A LEGAL requirement to wear face coverings in some indoor settings including shops and trains will remain in Scotland until after Easter.

From Easter Monday on April 18, the mask mandate will be downgraded to guidance for hospitality, retail, and public transport settings for the first time since summer 2020.

The rules will be relaxed earlier, from Monday April 4, for some other settings such as places of worship and wedding or funeral ceremonies, however.

Nicola Sturgeon said continuing to require facemasks by law for a further two weeks struck a "sensible balance" amid signs that the BA.2 Omicron wave in Scotland is beginning to peak or stabilise.

The Covid threat level is expected to be reduced from 'medium' to 'low' during Spring, said the First Minister.

Ms Sturgeon said: "This phased approach strikes a sensible balance between our desire to remove this one remaining legal measure, and the common sense need for continued caution - not least for the sake of the NHS - while this wave of infection subsides.

"I recognize 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."

Compulsory face coverings have already come to an end in all other parts of the UK, with England - which briefly reintroduced them in December as part of its 'Plan B' response to the Omicron wave - becoming the first to drop the requirement at the end of January. 

In February, Northern Ireland switched facemasks from law to guidance, but still strongly advises the public to wear them in enclosed public spaces such as shops, bars, restaurants and public transport.

Since Monday, people in Wales have no longer been required to wear facemasks in shops and on public transport, but they are still mandatory in health and care settings. 

The latest surveillance by the Office for National Statistics indicates that the prevalence of Covid is highest in Scotland - with one in 11 people infected - despite the ongoing mask law. 

Surgical and cotton masks are known to be less effective against the highly transmissible BA.2 Omicron strain, although FFP2 and FFP3 masks remain protective. 

Ms Sturgeon said the Scottish Government's decision to delay the lifting of the mask law across the board from Monday was taken to protect the NHS. 

She said: "We have taken account of the very high level of infection and the pressure on the NHS, and the fact that face coverings do provide an important layer of protection against transmission of the virus from one person to another.

"However, we are also mindful that the data may now be indicating a peaking of this wave of infection which should hopefully become more pronounced over the next couple of weeks."

Glasgow Times: Source: Public Health ScotlandSource: Public Health Scotland

It comes as weekly data showed a dip in Covid hospital admissions for the first time since the BA.2 Omicron wave took off in February, with 1,406 Covid positive patients admitted in the week ending March 22 compared to 1,469 during the previous week. 

Notably, the decline was most pronounced - down by 16%, from 816 to 684 - in the over-65s age group who are more likely to be sick as a result of Covid and take longer to recover, impacting on bed occupancy. 

Among the under-65s, admissions continued to climb, but these are more likely to be 'incidental' Covid cases where patients are in hospital for other reasons. 

There were 185 Covid admissions for patients under 18, of which 117 (63%) were children aged five and under who are not currently eligible for Covid vaccinations. 

The number of people currently in hospital with Covid - which reflects both admissions and lengths of stay - also fell significantly for the first time since February, from 2,383 to 2,344. 

The majority are not in hospital with Covid as a primary diagnosis, but still require to be isolated which squeezes hospital capacity and results in delays to operations.

However, Ms Sturgeon told MSPs that there are "grounds for optimism that this latest wave of infection may now have peaked". 

She pointed to daily data from testing which shows a 15% fall over the last seven days which is "fairly consistent across all age groups", along with the findings from wastewater sampling which "also gives some cause for optimism". 

"It is not yet indicating a fall in the level of infection - but it does suggest that the situation has stabilised since mid March," said the First Minister. 

She added: "We will therefore continue to assess the data closely – including, of course, the results of the latest ONS survey due later this week.

"But we are hopeful that this wave has peaked or is now peaking. Indeed, this is being observed already in Northern Ireland which, unlike England and Wales, appears to have been ahead of Scotland in the transmission of BA.2."