Drivetime with John Beattie
BBC Radio Scotland

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John Swinney will be on Drivetime soon, after announcing Scottish schools are aiming to reopen full-time with no physical distancing in August.

That's only if coronavirus continues to be suppressed, the education secretary announced earlier today, with blended learning remaining as a contingency plan.

Before Mr Swinney is interviewed the general secretary of the EIS Larry Flannagan will give the reaction of Scotland's largest teachers' union to today's news.

Read more here.

Here’s the key points from the Scottish government's daily coronavirus briefing three months to the day since lockdown began:

• 2m physical distancing rule remains inplace in Scotland, but further scientific advice on the rule will be available on 2 July
• FM hopes advisers will tell her she can relax the 2m rule reasonably safely
• Twometre rule in England being relaxed from 4 July
• Sturgeon says she’ll give further detail tomorrow, ahead of schedule, on timing for easing further lockdown measures

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• FM warns Scots against taking UK holidays for now

• Support for young people leaving schools is available at https://www.dyw.scot/, external
• A further four people who tested positive have died, taking the total to 2,476 deaths in Scotland by that measure

• The case of a care worker on Skye testing positive for Covid-19 despite having previously recovered could be due to the test picking up "viral fragments"

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Scotland will not immediately follow England in cutting the 2m social distance rule, the country's first minister has said.

Nicola Sturgeon said she would give an update on Wednesday on the country's lockdown easing restrictions.

But she said there would be no decision on whether or not to reduce the 2m rule until her Scientific Advisory Group has examined the evidence.

Ms Sturgeon said this would be done by 2 July at the latest.

The first minister was speaking as Prime Minister Boris Johnson lifted an array of coronavirus restrictions in England.

Drivetime with John Beattie
BBC Radio Scotland

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Restaurants and pubs in England have been given the go ahead to reopen on 4 July, with first minister Nicola Sturgeon hinting at an announcement on the hospitality sector when she addresses parliament tomorrow.

The Scottish government is waiting to hear more from an advisory group on mitigating the risk of reducing the current 2m social distancing guidance, which would make table service viable.

Emma McClarkin from the Beer and Pub Association says the industry is well prepared and will be able to serve customers safely.

Tony MacKay runs The Red Lion Inn in Chirnside, just over the border from England. He tells BBC Radio Scotland that his customers will make the nine-mile trip to Berwick Upon-Tweed for a drink.

"We were preparing to open up our beer garden but that was put back. We've had no updates at all," he says.

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We have just had it confirmed that the UK government will give its daily briefing at 17:00 BST (16:00 GMT), led by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Earlier today, the government confirmed it would be the last of the daily conferences, which have taken place - and been televised on BBC One - since mid-March.

Mr Johnson will be joined by chief medical officer Chris Whitty and chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance – the same line-up as the first press briefing on coronavirus.

You can follow live updates here, or stay and watch it with us on this live page.

The prime minister has announced a series of measures to take effect from 4 July, easing the lockdown in England.

Check out the details of what is changing down south here.

Holyrood Live
BBC Parliaments

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard argues there needs to be an "investment-led recovery" and the Scottish National Investment Bank should be running by the middle of the summer

He says councils ought to be given more cash to invest in teachers, while transport needs investment including to bring the railways into public ownership and bus services into municipal ownership.

Green MSP Andy Wightman backs the idea of a "wellbeing economy" which tackles inequality. He says the report is "not revolutionary" as it does not look to address a variety of issues, including a basic income or shifting tax burdens.

Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie says there must be a joined up approach between the economy and childcare to ensure parents can return to work.

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Nicola Sturgeon has warned Scots against taking holidays in other parts of the UK even as lockdown restrictions are being eased south of the border.

The first minister said the Scottish government's five-mile advisory limit on travelling for leisure and recreation remained in place for now.

She also said people should still not plan overnight stays away from home.

But Ms Sturgeon said she hoped the tourism industry would be "back up and running" by next month.

Read more here.

Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop says strengthening the skills base and addressing inequality are important parts of the economic response to Covid-19.

Highlighting rising unemployment as the "key challenge", she warns this will disproportionately impact young people and permanently affect their job prospects unless action is taken.

Tory MSP Maurice Golden calls for "more help for those falling further behind" and he welcomes the proposal for a jobs guarantee for young people.

In particular he urges for investment in the digital economy and to build a "green recovery" using local firms.

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Scottish schools are aiming to reopen full-time with no physical distancing in August if coronavirus continues to be suppressed, John Swinney has said.

Schools had been preparing to return with a "blended" model of face-to-face teaching and at-home learning.

But the education secretary said "significant progress" had been made in controlling the spread of the virus.

Mr Swinney said ministers were now preparing for all schools to open full-time in August.

• Read more here
• 'We will accept the risks for full-time school'
• Teachers urge caution over reopening of schools

Holyrood Live
BBC Parliaments

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MSPs are now debating recommendations made by the Scottish government's economic recovery group.

In a report released yesterday, the panel led by former Tesco Bank boss Benny Higgins called for a jobs guarantee for 16 to 25-year-olds.

They called for a nation-wide scheme to offer at least two years of "secure employment" to young people, to avoid "long-term scarring" of a generation.

Mr Higgins said Scotland must "create jobs at an unprecedented rate".

The report also calls for a "significant increase" in infrastructure investment, particular in digital technologies, and targeted measures to support the hospitality and tourism industries.

Read more.

Drivetime with John Beattie
BBC Radio Scotland

Image source, PA Media

Scottish schools are aiming to reopen full-time with no physical distancing in August if coronavirus continues to be suppressed, the education secretary has said.

Drivetime will be speaking to John Swinney and getting reaction from parents, teachers and pupils.

Meanwhile in England, pubs, restaurants, hotels and hairdressers can open from 4 July - and the prime minister said a "one metre plus" rule will be introduced.

John Beattie talks to Scotland's first billionaire Sir Tom Hunter, as well as pub owners.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie says he welcomes the new approach and so will concerned parents" up and down the country. But he says Mr Swinney cannot seriously claim that this was a "sudden" change in the control of the virus.

Mr Rennie said his immediate concern was about childcare now and what Mr Swinney planned to do about that.

The education secretary agreed that there had been a declining trend in Covid-19 cases but the "sharpness" of that decline had "frankly surprised us". That was a product of the "compliance and co-operation" of members of the public, he added.

Mr Swinney went on to say that there was childcare provision over the summer - hubs would be maintained at schools and "childminders are able to be in operation". He indicated that First Minister Nicola Sturgeon would address the issue more fully in her statement tomorrow.

The anxiety of school staff and their families will have increased at the announcement today, says Scottish Green MSP Ross Greer.

He is keen to see the advice that Mr Swinney has acquired that says opening schools fully is now a "safe policy to pursue". Mr Greer asks whether school staff will be offered "regular" testing.

Mr Swinney says the scientific advice is available, adding that the suppressed state of the virus in Scotland is allowing this approach to be pursued. The minister adds that he is "very supportive" of testing for teachers.

Labour's Iain Gray said the education secretary's statement was a "big climb down". He recalled that Mr Swinney had made it clear throughout his appearances before MSPs that blended learning was the "only plan, indeed a plan that could last up to a year".

Mr Gray said the statement today was welcome but he asked what safety provisions there would be for teachers and pupils in schools.

Mr Swinney said keeping the virus suppressed was important and that getting back to full-time schooling would mean no requirement for social distancing among children.

He said if you look to places like the Netherlands no social distancing was a reality. However, that had only been made possible because of a low coronavirus infection rate.

The Conservatives' Jamie Greene said he recognised that none of this "has been easy" for parents, pupils and teachers.

He asks: "Why up until today were councils working on plans to deliver just one or two days of schooling a week? Why did it take such an outburst of anger from parents and demands of statements from these benches and others to get clarity from this government? The sad truth is until now, recent events have exposed nothing but a complete vacuum of leadership in the handling of this issue."

Local authorities will communicate arrangements for the return to school with families "in due course", says Mr Swinney.

The education secretary also announced:

• increased levels of "digital inclusion" and spending of £30m on laptops for the 70,000 most disadvantaged pupils
• £100m will be spent over two years to help children get back to school and "make up for lost ground"
• every probationary teacher who has reached the standard of full registration will be able to secure teaching posts for the next year
• and retired teachers will be encouraged back "where necessary"