Legal requirements on mask wearing in indoor settings in Scotland to end next month, Nicola Sturgeon announces

Legal requirements will instead be replaced by guidance, however, this change will happen over time.

From next Monday, it won’t be a requirement to wear face coverings in places of worship, or while attending a marriage ceremony or civil partnership registering, a funeral service.

Wider legal requirements, those applying to shops and public transport, will end on April 18.

“This phased approach strikes, I think, a sensible balance between our desire to end this one remaining legal measure, and the common sense for continued caution, not least for the sake of the NHS while this wave of the infection does subside,” Ms Sturgeon said.

She described it as a “proportionate” measure, thanked the public for following the rules, but warned that Covid-19 has not gone away.

The First Minister told the Scottish Parliament that one in 11 people have Covid - the highest level of infection recorded - although the number of daily cases appear to be ‘stabilising’.

She said that gave the Scottish Government ‘grounds for optimism’ that the latest wave has peaked.

However, Ms Sturgeon warned that the health service was “under even more strain in recent weeks” because of the high number of Covid-19 cases.