The covid passport scheme will be scrapped and face masks will soon not be required, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced today.
The First Minister told MSPs today that masks would no longer be compulsory from March 21 providing there is no spike in covid cases before then - but she “strongly encouraged” people to continue to wear them.
It came as she set out the Scottish Government’s plan for ‘living with the virus’ and leading the country through recovery.
She recently said that Scotland had come through the worst of the pandemic as cases continue to drop.
In West Lothian, the last seven-day stats for the week-ending February 17 show infections have dropped 0.3 per cent to 1620.
And as of yesterday, 147,208 vaccine first doses (80.39 per cent), 137,844 second doses (75.28 per cent) and 109,364 booster/ third doses (59.72 per cent) have been carried out.
She told Holyrood this afternoon: “I can confirm, firstly, that the covid certification scheme requiring certain venues and events to check the vaccine or test status of attendees will come to an end next Monday 28 February.
“The app which supports the scheme will remain operational, however, so any business that wishes to continue covid certification on a voluntary basis to reassure customers will be able to do so.”
The First Minister also expressed her anger at Boris Johnson’s decision to end funding for free covid test kits across the UK when lateral flow tests are no longer required in England.
But she committed to continuing with lateral flow packages and self-isolation guidance in Scotland for at least another month.
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