NICOLA Sturgeon was stunned by a Tory MSP’s question on face mask rules in Scotland beyond August 9 during a virtual parliamentary debate on the upcoming easing of Covid-19 restrictions.

The country moves beyond level 0 from Monday, with most restrictions to be scrapped. Masks will continue to be mandatory in most indoor spaces and contact tracing will remain – but most legal curbs will no longer be in place.

The First Minister’s decision came as she painted a positive picture of the nation’s coronavirus situation, with case rates two-thirds down on where they were at the start of July, as well as hospitalisations decreasing.

“Today’s decisions are positive,” she told MSPs and viewers. “They are possible only because of vaccination and the prolonged sacrifices of people across the country”

But Tory MSP Graham Simpson, who represents the Central Scotland region, wasn’t so positive – and had a concern over masks.

“I want to ask about face coverings,” he announced after Sturgeon’s statement. “The First Minister’s made it clear that she thinks the law on face coverings should remain. But she’ll be aware that a couple of weeks ago that restriction was removed in England. And actually most people are choosing to continue to wear them. So can the First Minister tell us what actually needs to happen here for her to change her mind on face coverings so we can enjoy the same freedoms that they do in England. “

The camera cut to the SNP leader, showing her looking bemused. “I don’t want to get overly philosophical here but I’m really confused about Graham Simpson’s concern here,” she told MSPs.

“If his argument is that everybody’s going to wear face coverings anyway why’s he so concerned that we’re asking people to wear face coverings? And if he thinks that everybody’s going to wear face coverings anyway what freedom is it that he thinks people need to have? I’m genuinely … maybe I’ve been on my feet for too long today …

“I’m genuinely struggling to understand, other than just trying to find a point of disagreement with the Scottish Government, what the real point of that question is. We think it’s really important that people continue to wear face coverings, so we’re going to tell them we think it’s really important by saying the law requires them to wear face coverings. We’ll keep that under review. But if at the end of the day Graham Simpson is saying he agrees that everybody should wear face coverings then how we choose to do that seems to me to be of secondary concern.”

READ MORE: WATCH: Douglas Ross 'tried to undermine' key Covid briefing by Nicola Sturgeon

The First Minister also had a run-in with Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross as she took questions on her coronavirus statement.

She challenged him to explain whether his party was trying to “undermine” her communication on the public health crisis, as he described the August 9 changes as a “mixed bag” and claimed Scots are “losing patience” with some restrictions.

"I've spent every single day since March last year trying to deliver clear communication – I'm sure I have not always succeeded, I readily concede that,” she told the MSP and MP.

"Sometimes it feels as if Douglas Ross and his colleagues have spent many of these days trying to undermine the clear communication and I got a whiff of that again today.”