Hello everyone,

What a strange time this is.

Schools closed. Shops closed. A healthcare system overwhelmed. And we are only allowed to leave our houses for very limited reasons.

The short-term implications for mental and physical health will unfold over the coming months.

The longer-term effects on the world are unclear. A push toward internationalism as happened after the Second World War? Or a pandemic that prompts a retreat from economic globalisation?

Right now we are all just dealing with what's immediately in front of us. My friends and family are certainly appreciating just how much our teachers, dinner ladies and teaching assistants do for our children each and every day.

All the teachers I know are busier than ever. They are worried – not only the anxiety that most of us are feeling in these troubled times – but also for the pupils that they care for when few others do.

We have lots of tips on the website for keeping children busy over the coming days and weeks. We are also working on best ways to exercise in your home and garden.

I would also love to hear how you are balancing childcare, working from home, and staying healthy.

I know how much of a challenge this is so send please us your photos, videos or suggestions to share with other parents.

Take care of yourself and family,

Frank O’Donnell, Editor

Here are the day’s key developments in the coronavirus crisis:

• Two more Scots die of Covid-19 taking the total number fatalities in Scotland to 16.
• The number of cases in Scotland increases by 85 to 584.
• UK Government sends 'stay at home' text messages to members of the public.
• Greater Glasgow and Clyde is the Scottish region with the most Coronavirus cases with 183 confirmed.
• Emergency powers to crack down on coronavirus could see Scots face up to a year in jail if they ignore new 'stay at home' rules.
• Historic Scotland announces all staffed sites will close.
• At the government's daily media briefing this evening Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced a temporary 4,000 bed hospital is to be set up in London. The hospital will be set up in the Excel exhibition centre with help from the military.
•  2020 Tokyo Olympics postponed until 2021
• Country in 'full lockdown' as emergency measures are put into place.
• UK Secretary to the Treasury says self-employed 'will not be forgotten' - but no clarity from the UK Chancellor on support for self-employed workers.