Summary

  • Inspectorate takes legal action against a private care home on Skye where seven residents have died

  • Nicola Sturgeon tells her daily coronavirus briefing that 34 people have died with Covid-19 in the past 24 hours

  • An NHS study finds a third of coronavirus patients admitted to Scotland's intensive care units die.

  • Scottish government believes the so-called R number in Scotland is between 0.7 and one

  • Public Health England say the R number is currently 0.75 with London standing at 0.4

Live Reporting

BBC Scotland News

  1. NHS Grampian gets 2,000 masks and visors from BP

    NHS Grampian quality officer Ailidh Fraser accepting the donation.NHS Grampian

    NHS Grampian has taken delivery of 2,000 items of personal protective equipment (PPE) from oil firm BP.

    The donation consists of 1,500 masks and 500 face visors.

    BP said it was happy to play a small part in helping to maintain NHS Grampian stocks. The health board said it was grateful for the "useful supplement to core supplies" which would allow it to "quickly respond to any changes in demand”.

  2. 'We want events like Edinburgh Festival to come back'

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  3. A busy day of Covid-19 politics lies ahead in Edinburgh and London

    • 10am: Holyrood: The Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee will take evidence from Tourism Secretary Fergus Ewing (This live page will bring you any news lines from this or you can watch here: www.scottishparliament.tv)
    • 10:30am: Holyrood: The Finance and Constitution committee will take evidence from the Fraser of Allander Institute and SFC (Our live page is streaming this one)
    • 10.30am: Scottish government: Off camera video call to explain the all important R Number
    • 12.30pm: Scottish government coronavirus briefing
    Holyrood and Westminsterbbc

    Both Holyrood and Westminster focus on the pandemic today

    • 2.00pm: Holyrood: Finance and Economy Covid-19 Members’ Virtual Question Time
    • 2.00pm: Westminster: Scottish Affairs Committee: Alister Jack and Douglas Ross are in the hot seats
    • 3.00pm - Holyrood: Finance and Economy Covid-19 Members’ Virtual Question Time
    • 5pm: UK government coronavirus briefing

  4. Morningside is known for being quite deer...

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  5. Why are deprived areas hit worst by Covid-19?

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  6. Bringing MPs back to parliament during pandemic 'the height of irresponsibility'

    Good Morning Scotland
    BBC Radio Scotland

    Mr Wishart criticises calls from Conservative heavyweight Jacob Rees-Mogg for MPs to end virtual Parliament and start attending the house again.

    The Scottish Affairs Committee convener says there are plans from the leader of the house to end to the hybrid parliament and end electronic and remote voting.

    He says it is "simply unacceptable and appalling that he is prepared to put MPs, staff and resources into the House of Commons just to do our work".

    House of Commons social distancing measuresHOC

    I have huge concerns about that and I think it's the height of irresponsibility. It's not just Scottish MPs with different instructions for staying at home this impacts. Thousands of staff at the House of Commons will be put at increased risk. Jacob Rees Mogg keeps going on about his historic rights dating from 1340 just to turn up and do his job. Can you imagine if 650 of us pile in a week on Tuesday to sit in the House of Commons? This needs to be reviewed.

    Pete Wishart, SNP MP

  7. Will we be asked to work from home for ever?

    Mornings with Kaye Adams
    BBC Radio Scotland

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  8. Pete Wishart: Do we even still have a four-nations approach to virus?

    Good Morning Scotland
    BBC Radio Scotland

    Pete Wishart

    SNP MP Pete Wishart says one of the questions he will ask during today's meeting of the Scottish Affairs Committee at Westminster is whether we even still have a four-nations approach to the control of the coronavirus.

    He leads the committee and says the divergence in the advice being given to the public is confusing.

    He says there was always scope for the nations to do different things at different times, but says there was a "very clear desire" from the UK government to get things moving more quickly to respond to some of the issues they are confronting just now.

    I think just looking at what has happened, this was a unilateral decision taken by the UK [government] without any real agreement from the other devolved nations and one of the first questions that will be asked is have we still got a four nations approach when decisions of this magnitude and significance can be taken without the agreement of those other nations?

    Pete Wishart, SNP MP

  9. First meeting of Scottish Affairs Committee to discuss coronavirus impact on Scotland

    David Porter
    Scotland Westminster editor

    Alister Jack

    Scottish MPs will question the Scottish Secretary today on coronavirus and how it is impacting on Scotland.

    Alister Jack will appear before the commons Scottish affairs committee in a virtual hearing.

    Although the present parliament has been running for six months, this is the first meeting of the Scottish affairs committee.

  10. Care home manager: 'I can be tested today and test negative... but then catch it tomorrow'

    Good Morning Scotland
    BBC Radio Scotland

    With the burden of the coronavirus crisis being acutely felt in the country's many care homes, and more than half of Scotland's Covid-related deaths in the past week occurring there, a Fife care home manager says the system for testing staff remains an issue.

    Mahri Edgar runs the Glenburnie care home in Leven and says although their PPE supplies are now sorted, there still needs to be faster progress with ensuring adequate testing for staff and residents.

    Glenburnie care homeGoogle

    The staff can ask for testing but I think there is a lack of understanding over it. I can be tested today and test negative and feel great and feel more positive, but then catch it tomorrow. I think the routine testing has to be very well planned and well explained before that could be useful. And about 80% of our staff don't drive, so how are they meant to attend a drive-through service? Being limited to people in their household that drive being able to take [tests] is ridiculous.

    Mahri Edgar, Manager, Glenburnie care home

  11. Are the occupations of people living in Inverclyde to blame for area's high virus rates?

    Good Morning Scotland
    BBC Radio Scotland

    Inverclyde may have been more susceptible to the virus for two reasons, according to a health expert.

    Firstly its elderly population.

    But Sir Michael Marmot, director of the Institute of Health Equity at University College London, thinks the non-elderly population may have been more likely to be infected due to their jobs.

    Greenock town centreGoogle

    People in more deprived areas either have lost their jobs or are working in front line occupations - they are drivers, social care workers, working in the food industry, which puts them in contact with the public and at high risk of sustaining infection.

    Sir Michael Marmot, Director of the Institute of Health Equity, University College London.

  12. Area with Scotland's worst Covid death rate says 'We didn't expect to be so far ahead of the Scottish average'

    Good Morning Scotland
    BBC Radio Scotland

    GreenockGoogle

    The leader of the Scottish council with the highest coronavirus death rate says he did not expect to be as far ahead of the rest of the country when it came to fatalities.

    New figures from the National Records of Scotland show that if you live in one of Scotland's most deprived areas, you're twice as likely to die from Covid-19 as your better-off neighbours.

    He says that there was shock at the numbers, even though they expected to be badly hit.

    We have poor health based on multiple deprivation, we have an older population, a lot of high density housing which makes it difficult to social distance. These are common factors in many areas, but we are so far ahead of everyone else it leads us to think there may be other factors specific to Inverclyde.

    Stephen McCabe, Leader, Inverclyde Council

  13. Firms 'falling through funding cracks'

    Andrew Black
    BBC Scotland Business Presenter

    leafletsDirect Distribution

    The Coronavirus lockdown which has hit tourism is going far beyond just the people who run visitor attractions and hotels.

    Angus White runs leaflet distribution firm Direct Distribution, which works with organisations such as Visit Scotland, ferry operator CalMac and festival organisers.

    He's expecting income to drop by at least 50% this year, and has called for financial support to be extended to help operators survive until the start of the Scottish tourist season in April next year.

    Angus has found it difficult accessing special government emergency funding for the industry because his company is regarded as a "suppler", telling the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme: "Organisations like us are falling, I think, through the cracks."

    He added that his company is currently focusing on door-to door leafleting and is hoping "staycations" will eventually take off, but says it's still "early days".

    The crisis has really hit us hard. Within two weeks our whole sales stream just stopped.

    Angus White, Direct Distribution

  14. Darling: 'We can't go back to the 80s and throw people on the dole'

    Good Morning Scotland
    BBC Radio Scotland

    closed shops due to coronavirusGetty Images

    Lord Darling predicts the UK will see unemployment start to go up in the Autumn.

    He says the furlough scheme has been "excellent" for keeping people in work.

    But he warns that when employers begin to share the cost of the scheme, they will look at whether the jobs can continue.

    He says the government needs to plan for that now.

    We can't go back to the 1980s where people are just dumped on the dole. The government has a role to play here. They need to make sure the economy is intact so that when we get recovery it can start to grow.

    Lord Alistair Darling, Former chancellor

  15. Alistair Darling: Coronavirus economic crisis 'worse than 2008 crash'

    Good Morning Scotland
    BBC Radio Scotland

    Lord Alistair DarlingPA Media

    The man who was Chancellor at the time of the 2008 banking crash says the fallout from coronavirus will be much more difficult to recover from.

    Lord Alistair Darling, former Labour chancellor, says comparisons can certainly be made between that situation and the current one.

    This one is far, far worse. In 2008 there was a fracture to the banking system which could be fixed, albeit at huge cost. The government then concentrated on the recovery phase. We are not at the recovery stage yet. We are certainly in recession now. It will be a very deep recession and it will take some time to come out of it.

    Lord Alistair Darling, Former Labour Chancellor

  16. Did focus on the NHS directly contribute to pandemic impact on care homes?

    Good Morning Scotland
    BBC Radio Scotland

    Care homeGetty Images

    Mr Macaskill concedes that our health authorities may have inadvertently created the situation in care homes by concentrating on the ability of the NHS to handle the pandemic.

    He says that the NHS was not overwhelmed and with the benefit of hindsight it might be recognised that we needed to give as much attention to the social care sector, including home care, as we did to the NHS.

    He recommends a public inquiry after the pandemic has passed.

    We have a lot of lessons to learn at the end of the pandemic and one of those is the degree to which we were so concerned and focused on maintaining the NHS - all our signs and emphasis was to support the NHS. Priority was given to PPE for the NHS as we tried to make sure there was enough capacity. We will have to look at the extent to which dealing with delayed discharge and placing individuals in care homes contributed to the spread of the virus.

    Dr Donald Macaskill, Chief Executive, Scottish Care

  17. Head of independent care sector in Scotland voices concern over Skye care home report

    Good Morning Scotland
    BBC Radio Scotland

    Home Farm

    Dr Donald Macaskill has voiced his concerns at reports NHS Highland found flaws in the care at a home in Skye where seven residents have died in a Covid-19 outbreak.

    It follows an unannounced visit by the care inspectorate after the virus outbreak at Home Farm care home in Portree at the start of the month

    NHS Highland say inspectors have "serious concerns" about the quality of care at the facility.

    The local health authority said it was taking "immediate" action to provide additional support to the home.

    Obviously it's extremely concerning for residents in the home and their families. It's a home I know well cos my mother used to be a resident. I've got family in Skye and I actually know some folks in the home at the moment so it's extreme concerning for everyone.

    Dr Donald Macaskill, Scottish Care

  18. R-number details to be revealed and its impact on government policy

    virus chartGetty Images

    The Scottish government will give further details about the so-called "R" number today - and the impact it's having on coronavirus policy planning.

    It's the reproductive rate of the virus and the value helps determine when different lockdown measures are eased.

    However, some scientists are wary of what they call "false certainties".

    Nicola Sturgeon said the R rate here was between 0.7 and one. The rate for the whole of the UK is between 0.5-0.9.

    If the number is higher than one, then the number of cases begins to increase exponentially.

  19. 'There is a difference between the rhetoric of testing and the reality'

    Donald Macaskill

    BBC Scotland's The Nine has seen NHS guidance sent to care homes in Fife that advises staff “do not meet criteria for testing” even if they show symptoms of coronavirus.

    The document says that if the staff member works in a team big enough to “absorb the workload” they should isolate for 14 days instead.

    But Scottish government guidance states “all symptomatic key workers” can be tested.

    Dr Donald Macaskill, who heads Scottish care which speaks for the independent care sector in Scotland, said the sector deserved better and that a "strategic response" was needed.

    There is a difference between the rhetoric of testing and the reality experienced by front line care workers and by providers up and down the country.

    Dr Donald Macaskill, Scottish Care

  20. 'Serious concern' over care at Covid outbreak home

    Home

    NHS Highland say inspectors have voiced "serious concerns" about the quality of care at a Skye care home where there has been a major outbreak of coronavirus.

    Seven residents have died with Covid 19 at Home Farm care home in Portree.

    The local health authority said it was taking "immediate" action to provide additional support to the home.

    It follows an unannounced visit by the care inspectorate after the virus outbreak at the start of the month.