The Scottish Government is set to launch a new volunteer scheme for those who want to help during the pandemic.
Nicola Sturgeon made the announcement during her daily briefing in Edinburgh after revealing another person has died in Scotland after testing positive for Covid-19.
The First Minister said there had been a further 139 cases confirmed in the past 24 hours and 95 people are now in intensive care units with suspected or confirmed coronavirus.
She said the Scottish Government has been working with various partners over the past few weeks to find a way for people who are fit and healthy and want to help during the crisis.
Scotland Cares, which will be launched on Monday, will encourage people to volunteer if they are in a position to do so and make it easier for them to register their interest.
The scheme is open to those returning to the medical profession and those who want to help the NHS in a more general way or in their communities.
A team of community reserve volunteers will be co-ordinated by the Red Cross, one of the partners of the campaign.
Ms Sturgeon said: “This scheme means people will be able to contribute in a way which makes a real difference within your local community.
“It will help people help each other as we seek to get through this together.”
The wider campaign will also emphasise the importance of lending a hand to neighbours and family – and how to do that safely, the First Minister added.
More information will be available on the readyscotland.org website after the launch.
During Sunday’s briefing, Ms Sturgeon also spoke about concerns around the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) for those working on the frontline.
She revealed over the past four to six weeks around 34 million items of PPE have been delivered to hospital across Scotland.
She said: “In addition, all health boards now have a single point of contact to manage local PPE supply and distribution. That should help to ensure the right equipment reaches the people who need it.”
Eight-weeks-worth of PPE has also been given to GP practices across the country.
“These measures will help protect them while they protect us,” she said.
“Taking all of this together I want to underline that we are committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of everyone who works in the health and social care services.”
