//Are you saying that she is wrong to make us wear masks for longer? Do you have the data to support your assumption?//
Absolutely. Covid is now endemic in the UK (all parts). Everybody will be exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, probably multiple times in their lifetime. A piece of flimsy cloth will not prevent that exposure. Scotland has had harsher restrictions for longer periods than England. It now has a greater number of infections (per capita) than England despite England relaxing restrictions (including mask wearing) much earlier. Maintaining face covering rules in Scotland serves no useful purpose and it is simply grandstanding by the First Minister in an effort to show how much more caring she is.
//On what basis would that be decided? If cases were very low in England but very high in the other three countries, what would you expect to happen?//
I would expect all the home nations to take the above view (which is largely that finally adopted by the Westminster government). The best thing – in fact the only thing - that the population can do to protect themselves against serious Covid symptoms is to get vaccinated. Trying to avoid exposure to the virus is pointless. At least half the population has almost certainly contracted it and probably a greater number than that. It's simply a matter of when, not if the remainder will be exposed to it and the only variable is how serious their symptoms will be. If people want to do all they can to avoid contracting the virus they need to buy an FFP3 face mask. If they wear it and treat it in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, it will give them around 99% protection whilst they are wearing it. If they want to maintain that level of protection they will have to wear it every time they leave home and if they live with anybody else they will have to wear it at home too (unless all their housemates do the same).
Sorry folks, but the era of Covid restrictions and regulations is over. The government has announced that all travel restrictions into the UK will be lifted from Friday; Heathrow airport has announced that face coverings will no longer be required when in the airport; BA has announced that face coverings will not be needed on board their flights if they are not needed at the destination; other airlines are expected to follow suit. All it needs is for the First Minister to catch up with reality.