Mornings with Kaye Adams
BBC Radio Scotland

Image source, Getty Images

It's been another busy morning for Professor Jason Leitch, with the Scottish Government's national clinical director taking yet more questions on Mornings with Kaye Adams.

He opens by explaining what kind of face coverings people are being advised to wear if they find themselves in a rare situation where safe social distancing cannot be maintained.

"What we are talking about are face coverings to distinguish them from the medical grade face masks used by NHS and social care workers," he says.

"A cotton scarf, a buff, a bandana, fabric that covers your mouth and nose."

And why should we do it in an enclosed space like a small shop or on public transport?

"The benefit is small, but when you ramp that up to population levels, we think it is now worth giving advice, since people are doing it anyway and we want them to do it safely. It will protect others, not you.

"Wash your hands before you put it on, wash your hands when you take it off and then wash the covering - or discard it."

The fiancee of UK PM Boris Johnson - who was recently in intensive care with Covid-19 - has given birth to a baby boy.

A spokesman for the UK PM said Carrie Symonds and the newborn were "doing very well" after the birth in a London hospital on Wednesday morning.

"The PM and Ms Symonds would like to thank the fantastic NHS maternity team," a spokeswoman said.

The UK government is defending its decision not to recommend the wide use of face masks by the public to tackle Covid-19.

The Scottish government has endorsed the wearing of face coverings on public transport or in shops, but in Westminster, the current view is that the they have "limited impact" in preventing the spread of coronavirus.

Enviroment Secretary George Eustice told the BBC there's also a risk that mass use of masks could lead to shortages.

"If the value is actually very modest and very limited, to tell everybody that they should have a face mask then just means you increase demand for face masks and then potentially means that those who really need it, those working in cabin settings or in hospitals... will find it harder to get that protection that they need."

Image source, Getty images

It is worth noting that the UK minister referred to face masks, while the Scottish goverrnment advice refers only to face coverings.

Nicola Sturgeon stressed that the advice related to cloth garments such as a scarf rather than "medical grade facemasks" like those used by health and care workers.

Read the full Scottish government guidance here, external.

Aberdeen City Council is warning it could potentially be left with a black hole of more than £100m in its finances if the coronavirus pandemic continues for many months.

The local authority has been trying to work out the scale of the shortfall in its budget.

Income has fallen, while costs for responding to the pandemic have risen.

Council papers describe the possible shortfall ranging from £35m to as much as £113m.

Image source, bbc/Scottish PArliament

The Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee is underway virtually, with Climate Change Secretary Roseanna Cunningham making her opening statement from home.

MSPs are taking evidence on the Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Regulations 2020 (SSI 2020/draft) and on the Environmental Regulation (Enforcement Measures) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2020 (SSI 2020/draft).

Scotland's deposit return scheme should have scope for a "variable rate" on charges for drinks containers, MSPs said last year.

Last May the Scottish government announced a fixed deposit of 20p would be added to some plastic, metal and glass drinks containers.

The committee will shortly look at the impact of the coronavirus on the climate change plan and the delayed COP26.

Here are today's papers., external

Mornings with Kaye Adams
BBC Radio Scotland

The very busy Professor Leitch has now left, but the programme is continuing to take your calls on face coverings.

The Scottish government has now recommended people cover their faces while in some enclosed public spaces, such as shops and public transport.

Read more here.

Good Morning Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland

Image source, Getty Images

Asked about allegations on Channel 4 News that not all GPs were writing Covid-19 on the death certificates of care home residents when staff felt they should have, Prof Leitch said he had not seen evidence of that happening.

He told Good Morning Scotland that there could be a small number of death certificates that were not correct, but he said they were legal documents taken "very seriously" by medical professionals.

Image source, bbc

The Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee sits virtually taking evidence from Climate Change Secretary Roseanna Cunningham.

The focus is on the changes wrought on the climate change plan and COP26 by the pandemic.

The key climate summit in Glasgow will be delayed until next year due to disruption caused by the coronavirus.

Dozens of world leaders were due to attend the COP26 gathering that was set to run in Glasgow from November 9 this year.

It is expected that the conference will now take place by the middle of next year.

You can watch the committee here live with us by clicking on the play icon on Scottish Parliament: Climate Change and Covid-19 business 29 April at the top of the page.

• Read more here
• 'Another year of failure’
• Government insists COP26 summit will be in Glasgow
• Sturgeon and Gove make climate summit pledge

Good Morning Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland

Image source, Getty Images

Prof Leitch says it is possible that wearing face masks in certain circumstance could become compulsory "if the science changes again".

He told the BBC that the Scottish government would follow what the science told it, but emphasised the evidence and government guidance was changing rapidly because Covid-19 had only existed for four months.

"I've never seen science move at this pace in my life," he added.

Good Morning Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland

Scotland's national clinical director Jason Leitch tells Good Morning Scotland that the science and society's attitudes have changed around the public's wearing face masks.

Prof Leitch said there was "low level but increasing evidence" there was some asymptomatic spread of Covid-19 among the population.

Prof Leitch also told the BBC that some people had already started to wear face coverings anyhow and the Scottish government wanted to issue advice about how to do it effectively.

"I'm quite sure I'll be back on the 28 May and you'll tell me things have moved on and maybe I was wrong on 28 April, but that's the nature of clinical science," he added.

Andrew Black
BBC Scotland Business Presenter

Clothing retailer Next has warned sales could be down 40% this year, due to the Coronavirus lockdown.

They're big enough to weather the storm for now - but what about small, independent sellers?

Michael Welch is the founder of Edinburgh-based online clothing retailer Atterley, which sells products for more than 250 independent boutiques.

He told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme their concern was getting products to customers, but at the same time have seen their sales increase, partly because they're more nimble than the big chains.

Image source, Stewart Attwood

Image source, Enquest

The oil firm EnQuest has said it plans to make about 530 redundancies in its North Sea operation.

EnQuest said it wanted to make savings of $300m (£241m) due to the slump in demand for oil and the low oil price.

A six-week consultation is beginning with unions.

On Tuesday, industry body Oil and Gas UK said it expected as many as 30,000 jobs to go as a result of the coronavirus-related problems hitting the industry.

Douglas Fraser
Scotland business & economy editor

Image source, PA Media

Most property transactions that have been "frozen" started between November and February and were due to complete during April and May.

Zoopla, the online property business, estimates the number of UK house sales on hold is about 373,000, worth approximately £1bn in estate agency fees.

According to Edinburgh Solicitors Property Centre, there are some measures people can make.

They say;

• sellers can offer viewing on pre-recorded short films
• 360-degree virtual showing
• or on live video calls

Douglas Fraser
Scotland business & economy editor

Image source, Reuters

Home sellers face high additional bills if the housing market remains all but frozen for months, and they’re unable to sell their former home.

The Chartered Institute of Taxation has raised concern about the supplementary transaction tax charged for second homes in Scotland.

It’s charged in full (to be technically accurate, a rebate will not be paid back) if people buy a new home but do not or cannot sell their former home within 18 months.

For the average privately-owned home transaction in Scotland, the cost of that is nearly £7,000, as it’s charged at 4% of the full cost. And that is in addition to the Land and Building Transactions Tax.

Property sales worth £82bn 'on hold'

Good Morning Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland

Image source, Getty Images

A virologist from Cambridge University has said there is no specific evidence on whether face masks will help slow the spread of coronavirus.

But Dr Chris Smith told Good Morning Scotland that a recent study by the University of East Anglia on other viruses that spread via the respiratory tract found there was a "small benefit" in the right context.

He said there would be no point in wearing one for a walk in the countryside, but they could help in situations where social distancing is impossible, for example on public transport.

The academic, who also presents the Naked Scientists radio show, told the BBC that he thought Nicola Sturgeon's advice was "spot on" with the way she had worded her advice.

"This is something that you have to use your common sense. You have to interpret the situation and say will this help me?"