to test regularly will also end from April 18 for workplaces, early learning and childcare settings, mainstream and special schools, and universities and colleges. This does not include health and care settings.
- From May 1, testing will be targeted “to support clinical care and protest higher risk settings”, as well as to manage outbreaks or new variants
Ms Sturgeon stressed that tests will remain free in all situations where testing has been advised.
Latest Covid stats
Over the last four days 38,770 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Scotland.
Hospital admissions for those who had tested positive in the last 28 days have been increasing in recent weeks, with 1,996 patients on Monday compared to 911 the previous month.
The number of people in ICU with coronavirus in Scotland has also been increasing with 33 patients treated on Monday.
Twenty-five people died in Scotland on Monday within 28 days of testing positive for the virus.
Earlier this week, NHS Grampian’s head of intelligence Jillian Evans said the board was under “immense pressure” with hospitalisations at near peak levels.
She said over the weekend, staff were operating a “one patient in, one patient out” system as they struggled to get beds for all the Covid admissions.