There will be some changes to the guidance on the wearing of face masks for clinicians in Scotland.
The Scottish Government has updated its guidance on the use of face masks and face coverings now Scotland has entered a calmer phase of the pandemic. The decision to withdraw extended face mask and face covering measures across health and social care settings is due to the high uptake of COVID-19 vaccinations amongst the Scottish population, reduced severity of illness and hospitalisations, and availability of treatments for COVID-19.
From Tuesday 16 May 2023, healthcare and social care staff will not routinely need to use Covid-19 face masks/covers. You should continue to follow section B39 of the Guidance for Professional Practice on when to use a face covering and the infection prevention and control (IPC) guidance on personal protective equipment (PPE) for standard infection control in the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual (NIPCM).