A MARYHILL man is calling on the Scottish Government to provide free masks for anyone who needs them.

Alex Wallace believes that everyone in the country should be entitled to the free face coverings to help stop the spread of Covid-19.

The 52-year-old said: “I’m calling for free face masks, more so for the vulnerable people including homeless people, people on benefits, and the thousands of people losing their jobs.

“I believe they should come under the same category as sanitary towels, and these are given out for free in Scotland.

“It costs about £5 for a packet of 10 masks and people can’t afford to pay this every week. I’m concerned about the amount of people losing their jobs and not being able to afford the cost.

“I’ve listened to people saying they are seeing individuals not wearing them and I’m telling them it’s because they can’t afford it.

“Some supermarkets are giving out free masks, and I’m not disputing that, but vulnerable people don’t shop in big supermarkets, they go to pound shops and smaller local shops.”

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Alex is in the process of lodging a Scottish Parliament petition.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie has already backed his campaign, as well as Keiran O’Neill, Labour and Co-op Candidate for Maryhill and Springburn.

Mr O'Neill said: “One issue that has always been problematic with requiring the wearing of face masks is that it puts a financial burden on people, particularly families.

“I have spoken to people in the last year who have told me they’ve struggled to meet these costs.

“In Germany, there is a free distribution scheme, why not in Scotland?

“I am really inspired by Alex’s campaign to help ensure everyone is able to protect themselves from Covid-19 by giving out free masks.

“This is a great initiative and it’s something I believe the Scottish Government should be doing and I’ll be urging my colleagues in Holyrood to press them to do it.”

A government spokesman said: "While we are not currently providing face coverings to the general public, local authorities and schools should consider carefully how to address any equity concerns arising from the use of face coverings.

"And many street outreach teams - who engage with people who are rough sleeping and those at risk of homelessness – provide disposable face masks for those that need them.

"We keep our policy under active review and if appropriate will bring forward further changes in line with emerging evidence."