Coronavirus Scotland: Face masks now compulsory in shops

Government comes under pressure to make similar rule in England

The Scottish government has made wearing face coverings mandatory in shops, in hopes it will provide an extra layer of protection to reduce the transmission of coronavirus.

It is already compulsory to wear face masks on public transport in Scotland, including on buses, trains, trams, planes and taxis. However, people with certain medical conditions and children under five are exempt from the new rule.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced Scotland is moving into phase three of lockdown easing on Friday, which means the two-metre social distancing rule can be relaxed and groups of up to 15 people from five households can meet up outside.

In England, it is also compulsory for people to wear face coverings on public transport. In retail shops, masks are not required but are recommended in smaller shops where social distancing isn’t possible.

Scotland’s decision to make face coverings the law in shops comes down to how difficult it can be to maintain a safe physical distance, said Ms Sturgeon.

“I think it’s important to say it’s not something that gives you immunity from the virus,” she told BBC Breakfast. “It’s not a substitute for all the other measures like washing your hands properly and safe physical distancing, but it can add a layer of protection.

“As we start interacting with each other much more now, it’s important that we do all of the things that just reduce the ability of this highly infectious virus to spread.”

It comes as senior figures in the government are under scrutiny for not wearing face coverings in public.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak was pictured serving food to customers at a Wagamama restaurant in central London without a face mask following his summer economic statement, and there have been no public sightings of the prime minister wearing a mask.

Culture minister Caroline Dinenage, who said she wears a mask “all the time”, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the practice “is something that is advised and we keep it under review”, but did not offer an explanation for why the chancellor and Boris Johnson have no been seen with a mask on.

She was asked if ministers had considered introducing a rule to make face coverings mandatory in shops in England, to which she replied they had.

“But we have said face coverings in closed spaces is advised, but people can use their own discretion – but of course we will keep this under review,” she added.

“This is a topic upon which scientists tend to have rather different views so we are looking at it as new scientific studies emerge.”

A number of countries have made the wearing of face masks compulsory the moment people step outside their homes and into public spaces, with citizens in some places facing fines if caught without one.

In some east and southeast Asian nations such as China, Taiwan or Hong Kong, citizens regularly wear masks to protect themselves against pollution or diseases like SARS or H1N1. Vietnam made it compulsory to wear a covering in public on 16 March.

Numerous other countries have made face coverings or masks a rule while in public, including France, Spain, Poland, Austria, and Germany.