Thousands of locals across Tayside and Fife say they are willing to wear face masks as a method of preventing the spread of coronavirus.
Earlier this week the Scottish Government changed their advice around use of the coverings as a way of combating Covid-19 in “limited circumstances”.
Scots have been told they can now wear a non-medical-grade mask when in crowded public spaces like shops or public transport.
Announcing the policy change, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “We are recommending that you do wear a cloth face covering if you are in an enclosed space with others where social distancing is difficult, for example public transport or in a shop.”
However the Scottish Government is not recommending the use of face masks for children under the age of two.
The UK Government has not made the same recommendation on masks, saying that the evidence for their effectiveness is “weak”.
However in a poll which ran for several days on The Courier’s website, readers overwhelmingly said they would be willing to wear masks as a way of preventing further spread of the deadly disease.
Locals were asked: “Would you be willing to wear a mask in public spaces if it helped stop the spread of coronavirus?”
Some 4327 had taken part in the poll by Thursday at noon.
Of this number, 3,655 (84.5%) answered yes. A total of 672 (15.5%) answered no.
Earlier on Thursday, Ms Sturgeon said people should listen to the Scottish Government – and not Westminster – when it comes to guidelines on how to behave in lockdown.
In an interview with Wave FM on Thursday, Ms Sturgeon said: “On this issue, it’s the Scottish Government that you should look to for guidance. For people in Scotland, that is us within this area, because health is a devolved matter that has the responsibility to give that guidance.
“There isn’t a confused message in that respect. I don’t think the prime minister is saying to people in Scotland ‘don’t wear face coverings’, he’s just, at this stage, choosing not to give that same guidance that we have to people in England.
“It’s not that the two governments are saying something different to people in Scotland. The message to people in Scotland is clear, it’s unequivocal, and nobody is contradicting it.”
