Merryn Somerset Webb, editor in chief of personal finance magazine MoneyWeek, told Radio Scotland’s Drivetime programme the economic fallout from coronavirus will be felt for years to come.

Speaking as the Institute of Fiscal Studies warned the crisis could cost the economy in excess of £200bn in the next year, she said: “There is no magic money tree.

“If you spend this money, it has to be paid off at some point, someone has to pay for that.”

Image source, Getty Images

The price of crude falls below $23 a barrel as demand plummets due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Pauline McLean
BBC Scotland Arts Correspondent

Amidst many festival cancellations, one which will go ahead, in a changed format, is the tenth Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival. Although the public elements of the Hawick festival have had to be cancelled, organisers hope to deliver as much as possible online.

Michael Pattison, creative director, says: “It’s been a turbulent few weeks and like many festivals and arts organisations we have been faced with some very difficult decisions.”

"It became clear very quickly that we would have to cancel the public element of our 10th anniversary festival but we wanted to make sure that we could continue to celebrate the many great filmmakers whose work we were planning to showcase.”

The festival, which will run from 1-3 May will showcase 71 films, including 18 world premieres.

Islands health board NHS Western Isles describes a new arrival of personal protective equipment for its staff as a "welcome sight".

Orkney - one of just two Scottish health board areas yet to record a confirmed case of Covid-19 - has announced that a patient has tested positive.

It was not included in the Scottish government's daily figures but NHS Orkney confirmed the news in a short statement this afternoon.

The Western Isles now remains the only NHS area without a confirmed case.

There are now more than 720,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide and more than 34,000 people have died.

As the virus spreads rapidly, it can be hard to visualise what's happening around the world.

Our guide to the pandemic can help you understand the big picture.

The move means healthcare staff can be redeployed to other essential services during the pandemic.

Pauline McLean
BBC Scotland Arts Correspondent

Scottish Ballet has started live streaming dance classes.

The first digital health class this morning was aimed at people with Parkinson’s and their carers. Further classes will cater for older people and those with dementia.

The company’s newly formed class for people with MS will also be streamed on Facebook and there’ll be a special session for families on a Friday, led by one of the company’s principal dancers Bethany Kingsley-Garner.

Image source, Andy Ross/Scottish Ballet

Christopher Hampson, CEO and Artistic Director says: “At Scottish Ballet, dance is our primary connector to each other and our communities.

"More than ever, we need to make sure people stay connected to their support networks and our SB Health participants are an extension of the Scottish Ballet family.”

John Beattie
Drivetime presenter

Drivetime with John Beattie has started on Radio Scotland, with all the latest on the coronavirus outbreak on the day Scotland's death toll reached 47, with 108 people currently in intensive care.

This will of course include reaction to the announcements from the first minister that the SEC will become a temporary hospital and NHS breast, bowel and cervical cancer screening are being suspended.

There's also an interview with former top athlete and Tory MSP Brian Whittle who thinks he has had the coronavirus and who says he was hit hard by it.

At around 5pm Drivetime will bring you the latest briefing from Downing Street live and then the reaction from Police Scotland to handing out 25 fines over the weekend to people breaking the rules designed to halt the spread of coronavirus.

On a lighter note our consumer affairs correspondent Nick Sheridan will answer questions... through the medium of song.

You can listen here with us on the live page.

Krista Smillie from Blantyre is not your average seven-year-old - she sings, she dances, she watches the news, she does public service announcements.

In an attempt to keep in touch with her friends during the coronavirus lockdown, the P3 pupil has been posting rib-tickling videos on Facebook with the help of mum Carolann.

One clip in particular - where Krista sings a Covid-19 rendition of the Copacabana (as an elderly Scottish character named Winnie) - has racked up over 170,000 views.

Carolann said: "I've had umpteen friend requests saying 'how do I sign up for Krista's catch ups?' People say she has made their day."

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the conference arena could be used to treat 1,000 patients.

Screenings for breast, cervical and bowel cancers have been paused across Scotland due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Scotland's chief medical officer Catherine Calderwood said people should look for symptoms themselves and seek help if they are worried. So what are the signs?

Signs of breast cancer

Image source, Getty Images

• a new lump or thickening in your breast or armpit
• change in size, shape or feel of your breast
• skin changes in the breast such as puckering, dimpling, a rash or redness of the skin
• fluid leaking from the nipple in a woman who isn’t pregnant or breast feeding
• changes in the position of nipple

Signs of bowel cancer

• Bleeding from your bottom and/or blood in your poo
• A persistent and unexplained change in bowel habit
• Unexplained weight loss
• Extreme tiredness for no obvious reason
• A pain or lump in your tummy

Signs of cervical cancer

Image source, Getty Images

• unusual vaginal bleeding
• pain or discomfort during sex
• vaginal discharge
• pain in the pelvis

Childcare centres for the children of key workers are expected to stay open over the school Easter holidays.

The Scottish government said it is working with councils to ensure those on the frontline of the battle against coronavirus still have this support over the spring break.

Edinburgh Council is also considering if it can extend the hours of its hubs to beyond the normal school day and weekends.

A Scottish government spokeswoman said: “Critical childcare and learning arrangements for the children of key workers who cannot make their own childcare arrangements are expected to remain open during the spring break.”

The first minister has said in the four hours after Scotland Cares was launched, 10,000 people have registered their interest.

The ‘Scotland Cares’ campaign has been launched to encourage people to volunteer during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

1. To volunteer in your community, sign up here: reserves.redcross.org.uk, external
2. To support other charities and groups operating in your community, register here: search.volunteerscotland.net/coronavirus/, external
3. To return to the NHS or social care, apply here: careers.nhs.scot/coronavirus-co…, external
4. If you are running a business and would like to offer help, here’s the email address: covid19response@gov.scot

It’s all pulled together here: readyscotland.org/coronavirus/, external

Remember you must be healthy and well and follow the public health advice, available at NHS inform, external.

Marc Ellison
Data journalist, BBC Scotland

30 days on from the first confirmed case of coronavirus in Scotland, and the total now stands at 1,563. But some of you have asked how this compares to other countries - so I took a look at data from Johns Hopkins University to find out.

I've compared Scotland to a mixture of European countries and 'hotspots'. This graph shows the number of confirmed cases in the 30 days following each country's first reported case (irrespective of actual calendar date).

Out of these selected countries, the Netherlands had the highest number (8,603) in its first 30 days of reporting.

However this could be down to the country doing more testing than other countries, such as the USA for example, which is barely visible in the graphic at the bottom of the x-axis.

America only reported 13 cases in its first 30 days. Could this be down to the lack of testing kits available in the country?

Similarly, by the 30-day mark, there have been more positive cases in Scotland (1,563) than there were during the first month of the outbreak in 'hotspots' like Italy (1,128) and Spain (just 84 and barely visible in the graph).

Image source, Getty Images

Italy and Spain now have some of the highest numbers of cases in the world - 97,689 and 80,110 respectively. However, this isn't to suggest Scotland will go the same way.

Scotland's overall population is a fraction of Italy's, but more vitally the people most at risk of contracting Covid-19 are those over 65. That's around 23% of Italy’s population is 65+ (the largest proportion in the EU) compared to about 19% in Scotland.

Finally, the first confirmed case in Italy was reported a full month before the first case in Scotland. One could argue Italy served as a early warning sign to other countries, emphasising the importance of measures such as testing, social distancing and lockdowns.