FM: Masks To Stay In : Place Until Mid-April

Sturgeon blasted as rules remain

- Paul Hutcheon

The requirement to wear face masks in shops and on public transport will end next month, Nicola Sturgeon has announced.

Face covering rules are the only legal restrictions still in place in Scotland in the wake of the pandemic.

The First Minister had been expected to lift the rule this month but a rise in cases saw her hit pause.

In a statement, Sturgeon warned infection levels are still high but noted that average case numbers had fallen.

"That gives us grounds for optimism that this latest wave of infection may now have peaked," she added.