Mask wearing will no longer be required by law in Scotland from Monday, the Scottish government has confirmed.
The legal requirement to wear face coverings in most indoor public spaces and on public transport in Scotland will become guidance on April 18.
The law was initially due to end on March 21, but the day has been postponed twice, making Scotland the last region in the UK to end the mask mandate for the general public.
Confirming the move on Wednesday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Scotland had seen “steady progress” in recent weeks as it moves “back to a greater sense of normality and a more sustainable way of managing this virus.”
But she added that the National Health Service is “still under pressure” and “the most vulnerable members of our society can still benefit from additional measures to protect them from the virus.”
Sturgeon said she “strongly recommend[s] members of the public continue wearing face coverings in indoor settings where possible, and particularly when significant numbers of people are present.”
“We should also all continue to follow the latest advice on hygiene, ventilation, testing and of course vaccination to protect ourselves and each other,” she said.
From the same day, free lateral flow devices (LFDs) will no longer be available to the general public for routine testing, as people with no COVID-19 symptoms are no longer asked to take tests, the Scottish government previously confirmed.
But the free LFDs will continue to be available to clinical care, health, and social care workers, and to people visiting vulnerable individuals in care homes or hospitals.
People having symptoms and unvaccinated contacts of people who test positive are still asked to isolate and get a PCR test, and vaccinated contacts are asked to take daily test.
The guidance will apply until April 30, when test sites will close and people with symptoms will no longer be advised to get tested.
From that day, “the public health advice for people who feel unwell will be to stay at home until they feel better, to reduce the risk of infecting other people,” the Scottish government said.
Wales is also ending one of its legal requirements on Monday, meaning businesses will no longer be mandated to take CCP virus safety precautions.
But the legal requirement to wear masks in health and social care settings in Wales—the last CCP virus mandate both in Wales and in the UK—will remain at least for the next three weeks.
