Popular attractions are hoping the lifting of lockdown will see tourists and their pounds return.

Join us for extensive coverage of the first minister's statement on the latest review of lockdown restrictions tomorrow from 12.20pm.

An announcement on whether schools will return to something approaching normal is to be made on Thursday.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said today that she would not reveal anything ahead of Thursday - but gave a very strong hint.

"I think you know where we're trying to get to on schools and you've probably not heard anything from me today that suggests we're going in the opposite direction but I'll announce the detail of those decisions tomorrow."

Image source, Getty Images

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School families have voiced anger about home schooling during lockdown and concerns about any phased return to school.

76% of the 8,000 parents who responded to a Connect parent group poll thought home schooling had a negative impact on their children.

Scotland's cabinet is due to sign off plans today for the full-time return of pupils from 11 August, but the Scottish government insists blended learning remains a necessary contingency plan if the virus runs out of control again, with local authorities working "extremely hard" to prepare for that.

Saif, 14, believes some pupils will be more behind than others on their return to school.

"Some people might not have been able to work online because they didn't have the technology, didn't have a laptop, don't have a phone," he says.

His mum Hilary is a self-employed, single parent who’s been struggling to cope financially, especially without the equipment needed - three of them were sharing one computer.

"It’s such a battle to get through a new way of learning; there are so many challenges anyway. If you don't have a fully functioning piece of equipment to let you do it, you are going to give up at that teenage stage."

BBC Radio Scotland

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Some families have voiced anger with the patchy provision of video teaching as part of home learning during lockdown.

But one teacher, who wished to remain anonymous, told BBC Radio Scotland that many members of the profession were struggling to adapt with the demands placed on them from late March onwards.

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• A possible coronavirus "cluster" is being investigated in the Glasgow area after 14 new cases were reported
• No deaths with a positive test for Covid have been recorded in the past 24 hours
• However, the weekly National Records of Scotland figures showed eight deaths linked to the virus
• Public Health Scotland will publish a new 'Covid dashboard' with more information about cases and deaths
• Expect a 'very cautious approach' to further easing of lockdown says the first minister ahead of tomorrow's review
• Nicola Sturgeon hopes to announce a pause in shielding by the end of the month and schools reopening on 11 August tomorrow in her Holyrood statement
• The finance Secretary announces a £14m package to help hotels recover from pandemic
• The first minister says decisions on care homes were taken in "good faith" but accepts "we will have made mistakes".
• More countries 'could be added to quarantine list later today'

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Scotland's chief nursing officer, Fiona McQueen also comments on last night's BBC Disclosure programme on what went wrong in Scotland's care homes.

Prof McQueen explains that when people are discharged from hospital to a care home, that is done in partnership with the local social work department, the care home and the hospital.

She says in terms of masks, in March staff in care homes were advised to wear a mask when dealing with people with overt Covid symptoms.

That changed in April to all health and social care workers wearing a mask at all times, explains the chief nursing officer.

In June it changed again and extended to include staff such as managers.

Tom Gordon from The Herald raises concerns from opposition politicians at Holyrood about whether the first minister's regular briefings have become too politicised - and whether they should continue to be covered in full by broadcasters.

Nicola Sturgeon says people can "make their own judgements" over whether the briefings have been used as a political platform.

She insists she has often refused to go down a party political route in answering journalists' questions.

During the coronavirus pandemic more people died with the virus in Scotland's care homes than in its hospitals.

The latest figures show almost 1,900 deaths in care homes where Covid-19 is on the death certificate.

Last night a BBC Disclosure programme, The Care Home Scandal, looked at what went wrong.

Gina Davidson from the Scotsman returns to the BBC Scotland Disclosure programme on care homes, which she says alleged care homes felt pressured by the government to take in people from hospitals.

The first minister replies the number of people who have died in care homes "breaks my heart".

Nicola Sturgeon accepts there are real questions that need to be asked about how things were done, adding "the need to learn these lessons is so vital for all of us".

She points out much of what is talked about now is based on knowledge we did not have then.

The discharge of people into care homes was of those who did not have to be in hospital, she explains and reminds us that there was a real fear hospitals could be overwhelmed by Covid.

The first minister also says there was also the view that a hospital was not the best place for the elderly when they did not need to be there.

She says people were only discharged into care homes after clinical risk assessments and there was infection prevention control and guidance in place.

"There was a lot of thought and a lot of care taken," she adds.

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The Scottish Daily Mail asks whether Scotland is considering removing any other countries from the list of those exempt from quarantine measures, amid speculation the UK government is considering removing Belgium, Luxembourg and Croatia.

Nicola Sturgeon says she will refrain from discussing individual countries before decisions are taken, but she will see up-to-date data later today.

There is a four-nations discussion this afternoon on the issue, says the first minister.

"It may well be we see some further decisions this afternoon, but I don’t know that for sure until decisions are taken," she adds.

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"I don't want redundancies... I don't wan't layoffs," the first minister says, responding to a question from Simon Johnson from the Telegraph on the economic impact of the pandemic.

She points out that, if the UK government does not end the job retention scheme prematurely, that might help.

Ms Sturgeon says it would be much easier if we could look at the situation in a "black and white way" but it is not possible to consider either the economy or public health in isolation.

"I've got to find the best balance possible... I'm not going to keep everyone happy."

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STV asks about the survey out today highlighting concerns among parents and pupils about home schooling and any phased return to school.

Nicola Sturgeon says she has not had a chance to look at the survey in detail but the results do not surprise her.

“I am deeply concerned about the impact of the handling of Covid and the impact of lockdown on the education and wellbeing of our children," says the first minister.

The government sought to "minimise and mitigate that impact" she says, but its "key objective" now is to get children back to school full-time from 11 August.

"If that means the rest of us have to make some sacrifices around things we would love to be doing, but can’t do for a period, then that will be in the interest of getting young people back to school," Ms Sturgeon says.

It is the government's "driving focus" in managing the pandemic right now and in the next few weeks, she adds.

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Fraser Knight of Global radio asks - in the light of the first minister's warnings about the risks of foreign travel - if people should feel guilty about going on holiday.

The first minister says it is not anyone's fault that we are dealing with a global pandemic... "we should not feel guilty about that".

But, she says, we should feel responsible about doing the right thing.

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Asked by BBC Scotland's Andrew Kerr if care homes were "thrown to the wolves" in the early days of the Covid crisis, the first minister says last night's BBC Disclosure documentary raised "very important issues" about care homes.

Ms Sturgeon says the government "took decisions in good faith" but "we will have made mistakes".

She claims judgements are sometimes made now about past decisions based on things we did not know at the time. But she insists she will not "duck responsibility" or seek to avoid being held accountable for what was done.

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Kate Forbes says the new hotel recovery package - allied to the £4m of investment for independent museums and galleries announced on Saturday, and £10m of support for the events sector announced on Sunday - will help give some certainty to key industries.

The finance secretary says the Scottish government would like to do more, but unlike most other governments that will over-spend this year, it has had borrowing powers "withheld".

The need for additional fiscal flexibility has not gone away, she says, and despite not reaching agreement with the Treasury on the issue yet, she will continue to "constructively engage" with them "in good faith".

Finance Secretary Kate Forbes announces a £14m hotel recovery programme to help support the tourism industry, recognising the "huge contribution" it makes to Scotland's economy,

The funding package, comprised of £9m of revenue and £5m of capital, will help secure up to 3,000 jobs in the sector, says Ms Forbes.

It will be managed by enterprise agencies and VisitScotland, and its' "core purpose" will be to protect larger hotels badly hit by the impact of the pandemic

It is also designed to keep staff in work until the new tourist season starts in 2021, Ms Forbes says.

The finance secretary expects the fund to be open for expressions of interest by the end of August.