Scottish Lockdown Hardliner Apologises After Breaking Own Coronavirus Rules

LONDON (AP) – Scotland´s leader, Nicola Sturgeon, has apologised for breaching coronavirus restrictions when she took off her face mask at a funeral wake.

A photograph published in the Scottish Sun newspaper showed Sturgeon chatting to three women in a bar while standing at a distance but without wearing a mask. She was attending a funeral wake on Friday for a civil servant.

Under the Scottish government´s coronavirus rules, customers in restaurants and bars must wear a face covering except when seated at their table. Those breaching the rules can face a 60-pound ($81) fine.

Sturgeon apologized for the “stupid mistake” on Wednesday, saying she had her mask off briefly.

“I talk every day about the importance of masks, so I´m not going to offer any excuses,” she said. “I was in the wrong, I´m kicking myself, and I´m sorry.”