Coronavirus in Scotland - Face masks to be compulsory in shops

Summary

Nicola Sturgeon says face coverings will be mandatory in shops for next week
Exemptions to the 2m distancing rule will also be introduced for some premises
Children under 12 will no longer need to maintain physical distancing from other households outdoors from Friday
The five-mile travel travel restriction for leisure will be lifted from tomorrow
But people in areas affected by "cluster" in Dumfries and Galloway will need to continue observing five-mile limit

Live Reporting

BBC Scotland News

Business confidence at historic low, survey revealspublished at 07:31 British Summer Time 2 July 2020
Image source, PA Media
Business confidence in many areas of the economy is at a record low, a new survey has revealed.
The Scottish Chambers of Commerce (SCC) survey shows retail and construction have been among the worst-hit sectors during the Covid-19 crisis.
But 95% of tourism firms in the survey also reported a fall in business confidence.
The SCC said the UK and Scottish governments needed to accelerate investment plans in order to prevent a "tsunami of jobs" being lost.
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Scottish government to announce 2m rule decisionpublished at 07:15 British Summer Time 2 July 2020
Image source, PA Media
Scotland's first minister is expected to announce whether the country will follow England in relaxing its 2m social distancing rule.
Nicola Sturgeon is due to receive updated scientific advice today which will form the basis of her decision.
Many pubs, restaurants and other businesses want the distance reduced before they reopen later this month.
There has also been speculation that the advice on wearing face coverings in public could be toughened.
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A reminder of yesterday's headlines...published at 07:03 British Summer Time 2 July 2020
- The first minister confirmed the total number of people who were dying in Scotland had returned to normal levels
- This was the ninth week in a row in which Covid deaths had fallen
- A cross-border "cluster" of cornavirus cases between Dumfries and Galloway and England is being investigated
- The prime minister said the idea of quarantining visitors entering Scotland from other parts of the UK was "astonishing and shameful"
- Nicola Sturgeon hit back saying it would be "frankly disgraceful" to politicise the issue
- The first minister insisted "all options" must remain open should coronavirus infection rates "diverge" between different parts of the country
Good morningpublished at 06:57 British Summer Time 2 July 2020
Image source, ALAMY
Image caption,
Will the wearing of face coverings in shops become mandatory?
Welcome to our live coverage of how Covid-19 is affecting Scotland.
The Scottish government is due to reveal the updated advice on social distancing and the 2m rule.
The first minister may also confirm today whether face coverings will be made mandatory in shops.
At this lunchtime's daily briefing there will also be some good news for young people and children, with the announcement of measures to help return some normality to their summer holidays.