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Here are the headlines from today's Scottish government briefing.

• 19,605 people have now tested positive for Covid-19, an increase of 71 from yesterday. That’s 1% of those that were newly tested yesterday

• 254 patients are in hospital with a confirmed case (up five), with two being treated in intensive care
• No deaths were registered in the last 24 hours of people who tested positive, meaning the total remains at 2,492.
• Austria, Switzerland, Croatia and Trinidad and Tobago are added to the list of nations from where people will have to self-isolate on their return to Scotland
• Portugal is removed from the list
• 600 workers at a food processing plant in Coupar Angus have been tested after 68 positives cases were recorded
• All workers at the 2 Sisters plant - and their households - have been asked to self-isolate
• A £20m fund to provide low carbon heating for social housing is announced
• The economy secretary asks the UK government for an extension to the furlough scheme for sectors such as tourism and hospitality

Christine Lavelle of the Sun asks about the Scottish Passenger Agents Association call for airport testing and follow-up checks to cut the length of quarantine checks for overseas passengers.

The first minister says she is looking at the potential alternatives to quarantine, including the experiences of other countries.

But she adds that all decisions come down to a "balance of risk".

She says: "There is no system of doing that that is absolutely foolproof.

"The question is which system of doing that is absolutely foolproof.

"The question is which system gives you the best protection."

Ms Sturgeon adds that, in theory, someone could test negative on arrival but then test positive days later.

As such, one proposal has been to test someone when they arrive and then again eight days later.

Michael Blackley of the Daily Mail asks the first minister if she is worried the economy remains so reliant on the furlough scheme.

He highlights figures which show that the number of claimants increased by 45,000 between June and July.

Ms Sturgeon said the removal of furlough is a "significant concern" but it is not a decision that she has any control over.

She urges the UK government to follow the example of Germany by extending the scheme for up to two years.

The first minister says her decision-making at the moment is about "keeping a balance" and warns that the premature return of non-essential office and call centre staff would have a major impact on transmission rates.

Simon Johnson from The Telegraph asks if Visit Scotland's marketing campaign should be once again extended to England, given how important it is to a struggling tourism industry.

Ms Sturgeon says people from England are welcome in Scotland - "always have been and always will be". But the pandemic means "we have to be careful about whether we are encouraging people to come from other parts of the world to Scotland right now".

The first minister adds: "These are just basic, public health-driven messages that we are having to take."

Image source, Getty Images

Louise Hosie from STV asks if it will become compulsory for pupils to wear face coverings in schools - particularly secondary schools

Nicola Sturgeon says that, up to now, children have been asked to self-isolate because of community transmission of Covid-19 rather than from a school environment.

She says keeping community transmission under control gives the best chance of minimising the spread of the virus, but the mitigations around schools will remain under review.

David Wallace Lockhart from BBC Scotland asks if it is a concern that there is now a "rush of travellers" trying to beat a 04:00 quarantine deadline and is there a danger that the swiftness of the move "undermines the whole point of the exercise".

Nicola Sturgeon says "we can't hang about before we impose quarantine".

The first minister says she knows that causes problems for people, which is why she continues to ask them to "think very carefully" about travelling abroad.

Chief nursing officer Fiona McQueen provides an update on the seasonal flu vaccination programme for children.

She says it will be particularly important this year as the NHS will be under greater pressures due to the Covid crisis.

And she urges everyone who is eligible to take advantage of the vaccination.

Prof McQueen encourages all parents and carers to ensure their children are immunised by signing the consent forms given out by schools.

For children up to primary 7 the vaccination is a nasal spray.

Those aged 2 to 5 who are also eligible for vaccination will receive letters in the post from mid-September.

Image source, Getty Images

Almost 10 million workers who are unable to do their job because of the coronavirus outbreak have had their wages paid by the government.

The furlough scheme was designed to help people who couldn't do their jobs because of the outbreak, and prevent mass redundancies.

Some have criticised the decision to close the scheme in October, but it has been backed by the Bank of England boss, which says workers should be helped to ''move forward'' and not kept in unproductive jobs.

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Ms Hyslop confirms she has written to the UK government to request an extension of the furlough scheme.

About 800,000 people have been furloughed in Scotland for at least part of the lockdown period.

But she adds that the "vital safety net" is about to pulled in 10 weeks' time.

Ms Hyslop says she has asked for a "targeted extension" for sectors such as tourism and hospitality.

She adds that she has also requested money for businesses affected by local lockdowns and workers who are required to self-isolate.

Ms Hyslop says the support offers a "vital lifeline".

Chancellor Rishi Sunak extended the scheme until the end of October.

From this month, employers must pay National Insurance and pension contributions, then 10% of pay from September, rising to 20% in October.

Mr Sunak previously said the eight-month scheme was a "generous and long period of time."

Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop announces a £20m fund to provide low carbon heating for social housing

Ms Hyslop says the pandemic has caused "serious damage" to the economy in Scotland and across the world.

She adds that the money will be made available in the coming year through the Social Housing Net Zero Heating Fund.

Eligible projects include the installation of heat pumps and biomass boilers to replace fossil fuel heating systems.

Ms Hyslop says the scheme will support jobs in the energy and construction sectors and help reduce bills for people who have been worst hit by the economic impact of the virus.

The Scottish government has a target to generate 11% of non-electrical heat from low carbon sources by 2020.

Ms Sturgeon says the different approach of asking households to self-isolate in Coupar Angus, compared with Aberdeen, is because there is "minimal evidence of community transmission in Tayside".

"That's not something we were able to say with any confidence about the outbreak in Aberdeen," she says.

The first minister confirms that 68 positives cases have been linked to the 2 Sisters plant - 59 workers and nine of their contacts.

As well as advising workers at the plant to self-isolate, all members of their households are now being asked to do the same until Monday 31 August.

The first minister moves on to the coronavirus outbreak in Coupar Angus, which is linked to the 2 Sisters food processing plant.

She says the outbreak has implications, not just for Coupar Angus, but for the three local authority areas around it.

Ms Sturgeon says 600 workers have been tested and "efforts are under way" to test the remaining 600.

Nicola Sturgeon says the move is a further reminder of how "the international situation can, and is, changing".

She encourages people from Scotland "to think very carefully" abut booking non-essential trips overseas right now.

"You cannot be sure, and there can be no guarantee, that the rules that are in place when you leave on your trip will be the same when you return," she says.

Image source, Reuters

The first minister highlights that four countries have been added to the list of nations from where people will have to self-isolate on their return to Scotland - Austria, Switzerland, Croatia and Trinidad and Tobago.

She says the new rules will be in force from 04:00 tomorrow.

Portugal has now been removed from the list.

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