SCOTLAND will further relax lockdown restrictions, the Scottish government announced today as politicians discussed its response to the virus north of the border. 

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced that a number of measures similar to those already in place in England will come into effect, and claimed that the country continued to make “clear and sustained progress” in tackling Covid-19.

Changes include the mandatory use of face masks on public transport — a demand repeatedly put forward by unions.

Some people will be able to meet another household indoors from Friday without physical distancing measures in place in an “extended household group arrangement,” similar to “bubbles” already in use elsewhere. 

Dentists will be able to reopen from Monday, while professional sport can resume behind closed doors and places of worship can reopen for individual prayer.

Ms Sturgeon said: “The progress we have made so far is therefore clear and substantial.

“The measures we have set out today are proportionate and cautious but they are also significant.

“They restart more of the economy, reopen more public services and allow us to see more of our family and friends.”

The announcement came as Westminster’s Scottish affairs committee heard an expert appraisal of the government’s performance in the handling of the pandemic.

Professor David Bell, from the University of Stirling, claimed that the Scottish government’s transparency around decision-making showed “greater openness” than Westminster’s.

He added that Westminster’s “double-hatted” nature caused confusion with the public, and that it could be clearer about which parts of Britain it is referring to.