Robinsons and J2O maker Britvic updates the City on Wednesday and has said it expects the closure of all pubs and bars to hit the business by between £12 million and £18 million a month, with on-trade sales making up 25% of business.

Data shows there has been an uptick in supermarket sales in the sector, but it is not expected to be enough to offset the fall from the closures.

What investors will want to know is whether they will be paying for the extra costs, with a decision expected over whether to suspend a planned interim dividend.

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Analysts at Jefferies said a postponement had "potential" but pointed out the company had enough cash to see out the crisis.

In a note, they said: "Whilst the company has sufficient liquidity for the current uncertain environment, there is a scenario where the company postpones the decision around the interim dividend until later in the year."

JP Morgan analysts added that they expect a dividend suspension and forecast a boost in sales for the company from the pre-lockdown stockpiling and strong supermarket sales.

The results cover the six months to March 31 and JP Morgan predict a 1% growth in organic sales, with underlying profits up 2% to £71.2 million.

But the City will want to know what the rest of the year will look like, with Wednesday's results only covering a few weeks of lockdown.

Predictions from analysts are already suggesting full year profits will be down by around 20%. JP Morgan predicted an 8% rise in off-trade sales but a 66% drop in on-trade business in the second half of Britvic's financial year.

At Jefferies, analysts said even with pubs reopening, it could take some time for consumers to return in sufficient numbers, with six months of disruption expected.
They wrote: "Whilst this may be conservative, we expect to see a delay between easing of restrictions and consumer behaviour in the on-trade returning to normal."

The soft drinks market is also expected to fair better during the crisis than the beer sector, analysts added.

UK-based Britvic makes around 40% of its revenues from overseas, so will be hoping eased restrictions in other countries can help the business recover.

Its portfolio includes Robinsons, J2O, Tango and Fruit Shoot, among others, and it has the exclusive licence to produce and sell Pepsi and 7UP in the UK and Ireland.

The vast majority of education staff in Scotland are anxious about returning to work, according to a new survey.

A Unison union poll of more than 5,000 education staff in Scotland found that 83% are worried about going back to work or increasing the number of children returning to classrooms.

It also showed that 13% are losing sleep worrying about the issue after being in lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic.

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Just 3% of respondents to the survey, carried out between Monday May 18 and Friday May 22, consider it safe to return to work.

Lorraine Thomson, chairwoman of Unison's Scotland Education Issues Group, said: "Unison's survey shows the vast majority of education staff are anxious about plans for more children to return to schools and nurseries.

"Before they return we need clear guidance about how we keep children and staff safe.

"We need clarity about infection control and appropriate PPE. And all staff need full training on how to implement new rules and how to use PPE.

"A lot more work needs to be done to ensure safe return. The Scottish Government and Cosla must work with Unison to develop guidance, implement new rules and undertake risk assessments.

"We cannot send more children back to school until we all know it is safe for them and all staff."

The trade union's survey was divided between early years workers (48%), staff in primary schools (33%) and secondary schools (13%) along with others working in community roles.

Other findings suggest that only 10% have had training on Covid-19 health and safety measures including infection control, correct use of PPE or carrying out a virus-related risk assessment.

Nearly half (46%) did not feel they had enough PPE, while 42% did not know what they should have - but 12% felt there was enough PPE.

A quarter (25%) were not aware of any risk assessments having taken place, while 27% knew they had taken place, but were not confident that action has been taken to respond to issues raised.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats education spokeswoman Beatrice Wishart said: "Opening schools and childcare is the most important step in getting society and the economy back up and running.

"It is important that Scottish ministers make sure all staff, not just teachers, have the time, the training and the equipment to do this safely.

"Ministers need to set out how they will use the time before August to give staff the confidence that they will be safe and can manage the risk."

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "In reopening Scotland's schools, our overriding priority is ensuring the health and wellbeing of our pupils and staff and giving parents the confidence schools are safe.

"We will implement physical distancing, staggered arrival and departure times, staggered break times, increased hand hygiene, enhanced cleaning regimes and a range of other measures, including PPE and training for staff.

"Comprehensive health and safety guidance will also be in place prior to staff returning to school.

"The Education Recovery Group, chaired by the Deputy First Minister, continues to work with representatives of local authorities, parents, teachers' organisations and trades unions on how we manage the safe re-opening of schools."

A hospital laboratory has more than doubled its Covid-19 testing capacity after becoming the first in Scotland to install a specialised analyser from South Korea.

The virology laboratory at Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, was testing around 300 samples a day, but this will now rise to around 700.

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The fully-automated new equipment also cuts the time taken from sampling to testing roughly in half, meaning quicker results.

Health Protection Scotland has ordered two further analysers for the site, which will take testing capacity to 1,400, as well as ordering the machines for NHS labs in elsewhere in Scotland.

Chris Hind, clinical laboratory manager, Access Laboratories, said the analysers mean "more patients can be tested faster and have their results reported faster".
He added: "These analysers will further support the great work of the NHS Tayside testing team.

They will allow us to test more patients, more key workers and more care home residents, and ensure the Tayside virology team remains at the forefront of the fight against coronavirus.

"This analyser will also support the Scottish Government priorities of 'Test and Protect', giving a shorter turnaround time to allow rapid reporting to the medical, nursing, infection prevention and control, and health protection teams."

Ninewells was the third laboratory in Scotland to provide diagnostic tests for Covid-19, following those in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

It enabled NHS Tayside to become the first health board in Scotland to test health and social care staff and their households, as well as other key workers, with more than 5,000 such samples analysed since the launch on March 18.