The transport secretary told MSPs: "Even with measures being put in place by transport operators, it can be difficult for people to maintain physical distances throughout their journey in some forms of public transport.

"I know with my discussion with trade unions, operators and from the surveys of public sentiment, that these are real and live concerns."

Michael Matheson added: "For that reason people should and are expected to wear face coverings as an additional measure when using public transport as a consideration to staff and to fellow passengers."

He said there would be situations were this was not practical and the details of that were in the guidance.

Michael Matheson says it is of "paramount importance" that everyone takes personal responsibility for their own safety and those of others as the country moves gradually out of lockdown.

Presenting the plan for transport, he told MSPs: "The level of physical distancing needed as we navigate the phases of the route map will obviously affect the supply of public transport capacity with operators estimating that two meter physical distancing means capacity is somewhere between 10% and 25% of normal."

Mr Matheson added that there would be substantial constraints on the pre-pandemic journey numbers of about 1.5 million a day.

Holyrood Live
BBC Parliaments

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After topical questions at Holyrood, Transport Secretary Michael Matheson will set out the fresh guidance for people using public transport.

People using buses and trains will be advised to use face coverings and follow distancing guidelines ahead of the easing of lockdown restrictions.

They will be urged to avoid busier times on trains and buses, walk or cycle where they can, and to work from home where possible.

Nicola Sturgeon will review current restrictions on Thursday.

Find out more here.

The first minister was asked at the briefing if she would back a garden of remembrance campaign started by The Herald.

"That is exactly the kind of thing I would instinctively be very support of," replied Nicola Sturgeon.

"I know that at an appropriate time as a country we will want to remember and pay tribute to those who have lost their lives from this virus and we will also want to recognise all of those who have made a contribution to tackling it. It is important for all us emotionally."

Ms Sturgeon added that she would want to consult first with the families of those who have lost loved ones before embarking on any such venture.

Back to the Scottish government coronavirus media briefing.

"The pausing of procedures was not something we did lightly, it was necessary to make sure there was the capacity to deal with coronavirus," said the first minister when asked about what steps were being taken to clear a huge backlog in NHS by the Daily Record.

"We are now looking to restart as much as possible," said Nicola Sturgeon, who revealed that the cabinet discussed this issue in detail this morning before saying that the Health Secretary would give more details next week.

MSPs will now ask the following topical Covid-19 questions:

• how many people have died after contracting COVID-19 in a hospital and what action has been taken to investigate outbreaks in NHS settings?
• will the government have recruited all 2,000 contract tracers by the end of May?
• what guidance is available to help and support the wellbeing of people affected by COVID-19?
• in light of the Specialist Leisure Group entering administration, resulting in seven hotels across Scotland ceasing to trade, what further steps is the government considering to support the tourism industry?

Watch topical questions and the Covid-19 transport statement here on the live page with us.

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"We want to get shops open as quickly as possible," says the first minister in response to a question from The Telegraph. "But is has to be safe."

Nicolas Sturgeon adds that Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, will be setting out "sectoral guidance" on the subject of opening up businesses.

She says phase two could begin by the middle of June but that the government will continue to assess the situation "carefully and cautiously", stressing that there are no "clear equations" on how one phase will follow another.

Image source, Getty Images

Tom Martin from the Daily Express asks if St Andrew’s ambulance volunteers will help with contact tracing.

Ms Sturgeon agrees this is a potential pool of people but they will not necessarily be deployed immediately.

As of today, there are 1,615 contact tracers identified. A total of 1,515 of them are from NHS health boards including the Scottish Ambulance Service, and the extra 100 are from Public Health Scotland or NHS National Services Scotland.

Ms Sturgeon says a number of NHS returners are also being assessed and around 150 applications a day from volunteers are currently being processed, from a total of 27,000.

Michael Blackley from the Daily Mail highlights concerns about getting to test centres, for example for those who do not drive. He wonders who will be eligible for a home test and how many kits there will be.

Nicola Sturgeon says the government is looking to increase the numbers of people tested at home but by a professional, rather than through home-testing kits. She also highlights the mobile testing units.

Fiona McQueen accepts some people will struggle to physically get to a centre, hence the need for an at-home service. She says conversations are ongoing on the required mix of local and home-testing resources.

“We will work really hard to make this as accessible to people as possible,” insists the first minister.

Scott McNab from the Scotsman asks about decisions to accelerate the four-phase lockdown exit strategy and also about testing a positive person’s contacts to allow them to get back to work.

Ms Sturgeon says the route map talked about what will be used to make decisions on when the next phases will be introduced, such as the R-number, ICU admissions and the number of deaths. “There’s no sort of set line we can draw but they’re all taken into account,” she adds.

On testing, the interim chief medical officer explains that if a person develops symptoms after being in contact with someone who has tested positive, they must be tested.

However, Dr Gregor Smith says even if that result comes back negative, a person must continue to isolate for 14 days because a negative result at one point in time does not mean they will not go on to develop symptoms later in the two-week window.

Neil Pooran from the PA says self-isolation could lead to financial difficulties and he asks whether employers are expected to keep people on full wages.

The first minister says employers should work to protect people’s income, but accepts there is also a role for statutory benefits such as sick pay or other welfare.

We are in discussion with the UK government on this, she adds.

Chief nursing officer Fiona McQueen explains this is why turnaround time for testing is so crucial, as is maintaining social distancing to keep the number of people anyone is in close proximity with low.

The Scottish government's new "test and protect" strategy will go live on Thursday, the first minister has confirmed.

Ms Sturgeon said the scheme will mean anyone with symptoms of Covid-19 should take "immediate steps" to be tested.

They and their household should then self-isolate until the results of the test are known.

If the test is positive, people will need to provide the details of everyone they have had close contact with.

Read more here.

Image source, Getty Images

Global asks if the tracing programme has the potential to be exploited by scammers making unsolicited phone calls.

"We are taking steps at every stage to protect people's privacy," says Nicola Sturgeon, who promises more information on the system's security is to come.

"When you are called to be told you have been in contact with someone who has tested positive, you won't be told who that person is because they have a right to confidentiality," explains the first minister.

"There will be an understandable desire to ask 'who was it' but we can't do that.

"There will need to be a lot of trust in the system, so it is important we build that trust."

The first minister insists "we are where we want to be in terms of this next phase of easing lockdown", in response to a question about people having faith in using public transport again.

That is for test capacity and contact capacity, she explains, adding that there may be a need for more of both since it cannot be predicted with certainty what path the virus will take.

Fiona McQueen, Scotland's chief nursing officer, says all of the other advice on hygiene, social distancing, staying at home as often as possible "is not going to push people into close contact".

"I will guarantee that I will not introduce tuition fees," says Nicola Sturgeon when asked by Sky about the economic troubles facing Scotland's higher education sector.

"I don't think transferring the very real financial challenges that universities face onto the shoulders of students or graduates is the way to do it," she says.

The first minister explains that graduates often pay more in terms of income tax, adding that it is a view she has expressed many times before.

Ms Sturgeon points to additional research funding that has already been made available and says the Scottish government will continue to work closely with universities and colleges.

Image source, Getty Images

Colin White from STV also asks if there has been any improvement in the speed of test results.

"We are seeing a reduction in turnaround times and we are trying to make that wait shorter," says the first minister, before adding: "Speed is of the essence. That's why we want anyone showing symptoms to book a test straight away."

Image source, PA Media

Nicola Sturgeon says "fair play" to Douglas Ross, who has has resigned as a UK junior minister after Dominic Cummings' defence of his trip to County Durham during the coronavirus lockdown.

Responding to a question from STV, she says: "Like the majority of the population, he believes Dominic Cummings' actions were not acceptable," she says, before adding that Mr Ross has taken "the principled position" and going on to wonder "whether others will follow suit".

Nicola Sturgeon says that her views on the prime minister's chief aide's lockdown trip are "well known" and stresses that her focus is simply on handling the current crisis.

• Information and support for people who are asked to self-isolate because of COVID-19., external
• Coronavirus (COVID-19): Test and Protect - summary, external
• Coronavirus (COVID-19): Test and Protect - advice for employers, external

Image source, Getty Images

"We will have made mistakes, every government in the world will have made mistakes," says the first minister when asked by BBC Scotland's Glenn Campbell about a BBC poll saying 70% of people think lockdown came too late.

It is a "perfectly legitimate question to ask" says Nicola Sturgeon, who says she will welcome future inquiries.

"We took the decisions we thought were best at the time, based on the knowledge and information we had at the time."