The Covid-19 Committee is about to get underway taking evidence from Health Secretary Jeane Freeman.

MSPs are discussing updated regulations on ensuring no financial hardship for care workers ill or self-isolating due to Covid-19 and the easing of lockdown restrictions.

The meeting can be watched at www.scottishparliament.tv, external.

Good Morning Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland

Image source, Reuters

Michael Gove has said there are no plans to extend the UK government’s job retention scheme.

The UK Cabinet office minister said the “furlough scheme will have to end, we cannot have a situation where the government continues to pay people not to work,” but added some of the worst affected parts of the economy will be supported in other ways.

Speaking on Good Morning Scotland, Mr Gove also said it was time to “put aside wrangles over the constitution” and concentrate on efforts to keep Covid-19 at bay.

The comment comes ahead of an expected joint statement from the UK, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish administrations emphasising a desire to refocus on public health.

Good Morning Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland

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Putting public safety first was the motivation behind imposing a 14-day quarantine on everyone arriving from Spain, Michael Gove has said.

The UK cabinet office minister told Good Morning Scotland that all of the UK's governments supported the controversial change.

Mr Gove said reports that the quarantine for travellers from Spain could be cut to 10 days if they test negative was "speculation".

Andrew Black
BBC Scotland Business Presenter

Image source, AG Barr

The company behind Scotland's soft drink IRN-BRU says it's starting to see sales return after being hit by coronavirus.

AG Barr's also the name behind brands like Rockstar energy drinks and Rubicon.

Customers began stockpiling their products at the start of lockdown, but those sales then fell off - and the company's also been hit by the closure of bars and restaurants.

AG Barr's now seeing signs of a slow recovery as lockdown's eased but warns there's still a lot of uncertainty about what shoppers will buy.

The company reckons revenue for the first half of the year will be down 8% to £113m, compared to 2019.

Image source, Getty Images

The survey of 1,200 firms by Bank of Scotland and Lloyds showed most of those using the furlough scheme intend to make redundancies, despite more than half being back to full operations at the start of July.

Retail looked relatively bright, while construction took a dip after the June survey.

This is the third such survey to show Scotland being more pessimistic than other nations - both in general and about the firm's own prospects.

Fraser Sime, regional director of Bank of Scotland business lending, said the later lifting of lockdown measures may mean that Scotland catches up in the August figures.

But a lot depends on how well firms across the UK resume staffing and payroll as the UK government's furlough scheme begins to wind down from next week.

A warning to holidaymakers and a call to end the first minister's virus briefings make the front pages.

Good Morning Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland

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Pet owners are being urged to contact their vets if they have any coronavirus concerns.

It comes after a pet cat has tested positive for coronavirus.

It's thought the cat caught Covid-19 from its owner, who had previously tested positive for the virus. Both have now recovered.

But Kathleen Robertson, president of the British Veterinary Association Scottish branch, told Good Morning Scotland: “I think everyone should be reassured there is absolutely no evidence that pets can transmit the virus to owners, it is much more likely to have been the other way round.”

Good Morning Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland

Image source, AFP

Efforts to bring home Scots stranded abroad at the start of the coronavirus pandemic were too slow, an SNP MP has claimed.

Alyn Smith, MP for Stirling, told Good Morning Scotland, "It is not black and white, but the fact is the UK government was asleep at the wheel."

Mr Smith, who added that budget cuts had exacerbated the situation, was speaking after the Foreign Affairs Committee said the repatriation operation had been too slow, whilst advice had been misleading or confusing.

The Foreign Office said it had mounted a "large-scale" effort to get people during an "unprecedented" crisis.

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The experience of people who were already marginalised and facing the most isolation during lockdown is to be researched at Glasgow University.

A 25-member team is being funded by the Scottish government until November to gather evidence from some of the poorest communities, refugees and asylum-seekers, victims of abuse, families with a parent in prison, and those who have been required to shield in their homes.

The intention is to help guide Holyrood policy, and also to report on effective coping strategies and resilience among those facing some of the hardest circumstances.

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BBC Scotland's Disclosure programme has found that between the 3-17 April, when care homes were required to inform the Care Inspectorate of staff shortages, 179 notifications were issued.

Freedom of Information requests revealed 30 red warnings were sent between these dates, indicating an insufficient number of staff to properly meet residents' needs.

In a statement the Scottish government said it was right and proper that decisions taken during this process would face scrutiny in the fullness of time.

Read more here.

Image source, PA Media

Welcome to live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic in Scotland.

We will bring you the latest developments throughout the day, after a weekend dominated by the removal of Spain from the list of countries exempt from quarantine.

On Monday the UK government also advised against all non-essential travel to the Balearic and Canary Islands following a rise in Covid-19 cases

We will also have the latest from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's daily coronavirus briefing at 12:15.