Andrew Black
BBC Scotland Business Presenter

Hundreds of arts and music venues across Scotland and the UK say they might close forever unless they can get emergency government funding.

Places like King Tut’s in Glasgow and Edinburgh’s Queens Hall have been closed since the start of lockdown and even if they can re-open soon, many can’t make enough money because social distancing measures mean having to drastically cut audience sizes.

Gary Husband from the MacArts venue in Galashiels told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme: “It’s a cheaper option to mothball venues until October, for example. A one-off payment to support ongoing costs for the next quarter would guarantee venues can re-open later in the year.”

Image source, MacArts

Image source, bbc

The Rural Economy & Connectivity Committee is taking evidence from a range of agencies and representative bodies on the impact of Covid-19 on the agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture and food and drink sectors.

MSPs are taking evidence from:

• James Withers, Chief Executive, Scotland Food and Drink;
• Julie Hesketh-Laird, Chief Executive Officer, Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation;
• David Oxley, Director of Business Growth, Highlands and Islands Enterprise;
• Jimmy Buchan, Chief Executive Officer, Scottish Seafood Association;
• Jonnie Hall, Director of Policy, National Farmers Union Scotland;
• Elspeth Macdonald, Chief Executive Officer, Scottish Fishermen’s Federation;
• Nick Halfhide, Interim Chief Executive, South of Scotland Enterprise.

The full agenda and papers for the meeting can be found here, external.

12.20pm: Sturgeon lockdown statement and FMQs

The big event today is of course the first minister’s announcement of lockdown easing dates beginning at 12.20pm. Join us for extensive coverage.

Here’s what else is happening in terms of Covid-19 politics today:

• 9am: HOLYROOD: MSPs take evidence on the impact of Covid-19 on agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture and food and drink sectors. The Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee will hear from a raft of organisations including Scotland Food and Drink and NFU Scotland. Watch with us on the live page.

• 9am: HOLYROOD: The Covid-19 Committee hears from Mike Russell on the two monthly report on the Coronavirus Acts. Watch with Scottish Parliament TV. We’ll bring you reports from that.

• 12pm: WESTMINSTER: PMQs – Boris Johnson faces questions from Sir Keir Starmer, Ian Blackford and other MPs

• 12.20pm: HOLYROOD: STURGEON STATEMENT AND FMQs

• 2.45pm: HOLYROOD: Ministerial statement on providing financial stability for farmers and crofters during the pandemic and with Brexit looming

Good Morning Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland

Education Secretary John Swinney has insisted to Good Morning Scotland that the time teachers spent developing plans for blended learning has not been wasted.

Although he announced yesterday that he hopes it's possible for schools to return full time without social distancing on 11 August, he said coming up with blended learning plans was "time well spent".

"We may well need all of this in due course", he warned.

"I don't know what the course of coronavirus is going to be later in the year."

Good Morning Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland

Image source, PA Media

Education Secretary John Swinney has told Good Morning Scotland that schools can reopen normally in August because there has been a "sustained reduction in the level of infection within our society".

He said that rapid progress had been made because of the level of compliance from members of the public.

However he warned that there had to be continued suppression of the virus and compliance with public health measures.

The virus would have to be at a "very, very low level" to reopen schools safely, he said.

Good Morning Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland

Image source, Getty Images

Dr Gabriel Scally said the number of positive tests in Scotland was very low and that there were now very few deaths in the country.

He added that it was now vital a rigorous contact tracing and testing plan was undertaken to "hunt down the virus".

He said that if the virus continued to be suppressed to the same extent, then Scotland could eventually be considered free of Covid-19.

Image source, Getty Images

Boris Johnson announced changes to social distancing and the opening of many businesses in England on Tuesday.

However, Dr Gabriel Scally told Radio Scotland he backs a letter from health leaders to UK political parties warning about the risk of a second wave of coronavirus cases in the winter.

Dr Scally, who is president of epidemiology and public health at the Royal Society of Medicine, warned that cutting social distancing from two to one metre was "premature".

He also expressed concern at the number of people testing positive for or dying with coronavirus in England.

Prof Scally said restrictions should remain until a proper testing and contact tracing system was in place.

"That isn't there yet. I think Scotland, however, and the north of Ireland are in a different place", he added.

Good Morning Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland

Image source, Google

Nicola Sturgeon is expected to announce further details of her plans to lift lockdown today, after the UK government confirmed yesterday that pubs, restaurants and hotels In England can get back to business on 4 July.

Gary Curley, who runs the Sligachan Hotel and Seumas' Bar on Skye, told Good Morning Scotland that "all we can do is follow the guidance".

There was "a lot to take on board" from the guidelines that have been published for hospitality.

He also said he was concerned about sourcing adequate cleaning supplies and PPE for his business, which would also be expensive.

Good Morning Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland

Image source, AFP

The announcement yesterday from Education Secretary John Swinney that schools are aiming to reopen full-time with no physical distancing in August if coronavirus continues to be suppressed was a "bolt from the blue".

Jim Clougherty, Inverclyde Council's education convener, said that an "absolutely tremendous amount of work [had been] done" to prepare for blended learning.

He told Good Morning Scotland it was a testament to all those involved that they were able to come up with a plan for blended learning.

West Dunbartonshire Council 's education convener Karen Conaghan agreed that it was a "bit of a surprise" but "really welcome" news.

She said staff have been planning really hard for what they thought was the worst case scenario but now it looks like schools are heading for the best case scenario.

Ms Conaghan added that there was frustration that so much work had gone into the plan to make a safe environment, but that the effort had not "gone to waste".

She added that it was important to have a contingency plan in space in case the virus had not been suppressed enough.

The news that Scotland's schools will reopen as normal in August makes most of the front pages.

Imogen Foulkes
BBC News, Geneva

Image source, PA Media

The Covid-19 pandemic and school closures mean that in the last three months, millions of children have spent much more time online. Now the UN's International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has issued new guidelines, external that it says should help to ensure that children’s internet experience is educational, fun and above all safe.

It says the guidelines offer a blueprint to specific groups, from parents to teachers to industry to children themselves to help protect children from cyber-crime and from sexual exploitation.

Children are online at an ever younger age, and parents find it increasingly challenging to supervise their access: where families once shared a household computer, now everyone has their own smartphones, tablets and laptops.

The new ITU guidelines offer information to teachers and parents on firewalls and filtering, to children on what to do if they view things online that make them uncomfortable, and to industry on incorporating children’s rights and child protection into all their company operations.

Image source, Getty Images

According to a study by the media regulator, Ofcom, there has been a big increase in the amount of time spent online.

During April, adults spent an average of four hours a day online, up from three-and-a-half in September 2019, the communications watchdog said.

The video-calling app, Zoom, has seen the biggest increase in UK users, from 700,000 in January to 13m in April.

Image source, Abbotsford Trust

Funding has been issued to help Sir Walter Scott's former home in the Borders survive the coronavirus pandemic.

Abbotsford House, near Melrose, closed its doors to visitors on 20 March and has been shut ever since.

However, the trust which runs it said operating and conservation costs had remained "virtually unchanged".

It has received £224,200 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund's emergency fund to pay for "essential day-to-day costs".

Image source, Getty Images

Economic forecasters believe it will be at least 18 months before Scotland makes up the output lost due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Fraser of Allander Institute said the country was now in its deepest recession in living memory.

A report from the think tank said in the most optimistic scenario, it will be the end of 2021 before the economy recovers

In the worst case scenario, it could be 2024 before a "new normal" is reached.

The value of output from the Scottish economy during April fell by 18.9% following the start of lockdown in March.

Image source, Getty Images

Scotland's first minister is to give an update on the timescale for easing the country's lockdown restrictions.

The statement by Nicola Sturgeon is expected to include dates for when some further parts of the economy can open.

Ms Sturgeon said she was able to do this earlier than originally planned because of the country's success in suppressing the virus.

Scotland formally moved to the second phase of its four-phase lockdown easing plan last week.