MANDATORY face coverings in workplaces should not be ruled out in Scotland and could be considered in secondary schools to help keep them open, a public health expert has said.

In Englnd, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said ministers are not considering making face coverings compulsory in workplaces after France announced plans to do so.

Here in Scotland masks are compulsory in many indoor settings including shops, on public transport and in places such as cinemas, galleries, museums. libraries and banks.

Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland this morning, Professor Linda Bauld said they could be considered in other settings if levels of coronavirus go up.

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Asked whether introducing coverings in workplaces should be considered to help get more people back to work, she said: "We're not at that point yet.

"I don't think we should rule it out. I think if cases go up and we need particular settings to reopen that can't, for whatever reason, face coverings indoors absolutely, but at the moment those sectors that can work from home - that's the message that I agree with - should continue to do that."

Bauld, who is professor of public health at the University of Edinburgh, said the virus is at a "very low level in terms of where we are in Scotland" and that while it is circulating it is localised in terms of the rise in cases.

She said the best way to protect schools is to keep virus levels low, but that face coverings could be considered for secondary school pupils to avoid having to pause education.

Bauld said: "In terms of the cases that we're hearing about in school pupils, these are not cases that are occurring because pupils are catching the virus in the school setting, they are cases that are arising in the community, and when we have the virus circulating in the community even at low levels we know that children and young people may get it and then therefore if they go into the school they are still carrying it.

"So cleaning it is entirely appropriate. We haven't seen any concerns - schools have only been a week open - about schools being a source for the virus to rapidly spread, so we need to keep that in mind and keep focused on those schools being open and being as safe as possible.

"I think the main thing we can do to protect schools is to keep the virus low in the community generally, and that's about us all following the guidance and about this gradual reopening.

"I think if we wanted to talk about, for example, face coverings for secondary school pupils rather than closing a school, that's another step we might want to discuss, that's being discussed in other places, but we don't need it at the moment. We just have to think about what are the alternatives to having to pause education again because we're all trying to avoid that."