As Scotland’s Covid restrictions begin to ease further, are you willing to ditch your face mask?
We’ve worn them for over a year now and, love or loathe them, they’re part of the Covid-19 guidance we follow on a daily basis.
But will you still continue to wear a mask in crowded places or in other situations if it’s not a requirement after August 9?
At the weekend, the Scottish Government stated we will still need face coverings in certain situations — including on public transport and in retail — as restrictions ease.
That’s despite reports masks could potentially be scrapped altogether in England when ‘Freedom Day’ rolls around, along with other measures including social distancing.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said decisions on which measures will be kept in place when Scotland goes “beyond Level 0”, currently scheduled from August 9, haven’t been made yet.
But they will consult with different sectors to get their views and produce information and guidance on the issue before the end of July.
What do you think? Take part in our poll below
The current roadmap for Scotland will see the whole of the country move to Level 0 on July 19 if the data allows.
A review on the current levels is due on July 13.
The Scottish Government said there’s lots to take into account when making the decision about what baseline measures will stay in place beyond level 0.
A spokesperson said: “In considering future baseline measures to retain beyond Level 0, we will take account of social and economic factors as well as the epidemiological impact on transmission and will keep measures under review.
“As has been our approach from the outset, we will continue to use evidence and judgement to ensure all our decisions are necessary and proportionate. All changes to legal restrictions will be scrutinised by parliament.
“As the First Minister has set out, we will have to manage living with Covid-19 for some time to come, even when we are able to move beyond Level 0.
“There will still be some ongoing need for face coverings, for example on public transport and in retail, and we will be working with sectors to establish baseline mitigations and produce further guidance by end of July.”
Will you continue to wear your mask if you don’t need to? Or are you ready to ditch your mask for good?
This article originally appeared on the Evening Express website. For more information, read about our new combined website.