NICOLA Sturgeon has announced that secondary school pupils and staff will not have to wear face masks in the classroom from February 28.
The First Minister made the announcement just before FMQs in the Holyrood chamber this afternoon.
"On Tuesday the advisory sub group on education met to discuss a number of issues including the use of face coverings," she told MSPs.
"It also said the next stage in the phased approach could begin after the February half term break, starting with the removal of the requirement to wear face coverings in the classroom. The sub group has advised that this change should apply to both pupils and staff in classrooms and take affect from 28 February."
She told MSPs the move would “reduce barriers to communication in the classroom and reduce any wellbeing impacts which arise from the use of face coverings”.
Secondary pupils and staff will no longer have to wear face masks in the classroom from 28 February.
Ms Sturgeon said it was expected that face coverings would “still be required outside the classroom” in communal areas in schools, but this would be kept under “regular review”.
The First Minister added the decision to remove the masks in classrooms came after “reducing case rates” for coronavirus in secondary school-aged children, as well as the decrease in hospital admission rates among all ages.
This “encouraging situation” also means restrictions on school assemblies can be lifted, she said.
Ms Sturgeon said while the guidance would be updated next week she had wanted to confirm the change as soon as possible “to give children and young people, their families ands school staff certainty about the forthcoming changes before the February break”.
READ MORE: EIS demand continued use of face masks in the classroom ahead of crucial review
She added it was “a further step in allowing children and young people a return to a more normal experience in school after many, many months of sacrifice”.
The Scottish Conservatives have been campaigning for several weeks against the requirement to wear face masks in secondary schools.
Responding to the First Minister party leader Douglas Ross welcomed the announcement but said the measure should have been lifted earlier.
"Scottish Conservatives have urged for weeks that youn people should no longer be forced to wear face coverings in classrooms seven hours a day," he said.
"Young people's education has been unncessarily disrupted for far too long. Finally after weeks of refusing to budge the government has u turned. And while it is welcome it has taken far much longer than necessary."
READ MORE: Face masks in high schools: Nicola Sturgeon warned by EIS
But the First Minister hit back at Ross arguing lifting the measure earlier would be been deeply irresponsbile and against scientific opinion.
READ MORE: Classroom 'door chopping': 'No mention' in Covid guidance
She said: "The fact that he has been urging this change for weeks it not a demonstration that he has been right, it is a demonstration of his deep deep irresponsibility.
"Had we made this change weeks ago we would have done so at at time of soaring infection rates among school age children and put school age children and those who work with them in schools at greater risk. And secondly had we done it before today we would have been acting against expert and scientific advice. It would have been the wrong thing to do."
Earlier this week Larry Flanagan, the boss of the country's largest teaching union the Education Institute of Scotland (EIS), said face coverings should be in place in classrooms until towards the Easter break, which starts in April.
Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Willie Rennie said: “For some teachers, parents and pupils today's announcement will be a source of anxiety.
“We need proper ventilation in every classroom. The First Minister should announce fresh financial support so that schools can install air filters in every classroom, tackle Covid build up and make our schools safer for pupils and staff alike.
“This will help not just with Omicron but with future outbreaks and education performance more generally.
“If there is evidence to justify air filters for 2000 classes there is evidence to justify them for all classes. No one should be left behind.”
Meanwhile, Scotland has recorded 24 coronavirus-linked deaths and 7,275 new cases in the last 24 hours, according to latest figures.
The latest data from the Scottish Government shows the total number of people who have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 has risen to 10,485.
This now includes lateral flow test results from January 6 onwards following the change to testing policy.
There were 904 people in hospital on Wednesday with recently confirmed Covid-19, down 30 on the previous day, with 19 in intensive care, down two.
So far 4,424,596 people have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccination, 4,139,618 have received their second dose, and 3,332,960 have received a third dose or booster.
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