First Minister @NicolaSturgeon: "Good afternoon. As at 9am this morning there have 15,553 positive cases confirmed, that is an increase of 49 since yesterday."
NS: "A total of 1,021 patients are currently in hospital with either confirmed or suspected Covid-19. That represents a total decrease of 96 since yesterday, including a decrease of 21 in the number of confirmed cases in hospital."
NS: "A total of 28 people last night were in intensive care with confirmed or suspected Covid-19 and that is a decrease of 6 since yesterday."
NS: "I'm also able to confirm today that since 5 March, a total of 3,758 patients who had tested positive and required hospital treatment for the virus have now been able to leave hospital."
NS: "And in the last 24 hours, 9 deaths have been registered of patients confirmed through a test as having the virus. That takes the total number of deaths in Scotland, under that measurement, to 2,395."
NS: "As I often say, we cannot and should not read too much into any one day's figures, and tomorrow's figure, or the next day's figure, may be higher than the one I've just given you."
NS: "But I think it is still worth noting today that yesterday was the first weekday since 27th March when the number of deaths registered under our daily measure was in single figures."
NS: "I think that demonstrates the progress we're making against this virus but also underlines why we all continue to need to comply with the public health guidance - so we continue to make this progress and don't allow it to go into reverse."
NS: "And of course, nine deaths is still too many - and thinking of those nine lives lost reinforces the point I make every day, that these figures are not just statistics."
NS: "They represent people, unique and irreplaceable individuals whose loss will have left families shattered and grieving. So I want to send my condolences, again, to everyone who has lost a loved one to this virus."
NS: "I also want to express my thanks, as I always do, to our health and care workers. They have done incredible work throughout and, notwithstanding the falling numbers in hospital and intensive care, they continue to do incredible work in very challenging circumstances."
NS: "My thanks go to every one of you. The entire country owes you a debt of gratitude."
NS: "I'm joined today by the Chief Medical Officer and the Health Secretary. The Cabinet Secretary has some information to share about the prioritisation of cancer services and the CMO will focus on figures published yesterday relating to patients in intensive care."
NS: "Before they speak, I want to acknowledge the job losses announced yesterday at Rolls Royce in Inchinnan. That announcement will have been devastating news for the workforce and their families at what is already a very anxious time."
NS: "Unfortunately, it may not be the last of its kind in the period ahead. I want to stress that @Scotgov will do everything we can to secure as good an outcome for those whose jobs are at risk."
NS: "Yesterday's news emphasises a point I have made before, that alongside a public health emergency we are also dealing with an economic emergency on a scale that none of us have experienced before."
NS: "That requires and it will get the attention and focus of the Scottish Government, just as the health emergency has and continues to get."
NS: "We've already allocated more than £2.3bn to help businesses through measures such as grants and business rates relief, and that's in addition to welcome UK Government measures such as the furlough scheme."
NS: "Mitigating and addressing the economic costs of Covid of course is going to become an even greater priority in the weeks and months ahead, but alongside that - as part of our response to that - we also want to help businesses where possible to adapt and find new markets."
NS: "One of the areas where we've been doing that already is in relation to PPE."
NS: "We're publishing a report today that summarises how we're securing PPE for health and care workers in Scotland, and it also sets out the work we're doing to develop a manufacturing chain for that equipment."
NS: "To demonstrate the scale of some of this work, it's maybe worth looking at an item such as fluid-resistant surgical masks."
NS: "These are masks that help to prevent blood, bodily fluids, and secretions from one person, which might include water droplets from coughs, coming into contact with the mouth or nose of the person wearing the mask."
NS: "Prior to Covid-19, National Services Scotland would provide around 57,000 of those masks to our health and care workers every week. But now, instead of needing 57,000 masks a week, we need 4.5 million a week. That is an 80-fold increase."
NS: "To meet that demand we are importing equipment from overseas. 100m fluid-resistant masks have been imported from China, we've got a further 60m on order. But we're also working with suppliers here in Scotland to establish domestic supply chains."
NS: "Alpha Solway, which is a firm based in South West Scotland, which specialises in protective clothing, is due to start producing masks in August. They've taken on 30 new staff to do so and are using raw materials sourced from Don & Low in Forfar."
NS: "As a result of that we hope in due course, manufacturers in Scotland will be able not just to meet demand for these masks here in Scotland, but also provide them to other parts of the UK and indeed to other countries in Europe."
NS: "There's a similar story in relation to other items of equipment, we're creating supply chains for non-sterile gowns and FFP3 masks. In addition, Berry BPI are planning to make 2-3 million new aprons a week in Greenock."
NS: "A number of smaller Scottish enterprises are planning to make visors. CalaChem Ltd has produced 580,000 litres of hand sanitisers at its plant in Grangemouth, using ethanol provided by Whyte & Mackay."
NS: "Many other Scottish businesses have diversified in order to help with the provision of PPE and I'm grateful to each and every one of them."
NS: "They've worked alongside public service bodies such as the NHS, Scottish Development International and the National Manufacturing Institute for Scotland."
NS: "It's worth highlighting that, in many cases, these companies are not simply making existing products. They're often using innovation to improve the equipment - for example, by ensuring face masks fit better on small faces and more equipment can safely be reused."
NS: "Fundamentally, the Scottish Government's priority, which we are achieving, must always be to ensure we have adequate stocks of PPE. Our health and care workers, the people who protect us, must, themselves, be protected."
NS: "That is important at the moment but also for the future, as we look to reopen the NHS and maintain secure stocks of equipment for social care too."
NS: "So we will always, when necessary, place major orders with overseas suppliers, but we are also increasingly taking advantage of the expertise of manufacturers here, because doing that gives us greater reassurance that supplies will be secure in the long-term."
NS: "It also, of course, creates real benefits for jobs and exports."
NS: "These benefits don't come close to balancing the wider economic harms caused by this pandemic, and so the Scottish Government will continue to work with businesses and the UK Government to address these."
NS: "But these benefits are welcome nonetheless, and they are a great testament to the ongoing importance and excellence of our manufacturing sector here in Scotland."
NS: "I want to reemphasise our key public health guidance. I'm asking you today to focus not just on what you're now allowed to do as a result of the small changes we made last week, but to focus even more so on what we are asking you not to do."
NS: "It is by not doing certain things right now that we will all help to stop this virus spreading. That means not meeting other households indoors. Not coming within 2m of people from other households. Not shaking their hands, or hugging them, for example."
NS: "Not sharing food or utensils with others or touching hard surfaces they may also have touched, and not leaving your face uncovered in shops or public transport."
NS: "So I'm asking you to think about all of that, all of these things we're asking you not to do every time you leave home or meet with someone from another household."
NS: "And particularly ahead of a weekend when, unfortunately, the weather forecast is more traditionally Scottish - i.e heavy rain - I want to particularly emphasise this point."
NS: "You cannot and must not meet people from another household indoors. That is a surefire way of allowing this virus to spread again."
NS: "So if you're not willing to get your waterproofs on and meet outdoors, do not meet up at all. I cannot emphasise that strongly enough."
NS: "To recap - you should still be staying home most of the time, and you should still be meeting fewer people than normal."
NS: "If your life feels like it's getting back to normal at the moment you should ask yourself whether it should be and whether you're complying with all the guidance."
NS: "When you do meet people from another household you must stay outdoors and must stay 2m apart from them. Don't meet with more than one other household at a time, don't meet more than one a day, and keep to a maximum of 8 people in a group."
NS: "Wash your hands often, take hand sanitiser if you're out and about, wear a face covering if you're in a shop or on public transport, avoid touching hard surfaces and clean any you do touch."
NS: "And if you have the symptoms of Covid-19 - a new, continuous cough, a fever, or a loss of or change in your sense of smell and taste, you must get tested and follow the advice on self-isolation."
NS: "Above all else, remember that the decisions each of us take right now as individuals will affect the health and wellbeing of all of us. Please, I'm asking you to continue to do the right thing as you have been doing and to stick to all these guidelines."
NS: "It really, really matters, and it matters as much now as it did at the start of this pandemic. By doing that we will continue to slow the spread of this virus and we will save lives. My thanks, once again, to all of you for doing that."
