Image source, Getty Images

The first minister says there is a further drop in the number of patients in intensive care and yesterday she announced the first drop in registered deaths related to the virus.

"All of that gives us real hope and real encouragement.

"We also know that progress remains fragile."

There are still significant numbers of people infected and the government is not yet comfortable the all important R Number is comfortably below one.

She says it could still be hovering around one, meaning any easing of restrictions would be "very, very risky indeed".

The R Number may still be a bit higher here than in rUK due to being behind the infection curve, she adds.

Nicola Sturgeon reiterates the message "stay at home, save lives and help us to protect the NHS".

The first minister points out the Scottish government is legally required to review the lockdown every three weeks, with the latest one today.

She says: "The lockdown must be extended at this stage."

More detail of the analysis behind this decision will be published at 2pm today.

She says: "We are together making really significant progress in our efforts to get this virus under control."

Image source, Getty Images

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirms 12,924 people have tested positive for Covid-19, an increase of 215 from yesterday.

1,587 patients are in hospital with a suspected or confirmed case (down 45), with 86 being treated in intensive care (down three).

2,954 people have been discharged from hospital after receiving treatment for the virus since 5 March.

A further 59 people who tested positive have died, taking the total to 1,762 deaths in Scotland by that measure.

Refresh this live page and you can watch the Scottish government briefing here with us.

Image source, NHS Western Isles

Volunteers have stitched together hospital gowns, hats and masks for health workers in the Western Isles using material supplied by the local health board.

The items are being used to supplement NHS Western Isles' stocks of personal protective equipment.

Seamstresses, including Mary Lou Stilwell, Marjory Mackenzie, Morag Duncan, Nana Maclean, Anna Suslova, Larisa Spirina and Katie Macleod, have made more than 200 hospital gowns.

Chris Anne Campbell, who recently returned from retirement to NHS Western Isles to work during the coronavirus pandemic, said: “We are hugely grateful for these gowns.

"NHS Western Isles has supplied the material for these gowns to ensure the gowns meet safety requirements.”

Image source, bbc

The Covid-19 Committee hears from Prof Linda Bauld, an expert in public health on the government's response to Covid-19 and its next steps.

Prof Bauld says: "Now is not the time to look back, now is the time to look forward."

She says the population is realising the importance of public health and accepting this is a global crisis and needs a global response.

Holyrood Live
BBC Parliaments

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Scotland's former CMO calls for testing of the whole population to better understand how widespread the virus is.

New Zealand's strategy is not "significantly different" from the one being pursued here, Sir Harry Burns suggests, but they have been better at identifying spreaders.

New Zealand said it has stopped community transmission of Covid-19 at the end of April, effectively eliminating the virus.

Sir Harry said: "They seem to be far more aggressive in terms of identification of people who might spread it and that's why the testing is important."

He explains lockdown is essentially isolation without contact tracing.

Holyrood Live
BBC Parliaments

Image source, Science Photo Library

Sir Harry Burns does not expect coronavirus cases to return to peaks previously seen once lockdown is lifted, nor does he anticipate intensive care to reach capacity.

But he highlights lifting lockdown will mean more cases and possibly more deaths that are potentially avoidable.

There is a trade-off here in terms of the benefits of remaining in lockdown for coronavirus and the impact this may have on other conditions, he states.

He says the next challenge for the NHS is bringing back services like cancer and coronary care in a way that is safe for the people who need them.

He adds: "The sooner we move on and get to a position where the NHS can support these people, the better."

Governments around the world have been telling us that the R number must be kept below one to avoid a resurgence of the outbreak.

But what is it and why does it matter? BBC health correspondent Laura Foster explains it all.

Mornings with Kaye Adams
BBC Radio Scotland

The deputy political editor of Scottish Daily Mail says she would not expect to see any major changes to the lockdown coming from Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday.

Rachel Watson told Kaye Adams earlier that any changes are likely to be "very subtle" - like allowing people out of their homes more than once a day for exercise.

She also said that she did not think there would be any major differences emerging between Scotland and England.

"Any change to the message will be complicated and I think the government are aware of that," she said.

"I also think that's why we won't see any massive differences north and south of the border, because when you start to change the message, that's already complicating things and when you start to change that message in different parts of the UK - it becomes extra complicated."

Douglas Fraser
Scotland business & economy editor

Image source, Getty Images

The Bank of England has been wargaming a battle we're already fighting, to see how it might work.

So we shouldn't be surprised to find them modelling a drop in total output of 3% in the first three months of this year and 25% in the second quarter.

The scenario offers us no pleasant surprises in what this means for unemployment, rising from 4% to 9% of the workforce.

But can the economy recover?

Holyrood Live
BBC Parliaments

Sir Harry tells the committee of people attending hubs being sent home without being tested. We need to ensure people are being tested properly, not just told to self-isolate he says.

The same thing also applies to care homes, he says. He emphasises the need to ensure no one who is positive goes into a care home and for the more subtle symptoms - such as a loss of smell - to be looked out for.

The former CMO says the outbreaks in care homes indicate nurses may be spreading the virus unwittingly.

Angie Brown
Edinburgh and East reporter

Image source, Monterey Jack's

Many takeaways are facing increased demand for deliveries while they also try to cope with the impact of the lockdown on their business. That has meant lengthy waits but owners say they are now starting to get up to speed with new ways of working.

Richard Fergie, the director of American restaurant chain Monterey Jack's, has seen delivery orders increase by 50% at his eight restaurants across Scotland.

The coronavirus restrictions have meant a step into the unknown for his business.

"We have had to find different ways of operating," he said. "There has been a huge demand, and we have had to get more drivers.

Read more here.

Holyrood Live
BBC Parliaments

Sir Harry Burns says knowing who is infected and who is at risk of spreading the virus will be key as we move out of lockdown.

Testing must be both accurate and come with appropriate follow-up he says. He adds: "There's no point in testing unless you're tracing the contacts."

The former chief medical officer expresses concern about the quality control for testing.

There's a "long way to go" on the test, trace, isolate approach he adds.

Mornings with Kaye Adams
BBC Radio Scotland

Alan Maryon-Davis, honorary professor of public health at Kings College London, tells Kaye Adams there is a danger of becoming "complacent" about the fact that Covid-19 infection figures are falling and the "curve is going down".

"The very reason why it's going down is because of the lockdown. It's the lockdown that has saved lives," he says.

Prof Maryon-Davis says if we ease up now, there is a big risk that the curve will flatten out and maybe even start to rise.

He says a "few concessions", like allowing more exercise and letting construction sites begin work, will help "maintain morale" and let the economy start up - but he believes the lockdown should be maintained.

Holyrood Live
BBC Parliaments

We're going to switch shortly to the Covid-19 Committee, which will hear from medical experts as discussions continue about the transition out of lockdown.

They are expected to answer questions on the Scottish government’s suggested options to reduce restrictions, as well as when and on what basis might be the right time to take these steps.

If you want to continue watching the health committee, go to Scottish Parliament TV., external

The committee will hear from:

• Sir Harry Burns, Professor of Global Public Health at the University of Strathclyde and former chief medical officer

and then from:

• Linda Bauld, Professor of Public Health and Centre for Population Health Sciences Co-Director at the University of Edinburgh

Here's the Covid-19 Committee papers., external