Scotland will drop the legal requirement to wear face coverings in certain settings on a “phased basis” from next Monday, Nicola Sturgeon has said.

The first minister said the changes would begin on 4 April for places of worship and weddings, with the wider legal requirements for areas like shops and public transport converted to guidance on 18 April.

Laws requiring masks to be worn on public transport and some other places were originally due to be dropped earlier this month, but were kept due to a “spike” in COVID cases.

Ms Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament: “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.

“We have therefore concluded, subject as always to the state of the pandemic, that the legal requirement to wear face coverings will be replaced with guidance on the following phased basis.”

All other Scottish legal requirements on COVID were lifted nine days ago but the face covering mandate was maintained.

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England dropped its face mask law at the end of January.

Wales dropped the requirement for a mask in shops and on public transport on Monday, but they are still mandatory in health and social care settings.

Face mask laws in Northern Ireland changed in February. People there are still recommended to wear one in indoor public places, but it’s not legally required.

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