AS OF this week, the four UK Chief Medical Officers have now updated what constitutes as a symptom of coronavirus.

If you have a new continuous cough, a fever or anosmia then you should self-isolate for seven days, and members of your household should stay at home for 14 days.

Anosmia is when you have a loss or change in your sense of smell, but it can also affect your taste.

Following close monitoring of the data and evidence on Covid-19, it has been decided that there are sufficient grounds to include anosmia as an addition to the symptoms list on guidance for staying home.

The Scottish Government launched the Covid Business Support Fund Grant Scheme, in order to help businesses get cash support through the coronavirus crisis.

In East Lothian, we have seen 1,282 applications and 1,117 grants awarded to businesses in the constituency, with a value of around £12.95 million.

The grant support is worth approximately £1 billion to businesses in Scotland and will be distributed as quickly as possible to ensure businesses have the support they are entitled to.

This is undoubtedly an extremely difficult time for businesses, and we need to give them the best possible chances to get through this crisis.

If you are a business owner, I would encourage you to look into the support that you can receive at findbusinesssupport.gov.scot

You can also play your part in supporting businesses through this time, by looking to see what local businesses you can buy your essentials from at this time.

Many local businesses in Musselburgh can be found on edinburghlockdowneconomy.com and for finding local food and drink you can look on foodanddrink.scot/support-local

Not only will using websites like these help local businesses survive through the pandemic, but many are offering safe alternatives to visiting supermarkets, by offering home deliveries and helping you to beat supermarket queues.

At this time, more than ever, we must champion our local business owners and producers, and be proud of the products that are made and sold on our doorsteps.