Scotland on track to remove most restrictions on Aug 9 -first minister

"We previously indicated that we hope to move beyond level zero on 9th August, that remains our expectation," Sturgeon told a briefing on Tuesday. Sturgeon said that face coverings would be mandatory for some time even after most other restrictions are removed as part of its cautious approach, diverging from rules in England, where masks will no longer be mandatory from July 19.

Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon said the country was still on track to lift almost all COVID-19 restrictions by August 9, but that face coverings would be required for some time after that. "We previously indicated that we hope to move beyond level zero on 9th August, that remains our expectation," Sturgeon told a briefing on Tuesday.

Sturgeon said that face coverings would be mandatory for some time even after most other restrictions are removed as part of its cautious approach, diverging from rules in England, where masks will no longer be mandatory from July 19. All of Scotland will move to "level zero" restrictions from July 19, but with some modifications to its original plan to ensure a more gradual lifting of the rules, she added.