That's all from us here at the live page on Wednesday 1 July.

Here are the headlines from today:

• The first minister confirms the total number of people who are dying in Scotland has returned to normal levels
• This is the ninth week in a row in which Covid deaths have fallen
• A cross-border "cluster" of cornavirus cases between Dumfries and Galloway and England is being investigated, confirmed Prof Jason Leitch

Image source, AFP/EPA

• The idea of quarantining visitors entering Scotland from other parts of the UK is "astonishing and shameful", Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said

• Nicola Sturgeon hit back describing the comments from Boris Johnson and his Scottish Secretary Alistair Jack as “shameful” and “absurd and ridiculous”
• The first minister said "all options" must remain open should coronavirus infection rates "diverge" between different parts of the country

Image source, bbc

The cross-border "cluster" of coronavirus cases around Dumfries and the north west of England "continues to illustrate the challenge we face with this virus", according to Scotland's national clinical director.

Professor Jason Leitch goes on to tell Radio Scotland: "This will be, unfortunately, the new normal, for a little while, of these outbreaks and containing them."

NHS Dumfries and Galloway confirmed there had been nine new cases of Covid-19 in the Gretna and Annan areas since Monday.

Prof Leitch says if the group of positive cases can be contained and contact and trace works as it should, then "you can close down that cluster without too much more trouble".

The danger is if the contacts can't be traced then potentially something more severe might have to be done, he adds.

Prof Leitch hopes that will not happen and he says the incident management team on both sides of the border is meeting now and he is confident the process will work.

The national clinical director stresses that people must organise a test if they have the symptoms and tell the truth regarding their movements, so that their contacts can be traced to close down the chain of transmission.

Drivetime with John Beattie
BBC Radio Scotland

Stand-up comedian Gary Faulds says his career was "flying" before the coronavirus crisis but he was forced to declare himself homeless last week, without any income.

"It has been tough but the system is amazing," he tells BBC Radio Scotland. "I could not have been helped any more.

As a former soldier, father-of-four Gary was given assistance by charity Glasgow Helping Heroes and says the staff at the hotel he stayed in briefly were excellent.

"You shouldn't be afraid to ask for help, the help is there," adds the comic, who now been set up with a council flat in Baillieston.

"The hotels are a real mix of people, some with addictions, but everyone talks to each other - while keeping socially distanced - and there was a breakfast every morning.

"The amount of help I've been offered has been unbelievable, from food, couches to carpets. Covid has made people dig deep and focus on their communities.

"It's been humbling, an incredible experience."

Image source, PA Media

The total number of people who are dying in Scotland has returned to normal levels, according to official figures, external.

The National Records of Scotland (NRS) said a total of 1,006 people died between 22 and 28 June.

This was actually slightly lower than the average of 1,026 deaths recorded in the same week over the past five years.

The figures reflect the continuing fall in the number of coronavirus deaths in Scotland.

There were 35 deaths linked to the virus last week - the lowest number since the middle of March.

Read more here.

Drivetime with John Beattie
BBC Radio Scotland

Image source, PA Media

Former Royal Bank of Scotland chairman Sir George Mathewson thinks every single company should be saved by the government and allowed to rebuild and come back.

The financial expert says the economic situation in the UK at the moment is less of a recession and more of a natural disaster.

He thinks the UK government has a duty to provide for each and every business.

And it should not expect to see the money back.

Brian Taylor
BBC Scotland Political Editor

BBC Scotland's Political Editor Brian Taylor speculates about what the first minister might say about the further easing of lockdown tomorrow:

• confirmation that from Friday 3 July there should be easing of the 5 mile travel restriction and self-catering holiday accommodation will be permitted, providing it requires no shared facilities between households

• the return of beer gardens and outdoor cafes on 6 July may also be confirmed

• good news is expected for young people and children with a return to some normality for their summer holidays
• will Nicola Sturgeon announce face coverings will be mandatory in shops? Brian would not be surprised if she does

Drivetime with John Beattie
BBC Radio Scotland

Image source, PA Media

We've seen one-way systems in supermarkets and shops in a bid to maintain social distancing. Could it work on our streets? Glasgow City Council is considering signage to steer pedestrians along in the city centre, following the example of Cardiff.

"People will need to think there is logical reason behind it and that they will benefit," says Dr Catherine Lido, a social psychologist from Glasgow University.

"Culturally speaking, I find it hilarious that we don't pick a side to walk on," adds Dr Lido, who is an American. "I use the subway in Glasgow and people are all over the place, some are left, some on the right.

"In England, they stay on the left and in America it's always the right. An experiment like this might create a new social norm in Scotland.

"Compliance was good with a message like stay at home but we see that slipping and there has been low uptake on face masks - I think that is because people have not heard good, clear logical arguments behind it."

• The first minister confirms the total number of people who are dying in Scotland has returned to normal levels
• According to the weekly NRS figures there have been 35 deaths relating to Covid-19 between 22 and 28 June, a decrease of 14 from the previous week.
• This is the ninth week in a row in which Covid deaths have fallen
• The Warmer Homes Scotland programme resumes and there should be "good news" from the first minister for young people and children tomorrow

Image source, Getty Images

• A cross-border "cluster" of cornavirus cases between Dumfries and Galloway and England is being investigated, confirmed Prof Jason Leitch

• A disagreement has emerged between Nicola Sturgeon and Boris Johnson and the Scottish secretary
• The prime minister and Alistair Jack had earlier strongly criticised the idea of quarantining people coming from England to Scotland
• Nicola Sturgeon described the comments from Boris Johnson and the Scottish secretary as “shameful” and “absurd and ridiculous”

A cross-border "cluster" of coronavirus cases has been identified across south west Scotland and north west England.

NHS Dumfries and Galloway confirmed there had been nine new cases of Covid-19 in the Gretna and Annan areas since Monday.

It said everyone was self-isolating and work was taking place to identify any recent contacts.

Prof Jason Leitch, described it as a "complex but small cluster".

Scotland's national clinical director will be on Drivetime with John Beattie after 5pm.

Read more about the story here.

Image source, AFP

Shetland's famous Up Helly Aa fire festival has been called off for January 2021 due to coronavirus concerns.

Robert Geddes is secretary of the organising committee for the event which celebrates Shetland's Viking heritage.

He tells BBC Radio Scotland: "It is sad news, it was a difficult decision to make but we feel it's the right decision to make at this time".

Mr Geddes says they have a responsibility to the community and the uncertainty around coronavirus informed the decision, "with public safety the most important thing".

"The risk of bringing the virus to the island, the public safety, its just too big a risk," he said.

The next festival will now take place on Tuesday 25 January 2022.

Drivetime with John Beattie
BBC Radio Scotland

Image source, bbc

"Small outbreaks should be relatively easy to control," says Dr Poppy Lamberton from the University of Glasgow, responding to news that a cross-border "cluster" of coronavirus cases has been identified across south west Scotland and north west England.

NHS Dumfries and Galloway has confirmed there have been nine new cases of Covid-19 in the Gretna and Annan areas since Monday.

"This is absolutely the new normal," adds the global health expert, who tells BBC Radio Scotland that "test and trace is going to be key" in dealing with such incidents.

"We will always have new cases coming in, but we need to keep on top of it and keep the numbers down as low as possible," Dr Lamberton says.

"It is paramount that those contacted isolate even if they don't have symptoms."

Image source, Getty Images

The UK missed out on the chance to take part in EU schemes to source medical equipment during the coronavirus outbreak because the information was sent to an outdated email address, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has said.

He suggested that a failure by EU officials to update their records might have been to blame for the situation.

The EU started to co-ordinate the purchasing of personal protective equipment, testing kits and ventilators in February.

In a letter to the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, Raab said: "The relevant EU committee, the Joint Procurement Agreement Steering Committee [JPASC], was relaunched by the European Commission in September 2019, after three years of not meeting.

• What are the EU medical equipment schemes?

As the government's furlough scheme starts to wind up, the real impact of the pandemic is being felt.

A further 176 people have died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community in the UK, according to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

This brings the total to 43,906 as of 17:00 BST on Tuesday.

The government figures do not include all deaths involving Covid-19 across the UK.

Here in Scotland the weekly NRS figures showed there were 35 deaths linked to the virus last week - the lowest number since the middle of March.

The total number of people who are dying from all causes in Scotland has returned to normal levels, according to the official figures, external.

Image source, AFP/EPA

The idea of quarantining visitors entering Scotland from other parts of the UK is "astonishing and shameful", Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said "all options" must remain open should coronavirus infection rates "diverge" between different parts of the country.

However both leaders said there had been no talks about the potential for new travel restrictions to be imposed.

Ms Sturgeon said it would be "frankly disgraceful" to politicise the issue.

She said if advisors told her that a quarantine rule would be "a necessary measure to protect people" then she would be "failing in my duty not to consider it".

• Read more here
• A heated debate over cross-border quarantine
• Cross-border 'cluster' of virus cases investigated

Drivetime with John Beattie
BBC Radio Scotland

Deaths in Scotland from all causes are below the average for this time of the year for the first time since lockdown.

But coronavirus has not gone away and we will have to deal with local outbreaks like the cross-border cluster revealed earlier today between Dumfries and Galloway and the North West of England.

Professor Jason Leitch, Scotland's national clinical director, and George Mathewson, former chair of the Royal Bank of Scotland, are among today's guests.

The programme also looks at the phenomenal success of the couch-to-5K fitness initiative and the postponement of the Up Helly Aa fire festival.

Image source, SNS

The Scottish Premiership fixtures for the 2020-21 season will be announced on Monday at 09:00 BST.

Scotland's top flight is planning to resume on 1 August, after being on hold since mid-March because of the Covid-19 outbreak.

The action is expected to resume behind closed doors, with national clinical director Jason Leitch saying yesterday that he thinks "physically-distanced crowds" may be possible by October.

Two people have tested positive for coronavirus at RAF Lossiemouth in Moray.

They are believed to be non-airforce staff, working for the contractor Volker Fitzpatrick at the base.

Those involved were not showing any symptoms of Covid-19 but were picked up during regular testing of the Volker Fitzpatrick workforce.

RAF officials said the work of the base had not been affected but that all necessary measures were being taken.