A heartbreaking picture shows two sisters saying goodbye through a window after being forced to live apart because of coronavirus.
Nine-year-old Kayla O’Hara suffers from Marfan syndrome, a disorder of the body’s connective tissue which affects her heart.
The condition means a common cold can make the schoolgirl desperately ill for two weeks, while the flu could cause even worse damage, the Daily Record reports.
Terrified that coronavirus could kill her, her mum Christine McKinnon, from Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, says she made the difficult decision to split up her family to protect her daughter’s life.
While Kayla and her big brother Calum, 14, will live with their dad while the Covid-19 pandemic rages, the mum-of-three will stay at home with her current partner, Robert Sturgeon, 33, and their two-year-old daughter, Lacey.
Speaking to the Daily Record, she said: "This will be the first Mother's Day I spend without all of my children together.
"But it's for the sake of Kayla, her life is at risk and I can't take the chance.
"I'm so scared of what could happen to her."
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Christine, 34, says she had to make the heart-wrenching decision because as the employee of an energy company, she is unable to work from home.
Coming into contact with so many people on a daily basis, she's scared of bringing her eldest daughter to harm.
As a result, doting big sister Kayla's only contact with tot Lacey is either via FaceTime or through the windows of Christine's house.
The devastated mum shared a poignant image of her two daughters saying goodbye on Facebook.
"This is my daughter on the outside of the window saying goodbye to me and her baby sister,” she wrote.
"My daughter has a heart condition and gets very not well at times and a very weak chest, I’m urging people to please keep their children indoors.
"Kayla is now staying with her dad, I can’t take the risk of her getting this horrible virus.
"As I’m still working and in contact with too many people, please think of our vulnerable people during this uncertain times.
"My heart is broken but I had to do the right thing for my child."
Christine says she shared the photo to make others aware of how dangerous coronavirus is and how quickly it can spread.
"There's a real fear of the unknown, I feel like the government hid a lot from us at the beginning,” she continued.
"Loads of parents are complaining about having to stay at home with their kids.
"I'm a mum-of-three and I work.
"Lacey has autism and used to a routine so it's hard for her not having her brother and sister around.
"It's going to be difficult but we have to just get on with it and take things seriously.
"Healthy people could be carriers and are not staying in as often as they should.
"I wanted to show people how dangerous this is for some families.”
A total of seven Scots have now died after being diagnosed with coronavirus.
The number of cases in Scotland increased by 51 on Friday, bringing the total to 373.
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