| Good evening folks, We hope you are keeping well and are still managing to get outdoors, in spite of the typical Scottish summer weather...! First Minister Nicola Sturgeon today suggested that face-coverings may become mandatory in Scotland, with the Westminster government announcing mandatory wearing of face-coverings on public transport from 15 June. Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf has urged anti-racism protesters to avoid 'mass gatherings' this weekend and to adhere to social distancing measures. A number of demonstrations have been planned for around Scotland. And the former head of MI6 Sir Richard Dearlove has said he believes the Covid-19 pandemic 'started as an accident' after the virus escaped from a lab in China where it had been engineered by students. If you have a minute, we'd appreciate your feedback on this newsletter: what you like / dislike, what you'd like to see more of, or any other comments / suggestions. Please send your thoughts to [email protected] Take care, Your Scotsman team Here's a look at the other coronavirus headlines from today: Scotland's 'R' number - the rate at which an infected individual is passing the virus to others - is currently between 0.7 and 0.9, which is slightly lower than last month's rate A further nine people in Scotland have died with Covid-19, taking the total to 2,395 by that measure The number of people to have tested positive for the virus in Scotland stands at 15,553 The Scottish Government is due to publish a report on PPE First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has warned people not to meet indoors, regardless of the weather A message from the editorial director While I have your attention, I have an important request to make of you. With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription. Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up. Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website. Joy Yates
Editorial Director | 