Scotland’s first minister has apologised for breaching Covid-19 rules by taking her face mask off at a wake.
The Scottish Sun has published a photograph of Nicola Sturgeon standing talking to three people at a social distance, but with her face uncovered.
She was attending a wake after the funeral of a Scottish Government civil servant who died with Covid-19.
Ms Sturgeon had been wearing a tartan mask and is said to have taken it off briefly as she was leaving the venue.
She was photographed leaning on a chair chatting to three elderly ladies having removed her mask.
The Scottish government’s coronavirus regulations say that customers in hospitality venues must wear a face covering except when seated – including when they are entering, exiting and moving around.
In a statement released to the BBC, the first minister said: “Last Friday, while attending a funeral wake, I had my mask off briefly.
“This was a stupid mistake and I’m really sorry. “I talk every day about the importance of masks, so I’m not going to offer any excuses.
“I was in the wrong, I’m kicking myself, and I’m sorry.”
Ms Sturgeon is understood to have been attending the wake at the Stable Bar and Restaurant in Edinburgh after attending a service at nearby Mortonhall Crematorium.
Anyone who breaches the face covering rules can be punished by a fixed penalty notice of £60.
The photo emerged as Ms Sturgeon again underlined the importance of face coverings yesterday.
She told MSPs in a Holyrood statement that the new aggressive strain of coronavirus “seems to transmit more easily but it can still be stopped in its tracks by the FACTS advice we have emphasised so many times before”.
She then listed what each letter of the FACTS acronym stands for — starting with “Face coverings”. The First Minister was seen wearing a mask going into the chamber today.
On September 10, Ms Sturgeon announced in parliament that face coverings would become mandatory in bars, cafes and restaurants four days later.
Hospitality premises had previously been exempt from the law on coverings, which applies in other places such as shops.
