Image source, Getty Images

A further six people who tested positive for coronavirus in Wales have died, bringing its total number of deaths to 28, Public Health Wales says.

It came as three coronavirus patients in Scotland died, bringing the total deaths there to 25.

Latest figures for England and the UK as a whole will be released later.

In other developments:

• Scotland’s chief medical officer says around 40-50,000 people in the country may be infected
• The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Wales has risen to 741 and in Scotland to 894

Andrew Kerr
Scottish political correspondent

UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak will soon be stepping out to the now famous podiums at Downing Street where the UK government give their daily briefings.

Just weeks in the job and he’s racking up bills that would have seen previous incumbents balk.

Mr Sunak received praise last week for his package to help employees.

But there’s been constant pressure to ensure support is there for the self-employed.

The trouble is that it’s complicated – it’s taken time to work this one out.

Scotland’s finance secretary Kate Forbes wrote to him – asking for help for the 330,000 self-employed workers in Scotland.

Lynn Newton, a driving instructor from Montrose, told me her work has completely dried up and is worried about ever making up this shortfall.

Rural areas of Scotland are particularly concerned too.

The Scottish Borders Chambers of Commerce point out self-employment is high in their region.

Obviously they don’t get the footfall that the big cities get so it will take longer to bounce back.

As income plummets for many the government is trying to design a package that helps those most in need.

Of course, the self-employed sector covers everyone from multi-millionaire footballers to driving instructors.

There will be a cap – but the support has to come quickly.

We’re all focussed on the horrors of the pandemic and it’s hard to even see beyond the end of the week.

But as the Chancellor stands at the podium today and announces billions more in support he will fear the eventual bill.

The G20 nations have pledged to inject $5 trillion (£4tn) into the global economy to try to combat the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

The announcement came at the end of a virtual summit hosted by Saudi Arabia.

Jamie McIvor
BBC Scotland education correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

The Scottish Police Federation wants urgent action to ensure the children of police officers can always get childcare at the special hubs that councils have been setting up.

It says many officers are concerned about some of the arrangements and that some have been unable to get places.

Different councils have their own lists of just how they define key workers.

Edinburgh has specified that police officers are among those getting top priority.

Meanwhile councils are gradually getting a better sense of what the demand for childcare is like in practice.

BBC Scotland’s Aileen Clarke wants to speak to people who are going “above and beyond” to help those in need.

Image source, THOMAS NUGENT

The former IBM factory in Greenock has been offered up as a possible location for a NHS field hospital.

The owners of the factory have contacted the Scottish government to highlight the vacant space.

Scotland's chief medical officer Catherine Calderwood has said NHS field hospital sites will be identified this week ahead of a predicted rapid rise in Covid-19 cases.

She said Scotland was looking to set up temporary hospitals similar to one planned for London.

The 70-acre site, which IBM pulled out of in 2016, is owned by McGill's Buses owners Sandy and James Easdale.

Image source, Getty Images

The building site at Glasgow School of Art has been closed due the Covid-19 restrictions.

The Mackintosh building was destroyed in a fire in June 2018, following an earlier devastating blaze in May 2014.

GSA confirmed Reigart Contracts Ltd has suspended clearance work on the site “until further notice”.

It will remain under 24-hour security and be subject to regular checks, including weekly inspection of the scaffolding.

Image source, Dave Roper

An ex-soldier from Dunfermline is completing his daily run dressed up as Spider-Man to entertain children in his area.

Dave Roper, 36, is also raising funds for Calaiswood Community School, which supports young people with additional needs.

He said his son Liam, who has autism, is very proud of his superhero dad.

Dave told BBC Scotland: "It's been incredible, 60-80 children waved from their windows yesterday."

You can follow the route of the 'Duloch Spider-Man' via his Facebook page, external where he posts updates of his running routes.

Image source, Dave Roper

Image source, NICK MAILER

The judge presiding over the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry has vowed that coronavirus will not stop the inquiry's work. , external

Judge Lady Smith said on Thursday that people could still continue to contact the inquiry if they wished to do so, and that staff were now working remotely.

Public hearings were cancelled earlier this month. However, the inquiry is still continuing to probe claims of historic abuse at 10 new care institutions.

She added: “Whilst we will not be holding face to face meetings, our witness support team will continue to operate the "talk to us" phone line and will be working to support applicants and other witnesses throughout this challenging time.

“I have not taken these decisions lightly but I must put the well being of our applicants, witnesses, staff and our communities at the forefront of my decisions.”

• You can read more of BBC Scotland's coverage of the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry here.

Lisa Summers
BBC Scotland Health Correspondent

Image source, Getty

Catherine Calderwood, Scotland's chief medical officer says she believes we are behind London and the rest of England in terms of the accelerating coronavirus caseload.

This means the lockdown may have a bigger impact here - but Scotland is still facing significant capacity issues.

The authorities say they are on track to double intensive care capacity, and then want to quadruple it. The postponement of elective surgery has meant they have are just short of freeing up 3,000 other hospital beds.

There has also been a lot of talk about "field hospitals". One interesting point made at this morning's briefing was that they are still saying the empty Sick Children's hospital in Edinburgh is not safe to use.

Even if they look elsewhere, a field hospital could be for non-Covid 19 patients rather than the "fever hospitals" we've been seeing in China and elsewhere.

Laura Goodwin
BBC Scotland reporter

Image source, Getty Images

The decision to test Prince Charles and Camilla for coronavirus while some key NHS staff cannot work due to lack of access to tests has been branded “shocking” and “wrong”.

A woman living in the same household as a frontline clinician at NHS Grampian who are both self isolating said tests had to be prioritised to get staff back to work if their results are negative.

She told BBC Scotland News: "We need people with experience and expertise and we need as many people as possible.

“What we can’t have is a situation where staff are at home for 14 days in isolation and they may be negative."

An NHS spokesperson said testing for symptomatic household members of key staff was "being rolled out now". Critical staff are also eligible for testing in certain cirucumstances.

A statement added: "We appreciate this process has taken longer to put into practice than we would have liked, but it needed to be absolutely fit for widespread demand and risk prioritised."

Image source, LOGANAIR

Loganair has announced further reductions in its flight schedules in the coming weeks.

A "skeleton schedule" will operate in Scotland and on two routes that support critical offshore workers.

The schedule is due to be reviewed again with a view to reintroducing some flights on 20 April and again on 31 May.

The skeleton service is expected only to provide essential travel, for example for key workers.

More information on the new schedule can be found here, external.

Image source, Google

Journalists and other staff working for Newsquest will have their pay cut by 15% unless they are granted furlough, a union has claimed.

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) said it would hold talks with all its UK representatives on Thursday evening to discuss what its response would be.

The union said Newsquest intended to implement a 15% cut on those earning more than £18,000 including those working part-time or pro rata from the start of April.

It added senior managers at the company would be required to take two weeks of unpaid leave and their existing bonus scheme would temporarily cease to accrue.

The action affects all Newsquest titles including The Herald, The Herald on Sunday, the Glasgow Times, The National and the Sunday National.

John Toner, NUJ national organiser in Scotland, said the firm told employees that the coronavirus was having a "profound impact on business".

Image source, bbc

Here are today's major developments:

• A further three people with coronavirus have died in Scotland, taking the total to 25
• 894 people have tested positive, up 175 from yesterday
• 1.5m face masks that had expired are being brought back into use after extensive testing
• Police Scotland could have new powers to enforce social distancing as early as today
• CMO estimates 40,000 to 50,000 people in Scotland have been infected with the coronavirus
• 57 patients are in ICU and there is an aim to quadruple capacity