Staff at the Braehead branch of Ikea handed over sandwiches, fruit and 15,000 paper tape measures for intensive care staff at Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

Patients in critical care need to have their height measured to help work out the correct ventilator settings.

The paper tape measures can then be disposed of, minimising the risk of cross-infection.

In line with recent advice on coronavirus (COVID-19) announced by the first mnister, campsites, caravan and holiday parks in Scotland are to close immediately to new arrivals, including tourers, other transient visitors and holiday lets.

Sites should also advise current visitors and owners of second homes on sites to return home and stay at home, where they can do so safely and practically.

A woman being treated for coronavirus has made an appeal for people to stay home.

Ken Banks
BBC Scotland North East and Northern Isles reporter

NorthLink has said it will continue to provide "lifeline" ferry services to the Northern Isles but with the closure of bar and shop areas.

Food and drink will be available between Aberdeen, Kirkwall and Lerwick - due to the duration of crossings - but with an amended menu.

Cinema facilities will also be suspended.

Stricter enforcement of social distance requirements is also in place.

Image source, NorthLink

Constitution Secretary Michael Russell explains the plan is to have the Coronavirus Bill, external pass in the Commons by tomorrow.

It will include provisions around reporting the use of emergency powers and will require the approval of MSPs every six months to remain in effect.

Image source, SPTV

A list of premises which must close will be published shortly he confirms, and enforcement powers will come into force as soon as the legislation receives royal assent.

Every pandemic is accompanied by fear, dread, difficult decisions and death, Mr Russell says.

But it is also joined by hope, courage and determination the cabinet secretary concludes.

Image source, bbc

A former A&E nurse from Dundee is one of thousands of workers who have volunteered to return to the NHS to help fight the coronavirus.

Kristeen Geddes, who also worked in renal dialysis, left the NHS in 2014 to go into private practice.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman told MSPs today that there had been almost 3,300 queries from former nurses and health professionals about rejoining.

Ms Geddes said: “I heard they are in need of nurses and was also contacted by an NHS colleague to come back.

“The situation is that there are many nurses going in isolation and they are in desperate need for more.”

She said she believed her skills would be valuable and that she wanted to help colleagues who are under “an immense amount of strain.”

The midwives from St. John’s Hospital in Livingston have delivered an important message, through the medium of song...

Constitution Secretary Mike Russell is leading the debate on the329-page emergency coronavirus bill, external which passed through the House of Commons last night.

The legislative consent motion for the extraordinary legislation will be agreed to by MSPs at decision time.

You can watch the debate with Scottish Parliament TV here., external

Image source, Scottish Parliament TV

The bill gives the government wide-ranging powers, unlike any other recent legislation.

• Click here to find out what's in the emergency Coronavirus legislation.
• Watch the evidence session with Parliament TV here., external

• the power to restrict events and shut down premises such as pubs
• powers to isolate or detain individuals who are judged to be a risk to containing the spread of Covid-19
• facilitate the return of retired nurses, midwives, paramedics and social workers
• relaxing rules around detention under mental health laws
• increasing the use of audio and video links in courts
• officials will have the power to close the borders
• the bill will allow employers to reclaim statutory sick pay funds from HMRC to help with the burden of increased staff absence
• organisations could be required to provide space or resources for the storage or management of dead bodies

Read more here.

The first coronavirus case in Scotland was detected on 1 March by NHS Tayside. The number of patients testing positive for Covid-19 has risen steadily since then.

However, Scotland's chief medical officer, Dr Catherine Calderwood, has estimated that the actual number of cases could be 50 times higher than the official figure.

This page, updated daily, illustrates the spread of the disease in Scotland in four charts.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman has said parking charges will be suspended from Scottish hospitals for three months.

Ninewells in Dundee, Glasgow Royal Infirmary and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh are the only hospitals in Scotland where visitors and staff pay to park.

NHS Tayside said it had been working with private operator Saba over the past few days to agree the temporary suspension of charges at Ninewells in Dundee.

It said it was now finalising how the temporary arrangements would work in practice.

"We will be sharing this detail with our staff and the public in the coming days," a statement said,

The new arrangements will be in place from Monday 30 March for 12 weeks.

The Lord Advocate James Wolfe says most criminal trials have been put on hold in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

He says this will have a "profound effect" on the justice system but is a necessary step.

Police Scotland will continue to respond to crime and to report cases to the procurator fiscal.

Mr Wolfe tells MSPs that accused people will continue to be taken into custody when it is needed to ensure public safety and that prosecutions will be initiated where there is evidence.

Where cases are held, the accused will appear by video link when possible and witnesses will be kept to a minimum.

But he says the great majority of cases will be deferred to a later date.

Image source, Katy Marshall

A Scottish doctor is among thousands of British citizens stranded abroad as more countries go into lockdown.

Katy Marshall and her husband Paul Colebourn from Milnathort, near Kinross, had been working in New Zealand for a year but decided to cut their trip short due to the spread of coronavirus.

They booked flights back to Scotland last week to get back to their families and support the NHS effort.

But after selling their car, leaving their home and travelling for six hours to get to Auckland Airport, they've been told they can't fly out of the country.

The 27-year-old junior doctor has worked for Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS, the health board which is hardest-hit by the spread of Covid-19.

She told the BBC: "We had everything organised - a job for me and my husband and a remote property to self isolate in for two weeks and potentially longer whilst working with Covid-19 exposure to keep our families safe.

"We had even organised a vehicle for us to access so no risk would be made to others once we were back in the country.

"We booked a flight with Emirates (Auckland to Edinburgh via Dubai) on Wednesday last week. On Thursday we got a notification that the Edinburgh leg was cancelled.

"We managed to switch to the Glasgow flight. But after packing up our house, quitting our jobs, and driving to Auckland on Monday to fly out on Tuesday 24th, our flights were cancelled."

The couple are now unable to fly out of New Zealand due to shutdowns in connecting cities and the grounding of aircraft.

They have joined with up to 1,000 other British citizens stuck in New Zealand and are pressuring the Embassy there, and the UK government to get them home.

British High Commissioner Laura Clarke, external is compiling a list of people waiting to get home.

Among the list of stranded citizens are 16 NHS doctors, four consultants, two ICU consultants and four nurses, who want to get back to help.

Dr Marshall said: "I am a doctor, I need to get back and help the NHS. It has been horrific watching from here and seeing the virus move from Italy to Spain and now the UK.

"We are desperate to get home.I just want to help."

Image source, Katy Marshall

Image source, Getty Images

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf and Lord Advocate James Wolffe are making statements on the impact of coronavirus.

Earlier today Police Scotland's chief constable told BBC Scotland his officers would not hesitate to enforce new measures being brought in to tackle the spread of coronavirus.

The measures were announced on Monday by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who said they amounted to a "lockdown".

They include ordering people to stay at home except for essential shopping and only travelling to and from essential work.

Chief Constable Iain Livingstone warned people against disobeying the advice.

Read more here.

Labour MSP Anas Sarwar asks about families who are potentially missing out on death in service payments for NHS workers due to pension changes.

Ms Freeman confirms the pensions issue is being looked at.

Tory MSP Brian Whittle asks about support and advice for the third sector who are frequently helping the most vulnerable during this period of lockdown.

Ms Campbell points to a resilience fund to help the third sector continue to operate.

Independent MSP Mark McDonald asks about problems facing individuals with addiction issues.

The health secretary confirms that this is under active consideration and says the Scottish government is making sure individuals have an offer of support if they wish it.

SNP MSP Fulton Macgregor requests an update on the antibody test to identify those who have had the virus.

Ms Freeman says we are hopeful it will available "in the near future."

SNP MSP Willie Coffey says he is still getting messages from constituents about being "dragged into work" and he asks about enforcement measures against such employers.

The vast majority are behaving responsibly, replies Ms Sturgeon, but she points to police enforcing closures over the weekend for those who did not.

Image source, bbc

Lib Dem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton praises community efforts and asks about the impact of the lockdown on this.

The first minister thanks the countless people stepping up to help others.

She says policing by consent will continue

Green MSP Alison Johnstone says current guidance tells NHS staff they will not be tested and asks for this to be updated to reflect the pledge announced today.

Ms Freeman confirms that staff will be updated as capacity for testing increases.

SNP MSP Bruce Crawford says a frontline ambulance driver in his constituency needs his car MOT'd to get to work and he asks about the DVLA waiving such issues.

Transport Secretary Michael Matheson says a UK-wide exemption is being looked at to allow insurance, tax etc to be renewed for three months.

SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson asks about banks increasing loans and bank charges and asks if credit card charges should be cut.

Kate Forbes says she is in regular contact with the banks and will raise concerns with them.

The finance secretary says the expectation on banks is to look favourably on payment deferrals and to reduce all costs.