The first minister now outlines the changes to the rules of self-isolation in Scotland.

Those who have symptoms of, or who test positive for Covid, will still be required to self-isolate as now, she says.

But from 9 August anyone who is identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive will no longer be required to automatically self-isolate for 10 days.

Instead, if someone is double vaccinated, plus 14 days and they have no symptoms, they should get a PCR test. If those results are negative, they will not need to self-isolate.

There are similar changes for those aged 17 and under. If those aged 15-17 are identified as a close contact, they will need a PCR test and if it is negative, they can end their isolation.

Under fives are encouraged but not required to take a PCR test.

Even though the law will not stipulate physical distancing from Monday, Ms Sturgeon says the public will still be advised to keep a distance from other households and avoid crowded places.

The government is also continuing to consider the possible "limited use" of Covid status certification for certain higher risk venues in the future.

She says an app is currently being developed to make access to someone's Covid status or vaccination record easier for international travel and this will be launched next month.

However, she adds that she does not underestimate the "ethical issues" associated with using certification in a domestic setting.

Ms Sturgeon continues by saying "while this move will restore a sub degree of normality" it does not "signal the end of the pandemic".

The ongoing effects of Covid "shouldn't be underestimated", she says, "care and caution will still be required".

She goes on to outline a list of measures:

• Face coverings will "likely to be mandated in law for some time"
• Test and Protect will continue - there will be an "ongoing requirement" for venues to collect contact details of customers
• Change of approach to self-isolation - anyone who is required to self-isolate will "continue to have access to support"
• There will be localised restrictions if necessary and travel restrictions when necessary
• There will be a continuation of home working and employers will be encouraged to do hybrid working
• Large events will have to apply for permission to run

Image source, Getty Images

Nicola Sturgeon says vaccine take-up has been "exceptional" but there is still more to do.

The first minister says invitations to get the jab have now gone out to 12 to 17-year-olds with specific health conditions and she says the government is also hoping for updated advice from the JCVI on possible vaccinations of others in younger age groups.

The government also "stands ready" to implement a booster jab programme in the autumn if that is recommended.

Ms Sturgeon goes on to confirm the latest coronavirus figures in Scotland.

There were 1,016 cases recorded yesterday, she says, and 406 people hospital care, with 61 intensive care.

There have been nine further deaths over past 24 hours.

She says cases are falling and the number of people in hospital is also declining.

More than three million have had both doses of the vaccine.

"All of this is good news and I think it demonstrates the value of taking a steady approach to easing restrictions".

Image source, bbc

From next Monday Scotland will move beyond level zero, Nicola Sturgeon confirms.

However, in live with the government's "cautious approach" a number of mitigation measures will remain in place, the first minister says.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has begun making her statement to the Scottish Parliament on her plans for lifting most coronavirus restrictions.

We'll bring you all the key updates.

Image source, BAE Systems/PA Media

One of the challenges for health workers on Covid wards has been wearing uncomfortable personal protective equipment, like tight-fitting masks and goggles, for hours at a time.

Now defence and aerospace company BAE Systems has teamed up with a Lancashire-based family-owned company, Lancastle, to design a full-face protective hood.

Known as the Morecambe Bay Hood, it has a large clear visor and has been designed free of charge.

It delivers a continuous stream of clean filtered air, which the makers say helps stop the visor fogging up, and improves communication between staff and patients by making it easier to see facial expressions.

The respirators are due to be be rolled out to hospital wards in Lancashire and South Cumbria over the coming weeks.

Dr Sarah Price, a consultant in palliative medicine at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, said the hood was a "game-changer".

"It's comfortable, easily cleanable and it means that the whole of your face is on show for those interactions that really matter," she added.

Read more here.

Image source, Getty Images

We'll be hearing from Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon shortly when she sets out plans for the lifting of most legal Covid-19 restrictions.

The whole of Scotland is currently in level zero of the virus alert system - details here - and the first minister has previously said she is hopeful of going further next Monday.

She could confirm the relaxing of social distancing rules - as well as the return of office working and larger crowds at events.

Sturgeon has already confirmed that face coverings in shops and public transport will remain mandatory for "some time to come".

Her statement to MSPs is expected at 14:00 BST. Stick with us for updates.

Image source, Reuters

There have been reports of queues lasting many hours at Heathrow Airport over the weekend because of the number Border Force staff having to self-isolate.

Lucy Moreton of the Immigration Services Union says about a quarter of the workforce - or about 80 people - were absent over the weekend. Normally absence would be at about 10%.

Moreton says this was not entirely down to Covid related illness or absences.

In response, the Home Office says it is "completely false to suggest that a quarter of staff are absent".

"Border Force works hard to ensure it has the right level of resources to check that passengers are compliant with our border health measures and to maintain border security as travel continues to open," a statement says.

“All border staff strictly adhere to health measure regulations and we continue to review and refine any processes to ensure optimal staffing levels to carry out the vital function of border security."

The statement adds that upgrades to the airport's e-gates over the summer to automate checks for health requirements "is ongoing" with many already in operation.

Laura Foster
BBC Health correspondent

The current guidance for pregnant women is similar to that of everyone else - get your Covid vaccine and get your doses roughly eight weeks apart.

But as is the case with anyone under 40, only the Pfizer and Moderna jabs are being recommended for this group so far.

Now scientists are looking to see whether even better protection can be given to pregnant women and their infants - by changing the gap between vaccine doses.

As part of this trial, 200 women will have their jabs four to six weeks apart, another 200 will have an eight to 12 week gap.

Other groups will have one of the two jabs either before or after their pregnancy.

This clinical trial by St George’s, University of London is set to be the biggest of its kind in the UK.

The first results are expected towards the end of this year.

Image source, Pacemaker

The Republic of Ireland's hospitality rules have helped Covid-19 vaccination rates surpass Northern Ireland's, NI's chief scientific adviser says.

Ireland requires people to prove they have received both jabs to enter indoor venues.

Prof Ian Young says the hospitality guidelines have "incentivised" vaccination, adding that he will "clearly support" any policy encouraging people to get vaccinated.

Speaking to the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme, he says: "For a long time the vaccination programme in Northern Ireland was leading in terms of the island of Ireland, we rolled it out really effectively.

"Just over the weekend the Republic of Ireland has passed us. There are probably many reasons for that but I'm sure that one of the reasons has been that people are incentivised to get vaccinated as a result of wanting to get into the hospitality sector."

About 76% of Ireland's adult population is fully vaccinated compared to 72.1% in Northern Ireland.

Read more here.

What changes can Scotland expect later?published at 12:32 British Summer Time 3 August 2021

12:32 BST 3 August 2021

Glenn Campbell
BBC Scotland Political Editor

As the number of new coronavirus cases in Scotland comes down and the vaccination rate goes up, a further relaxation of Covid rules is coming.

I expect the Scottish government will announce plans to switch off the levels protection system from Monday 9 August.

That should mean we can meet up in larger numbers both indoors and outside and a phased return to office work. It will not mean an end to all restrictions.

Wearing face coverings on public transport and registering for test and protect when you go out for a meal are likely to remain requirements.

While social distancing rules may be scrapped for outdoor gatherings, it is possible that the 1m rule could be retained in some indoor settings.

If so, ministers are thought to be weighing up the possibility of an exemption for nightclubs to allow them to reopen.

Changes to the requirements for self-isolation for close contacts of Covid cases to ease the so-called "pingdemic" are also expected.

The details will have been decided at a meeting of the Scottish cabinet a few hours before the first minister's virtual statement to parliament at 14:00BST.

Image source, Getty Images

The southern Indian state of Kerala accounts for more than half of the country's new Covid-19 infections. Cases have continued to rise in the state, months after the waning of the deadly second wave.

In January 2020, the state reported India's first case in a medical student who had returned from Wuhan, in China, where the pandemic began.

The number of cases rose steadily and it became a hotspot. By March, however, half a dozen states were reporting more cases than the picturesque southern state.

Sticking faithfully to the contagion control playbook of test, trace and isolate and involving grassroots networks, Kerala brought down its case count drastically. The first wave was protracted, but Kerala managed to control the spread of infection. The official death count remained low.

Infections rose faster during the deadly second wave this summer. And they show no signs of abating even as the pandemic wanes in other parts of the country.

With barely 3% of India's population, Kerala has been accounting for more than half of India's new cases.

Read more here.

Image source, Getty Images

More on the government's decision to ditch a plan to create an "amber watchlist" of travel destinations.

The Department for Transport has issued a statement saying it is "regularly reviewing" the UK's international travel policy.

“We are taking a cautious approach to travel that protects public health. That’s why we have our traffic light system in place, that balances the reopening of international travel with managing the risk of Covid-19 and imported variants," it says.

“We are regularly reviewing our international travel policy, based on a range of factors and the latest scientific data available,” it continues.

Read more about the traffic light system here.

Ishaq Khalid
BBC News, Abuja

Image source, Reuters

Nigeria has received a donation of four million doses of Covid-19 vaccine from the US government.

The US embassy in Nigeria says the donated vaccines are part of the "US pledge to initially provide at least 25 million of the 80 million doses globally to Africa".

The US donated the vaccines to Nigeria through the international vaccine distribution facility, Covax. They have been handed over to Nigerian officials in the capital, Abuja.

The Nigerian authorities say the Moderna jabs are expected to increase vaccination rates across the country.

Nigeria has so far vaccinated just about 1% of its 200 million people with AstraZeneca doses received in March through Covax.

The latest consignment of the jabs comes as the country is experiencing an upsurge in daily reported cases of the virus with continued spread of the more infectious Delta variant.

Officials say the country is now beginning to experience a third wave of the pandemic.

Image source, PA Media

Last month, the NHS was given the green light to start planning a vaccine booster programme to try to minimise another wave of infections this winter.

Scientists serving on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommended 30 million of the most vulnerable should receive a third dose. They will include all adults aged 50 and over and anyone over 16 who qualifies for a flu jab.

Meanwhile, a team at the University of Oxford is now well under way with the first phase of a trial in which 30 volunteers - all aged between 18 and 40 - have been given the vaccine in the form of a nasal spray.

Dr Sandy Douglas at the University of Oxford Jenner Institute is leading the study, and he believes nasal vaccinations could prove effective at preventing asymptomatic transmission.

He tells Radio 4’s Today programme the study is in the very early stages and it is “quite a long way away from establishing whether the vaccine is able to protect against the virus”.

He says the benefit of a nasal vaccine is that it could create more antibodies in that area, which “would be better at protecting you against coronavirus - which of course usually infects people through the nose”.

He adds that people use nasal sprays for things like hay fever and could see it as a more pleasant experience than an injection but “really we’re most interested in whether it might be even more effective”.

Image source, Reuters

Germany has said it will begin offering third jabs to elderly and at-risk groups in an effort to increase immunity to more infectious mutations of the virus.

Health officials are concerned about "a reduced or rapidly declining immune response" among some groups, including the elderly.

Under the plans, care-home residents will be offered Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna booster shots, regardless of which vaccine they originally received.

A booster shot will also be offered to anyone who received the two-dose Oxford-AstraZeneca or single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccines, a document released by the country's health ministry said, "in the interests of preventative healthcare", the AFP news agency reports.

The country's 16 health ministers also agreed to make vaccination available to all children aged 12 to 17.

Just over half the population has been fully vaccinated and some 60% have received at least one shot.

Israel announced a few days ago it would give booster shots to its elderly.

US Senator Lindsey Graham has taken to Twitter to say he has tested positive for Covid after having had a vaccine.

The Republican representative for South Carolina wrote in a follow-up tweet he was glad he was vaccinated and currently only had mild symptoms.

He was reported to have been part of a small group of senators being entertained by West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin over the weekend.

Manchin told reporters all the invited senators were vaccinated and they were socialising outside for the time it takes to eat a couple of hamburgers, external.

Image source, Getty Images

The England men's cricket team's planned tour of Bangladesh, which was due to take place in September and October, will now take place in March 2023.

Both cricket boards have mutually decided to reschedule the tour, which includes three one-day internationals and three T20 internationals.

The decision was made due to the impact of Covid and a packed cricket calendar.

England are still due to play Pakistan in two T20 matches in October, with the T20 World Cup starting on 17 October.

Read more