Coronavirus 'lockdown': Scotland's empty streets

People across Scotland are adapting to life under the new measures designed to fight the coronavirus outbreak. So how did the usually busy streets in some of the country's towns and cities looked on day two of the lockdown?

Glasgow

Navigating Glasgow city centre's one way systems, bus lanes and traffic lights is normally one of the most arduous commutes known to man, writes Mary McCool.

The huge reduction in road traffic and pedestrians only somewhat mitigates the toil - but there's now an abundance of parking spaces.

People who have ventured into the city are either jogging, en route to work or are hurrying to the nearest supermarket - faces covered in scarves or masks.

The population of pecking pigeons normally found outside Royal Bank of Scotland on Sauchiehall Street has grown, emboldened by the lack of footfall.

With every shop's shutters closed, lunchtime midweek almost feels like 07:00 on a Sunday. Car parks are completely desolate.

If you head to the west of the city you'll notice things are slightly different. Far more people are out enjoying the fresh air, some of them in places they may never have ventured before.

Mathew McMillan is swinging his two-year-old son Logan into the air in the empty skate park in Kelvingrove.

The young family live in nearby flats and normally use the park as though it were their back garden.

"Logan has always wanted to run around here, but he can't as it's usually busy," said Mathew.

Dumfries

On a warm spring Wednesday lunchtime there would usually be a bit more buzz about Dumfries town centre than this, writes Giancarlo Rinaldi.

Shoppers getting on and off buses at Burns Statue, workers hiding their sandwiches from dive-bombing seagulls and school pupils spilling out onto the street for an hour's freedom.

Instead, a handful of people zig-zag to avoid one another while heading for essential food supplies, or form a spacious and orderly queue outside the chemist.

The walkway by the Whitesands, the High Street and Dock Park are all missing most of their familiar faces.

For now, and for the foreseeable future, only the squawk of the seagulls remains.

Edinburgh

In Edinburgh, people are beginning to find ways of adapting to life under the restrictions in place due to the Coronavirus outbreak, writes Angie Brown.

Masks and gloves are being worn for essential shopping trips, while others even wore full boiler suits for their daily exercise trip outside.

School pupils from 16 years old have been drafted in to work in one Tesco supermarket in Colinton Mains after 25 staff members went into isolation.

One said she had been wearing her school uniform without her tie because she had been recruited so quickly that she had not yet been given a uniform.

Meanwhile, the owner of Edinburgh's oldest pet shop said he had seen an increase in toy sales.

Craig Davidson, owner of Dofos Pet Centre on Leith Walk, said he was surprised it had not just been pet food that has been flying out of the door.

He said: "I have seen an increase in online sales with the bulk being from England. I think owners are needing things to amuse their pets while everyone is locked inside."

Aberdeen

Aberdeen is certainly much, much quieter, but there is still that underlying sense of life goes on, writes Ken Banks.

The city's main Union Street thoroughfare remains busy enough in terms of bus traffic - albeit with fewer people on board - but numbers of people on foot and in cars seem vastly reduced.

At the beach on Wednesday morning, just one mother and young child could be seen on the sand. Otherwise, it was lone joggers along the beach esplanade, and couples, people pushing babies in prams, or dogs being taken for a walk.

In streets away from the city centre, there are sometimes small queues outside outside local shops such as local fishmongers and butchers due to social distancing enforcement inside.

One thing that has not changed however - the sound of seagulls overheard.

Dundee

In Dundee, the usually bustling Gallagher Retail Park car park was deserted, with only one shop, M&S Food, open for business.

A number of pubs in the city centre have boarded up their windows after closing their doors to customers.

In the city's west end, a butcher and greengrocers saw steady trade, with some people wearing protective masks after venturing out to stock up.

Inverness

Inverness city centre was near-deserted on the morning of day two of the lockdown in Scotland, writes Steven McKenzie.

Few people were in the main streets or in Falcon Square, a large public space outside the Eastgate Centre, the main shopping centre in the Highland capital.

There was only one car in the usually packed car park at Inverness Leisure, the largest sports and leisure complex in the Highlands. On a normal day it can be hard to find a free space.

Roads such as the Southern Distributor, one of the busiest through Inverness, were quiet.

Measures to fight coronavirus have also brought major construction projects across the city to a halt, including large housing developments and work to complete the West Link road at the Caledonian Canal.