Uncertainty over face masks in shops continues

First minister, Nicola Sturgeon, is considering making the measure compulsory as evidence suggests many Scots are disregarding guidance to wear them in enclosed public spaces.

Sturgeon commented: “I said when I announced the policy some weeks back that we would keep this under review, so we haven’t reached a final decision on this. But I think it is fair to say that it is something we are considering and I think that is inevitable.

“I understand why some people may not want to wear face coverings, it’s not the most comfortable thing to do.”

Sturgeon added: “I really want to strongly encourage people if you haven’t already been doing it, or if you have started to do it and found it uncomfortable and haven’t continued, please consider this very carefully.

“We want to ensure we are doing everything we can to reduce the risks of transmission.”

In England, the government yesterday (4 June) made it mandatory for people to wear face masks on public transport, but not in shops. Transport secretary, Grant Shapps, told Sky News: “The big difference on public transport is that you’ll likely to be stuck in a space for a longer period of time, whereas in a supermarket you might go past somebody quite quickly. So it is also a factor of the amount of time you spend with somebody.”

In response, the British Medical Association has called for face masks to be made mandatory to all areas where social distancing is not possible. Council chair, Dr Chaand Nagpaul, told Sky News: “The BMA recently advocated the wearing of face coverings by the public several weeks ago in areas where they cannot socially distance … Given there remains a considerable risk of infection, with thousands of new cases every day, wearing masks can reduce the spread of the virus.”