Some people in Scotland are not required to wear a face covering in indoor settings.
These exemptions include:
- Babies, toddler and children under 5 years of age, due to the possibility of overheating, suffocation and strangulation and they are safe without one.
- police constables or emergency response workers such as paramedics acting in the course of their duty
- owners, managers, members of staff, or volunteers, of indoor premises where it is mandatory to wear a face covering who are physically separated, by means of, for example, partition screens, from passengers or customers or if they maintain a 2 metre distance from customers or members of the public
- In a place of worship, or at a funeral, marriage ceremony or civil partnership, by a person leading an act of worship, service, ceremony or registration where there is a partition screen or a distance of 2 metres is maintained
You may also have a reasonable excuse not to wear a face covering if, for example:
- you have a health condition or you are disabled, including hidden disabilities, for example, autism, dementia or a learning disability, or are providing care for someone with a health condition or disability, and a face covering would be inappropriate because it would cause difficulty, pain or severe distress or anxiety to the wearer or the person in the care of the wearer, or because you cannot apply a covering and wear it in the proper manner safely and consistently
- Individual discretion should be applied in considering the use of face coverings for other children including, for example, children with breathing difficulties and disabled children who would struggle to wear a face covering
- to seek medical assistance
- to avoid injury, illness or escape the risk of harm
- you need to eat or drink
- you are taking medication
- you are communicating with someone else who relies on lip reading and facial expressions to communicate
- a relevant person, such as a police officer, asks you to remove your face covering
When temporarily removing a face covering you should, where possible, maintain 2 metres distance as physical distancing is one of the most effective methods of preventing the spread of the virus and removing your face covering places others at an increased risk.
Those exempt under the guidance and regulations do not have to prove their exemption and should not be made to wear a face covering or denied access to public transport or shops.
[Source : https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-phase-3-staying-safe-and-protecting-others/pages/face-coverings/ ] 08.08.20
