Schools in Scotland to follow face cover rule

High school students in Scotland will have to wear face coverings in corridors and other communal areas from Monday, a move that is likely to pile pressure on the other constituents of the United Kingdom, including England, to follow suit.

High school students in Scotland will have to wear face coverings in corridors and other communal areas from Monday, a move that is likely to pile pressure on the other constituents of the United Kingdom, including England, to follow suit. The country's education secretary, John Swinney, said the Scottish government is giving "obligatory guidance" to students aged 12 and above to wear face coverings when moving around schools.

He also told the BBC that individual exemptions could be granted for health reasons and that masks should be worn on school buses. Within the U.K., Scottish schools reopened first, followed by those in Northern Ireland. Schools in England are Wales are due to reopen in September.

The British government, which runs schools in England, has said there are no plans to review the guidance on face coverings in school, arguing that it would "obstruct communication between teachers and pupils." Scotland has often led the way during the pandemic on the wider use of face coverings. It, for example, mandated their use in shops after they reopened weeks before England.