Coronavirus deaths in Scotland rise by another 70

THE Scottish Government announced details of more deaths during the latest daily briefing giving updates on the Covid-19 response.

A total of 1,332 patients have died in Scotland after testing positive for coronavirus, up by 70 from 1,262 on Monday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said.

She said 10,721 people have now tested positive for the virus in Scotland.

The figure is up by 200 from 10,521 the day before.

There are 126 people in intensive care with coronavirus or coronavirus symptoms and 1,754 people are in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19.

There have been 1,273 cases and 106 deaths in Tayside.

Meanwhile, Fife has seen a total of 692 cases and 85 deaths.

Ms Sturgeon also elabroated on fresh advice over the wearing of face coverings in enclosed spaces, saying t he Scottish Government is not recommending the use of face masks for children under the age of two.

The first minister added: “We are recommending that you do wear a cloth face covering if you are i n an enclosed space with others where social distancing is difficult.”

The policy appears to contradict earlier advice from Scotland’s national clinical director.

Professor Jason Leitch said on April 3: “The global evidence – and we’ve looked properly, I promise you – is that masks in the general population don’t work.

“People don’t wear them properly, they’re hard, they’re difficult, they’re uncomfortable.”

Ms Sturgeon said the new guidance is related to “face coverings made of cloth or other textiles, such as a scarf” and not medical-grade masks.