Ms Sturgeon says the first phase will coincide with the ability to start a substantial TTI operation to keep the virus under control.

That part is absolutely crucial, she adds.

The first minister says Thursday's route map will also set out the updated assessment of a phased return to school.

She says from Thursday onwards there will also be guidance for key industries on the changes they need to make to keep employees and customers safe.

There will also be advice on travel and transport.

"Within two weeks my hope is that we will be taking some concrete steps on the journey back to a form of normality."

She says it will be a journey to a better balance than we have today, but between now and then sticking with the lockdown restrictions is so important.

The key advice remains the same for now and can be found at NHS Inform, external.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

The first phase should allow, within a few days of 28 May, more outdoor activity like:

• being able to sit in the park
• meeting up outdoors with someone from another household with social distancing
• limited outdoor sporting activities like golf and fishing
• the opening of garden centres and recycling facilities
• the resumption of some outdoor work

Image source, Getty Images

The first minister will publish a route map setting out a phased approach to easing lockdown on Thursday.

This will take into account the current R Number and the latest NRS statistics about the number of deaths with Covid-19.

She says this route map will not have firm dates and a cautious approach will be taken to ensure the virus is suppressed.

Assuming there is progress in suppressing the virus, the first phase will start from 28 May she adds.

For NHS and social care key workers or their families testing should still be accessed through the NHS, says the first minister.

She says today's expansion will be helpful in building towards the strategy of Test, Trace, Isolate and Support.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, EPA

The first minister says from today the number of people who can be tested is being widened.

Ms Sturgeon explains the change is that anyone over the age of five years old who has any of the three symptoms of Covid-19 will now be able to book a test.

This includes the new symptom of a loss of taste or smell.

The test will be available through the drive in centres at Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow airports, and in Perth and Inverness.

They will also be available through the 12 mobile testing units across the country.

Tests can be booked online with priority given to key workers, she says.

The first minister says the guidance on the symptoms of Covid-19 has been changed, based on a reccommendation by all four chief medical officers in the UK.

Loss of smell or taste have been added to the UK's list of coronavirus symptoms that people should look out for and self-isolate with.

Find out more here.

Nicola Sturgeon explains that now, if you have a high temperature, a persistent cough or if you sustain a loss of sense of smell or taste you must stay at home completely for seven days.

Image source, Getty Images

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirms 14,594 people have tested positive for Covid-19, an increase of 57 from yesterday.

1,427 patients are in hospital with a suspected (422) or confirmed (1,005) case (up 119), with 63 being treated in intensive care (up four).

3,354 people have been discharged from hospital after receiving treatment for the virus since 5 March.

A further two people who tested positive have died, taking the total to 2,105 deaths in Scotland by that measure. She highlights death registrations tend to be lower on Sundays, however.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will now lead today's Scottish government coronavirus briefing.

Celtic have been confirmed as Scottish Premiership champions for the ninth season in a row - and Hearts relegated - after the SPFL ended the season.

The decision was taken at a board meeting on Monday after the 12 clubs agreed at the end of last week that completing the campaign was unfeasible.

Average points per game played has been used to determine final placings, with the only change to the table from when football was halted on 13 March being that St Johnstone move above Hibernian into sixth place.

• Read more here, external
• Follow live reaction here
• Budge given reconstruction go-ahead

Mornings with Kaye Adams
BBC Radio Scotland

Kindness is the theme of Mental Health Awareness Week, but it also needs to be put at the centre of public policy making.

So says Julie Cameron, associate director of Mental Health Foundation for Scotland and Northern Ireland, on BBC Radio Scotland.

Ms Cameron reveals that the theme of this year's campaign was changed because of the kindness shown and needed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"What's important about this Mental Health Awareness Week is how central kindness is to our mental health and sometimes it can be easily overlooked because it is just something people do or don't do," she says.

"This is a chance for us to think through what kind of society do we want to come out of the other side of this pandemic. How we are defining kindness is not just about individual interactions but about core values in our society and putting it first and foremost in public policy making and that, in the past, has perhaps been overlooked."

Holyrood Live
BBC Parliaments

A rural economy strategy would help to balance economic need, the deputy chief executive of the SCDI says.

Matt Lancashire tells the economy committee: "There are real issues around hospitality and tourism, but it's not just those industries because actually bringing people into rural areas is absolutely critical."

He also highlights the implications of COP26 being cancelled which would have driven investment to Scotland by showcasing what we have to offer.

There is a need to show we are still world leading, he says.

Mental Health Awareness Week this year falls in unprecedented times as people around the world come to terms with the isolation and uncertainty lockdown restrictions can bring.

"A lot of anxiety is rooted in worrying about the unknown and waiting for something to happen - coronavirus is that on a macro scale," says Rosie Weatherley, spokesperson for mental health charity Mind.

So how can we protect our mental health?

The World Health Organization has released advice on protecting your mental health during the coronavirus outbreak, external, which was broadly welcomed.

Kirstie Brewer's article here has lots of information on dealing with anxiety, OCD and how to maintain good mental health during long periods of self-isolation.

You can also watch A Royal Team Talk: Tackling Mental Health on iPlayer or via this link,with Prince William, Gareth Southgate, Peter Crouch, Thierry Henry, Danny Rose and Jermaine Jenas joining Dan Walker for a revealing conversation about men's mental health.

Mornings with Kaye Adams
BBC Radio Scotland

Broadcaster and writer Samantha Renk finds the future for the disabled and vulnerable under the lockdown "quite scary" and has criticised the "lack of communication" coming from the UK government.

Ms Renk, who is shielding at her mother's house because she has 50% lung capacity. tells BBC Radio Scotland that she has lost her independence and wonders when the lockdown will ease for people in her position.

"The house is not accessible at all," she says. "The prime minister has told people who are shielding that it will be some time yet, which is quite disconcerting because I do want to get back to London and see my friends and back to some kind of normality

"But, in reality, for people who are shielding and who are at high risk, we are going to have to wait until a vaccine - if that day ever comes. I would like a bit more clarity."

Ms Renk points out that cars and vans have been excluded from her area of London and wonders how people like her will be able to do their shopping. "I have been tweeting the hell out of it, but nobody replies," she adds.

Holyrood Live
BBC Parliaments

Matt Lancashire from SCDI says while the majority of businesses are thankful for the government support, there are challenges in implementation, with delays in loans and grants coming through.

Helen Martin from the STUC says the schemes have been essential to support people's incomes and the job retention scheme will continue to be vital to weather the storm going forward.

She welcomes that many of the initial gaps in the schemes have been worked through, but highlights there are still problems with self-employed people who pay themselves by dividends.

The Fraser of Allander Institute's deputy director Mairi Spowage agrees the dividend issues needs to be resolved. She also points to a gap for third sector organisations who have sufficient reserves for now, but problems may occur in 6-12 months' time.

Mornings with Kaye Adams
BBC Radio Scotland

Broadcaster and writer Samantha Renk says the lockdown has had the benefit of normalising many of the work practices - like Skype and Zoom calls - that were necessary for many disabled people but which able-bodied employers often shunned because of the cost or inconvenience.

"We were flying this flag for quite some time," Ms Renk, who is a wheelchair user and who has brittle bones, tells BBC Radio Scotland. "Now, all of a sudden, we are all in the same boat."

She admits to being "a bit of a pessimist" but hopes that, "when everything goes back to normality, people uphold this new norm - that disabled people are employable and that we can work remotely. Ms Renk suggests: "I think it is going to be quite life-changing for a lot of people if we stick to how we're operating now."

However, having found writing work for the Metro and Possibility magazine about her life in isolation due to her condition, she adds that: "We are in lockdown, but our imaginations are not in lockdown. If we commit ourselves, a lot of good can come out of being in a state of calm."

From today, all individuals should self-isolate if they develop a loss or a change in your normal sense of smell or taste - known as anosmia.

This is an update to the self-isolation symptoms already listed - of a new continuous cough or fever.

The individual’s household should self-isolate for 14 days as per the current guidelines and the individual should stay at home for 7 days, or longer if they still have symptoms other than cough or loss of sense of smell or taste.

The update has been agreed by all four of the UK's chief medical officers.

Read more here.

Holyrood Live
BBC Parliaments

MSPs on the economy committee will now continue to look at the implications of the pandemic on businesses and workers with a second panel:

• Mairi Spowage from the Fraser of Allander Institute
• Matt Lancashire from SCDI
• Helen Martin of the STUC

Find their written submissions to the committee here., external