Summary

  • Boris Johnson's special adviser gives a statement from the Rose Garden at 10 Downing Street defending his trip from London to Durham during lockdown

  • Nicola Sturgeon had urged Dominic Cummings to admit he "made a mistake" - instead, says he acted "legally and reasonably" and would not resign

  • Three further deaths happen overnight taking the number of fatalities of people with Covid-19 positive tests - most occurring in hospital - to 2,273

  • Ms Sturgeon tells the daily briefing that she will give clearer guidance this week about what people can and cannot do from Thursday onwards

  • The first minister cautioned that many lockdown rules would still be in place, even with the lifting of restrictions in Phase 1

  • Earlier she told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme that her government has done its best with the "knowledge we had at the time"

  • Discharging hundreds of older people into care homes from hospitals at the start of the pandemic in Scotland will be scrutinised in the "fullness of time" adds Ms Sturgeon

  1. Confused? Here's where to find the latest advice in Scotlandpublished at 11:01 British Summer Time 25 May 2020

    There is a flood of information appearing across news channels and social media and it can be difficult to keep on top of the latest advice.

    So here are our top tips of places to go to answer your questions...

    1. NHS Inform, external

    The latest from NHS Scotland and the Scottish government, including social distancing and stay at home advice.

    2. Ready Scotland, external

    Staying at home does not mean you are alone - there are many ways you can help your community.

    3. Citizens Advice Scotland, external

    Providing advice on benefits and employment rights.

    4. Business Support, external

    The latest advice and support for businesses.

    BBC correspondent confusedImage source, bbc

    5. Parent Club, external

    Useful information on how to cope with home schooling and keeping your family safe.

    6. A helpline (0800 111 4000)has been setup for those at increased risk who don’t have a support network, such as family or existing community support.

    7. Scottish government face covering advice, external

    8. Clear Your Head, external: It's ok to not feel yourself right now, so click here for tips to help your mental health during the crisis.

  2. Do not try this at home...published at 10:48 British Summer Time 25 May 2020

    Mornings with Kaye Adams
    BBC Radio Scotland

    A trip to the dentist remains some way offImage source, SNS

    Do not attempt any DIY dentistry during lockdown, is the clear message from Dr Ambi Jeyabalan, who warns: "You are only going to make it worse and give us a bigger problem to treat".

    At the moment, advice is available over the phone (via your regular dentist) and you may be referred to an urgent care hub for any emergency work.

    Dentists are scheduled to reopen in phase three of the Scottish government, with Dr Jeyabalan telling BBC Radio Scotland there are still protocols to clarify on patient and staff safety.

    She reckons surgeries will begin treating emergencies before resuming normal services and check ups.

  3. UK government draws up plan to rescue key firmspublished at 10:40 British Summer Time 25 May 2020

    Woman at workImage source, Getty Images

    The UK government has indicated it is prepared to rescue large British companies severely affected by the coronavirus crisis.

    The Treasury said "last resort" support could be made available if a firm's failure would "disproportionately harm the UK economy".

    The move follows indications that a number of big firms are seeking government help to survive the crisis.

    These include Jaguar Land Rover, which is in talks to secure a £1bn loan.

  4. How might Scottish football look when it finally returns?published at 10:32 British Summer Time 25 May 2020

    Football came to a halt in Scotland on 13 March, with the leagues already calledImage source, SNS
    Image caption,

    Football came to a halt in Scotland on 13 March, with the leagues now called

    What might Scottish football look like when it returns from the coronavirus shutdown next season?

    From closed-door games, to Covid-19 testing and lower-league chaos, BBC Scotland examines the issues facing the game.

  5. Are Tory MSPs 'unhappy' with Cummings decision by PM?published at 10:24 British Summer Time 25 May 2020

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  6. PM made 'absolutely clear' Cummings took one trip - ministerpublished at 10:20 British Summer Time 25 May 2020

    Education Secretary Gavin Williamson says the prime minister made "absolutely clear" that his senior aide only took one trip to Durham, despite reports that he made another trip there after returning to London in April.

    Speaking on BBC's Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Williamson said Dominic Cummings has at "every stage operated within the rules" whilst abiding by the law.

    However Conservative MP Tim Loughton said he had expected the prime minister to announce on Sunday that his chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, would be stepping down, after reports he breached lockdown measures.

    Speaking on Today, Mr Loughton said he thought Boris Johnson would offer a "proper justification" about why Mr Cummings' actions did not violate government advice.

  7. Scotland's youngest MND patient's 'first dance' after wedding postponedpublished at 10:14 British Summer Time 25 May 2020

    Lucy Lintott from Garmouth in Moray is known for her positive thinking and good humour.

    The 25-year-old was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) in 2014, making her the youngest person in Scotland with the terminal disease.

    Last month she spoke to BBC News about what it was like raising a newborn baby during lockdown - on top of the challenges posed by her illness.

    Now she has shared a video of herself dancing with her fiance, after their wedding was postponed due to the pandemic.

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  8. FM asked about untested hospital patients going to care homespublished at 10:06 British Summer Time 25 May 2020

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  9. 'Galapagos wildlife getting me through lockdown'published at 10:03 British Summer Time 25 May 2020

    Ian MelvinImage source, Ian Melvin

    Ian Melvin, of Banchory in Aberdeenshire, was travelling in South America when the pandemic hit.

    He has told BBC Scotland the "incredible" wildlife of the Galapagos Islands is helping him get through coronavirus lockdown thousands of miles from home.

    Read more

  10. Sturgeon 'haunted' by virus impact on care homespublished at 09:52 British Summer Time 25 May 2020

    Nicola SturgeonImage source, Reuters

    The spread of coronavirus in care homes is "heartbreaking" and "will haunt a lot of us for a long time", Nicola Sturgeon has said.

    Cases of the virus have been reported in 60% of Scotland's care homes, with a total of 5,635 residents affected.

    Ministers have come under pressure over why hundreds of hospital patients were sent to homes without being tested.

    Ms Sturgeon said her government had "done what we thought was best based on the knowledge that we had at the time".

    But she said applying "hindsight" and "knowledge we have now that we didn't have then" would lead her to "a different conclusion".

    Health Secretary Jeane Freeman has said there should be a review of social care in Scotland in the wake of the pandemic, as it had "shone a light" on areas that needed to be improved.

  11. Where has the nearly £33m raised by Capt Tom been spent?published at 09:46 British Summer Time 25 May 2020

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  12. Coronavirus: Cummings row overshadows plans to ease lockdownpublished at 09:41 British Summer Time 25 May 2020

    Pressure is mounting on the PM to act over his senior aide's lockdown trip, as the cabinet is to meet later to discuss plans to ease restrictions.

    Senior Church of England bishops and a scientist advising ministers on the pandemic have strongly criticised the government's handling of the row.

    Acting Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said it undermined the PM's authority and Labour has called for a inquiry.

    Boris Johnson has defended Dominic Cummings, who travelled to Durham.

  13. Former Tory MP thinks PM will back Cummingspublished at 09:38 British Summer Time 25 May 2020

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  14. On Mornings with Kaye Adams...published at 09:27 British Summer Time 25 May 2020

    Mornings with Kaye Adams
    BBC Radio Scotland

    Dominic CummingsImage source, AFP

    Headlines over the weekend and this morning continue to focus on Boris Johnson's aide Dominic Cummings.

    Mr Cummings travelled to stay near his parents home in County Durham around the time both he and his wife tested positive for coronavirus.

    Did he do what any parent would have done, as the prime minister maintains or in the words of a top scientific advisor has he trashed the government advice?

    Tell us what you think 0808 5 929500.

    Also on the programme:

    • Doctor Ambi answers your questions on dentistry.
    • Our techsperts take us through how to enjoy film and TV alone - but together.
  15. 'Easy' to apply hindsight to handling of crisispublished at 09:17 British Summer Time 25 May 2020

    Good Morning Scotland
    BBC Radio Scotland

    Nicola Sturgeon says it is easy to apply hindsight and current knowledge to decisions that were made in the early stages of the coronavirus crisis.

    The first minister told Good Morning Scotland that "at all steps" the Scottish government was doing what it considered right to protect people from the virus.

    But she said it was "right and proper" that inquiries into all aspects of the pandemic should be held in the fullness of time.

    "We have to make sure that we learn for the future as well as provide scrutiny to the past," she said.

    Ms Sturgeon added: "At every stage we have done what we thought was best, based on the knowledge we had at the time.

    "Of course mistakes will have been made and we learn as our knowledge of this virus increases. But the suggesiton that any of us acted recklesslesy, or without due care and attention to older people is frankly one that is not true and fundamentally very wrong."

  16. Staff 'anxious' about returning to schoolspublished at 09:10 British Summer Time 25 May 2020

    The vast majority of staff in education in Scotland feel anxious about going back to work when lockdown constraints ease, according to a survey.

    Five thousand people - including cleaners, caterers, and janitors - responded to the research carried out for the union Unison.

    Safety concerns were the overriding issue highlighted in the responses and not having enough personal protective equipment.

    A Scottish government spokeswoman said their priority remains ensuring the wellbeing of pupils and staff.

    Teacher in face maskImage source, AFP
  17. Care home cases will 'haunt for a long time to come'published at 08:57 British Summer Time 25 May 2020

    Good Morning Scotland
    BBC Radio Scotland

    Care homeImage source, Science Photo Library

    "The suggestion we acted recklessly towards older people is fundamentally very wrong," says Nicola Sturgeon when asked about the impact of the coronavirus in care homes.

    Quizzed again about the 921 elderly patients who were released from hospitals into care homes back in March, she tells BBC Radio Scotland: "If I apply hindsight to that I come to a different conclusion."

    However, she explains that there was no "medical need" for those people to be in hospitals that were preparing for a "tsunami of coronavirus cases" and to have kept them in would have exposed those elderly people to an "enormous risk".

    The first minister points out that the efficacy of testing has changed since the initial days of the crisis and that early risk assessment guidance was issued to the care home sector.

    On the provision of PPE, she "makes no apology for making sure our NHS was protected in terms of capacity and protection for workers", stressing that additional distribution routes were found for care homes.

    The rate of deaths in care homes is "heartbreaking and will haunt many of us for a long time to come", she says.

  18. FM on sending untested hospital patients to care homespublished at 08:47 British Summer Time 25 May 2020

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  19. 'Test and protect' will be ready as restrictions liftedpublished at 08:41 British Summer Time 25 May 2020

    Good Morning Scotland
    BBC Radio Scotland

    Asked if Scotland was coming out of lockdown later because the "test and protect" programme was not ready, Ms Sturgeon said that was not the case.

    The first minister told Good Morning Scotland that Scotland was moving more cautiously than England because of the public health situation.

    But she added that it was important to align the lifting of restrictions with the ability to launch test and protect in all parts of Scotland.

    The Scottish government is working to have 2,000 contact tracers in place by the end of May with 660 already in place, Ms Sturgeon said.

    "Most experts would say that as we start to lift [restrictions], test and protect becomes more important," she said.

    "There's lots of different pieces of this jigsaw for want of a better word that we have to try to get in place and that's what we're doing very systematically and very carefully."

  20. Health secretary is '100% focused' on the crisispublished at 08:34 British Summer Time 25 May 2020

    Good Morning Scotland
    BBC Radio Scotland

    Jeane FreemanImage source, Getty Images

    "The health secretary made a mistake in articulating numbers," says Nicola Sturgeon on the row over the number of patients released from hospitals into care homes in March, the first month of the coronavirus crisis.

    "She adds that it was "a source of deep regret", but says Jeane Freeman has been "working round the clock for three months" and has since apologised and issued the correct figures.

    The first minister adds that the health secretary is "100% focused" on doing what needs to be done to tackle the virus.

    She says: "For opposition politicians to try and undermine the health secretary during a crisis like this is a bit regrettable."