Nicola Sturgeon tells MSPs ‘I’ll be making sure I don’t drop my guard again’ after face mask Covid breach

Nicola Sturgeon has apologised after she was photographed without a face covering at a wake.

Addressing the Scottish Parliament at the start of First Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, she said: “I want to take this opportunity to say how sorry I am for my breech of rules that I ask all of us to follow every single day.

“I took my face mask off while briefly attending a funeral last week, I’m sure everyone will have seen in the media this morning a picture of me without it.

“I want to be clear today that regardless of the circumstances I was in the wrong. There are no excuses. These rules do apply to me just as they do to everyone else and the rules really matter.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

“I am kicking myself very hard, possibly harder than my worst critic ever could, but more importantly I’ll be making sure I don’t drop my guard again.”

She concluded her statement, as always, with a reminder of the Government’s FACTS guidance on coronavirus.

“With an enormous dose of humility, let me remind you and most importantly myself, of FACTS,” she said.

“Use Face coverings, Avoid crowded places, Clean your hands and surfaces regularly, keep Two metres distance from other households and Self-isolate and get tested if you have symptoms.”

Ms Sturgeon’s statement came shortly after she announced Scotland has recorded 47 deaths of coronavirus patients and 1,190 new cases in the past 24 hours.

A total of 115,566 people have tested positive in Scotland, up from 114,366 the previous day.

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