NHS on emergency footing, says health secretary Jeane Freeman

Scottish Health Secretary Jeane Freeman has announced that she is formally putting NHS Scotland on an "emergency footing".

The measure, under sections 1 and 78 of the 1978 NHS Scotland Act, will be in place for at least three months.

In a statement to the Scottish Parliament, she said that both ICU and hospital bed capacity would be increased. She also said senior students would be drafted in to assist with the efforts to contain the coronavirus.

Ms Freeman told MSPs: "Our goal is simple: to protect and save lives and we need everyone's help to achieve this."