Legal requirements to wear face masks in Scotland will be terminated on March 21 if Nicola Sturgeon gives the go-ahead to plans laid out last month.
The First Minister has been warned to take a “cautious approach” to lifting the last remaining requirement surrounding coronavirus enshrined in law amid rising levels of infection and hospital cases.
Scotland’s chief medical officer, Professor Sir Gregor Smith, said experts were “keeping a close eye” on the omicron BA-2 sub-type which is now the dominant variant across the country.
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However, Professor Smith said there was “no evidence” the strain was linked to more severe infections, adding early data suggested hospital admissions were beginning to “top out”.
The First Minister is due to speak in the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday.
Speaking to the BBC's Good Morning Scotland, Professor Smith said: "We're seeing more older population becoming impacted on this occasion, and that's leading to some longer lengths of stay, which is driving occupancy up as well.
"But there are some hopeful signs [admission rates] have begun to kind of top out just a little bit over the course of the latter end of last week."
In the first week of March, an estimated one in every 18 people had covid-19, data from the Office for National Statistics showed.
Professor Smith added: "We've been keeping a close eye on these for the last three weeks, and clearly when you see cases begin to increase like this it does give you a little bit of concern."
Legal requirements around the covid vaccine passport scheme were discontinued from February 28, but the app supporting the programme remains active.
Those attending events including concerts and sporting events no longer have to present their jag certification status by law, however venues can still ask for digital passes to be presented.
Professor Linda Bauld, chief social policy advisor to the Scottish Government, said she still "expected" face coverings to be worn in certain settings.
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She added: "The only legal requirements that are left are to wear a face covering in certain situations and for hospitality venues to take test and protect data, that’s all.
“The other thing in law is for sectors to try and follow guidance, so I think it is less of a huge step than people actually think.
“The options for government are to hang on to these legal requirements for a bit longer or to lift them and shift to strong guidance and these will be the things that will be discussed but irrespective of what is decided, my expectation is that people will continue wearing face coverings in many venues even if moves from a legal requirement to guidance."
