Nicola Sturgeon says face mask laws in Scotland are to be scrapped in the coming weeks and replaced with guidance.
In a Covid update on Wednesday, the first minister confirmed that 9,610 new cases of coronavirus had been identified in Scotland in the last 24 hours, with figures showing around one in 11 Scots are infected.
It comes after record number of new cases were reported in the last few weeks, with more Scots than ever testing positive for Covid-19.
But Ms Sturgeon says that while daily infections rates are “very high”, there was early evidence the infection rate is stabilising.
“Two weeks ago, there were on average just over 12,400 new cases being reported each day.
“One week ago, the average case number was still high, at around 12,000 a day.
“However, over the past week, it has fallen to 10,200 a day. That is a 15% fall over the last seven days, and it is fairly consistent across all age groups,” Nicola Sturgeon told MSPs.
She says that this gives the government grounds for optimism that Scotland had reached the peak of the latest wave of infections.
Key dates as Nicola Sturgeon scraps face mask rules
The first minister confirmed that while face coverings provide an important layer of protection, the legal requirement would be replaced by guidance over the next two weeks.
From April 4, Scots will no longer face a legal requirement to wear face masks in places of worship or while attending a marriage ceremony or civil partnerships.
Masks rules will also be converted to guidance for funeral services.
Two weeks later on April 18 the legal requirement to wear masks in shops, on public transport and in other indoor settings will also be scrapped and changed to guidance.
This will include the requirement for face masks to be worn in schools.
Ms Sturgeon explained: “We will, of course, continue to encourage the wearing of face coverings in certain indoor places, especially where significant numbers of people are present.
“This phased approach strikes a sensible balance between our desire to remove this one remaining legal measure, and the common sense need for continued caution – not least for the sake of the NHS – while this wave of infection subsides.
“I recognise that face coverings are an inconvenience.
“However, given all the sacrifice of the past two years, and in view of the current pressure on the NHS, I believe the vast majority of people will accept that for a further two weeks this is a proportionate precautionary measure while we pass the peak of this latest wave.
“It also provides some further protection to those who are most at risk from the virus.”
Coronavirus in Scotland – track the spread with these charts
