First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirms a further 67 people have tested positive for Covid-19, with the total now 18,847 cases.

That’s 1.2% of those who were newly tested yesterday.

Of these, 39 are in the Grampian area but again it is unclear how many are connected to the Aberdeen outbreak. 17 cases are in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area, which are being looked at to see if there are any links between them.

270 patients are in hospital with a confirmed case (up three), with four being treated in intensive care (up one).

No deaths were registered in the last 24 hours of people who tested positive, meaning the total remains at 2,491.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will begin her daily briefing at 12:15.

She will confirm the latest statistics, including those relating to the outbreak in Aberdeen.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman and interim chief medical officer Dr Gregor Smith will also be at the briefing.

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Scotland's schools have been given the go-ahead to reopen from 11 August. Some councils have opted for a phased return but all pupils are expected to be back in class full time by the 18th. So, how are Scotland's 32 councils making this happen? BBC Scotland contacted them to ask what their plans were.

Find out here

There has been a surge of interest in moving to the country due to city dwellers' priorities changing during the coronavirus lockdown, estate agents say.

People are looking for more outdoor space, and may have more flexibility to work from home, Rightmove says.

Across the UK, enquiries about buying a home in a village jumped by 126% in June and July compared to the same period last year, it adds.

In some cities, such as Edinburgh and Liverpool, searches more than doubled.

Read more here and let us know if you're thinking about moving to the country.

Image source, CNPA

The Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) has appealed to visitors to stay away from "extremely busy" areas of the park this weekend.

It said popular spots near Aviemore and in Deeside had been having "major issues" with traffic, litter, human waste and fires.

Some communities were "angry and concerned" by the behaviour of some of the park's visitors, the CNPA said.

It has issued the plea ahead of fine weather forecast for the weekend.

Read more.

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The health secretary has said the "trigger case" which caused Aberdeen's Covid cluster has yet to be identified.

The city has returned to enforced lockdown after a sharp rise in the number of linked coronavirus cases.

A total of 54 people who have tested positive gave the details of 191 people they have been in contact with.

But Jeane Freeman said the nature of the outbreak - linked to pubs and restaurants - made it difficult to pinpoint the first case in the cluster.

Read more.

Mornings with Stephen Jardine
BBC Radio Scotland

Sunnie Delilah saw her father-in-law struggling with the standard mask and decided to do something about it. "It just didn’t give him the confidence to be out," she told BBC Radio Scotland.

Sunni's mask replaces the elastic ear loops with one long, adjustable strap to go over the head, and a 'beard pocket' for tucking facial hair inside.

And it turns out Sunni's invention had attracted far more interest than she anticipated.

Giancarlo Rinaldi
South Scotland reporter, BBC news website

Image source, MJ Richardson

Police, the health board and council in Dumfries and Galloway have urged the public to be "extra vigilant" after a local lockdown was imposed in Aberdeen.

In a joint statement, they said it was a "stark reminder" of the threat still posed by coronavirus.

NHS Dumfries and Galloway's chief executive Jeff Ace said: "We are still in a precarious position with regards to Covid-19 and we must guard against complacency.

"This is a highly transmissible virus with potentially devastating consequences and we have a population in Dumfries and Galloway which has had very little exposure and therefore has very little immunity."

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Robust safety measures must be in place when schools in Scotland return next week, a teaching union has said.

NASUWT said there should be monitoring of Covid-19 infection rates in each local authority and information sharing from employers on new cases.

It also wants all school staff and pupils to be routinely tested for coronavirus.

Schools will begin to reopen from 11 August, with all pupils due back full-time from 18 August.

Mornings with Stephen Jardine
BBC Radio Scotland

Ben Best, who runs the Dalscone Farm Fun Soft Play in Dumfries, said on the whole people have been complying with the guidelines. However, he has noticed people have become more complacent about social distancing since masks became mandatory.

He also recently celebrated the christening of a friends’ child, followed by a trip to the local pub. A reservation was pre-booked for 20 people, but the party was given only three tables.

There was “no way” to social distance, Ben said, and after being temperature checked at the door, no further measures were taken.

Meanwhile in the Highlands, Susan is concerned about the inability to trace campers.

She said much of the region is “awash with camper vans” and while hospitality venues have taken measures to make things safe, lots of people will be visiting the area without going to such places.

She worries there would be no way of tracking them down is a cluster emerged.

The owner of a microbrewery in the Borders says that despite reopening, pubs are cutting down on the range of beers they stock.

David McGowan says Broughton Brewery normally supplies 250 pubs - but only about half that number are currently ordering.

Bars have fewer customers and are trying to cut costs - and that is having a knock-on effect on small brewers in particular.

Read more here.

Figures released by the ONS last week show that England had the highest levels of excess deaths in Europe between the end of February and the middle of June.

Scotland saw the third highest death rate in Europe - behind England and Spain. Wales was in fifth place and Northern Ireland in eighth.

Mornings with Stephen Jardine
BBC Radio Scotland

The Tippling House in Aberdeen only opened last Friday, after its owner Adrian Gomes decided to delay opening to see how things would pan out.

Less than a week later the bar has had to close up again as the city went back into lockdown. Adrian said public confidence in going to pubs had “massively dipped”.

He told Stephen Jardine on BBC Radio Scotland that adults visiting bars should be able to use common sense and make decisions about their safety.

He said: "The public have a responsibility to ensure they are abiding by the rules and making it as easy as possible for operators to do their job."

Andrew Black
BBC Scotland Business Presenter

The Glasgow-based company which has a $250m contract to keep the lights on at the Olympics is optimistic the event will go ahead in Tokyo next year, after being postponed due to coronavirus.

Chris Weston, chief executive of temporary power generator company Aggreko, told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme: "We are planning with (games organisers) Tocog for the event next July and all of that is proceeding as normal and all the indications we're getting at the moment form the International Olympic Committee is that it will go ahead as normal."

Aggreko's says revenue is down 12% this year so far, with operating profit falling 15% to £47m, due to coronavirus and low oil prices.

Chris says events were about 8% of Aggreko's income last year, adding: "These events will without a doubt come back."

Image source, Getty Images

Mornings with Stephen Jardine
BBC Radio Scotland

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The streets of Aberdeen were "eerily quiet" during the first night of Scotland's first local lockdown. Pubs are closed, and people are being told not to travel more than five miles or to visit other households.

Nicola Sturgeon announced the tightening of restrictions on Wednesday after cases from a coronavirus cluster rose sharply.

Stephen Jardine asks: Did we open the pubs too early and have we become too relaxed about the rules? Are people in your area taking the rules seriously?

Call 08085 929500 or text 80295.

Today's front pages are dominated by local coronavirus restrictions imposed on Aberdeen.

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Ms Freeman says the Scottish government has been in discussions with the two leaders of Aberdeen city council and she remains confident that schools in the area will reopen as expected.

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The health secretary says ministers cannot rule out further restrictions on businesses as the government prioritises getting schools back full-time next week.

Good Morning Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland

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The health secretary is asked about the Scottish government announcing yesterday that an IT problem meant national test and trace data was not "fit for public release".

It comes amid test and trace concerns with just days before children across Scotland are set to return to school.

Ms Freeman says the issue has now been resolved and "we have every intention of publishing that confirmed and robust data during the month of August."