BBC Radio Scotland

As the coronavirus outbreak tightens it's grip,there's growing evidence to suggest it's left some of us with too much time on our hands.

Take the BBC commentator - Andrew Cotter, who was on Good Morning Scotland earlier.

A veteran of all manner of major events from the Ryder Cup to the Six Nations, he's been sidelined by the total lack of any sport to cover.

However he's been keeping his hand in..honing his skills on the dinner time duel between Olive and Mabel, with this video which has now been seen by millions of people across the world:

Getting Britons home from abroad is likely to be the biggest ever repatriation undertaken by the UK government, the transport secretary has said.

Grant Shapps said the cost would come to £75m ($93m).

He said: “I handled the Thomas Cook repatriation, which was the largest at the time, but this is even bigger because it is not a single airline and we don’t know where everyone is."

BBC Radio Scotland

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On treatment, Prof Leitch says there are good trials going on involving anti-viral drugs.

Labs around the world are also working on developing a vaccine he adds, which will protect older people and shielded people.

Kaye asks about reports of young people dying from Covid-19. Prof Leitch says the risk of serious illness increases exponentially as you age but this does not mean the young are completely immune.

That's all from Scotland's national clinical director this morning.

A psychotherapist from Ayr has launched a free counselling service for NHS workers on the front line of the pandemic.

Sam Cotton hoped to give some support to workers coming home from "grueling shifts" who may be in need of counsellors, psychologists and trauma specialists.

With fellow psychotherapist Claire-Goodwin-Fee, based in Kent, Sam launched the Frontline19 service, external - and within three days, had 600 therapists volunteering with 2,000 NHS workers signed up for help.

In the last two days 10,000 people have attempted to access the site - which has been funded through a GoFundMe page.

Sam said: "It's been an incredible response, we're able to start working on our new website that will automate this whole process - matching up therapists with NHS workers.

"It's amazing that everyone is giving their time for free. We've got to keep going."

BBC Radio Scotland

Kaye Adams says people in Austria are being asked to wear face masks when going to the supermarket and asks about their usefulness.

We are not going to recommend this, replies Prof Leitch, because the only people that would benefit would be those with symptoms who should be staying at home anyway.

• Can wearing masks stop the spread of coronavirus?

Image source, Getty Images

Kaye asks what will need to happen for the measures to end.

Scotland's national clinical director says if the population do what governments have said, the optimistic modelling is more likely.

We will hopefully then be able to back slowly out of the measures as we return to normal, he adds.

• The UK's chief scientific adviser has said social distancing measures are "making a difference".

Scottish Mountain Rescue has said there were no call-outs for teams over the weekend.

The organisation - which represents teams with about 850 volunteers - said it wanted to "thank everyone for staying safe, staying local and keeping our mountain rescue teams at home".

BBC Radio Scotland

Prof Leitch says the vast majority of the 200,000 letters going out to the most vulnerable people will be out by the end of this week.

They essentially say to remain self isolated for three months, he says.

We've set up services with resilience partnerships to provide medicines, shopping and basic resources for this shielded group explains the national clinical director.

Image source, Getty Images

A caller asks if he should keep his appointment to give blood and Prof Leitch says yes, as long as you are not putting yourself at risk.

"We absolutely want you to give blood. In fact, I'd go further than that: we need you to give blood."

Read more Covid-19 advice for blood donors here., external

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:

• 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

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

BBC Radio Scotland

Prof Jason Leitch says it is understandable people are concerned about the pausing of several screening programmes announced yesterday.

"We'll pick up where we left off and catch up as soon as we can."

This will help protect the safety of those having the screening by not asking them to travel, as well as allowing the laboratories to become coronavirus testing sites he adds.

He says probably about 100,000 people in Scotland already have the virus so widespread testing would be a waste of resource.

Prof Leitch highlights drive-through testing which has begun in NHS Fife, adding this will be rolled out nationally for key workers in the coming days.

Millions of plants, shrubs and trees could be binned in the coming days and weeks, meaning ruin for UK growers.

The closure of 2,000 garden centres and nurseries mean makers of what's called "ornamental horticulture" have no outlet for their plants.

The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) is asking the government for financial assistance of up to £250m to help the industry avoid collapse.

It warned that up to a third of producers could go bust.

Image source, PA Media

A consultant at an Edinburgh hospital says it is "calm, controlled and ready" to deal with an increase in patients who have contracted coronavirus.

Prof Simon Maxwell said there were not the "apocalyptic" scenes that people might be imagining.

He said the Western General Hospital site was "quieter than it's ever been in the 23 years I have worked here".

"Most outpatient clinics are suspended," he said. "Ward visiting is strictly limited."

"There are many empty beds now being held in readiness for what is to come."

British Airways will suspend all flights to and from London's Gatwick airport amid a collapse in demand due to the coronavirus.

The move follows EasyJet's suspension of flights after the government advised against all but essential travel.

British Airways told staff it was facing a challenging market environment in "unprecedented circumstances", according to an email seen by the BBC.

The airline said it would contact customers to "discuss their options".

Image source, Getty Images

Douglas Ross says the UK government has been able to procure a "large number" of ventilators which are getting to the NHS frontline "right now".

But he admits there was "confusion" over an email which meant the UK missed a deadline to join an EU scheme to get extra ventilators for the coronavirus crisis.

"We are working flat out with UK suppliers and suppliers around the globe to make sure the NHS has the ventilators it requires to support people who fall victim to the coronavirus and need support in hospitals," he says.

Asked whether some suppliers were being given preference because they were Conservative Pary donors, Mr Ross replied this was "rubbish".

The government has ordered 10,000 ventilators from Dyson to help deal with the coronavirus crisis.

"We are trying to get vital equipment to help our nurses save lives, and to say we're going with certain companies because they support the Conservative Party is ridiculous," he adds.

Mr Ross tells BBC Scotland that the UK's lockdown measures may need to be in place for a few months but says that an end is "in sight".

The lockdown will not be forever, he says.

He says people should avoid the temptation to go outside as the weather gets warmer and drier and urged people to continue to listen to the advice from government.

"The worst thing people could do is flouting the rules that have been put in place and then we get a peak of this virus and that will cost lives," he says.

Image source, UK Parliament

Scotland Office Minister Douglas Ross says it is possible that the lockdown is already having a positive affect on the suppressing the spread of the coronavirus in the UK.

But he told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland it would be "some time" before the effects could be properly measured.

"No-one wants to be in the house for as long as they have to be in the house. No-one doesn't want to go out and see family and friends, but the sacrfices we're making just now may help us to beat this virus," he said.

Image source, Getty Images

The Constitutional Affairs Secretary, Michael Russell, says emergency powers to help the governent deal with the coronavirus pandemic should be used for as short a period as possible.

Mr Russell told the BBC that he hoped it would not be necessary to renew the legislation in six months and said the Scottish government would report "very clearly" on how they were used.

The legislation include measures affecting how jury trials will be dealt with and to give tennants security so they do not face eviction.

"We've had to trawl right through governemnt, find out the things that simply cannot be done or things that would distract from the absolute priority of dealing with the pandemic and then make sure we have the powers to do that," Mr Russell said.

He added they were "exceptional solutions" for "absolutely exceptional times".

Image source, Getty

Scotland’s councils have been released of the legal obligation to double free childcare provision.

The local authorities had a statutory duty to provide 1,140 hours of free pre-school education to eligible pupils from August.

But ministers and council leaders have agreed it is “not realistic or reasonable” for the original timescale to remain in the wake of the pandemic.

No date has been given for when it will be made a legal obligation again.