Nicola Sturgeon urged to bring forward opening date of gyms in Scotland

coronavirus. Kingspark School, in Dundee, was forced to close on Wednesday after pupils and teachers were asked to self-isolate for two weeks.

coronavirus confirmed in Scotland in the last 24 hours - the highest rise in cases since May 16. But Nicola Sturgeon is urging Scots to take the increase in "context" as they are linked to the current outbreak at a Coupar Angus chicken factory.

Nicola Sturgeon has made a renewed call for the UK Government to extend the furlough scheme beyond October amid fears unemployment will rocket when it is removed. The First Minister said the Treasury should follow the example of France and Germany by extending economic support for businesses which were forced to close during lockdown.

Nicola Sturgeon described the 43 positive cases identified so far, as part of an outbreak at the 2 Sisters food processing plant, as "a significant cluster". Of those cases, 37 are factory workers and six are contacts.

Nicola Sturgeon has said she was not aware of female civil servants being advised not be alone with her predecessor Alex Salmond.But she said MSPs probing the Scottish Government’s handling of sexual harassment allegations made against the former first minster were “perfectly entitled” to take up this issue.She vowed she was “absolutely committed to fully complying with the inquiry”.Her comments came after concerns were raised about “huge swathes” of information provided by the Scottish

Join thousands of others and get the latest Scottish politics news sent straight to your inbox every Friday.Nicola Sturgeon claimed she was not aware of female civil servants being advised to avoid being alone with former first minister Alex Salmond.Sturgeon was confronted with the direct question during First Minister's Questions two days after MSPs were prevented from probing the allegation in parliament.The First Minister said MSPs were "perfectly entitled" to take up this issue and vowed she

coronavirus.Nicola Sturgeon unveiled the crackdown after alarm at the way Covid is making a comeback in Scotland.House parties where people are ignoring strict rules on social mixing have been blamed for a spread in clusters such as Aberdeen, which is still in a local lockdown.Sturgeon also announced councils will be able to shut businesses failing to meet regulations.At the Scottish Parliament, the First Minister said: "We know that large house parties pose a very real and significant risk of

Nicola Sturgeon has said Scotland is not in the midst of a second coronavirus wave despite a recent spike in cases. The First Minister said at the Scottish Government's briefing on Wednesday that the increase - from two daily cases in early July to 50 in the most recent figures - is a "spike in the first wave".She added it is not clear if there will be a second wave of the virus.

Join thousands of others and get the latest Scottish politics news sent straight to your inbox every Friday.Nicola Sturgeon said there are no outbreaks of coronavirus in primary schools after concerns pupils were testing positive.The First Minister confirmed more cases since the return to class full time in Scotland last week, but said they were linked to communities rather than schools."We are not seeing outbreaks in primary schools, we are seeing individual cases of primary school aged

pupils contracting Covid-19 is inevitable, Nicola Sturgeon has said. The First Minister spoke about the clusters of the virus across the country, including those affecting schools, at the Scottish Government's coronavirus briefing in Edinburgh on Tuesday.

school results scandal.The First Minister praised Professor Mark Priestley, who came out for the SNP at the general election, for his skills and experience and said he is the right person for the job.Education Secretary John Swinney this week made a u-turn after confirming that around 120,000 downgraded results would be reversed following a backlash by pupils and parents.Get all the top Scottish politics news sent straight to your Inbox by signing up to our Politics newsletter.We cover Holyrood,

pupils across Scotland caught up in an exams fiasco which penalised pupils in poorer communities.The First Minister made the significant apology days after pupils protested and calls were made for Education Secretary John Swinney to resign.At her regular briefing, Sturgeon said: "I do acknowledge that we did not get this right and I am sorry for that."The U-turn comes after defending a system brought in to grade pupils who were unable to sit normal exams because of the Covid-19 health

Nicola Sturgeon has said it is "bonkers" for people to question her commitment to Scottish independence as she confirmed her intention to stand in next year's Holyrood election. The First Minister also stated she would serve another full term if elected in the 2021 vote for the Scottish Parliament.

Covid cases has broken out in the Greater Glasgow area. The First Minister said there were 17 confirmed cases in Scotland's largest health board yesterday - which includes the city as well as the neighbouring council areas of Renfrewshire and Inverclyde.

coronavirus deaths registered in Scotland but 67 new positive cases have been confirmed. The total number of positive cases is now 18, 847 according to the latest Scottish Government released figures.

Nicola Sturgeon has said all pupils who are unhappy with their exam results will be able to appeal them for free as the Scottish Government faced mounting criticism over how grades were awarded. For the first time in more than 130 years, Scottish youngsters did not sit down for exams in May as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

bars and restaurants could face a “further shutdown” if Scots do not abide by strict public safety rules.The First Minister said pictures of a large queue outside an Aberdeen bar had made her want to cry.A key part of the Government’s policy of coming out of lockdown involved the reopening of pubs and restaurants.Get all the top Scottish politics news sent straight to your Inbox by signing up to our Politics newsletter.We cover Holyrood, Westminster and local councils, with a current focus on

pub too often after alarm at a rise in coronavirus cases.Around half of the latest positive cases of Covid-19 were among people in their 20s and 30s.First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the levels are a reason for caution, while other parts of the world have also seen infection rates among young people surge.At a coronavirus briefing on Friday, Sturgeon said "nobody can safely get Covid", despite the disease causing more fatalities among older people.Urging people to "stick rigidly" to the latest

Port Glasgow, and an Amazon warehouse in Gourock, Inverclyde.Some of the cases visited the following locations when they may have been infectious to others:- The Botany on Maryhill Road in Glasgow- The Queen of the Loch by Marston's Inn, Balloch- Lomond Woods Holiday Park, Alexandria- Sweeney’s Cruises, BallochHealth and local environmental health staff are working closely with the all the businesses to trace any close contacts of the cases.Appropriate advice is being given to the individuals

coronavirus cases.The warning against non-essential travel also applies to anyone in affected areas, including Manchester, who had plans to visit Scotland.First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced the restrictions in the most significant step back to lockdown since the height of the pandemic in the UK.Sturgeon said: "I'm grateful to the Prime Minister for the update on the recent developments in the north west of England and all four nations agreed on the importance of sharing localised