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Live Reporting

BBC Scotland News

All times stated are UK

  1. That's all for today

    We'll be back with live updates on all the latest coronavirus news affecting Scotland tomorrow morning.

  2. BreakingWorldwide coronavirus deaths pass 100,000

    The death toll for the coronavirus now stands at 100,376, according to Johns Hopkins University.

    Italy has seen the most deaths, followed by the US and Spain.

  3. 'We still need people to comply'

    Glasgow lockdown street

    The justice secretary insisted the lockdown measures “will not be there for a minute longer than they have to be”.

    But he said: “Clearly, as you can see from the death toll in Scotland overnight and the UK-wide death toll, we still need these measures in place and we still need people to comply with them.

    "And we thank the overwhelming majority for complying."

  4. Exercise locally to avoid crowds

    cyclists and walkers

    Mr Yousaf also urged people to show "common sense” and not use their permitted hour a day of outdoor exercise for recreation or socialising.

    “The once-a-day exercise is encouraged. It’s good for your physical health and it’s good for your mental health.

    “What we are trying to say is, exercise locally. Don’t drive long distances to nice spots which are very scenic. Instead of that, stay closeby and hopefully that will be less crowded.”

  5. 'We worry about people feeling trapped at home'

    Scotland’s Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf has said the government is worried about people becoming tired of the lockdown restrictions.

    It follows concerns about people spending too much time outdoors and not social distancing because they feel trapped at home.

    He told the BBC’s Reporting Scotland: “It’s really, really tough. We understand that people are going to feel it – particularly if you don’t have a garden, or maybe you are up on the third floor of a tenement.

    “These things are challenging for people and we know what we are asking them to do. But the price of doing it is that we genuinely will save lives – potentially your own life but also the lives of the people that you most love."

    Humza Yousaf
  6. 'It's not all going to be over on a Tuesday night'

    BBC Radio Scotland

    Will younger people be released from the current lockdown first? Here's what Jason Leitch had to say on that...

    "Let's hope the suppression measures work and people stay at home, so the NHS is not overwhelmed and we get to a point where infections begin to fall - that won't be sudden.

    "There will still be some people we want to look after for longer, the shielded group who have been asked to stay at home for three months. Then there is the second vulnerable group, the over 70s, those with the flu vaccine, the pregnant etc.

    "There is a group who are more likely to be well, so you could imagine a world in which the UK decides to remove some of these counter-measures on a gradual basis. But it's not all going to be over on a Tuesday night and all the pubs will be open and we'll all go back to work."

  7. 'There's no encyclopedia on this'

    BBC Radio Scotland

    More from the Scottish government's national clinical director Jason Leitch.

    On the timing of the lockdown...

    "It's a judgement. There's no encyclopedia on this because the virus has only existed for 100 days. We have moved at an astonishing rate to learn the science behind this.

    "We had to choose a day for each of the staged interventions and we follow the best advice from behavioural scientists, clinical scientists and epidemiologists."

    Jason Leitch
  8. '30-60 minutes is about right' for outdoor exercise

    BBC Radio Scotland

    jogger in park

    Jason Leitch, the Scottish government's national clinical director is on BBC Radio Scotland taking questions on the lockdown.

    On exercise, he says...

    "We are trying to socially isolate completely, as a whole population.

    "So, if we say it's okay to bag a couple of Munros because you won't meet anybody, that individual risk is probably very small. But if we let everybody do that, the virus will spread and people will die.

    "I would love to go for a three-hour cycle along the canal path tomorrow, but there are two problems: We want people to stay indoors and we don't want the health service to be at risk of anyone getting injured.

    "We need to keep people walking, running and cycling from their house and back to their house and I think 30-60 minutes is about right."

  9. FM praises workers creating new hospital

    Construction workers at NHS Louisa Jordan hospital

    Nicola Sturgeon has praised NHS staff and building contractors involved in establishing the new NHS Louisa Jordan hospital during a visit to the facility at the SEC in Glasgow this afternoon.

    Since work began:

    • 23,000 sq m of flooring has been laid
    • More than 1,000 bed bays have been created, with partitions between beds
    • More than 8,000 pieces of medical equipment have been ordered

    The first minister said everyone involved had "worked tirelessly under extremely challenging circumstances" to build the hospital.

    "While I still hope that it will not be needed, the NHS Louisa Jordan will help our NHS to prepare and provide people with reassurance that we have measures in place to help treat people during this pandemic."

  10. Hancock: Government 'effective and efficient' in PM's absence

    Matt Hancock

    Asked how the government is functioning during the prime minister's continued absence, Matt Hancock says Boris Johnson is "recovering", adding: "I am sure the whole nation is delighted to see the news."

    He adds: "It demonstrates once again just how serious the disease is."

    England's health secretary says the "good news" is that the government has been functioning "very efficiently and effectively" during the PM's illness.

    He says the government does not have enough information yet to make changes to the lockdown measures, but promises a meeting on them will take place next week.

    And he praises Dominic Raab for stepping into the role of deputising for the prime minister.

    "But that is within the context of a strategy the prime minister clearly set out," he adds.

    "We get on with the day-to-day things and do what is needed while the PM recovers."

  11. Hancock unveils PPE plan

    Matt Hancock has unveiled a new "PPE plan" with three strands.

    He says the first is on guidance - about "being clear who needs PPE, when they need it and who does not".

    Mr Hancock says there is enough PPE to go round, but only if it is used within guidance as it is a "precious resource".

    The second strand is the "Herculean logistical effort" to distribute.

    He says 742 million pieces of PPE have been delivered to the front line, but over the next three weeks, an online portal will launch so primary care and social care can request what they need.

    Finally, Mr Hancock says it is about supply, appealing to British companies to help create PPE "on an unprecedented scale".

    Matt Hancock
  12. BreakingUK death toll reaches 8,958

    UK health secretary Matt Hancock says the number of deaths across the UK of people in hospital who tested positive for coronavirus has now reached 8,958 - a 980 increase on yesterday.

    "We never forget behind this number, behind each on is a name, a loss and a family which will never be the same again."

    He also repeats the news Boris Johnson's condition is improving, and praises the care he has got from the NHS.

    He says 19,116 tests have been carried out across Great Britain, with 5,706 testing positive.

    Mr Hancock is leading the UK government briefing from Downing Street in the continued absence of Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

  13. Two workers on oil rig struck by Covid-19

    Two crew members of an oil rig anchored in the Cromarty Firth have tested positive for Covid-19.

    Rig owners Transocean said that, toreduce risk of exposure, all crew members who were in close contact with those who tested positive have been removed from the platform and are self-isolating.

    The company added that it is following Oil and Gas UK guidelines and that the health and safety of its employees is a priority.

    Transocean
  14. 'A question of balance' over lockdown exit

    Brian Taylor

    BBC Scotland Political Editor

    Quote Message: Nicola Sturgeon, UK ministers and their advisers are united in stressing that the signs are not sufficiently propitious to admit of any slackening in the remarkable constraints currently being imposed upon a mostly compliant public. But we will get there at some point. This cannot endure for ever. And one reason for saying that is the consideration that persistent, enduring lockdown would risk damaging our economy and social fabric beyond repair. To the point, perhaps, where the cure would be worse than the ailment.

    Read more of Brian's latest blog here.

  15. Google data gives details of park visits

    Rory Cellan-Jones

    Technology correspondent

    people in Glasgow park

    Google has released its second set of reports on activity in 131 countries around the world, gathered from Google Maps users.

    The data for the UK shows activity still very much reduced compared to normal, but visits to parks increased markedly, and there was a slight uptick in visits to transport hubs and food stores.

    The data is for last Sunday, 5 April, and shows visits to places such as parks, public beaches and gardens were down 29% compared to normal.

    But the data for the previous weekend showed visits down 52%.

    There had been concerns last weekend that sunny weather would bring too many people out, and a number of parks were closed.

    Visits to transport hubs – bus and train stations – were down 70%, as compared to a 75% fall the previous weekend. And activity at food stores and pharmacies was down 41%, compared to 46% the week before.

  16. Royal Mail 'putting profits before safety', say staff

    Sarah Corker

    BBC Consumer Affairs Correspondent

    Postal worker

    Royal Mail is putting "profits before safety", say postal workers who claim the company is failing to protect them from the risk of catching Covid-19.

    There is a shortage of gloves, masks and hand sanitiser, employees from across the UK have told the BBC.

    They also claim social distancing at work is "almost impossible".

    Royal Mail says it has invested £15m in protective equipment and that the health and well-being of staff is their top priority.

    Over the last two weeks, staff at eight Royal Mail sites, including three in Scotland, have walked out over safety concerns. The BBC has seen footage of employees working shoulder-to-shoulder in one sorting office, with limited social distancing measures in place.

    Read more here.

  17. Jackson Carlaw 'pragmatic' on Brexit extension

    Jackson Carlaw

    Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw has said he is "a pragmatist" when it comes to extending the Brexit transition period due to the coronavirus outbreak.

    Speaking to the PA news agency, Mr Carlaw said that, should the outbreak last longer than expected, conversations should be had to extend the 31 December deadline for the end of the transition period.

    Mr Carlaw said there could be a point in the future where negotiations between the UK government and the EU would be able to go ahead, but added that it was up to Prime Minister Boris Johnson to assess when, or if, an extension should be requested.

  18. Nicola Sturgeon says we cannot be complacent

    Video content

    Video caption: Coronavirus: Sturgeon says we cannot become 'complacent'