Covid Inquiry: National clinical director Jason Leitch's advice to Humza Yousaf at odds with spirit of mask rule

National clinical director Jason Leitch should have told Humza Yousaf to stick to the letter of the Covid rules on masks (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

In November 2021, as new variants of Covid saw the country hit by a fresh wave of the virus, Scotland’s then Health Secretary, Humza Yousaf, asked national clinical director Jason Leitch for advice about mask-wearing rules ahead of an after-dinner speaking engagement.

He knew he did not have to wear one while sitting at the table, but did he need to wear his mask while standing up, talking to people? Leitch replied: “Officially yes. But literally no one does. Have a drink in your hands at ALL times. Then you're exempt. So if someone comes over and you stand, lift your drink.”

Asked at the UK Covid Inquiry whether he had provided Yousaf with a “workaround” to the rules, Leitch demurred. Quite the opposite was true: “I gave him advice to show him how to comply with the rules.”

The purpose of wearing a mask was to stop the spread of the virus. The exemption to allow people to drink was a practical one. It was not meant to encourage people to carry around drinks as a metaphorical get-out-of-jail-free card.

Covid Inquiry: National clinical director Jason Leitch's advice to Humza Yousaf at odds with spirit of mask rule – Scotsman comment

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