Mornings with Kaye Adams
BBC Radio Scotland

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"Without government and bank support, we'd be finished," says Steven Leckie, CEO of the Crieff Hydro Family of hotels.

The business has 900 furloughed staff at the moment, with Leckie telling BBC Radio Scotland that they are still losing £500,000 a month during lockdown.

"The extension of the scheme is good news for employees," he says. "The risk is what happens at the end of it - if we are in a worse position as a company, a country, a sector.

"If tourism is at the end of the queue for reopening, what condition are we going to be in come October? In my head, the worry is that we closed a large company and we will be opening a small company.

"If we lose the season, we are all in deep trouble."

Glasgow is improving its space for citizens taking their daily exercise.

Work has started on several routes to provide extra space for pedestrians and cyclists to socially distance safely.

Holyrood Live
BBC Parliaments

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Transport Secretary Michael Matheson confirms demand for public transport has fallen by 85-90%, while operators have reduced services across all modes.

Meanwhile, walking and cycling has increased - "a positive change which we want to lock in," he says.

Capacity in the coming weeks is expected to be 10-25% of normal levels, he tells MSPs.

The transport secretary explains "careful management of demand on the transport system will be necessary" as lockdown is eased and he will therefore set out a Transport Transition Plan in the coming weeks.

These will set out the steps required to make public transport safe and also engage with local authorities on how to manage it, he says, but it will also encourage people to continue working from home where possible.

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Transport Secretary Michael Matheson is updating MSPs on the Scottish government's response to the pandemic.

Last week First Bus said social distancing would be "unsustainable" as the Covid-19 lockdown is eased.

The operator, which employs more than 3,200 people in Scotland, was responsible for 120 million passenger journeys last year.

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Image source, BBC/Scottish Parliament

Image source, BBC/Scottish Parliament

The virtual Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee has begun, quizzing Transport Secretary Michael Matheson on the government's response to the pandemic.

Here are the committee papers., external

You can watch the committee with us, just click on the play icon at the top of the page.

9am: HOLYROOD: Virtual Covid-19 business: Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee

- Scottish government response: TRANSPORT to COVID-19: MSPs will take evidence from Transport Secretary Michael Matheson

- Scottish government response: RURAL ECONOMY and TOURISM to COVID-19: MSPs will take evidence from Rural Economy and Tourism Secretary Fergus Ewing

12pm: Weekly NRS Covid-19 statistics are published

12pm: Prime Minister’s Questions

12.20pm: HOLYROOD: First Minister’s Questions: Preceded by a statement from Nicola Sturgeon in lieu of a media briefing

2.15pm: HOLYROOD: Ministerial Statement: COVID-19 Update: Lord Advocate

2.45pm: Coronavirus (Scotland) (No.2) Bill:Stage One debate of the latest emergency legislation to address the pandemic in Scotland

5pm: UK government Coronavirus Briefing

Good Morning Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland

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Alister Jack says the poorest should not end up having to pay for the financial consequences of the lockdown measures and that he would have "absolutely no problem" if politicians voted to cut their own pay.

He said that everyone had to contribute to the recovery of the UK's finances.

"That doesn't present me with any particular concern whatsoever," he said.

"I think it's important, though, that we go forward with sound public finances, [and] that we recognise that the UK economy has supported people in an unprecedented way."

Good Morning Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland

Speaking on Radio Scotland, the Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said he could "not write future budgets for the chancellor" when asked about the potential for more fiscal austerity following the pandemic.

But he said the economic stimulus and support being provided by the UK government during the lockdown would give the country the ability to recover quickly.

Andrew Black
BBC Scotland Business Presenter

Image source, Eco Group

The boss of a logistics firm based in south west Scotland says he needs a lot more government guidance on operating cross-border, after plans to relax the lockdown in England opened up differences with Scotland.

Eddie Black, managing director of Annan-based Eco, has most of his 50 employees on the furlough wage scheme, but added: "Quite a few employees have been on the phone asking what's happening.

"Some of the guys who work on one of the contracts we have in England live in Scotland, and they're wondering whether they've to go back to work."

Eco normally offers everything from dry ice-making to IT services and was in the middle of a big expansion before the lockdown - all of which is now on hold.

Mr Black told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme he's been able to diversity into areas like delivering personal protection equipment to care homes.

Good Morning Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland

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The secretary of state for Scotland tells BBC Scotland that the chancellor will have to look at how he puts the UK's finances back on a "sound footing" once the Covid-19 pandemic is over.

Alister Jack said Chancellor Rishi Sunak had set out one of the "most generous schemes in the world", with the UK government paying 80% of people's wages while they are furloughed.

The chancellor extended the scheme yesterday until the end of October.

Mr Jack told Radio Scotland he would not speculate on future budgets, but said the scheme would result in "a lot of debt" for the UK.

Good Morning Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland

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A public health doctor says the UK government's "strong focus" on the number of tests is not helpful and even "misleading".

Prof Allyson Pollock, from Newcastle University and a member of the "Independent Sage" group, told Radio Scotland that the UK testing strategy was not clear at the moment.

The group is a collection of scientists aiming to keep the public informed about the outbreak.

The academic said it was a "great puzzle" why the UK government stopped its contact tracing programme on 12 March and then called for it to be re-established across the country.

Prof Pollock added contact tracing needed to be restored to stop and slow the transmission of the virus.

The Scottish papers are dominated by news of the extension of the UK government's furlough scheme for workers, and the first minister denying a coronavirus "cover-up".

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Comedian Janey Godley has been praised by Nicola Sturgeon for her unique "translations" of the daily Scottish government coronavirus press briefings.

Her voiceover videos have racked up huge numbers of hits online.

She told The Nine she would continue to try to find comedy in the deadly serious situation.

Good Morning Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland

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A director at the Federation of Small Businesses says there is no "immediate way back" for many businesses that reply on tourism or people having disposable income to spend on products and services.

Colin Borland told Radio Scotland the reality was that not every business would survive the coronavirus lockdown.

A survey of small firms across the UK suggests a third fear they would not be able to reopen when restrictions are finally lifted.

Mr Borland said he was hopeful there would be more details from the Scottish government in the next few days on how Scotland would emerge from the lockdown.

The finance secretary Kate Forbes has told The Nine Scotland needs "fiscal flexibility" to tailor its approach to paying for the lockdown measures.

She said she had already started speaking to the Treasury.

Good Morning Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland

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A coalition of more than 100 children’s charities, trade unions, faith groups, academics and anti-poverty campaigners have come together to write an open letter to the first minister.

It urges her to provide extra money to families on low incomes, to protect them through the current crisis and make sure more children don't slip back into poverty.

It comes as figures showed people living in the poorest parts of Scotland accounted for nearly a quarter of coronavirus cases.

John Dickie from Child Poverty Action Group Scotland told Radio Scotland the lockdown was affecting poorer families disproportionately.

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Researchers are to study the genetic codes of severely-ill Covid-19 patients to find out why the disease affects some people more than others.

The Edinburgh University-led programme will identify the specific genes that cause a predisposition to the disease.

It will allow the genome sequencing of up 20,000 people who have been in intensive care with Covid-19, and 15,000 who have mild symptoms.

The findings will then be used to suggest potential treatments.

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People living in the poorest parts of Scotland account for nearly a quarter of coronavirus cases, new figures show.

The NHS data reveals 22.7% of confirmed infections come from those in the most deprived areas, while 18.8% come from the most affluent.

Separate data shows those in the poorest areas account for twice as many Covid-19 calls to NHS24 than the wealthiest.

Coronavirus death rates are worse in the poorest areas of Scotland as well.

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Many local firms in Scotland are on a "knife-edge" as a result of the coronavirus crisis, according to the Federation of Small Businesses.

The organisation said firms needed to see "sustained help on offer" to avoid them "stalling" once the lockdown is eased.

Its comments followed a survey of small firms across the UK suggesting a third feared they would not be able to reopen after the lockdown.

The FSB found more than half (53%) of Scottish firms who responded had been forced to close, compared to 41% across the UK as a whole.

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