Question reference: S6W-03033
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 16 September 2021
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Current status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 28 September 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what research ministers have considered on the safety of children in relation to the wearing of face coverings.
Answer
There is a wealth of evidence supporting the efficacy of face coverings, which includes but is not limited to the impacts on children. Our decisions on face coverings have always and continues to be based on the available scientific and medical evidence. The Scottish Government Covid-19 Advisory Group and the Covid-19 Advisory Sub-Group on Education and Children’s Issues applies the advice from: World Health Organisation (WHO) ; Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) ; and other sources, and use it to inform decisions in Scotland.
We continue to review our face covering policy on a regular basis in light of the emerging evidence on coronavirus and in the light of that evidence we removed the requirement in regulations for children under the age of 12 to wear face coverings on 9 August 2021.