People attending wedding and funerals in Scotland no longer required to wear face coverings

Scots attending weddings and funerals will no longer be required to wear face masks after restrictions were lifted.

From Monday, it will no longer be a legal requirement to wear a face covering in places of worship or while attending a marriage ceremony, a civil partnership registration, or a funeral service or commemorative event.

However face coverings will still be required on public transport, in shops and in certain other indoor settings until April 18.

Scotland is the only part of the UK which still has certain face mask restrictions in place, although the wearing of face coverings is still recommended.

The First Minister told the Scottish Parliament last week that the decision to phase the easing of the face mask rule was due to the “very high level of infection and the pressure on the NHS”.

Transmission of coronavirus recently hit record levels in Scotland, with the Office for National Statistics reporting one in 11 people north of the border had Covid in the week ending March 20.

On Wednesday, Nicola Sturgeon told MSPs: “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.”