Official advised Humza Yousaf on how to avoid wearing mask, UK Covid inquiry hears

Senior official told Yousaf, then health secretary, that having a drink in his hand at dinners made him ‘exempt’

Humza Yousaf was allegedly advised on how to avoid wearing a face mask in public by one of Scotland’s most senior health officials at the height of the Covid crisis, a public inquiry has been told.

Private text messages show Jason Leitch, Scotland’s national clinical director, told Yousaf he only had to hold a glass in his hand to avoid having to use a mask while he was standing and talking to people at a dinner.