this is bbc news. i'm julian worricker. the headlines at 8pm. the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the ukjumps to 87, as a public health campaign urges people to wash their hands regularly. at this point in time we think it is likely, not definite that we will move into more transmission and an epidemic in the uk. italy is shutting down schools and universities as it tries to stop the spread of coronavirus. the ups and downs of the race to take on donald trump — billionaire bloomberg drops out; former vice presidentjoe biden is the comeback kid. the greek island that's fast becoming a new migrant flashpoint — aid workers say residents are turning on them.

good evening and welcome to bbc news. the chief medical officer now says a coronavirus epidemic here in the uk is likely — though not definite. chris whitty‘s comments come on the day of the biggest 24—hour rise in the number of people infected — 36 new cases, two of which are in scotland and two in northern ireland. it brings the total number of people with the virus here to 87. of the new cases, three do not seem to have any connection to travel abroad — that's what's called community transmission. in parliament today borisjohnson announced a change to the rule on sick pay for those who end up having to self—isolate

as a result of coronavirus. more on that in just a moment, but first here's our health editor hugh pym. it's in demand. some shops have run out of hand sanitiser, so this production line is running at full speed. they used to turn out 100,000 bottles a month. now they're aiming for that every day, anything to limit the virus risk as case numbers rose sharply and health chiefs warned of a wider spread. we're now getting quite a lot of cases coming into the uk, small numbers at this point in time, but we anticipate that they will continue to rise and we do expect there to be some onward transmission in the uk. at this point in time, we think it is likely, not definite, that we will move into onward transmission and an epidemic here in the uk. there has certainly been a significant increase in cases in the uk in recent days, but to put that in perspective, italy has announced more than 2,500 cases.

in france, it'sjust over 200. in germany, just below 200. with a warning how long the virus can survive, the government today launched a new media campaign to promote hand—washing for 20 seconds as a means of reducing infection risk. i'm having a significant birthday this year. i'm not singing happy birthday to myself a moment before i have to! and scotland's first minister was demonstrating how to do it at a call centre with the coronavirus helpline. so how worried should people be after the latest acceleration in the number of uk cases? on an individual basis, i don't think people should be especially worried. we know that this illness is quite catching. it has a high infectivity rate, and i think we were expecting that now, over the next week or two, we would see a rapid rise in numbers of people being diagnosed with covid—i9. but the big question now is when the government might move

to the next phase of its strategy and introduce new measures to try to slow the spread of the virus. there was better news from a school in gloucestershire which reopened today after a deep clean, following a staff member testing positive. the school's probably the cleanest it's ever been now. they've given it a thorough clean. it came at short notice. so, to have two of them in the house to look after for two days has been quite a handful. my son's being kept off until next week until i know full well it's clear and there's no chance of anybody catching anything. ministers gathering for another meeting of the cobra emergency committee know that further measures with a social impact, including school closures, may well be needed. hugh pym, bbc news. as the coronavirus spreads across the world, more than 70 countries have reported cases so far, we can see what measures governments are taking. in italy, with the biggest outbreak in europe, the authorities have closed all schools and universities

for two weeks. it has 3,000 cases and more than 100 people have died. mark lowen reports. an early easter break for pupils across italy. every school and university will now close from tonight in a bid to halt the virus. europe's worst hit country stepping up its response. it's a problem because we have to stop the exams, we have to stop almost all the activities in the classroom. maybe we can do something from home. but it's not the same, of course. parents and children are taking in the news. for some, the disruption is a price worth paying. it's not a question of panicking, but taking necessary measures to avoid the virus spreading out. her nine—year—old, ernesto, says he's happy because it means no studying and no homework.

italy was the first in europe to ban all flights to china, the first to cordon off whole towns, now the first to close all schools. a dramatic response to a deepening crisis. and perhaps an example of how other countries too may respond if their outbreaks continue to worsen. as cases and deaths rise, more towns in the north may be quarantined. cinemas and theatres could close. and the government is even set to advise tactile italians not to greet by kissing. so how many rooms here are occupied? no one. none of them? empty. coronavirus fear is battering italy's economy, with hotels empty. 0wner giuseppe roscioli says he's had 90% cancellations and it's the biggest crisis in his 35 years. and if this situation gets worse, what will happen? we have the key, we can close the door. italy is now facing an unprecedented challenge

and a desperate search for a remedy for the virus and for this country's suffering. mark lowen, bbc news, rome. the government's response to coronavirus here will be staged, prompted by the severity of the spread. we are in what's called a "containment phase" right now. the next one is the "delay stage" when we could all face more restrictions. our home editor mark easton has been looking at the government's options. as governments around the world take increasingly draconian action to control coronavirus — this is wuhan in china last month — officials in whitehall are reviewing their options, should it prove impossible to contain. the government already has extraordinary and extensive powers to deal with such a serious threat to human welfare. the civil contingencies act allows any provision which the person making the regulations is satisfied is appropriate. we are still some way from seeing a state of emergency declared, but were that to happen, ministers could take virtually unlimited action

to deal with the crisis. police, and potentially the army, could be used to place whole communities in lockdown with cu rfews, closures and roadblocks. those defying the rules could be jailed for three months. the very best thing you can do is explain to people what the problems are, what the issues are, and sensible measures they can take themselves. the government's considering additional powers, allowing the detention of people arriving at the uk borderfor enforced medical checks. those already in the country are covered by the public health act, which can require individuals to be tested and quarantined. can you tell me how you've been feeling over the past few days? this nhs drill in newcastle tested the response to an outbreak of ebola. if someone refuses to cooperate, a court order can allow the authorities to detain and isolate an individualfor 28 days, force them to undergo a medical examination and reveal details of others

potentially infected. the right to liberty under the convention of human rights does not apply, specifically exempting the lawful detention of persons for the prevention of the spreading of infectious diseases. during the 2000 fuel crisis, petrol supplies ran low. the government has the power to ration essentials if supply chains fail. in australia, panic buying triggered by coronavirus fears has seen supermarkets ration items such as lavatory paper. the uk government is being advised by experts in behavioural science as to how to get their messaging right. i think that at the moment people are not anxious enough, certainly in terms of doing sensible precautions and behaviours. as it gets closer, we know then the uptake of preventative behaviours will increase quite exponentially. but that hasn't happened yet. we are some way from extreme control measures being introduced. but the powers and the plans are in place. the authorities say they must prepare for the worst

while hoping for the best. mark easton, bbc news. government has said it may provide budgetary help for the economy to help cope with the impact of the virus. how will small businesses cope and what about people who are not covered by statutory sickness pay? let's talk to gig economy worker, greg howard, who delivers mainly for deliveroo. james greenhalgh owns flamingos coffee house in leeds. and rehana azam is the national secretary of the gmb union. thank you all forjoining us. let's get a taste for me to have you about your situation and perhaps your fears at this stage. greg, you are a gig economy worker. how might this affect you? well if it affects me andi affect you? well if it affects me and i have to self—isolate i have no idea what i'm going to do. currently we don't get any benefits, we don't get sick leave, we can't take a holiday because we aren't entitled

to it. something needs to be done. we are talking about the coronavirus crisis here but really there is a social crisis, with people, my colleagues, millions of them across the country who are facing the same fear as me. have you raised the issue with deliveroo and if so what have they said? we constantly raise theissue have they said? we constantly raise the issue with them through the work that i do for my colleagues as part of the union i'm with. we are raising these questions constantly but nothing seems to change. it needs to change. james, in leeds, once your situation and again, what fears might you face here? my concern is that the government have said they will throw whatever money is needed at the markets, helping the shareholders and the big banks again. sounds like a repeat of 2008. they are helping out some workers. i know there's more to be done. there's nothing about small businesses. i only have five staff, i'm nota businesses. i only have five staff, i'm not a big business but a drop in

income could put us out of business and it's pathetic. we're not hearing anything from government to help small business. what is this about statutory sick pay kicking in on day one rather than dive four? what impact does that have? a fantastic announcement, i think more should be done and i think the gmb are going to talk about that. but who is paying for it? small businesses. if staff are having to self—isolate there's a chance our customers are going to do the same. we are losing income. i have a tough budgetjust to get by every month. it's another cost and of course i'm supportive but if the government are going to make announcements they need to back it up with cash. it's really important for us. let me come to you on the stories because people have concerns for different reasons. when you hear greg, a gig economy worker,

concerned about what happens if he has to self—isolate, what do you say should be happening for him? this is where we are, aren't we? yesterday prime ministerjohnson made an announcement and he set out a battle plan. part of that, he said one in five workers may need to self—isolate. the five workers may need to self— isolate. the gmb five workers may need to self—isolate. the gmb has spent most of the union lobbying government to convert statutory sick pay into full p5y~ convert statutory sick pay into full pay. have your —— as your guest said, one work is not going to get any statutory sick pay because gig economy workers don't earn a minimum of £118 a week. what we say to the government is that you need to convert statutory sick pay to make sure it is available for all workers. we must look at employers who can't afford to match the pay up. that's why we need the government to take responsibility for this. right because the point you allude to might concern james, for example. if one of his workers

we re for example. if one of his workers were off, he would be the one who has to fork out for sick pay. the thing is, the prime minister can make a decision. today he used his powers to convert, to change statutory sick pay from day one. so the government has an opportunity to rectify this straightaway. we are in unprecedented situations now. if one in five workers must self—isolate, then we must make sure the provisions are put in place and the government need to step up. my union has been working with some big employers who are quite happy to ensure that their workers who self—isolate are going to get full pay but then we've got other employers who say that we can't afford to do that. what we say to government is that you must step in and convert statutory sick pay to full pay. we must ensure that all workers get it. you've got 2 million workers get it. you've got 2 million workers in the country who won't be entitled to statutory sick pay and we must make sure they are all protected. when you say converting

statutory sick pay to full pay, how much of a bill are we talking about? statutory sick pay is currently £13 50a statutory sick pay is currently £13 50 a day. in terms of how much is going to cost, what is the cost to make sure everyone is protected? the government must make that risk assessment but more importantly make sure that workers are not put an impossible situation where they feel they have to come to work because they have to come to work because they can't afford to be off work. it's unprecedented and if we move into a serious situation we now need to make sure the government is going to make sure the government is going to shore it up. workers must feel assured that if they have to self—isolate it isn't going to be a cost to them that they can't afford to pay their rent or put food on the table. to go back to you, james, your business, in terms of customers and numbers coming through the door. what difference if any are you seeing on that front? well, today, yesterday and monday were

considerably down, among some of our worst days ever. we've only been going for one and a half years and sometimes we get bad days but it seems to be a coincidence that we are having this national possible at epidemic and we are seeing fewer people coming through the door. we are seeing customers people coming through the door. we are seeing customers very concerned. are seeing customers very concerned. i had one customer saying they aren't going out this weekend because it is a pub and there will because it is a pub and there will bea because it is a pub and there will be a lot of people at close quarters and they don't want to do it. i've gone to get hand sanitiser from different shops to help the customers, but i can't get it. clearly people are changing their habits and thinking, trying to keep away and trying to keep clear of any possible outbreak. greg, to you, people might imagine that your work is less affected because people might be staying at home and they might be staying at home and they might want more deliveries. how are you finding things? absolutely, we're expecting our deliveries to increase. the advice of government is that if you are self isolating,

to get food to your health house and other supplies delivered to your house. a company i work with today have advised us to take extra care and precautions such as using hand sanitiser but we can't get that. who is going to provide that? it is good to hear your thoughts. thanks for taking part. and we'll find out how this story, and many others, are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:a0pm and 11:30pm this evening in the papers. 0ur guestsjoining me tonight are dawn foster, who's a columnist for the guardian, and matt dathan, the deputy political editor at the sun. the headlines on bbc news. number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the ukjumps to as a number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the uk jumps to as a public health campaign urges people to wash their hands regularly. italy is shutting down schools and

universities as it tries to stop the spread of coronavirus. the ups and downs of the race to take on donald trump. the billionaire bloomberg drops out and former vice presidentjoe biden is the comeback kid. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre. good evening. touching on the coronavirus outbreak in italy that the you have reported. a government decree that all major sporting events will be behind closed doors for the next month, until april the 11th at least. that's cute not just for the football matches in italy, many of which were postponed, but also for the end of the six nations, intend days' time. england's campaign, when they go to rome, that will be behind close doors. the italian government saying that all sport there will be, because of the coronavirus, behind

close doors for the next four weeks at least. sport around domestic leave. there are three more fa cup ties tonight, it's the last 16, with the winners booking a place in the quarterfinals. the draw is later this evening. holders manchester city are up against championship side sheffield wednesday at hillsborough. about half has been played. pep guardiola has made six changes to the side that won in the league cup at wembley on sunday against aston villa. this match is on bbc one. there's an all—premier league tie between tottenham and norwich. younger tongan heading in a free kick inside 15 minutes ——jan vertonghen. we can go to the totte n ha m vertonghen. we can go to the tottenham stadium. this is on the red button or the bbc sport website. michel vorm playing his first game since rejoining the club. norwich on

the front foot but still 1—0 to spurs. leicester against birmingham, no goals in that one. five matches in the scottish premiership. callu m callum mcgregor putting celtic 1—0 up. livingston equalising not long after through up. livingston equalising not long after throuthon up. livingston equalising not long after through jon guthrie. west bromich albion midfielderjonathan leko has criticised football's governing bodies over their response to his accusation of racism towards leeds united's kiko casilla. the goalkeeper was banned for eight matches and fined £60,000 after being found guilty of racially abusing leko in a match in september when he was on loan at charlton. he has said he had minimal contact from the professional footballers association and no contact or

support at all from antiracism bodies such as kick it out and show racism the red card. in the last half an hour the pfa have apologised saying they are going to review their procedures and that they will meet with him tomorrow. the ioc president thomas bach says there has been no talk of the olympics being cancelled or postponed despite the growing impact of the coronavirus on sport. the tokyo games are due to start onjuly 24th, a number of test events have been postponed but speaking to the media after an ioc committe meeting in lausanne, bach refused to engage in the possibilty of the games not starting on time. i will not add fuel to the flame of speculation by giving a date here, fuelling more speculation. 0ur statement from yesterday is very clear, we are fully committed and we continue to work

with the task force and the same is true for the organising committee. in the fa cup, stilljust one goal, to spurs, against norwich, which is great news, wouldn't you say, julian... i don't have any of you, as you know! come on! one has to remain impartial. it is good news. thank you, 0llie... former new york mayor mike bloomberg has pulled out of the race for the democratic party's presidential nomination, promising to throw his support, and his money, behind joe biden.

last night the former vice—president mr biden saw a huge surge in support as 1a states held primaries, on what's known as super tuesday. he emerged as the winner in nine states while the left—wing senator, bernie sanders, got three. 0nly american samoa went for bloomberg. well, let's get into this some more. i'm joined byjean card who is the co—host of bipodisan, a podcast where the hosts discuss us politics from different sides of the spectrum. jean is on the republican side. she's also a former speech writer in the bush administration. i'm alsojoined by karin robinson, democratic party activist here in the uk and host of the primarily 2020 podcast, which has been covering the democratic race for over a year. she also worked for barack 0bama. welcome to both of you, good to have you with us. as the democrat between you, what do you make of super

tuesday, first of all? it's a fascinating result. it bringsjoe biden back into position of being the frontrunner, which he had been for over a year until people actually voted in iowa and then we had a few weeks of confusion and it looks like bernie signed as —— bernie sanders might become the presumptive frontrunner but now we are back at the beginning and biden might be stronger because there is no one else in the race apart from bernie sanders, who is a credible threat. pete buttigieg has left the race, amy klobuchar has left the race and so has mike bloomberg. a close competition between two people from different wings of the party. having a conversation about going forward. you mentioned the leading two but elizabeth warren is still there. what is she going to do? i'm a huge support of her, i think she's absolutely phenomenal. it's hard to see that she has a path to winning the nomination unless something

dramatically changes, although that sometimes happens. i think she... she is famously the woman with a lot of plans, she has great ideas about how to restore justice to america and american capitalism and root out corruption across the united states, and especially in the white house. i expect she will want to hear that her ideas are being taken seriously by whoever the nominee is going to be and! by whoever the nominee is going to be and i suspect she'll be having those conversations. i can't speak for her but she is impressed a lot of people and she certainly impresses me. and what is the republican view of super tuesday?” think there's a temptation to feel like this is an interesting development and it may not be good for president trump because i think there's a perception that biden is going to be tougher to beat than saunders. i don't think you're going to hear that from president trump but i think there is a feeling that

it isn't good for the president's real election. he stands as good a chance as he did before but the dynamic can really change. i think biden seems to have a broad demographic coalition supporting him but bernie sanders isn't out of it. there is still potential, they could bea there is still potential, they could be a contested convention. all of that may weaken the democrat party and thus strengthen president trump is make chances of real election. people were surprised by the strength of results for biden. in some ways it is an advantage for trump but in other ways a disadvantage and we have a ways to go. your first observation is that you doubted president trump would be pleased about it. you then said that no one at the white house is ever prepared to admit that they would prefer one to the other. that's correct. there's been so much talk about burning over the last few

weeks and the news changes so fast and politics changes so fast in the of trump. there's been an obsession on both sides with bernie sanders. some democrats have been worried, republicans have been gleeful saying oh my gosh, this would be great, we'd love to run against an avowed socialist because we feel we can easily beat him. now you wake up today and say over, perhaps you have a moderate who might get the nomination and that would be tougher but no one in the white house is going to admit that. on the contested convention point that was made, do those who aren't aficionados of your system, that would effectively mean you reach the convention, which most people see as a moment where you crown the nominee, and you are still arguing at that point, and that won't be a good look, will it? yes, basically in order to get the nomination this summer you need to have a majority of pledged delegates. notjust a

plurality but more than 50%. it's possible forjoe biden to make those numbers if he continues to see the types of gains and improvement we saw yesterday, if that carries on and next week he picks up more delegates. it's possible he can win that outright majority. 0therwise it's going to be a question of negotiation, there's going to be some horse trading. bernie sanders could be the plurality winner in which case there is still a conversation. i think it's a risk and it's a concern. i have a lot of hope that when it comes down to it, for all that there are differences among the candidates and the party has divisions a amongst itself but there is a real determination to restore american democracy and get donald trump out of the white house this year. so i think we will find that whatever the outcome of the primary, and people will talk about how to make that work best and

eve ryo ne how to make that work best and everyone wants to have their moment in the sun and their moment of celebration and have their policies taken seriously, but ultimately we are laser focused on winning the presidency. i don't think anyone... a brief word from you both, what do you make of michael bloomberg's exit? i just you make of michael bloomberg's exit? ijust watched a bit of his farewell speech and he was quite emotional. i think his candidacy was interesting and i think a lot of people are going to be sorry to see him go but good for him to step down now. i respect what he's doing. this needs to be a one—on—one fight for the soul of the democratic party and i say good for him for stepping down even though financially he could stay as long as he wants. no question about that! are you sorry to see him go? i can't say i'm terribly sorry to see him go. i don't think i ever understood the rationale for him getting into the race. i think he thought biden was

going to fail. he underestimated the strength of biden as a candidate and someone strength of biden as a candidate and someone with a lot of laugh within the party amongst the voters, that perhaps bloomberg wasn't factoring into his consideration. it's extraordinary, the amount of money, the hundreds of millions of dollars that mike bloomberg spent to get virtually nothing out of it. i find it kind of interesting from a political science point of view to see a test case of the idea that you can buy your way into an election. the grassroots campaigning still matters, party building, coalitions still matter and voters can't be full with pure advertising. you have to be doing the work, which is the lesson we've learned. thank you. now it's time for a look at the weather with darren bett. hello, there. the rain across england and wales today hasn't been particularly heavy, getting about as for north as north wales towards the wash. that wetter weather will actually

tend to ease away overnight, only because we've got heavy rain coming through the english channel, affecting more southern parts of england. further north, northern england, scotland, northern ireland, clearer skies here. likely to have a frost and maybe some mist and fog. some sunshine on the way on thursday and a few showers, too. we've got that heavier rain running through the english channel to come to rest through much of the day across the far south of england. weather improving in the south—west. for many parts of england and wales, it will brighten up a bit although there are a few showers around. a stronger, cooler wind blowing around across southern england together with that rain, which will take the edge off the temperatures. that will be gone, though, very quickly in the evening. and on friday, we'll see some mist and fog patches to start with, mainly for the midlands and northern england. some showers coming from the west. for much of the day, eastern scotland and eastern england are likely to be dry.

hello this is bbc news. the headlines: the number of confirmed conversion of virus cases in the ukjumps the number of confirmed conversion of virus cases in the uk jumps to 87. as public health campaign increases people to wash their hands regularly. at this point in time it is likely that we will move into transmission and epidemic in the uk. italy is shutting down the schools and universities as it tries to stop

the spread of coronavirus. the ups and downs at the race to take on donald trump bloomberg drops out. joe biden is to comeback. the greek island that is fast becoming a migraine flashpoint. residents are not turning back. let's return now to our top story, the coronavirus outbreak, and the impact it could have on upcoming events. today, the london book fair, which was due to take place next week, has been cancelled. the dog show crufts, which starts tomorrow, is still going ahead as planned. sian lloyd reports. the show will go on for these dogs and their owners. crufts, the biggest annual event in a dog lover's calendar, will start as planned tomorrow.

with dogs from across the world competing, they've ta ken extra precautions. we've got 3,000 additional hand sanitisers placed throughout the halls, we've got extra hand—washing stations throughout the halls, so we know that that's the government advice, people should wash their hands, take precautions. we are promoting that message that the government has asked us to promote, which of course is catch it, bin it, kill it. the london book fair, which attracts 25,000 visitors, has been called off a week before it was due to begin, the decision taken reluctantly, say its organisers, after a number of global publishers pulled out. commentator: free attack now for courtney lawes. some six nations rugby matches are postponed. england will still take on wales this weekend, and scotland's game against france is going ahead. officials are keeping sporting fixtures under review, but say it's about being sensible. if you go to a stadium of 70,000 people and you passed on the virus, it would still only be to a few

people immediately around you. if you had the match cancelled, watched it, watched another match in a pub with your friends in a closed environment, that's no better. planning events is at the heart of many people's business. and with the peak wedding season just around the corner, there are questions about how big an impact the coronavirus could have. so we do over 200 weddings a year. this hotel has hosted weddings for 20 years and is preparing for another this weekend. we don't want to worry anybody about anything. so we're just going along as normal and obviously watching all the guidelines with the government and doing the best we can to make sure that they have a wonderful day and a happy day to remember. it's business as usual here. no sense of panic. the government has now made coronavirus a notifiable disease, which should make it easier for businesses to be compensated in the event of cancellations. the advice from insurers remains for clients to check their policy.

sian lloyd, bbc news. joining us now from is nicolas locker, professor of virology at the university of surrey. but evening to you. we were just hearing about big events being cancelled and people questioning the rights and wrongs of large crowds gathering at the risks therein. what is the alert of that specifically?” think at that moment the situation is still unfortunately the number of cases and the uk remain relatively low. 0nly cases and the uk remain relatively low. only 87 annette confirmed cases. what we want to do is take preventative measures to contain the virus, try to contain providers while can. which is why cancellation of large gatherings which could

spread the virus, is it is an additional measure. there are questions and debates as to which way you would treat the people. i think this is down to the organisers and conversation between the organisers and the authorities, to decide on whether the gathering should be cancelled. he talked about taking all measures to stop the spread at this relatively early stage. are all of that measures that could be taken, are they all happening or are things being left out at? i think at the moment, the data and acting responsibly, i think what is really important to note is

that the majority of the cases that we have detected so far are from people who had returned from travelling abroad. they have been identified through their cattle history. we are trying to make sure that we find any potential impending case. this seems to be active so far. now what could be worrying cannot let needs to be monitored in the next few days. our cases of transmission, infection from people that don't display any history and travel. these would be transmission occurring in the uk from people that have not been chattering to places where we barely have a strong circulation of the virus. i think in

those instances, not what is really important is that exit is the cases are diagnosed with contact those people that are being infected so that we can monitor their health and try to prevent any further spread of the virus. thank you very much for your thoughts. nicolas locker from the university of surrey. meanwhile the future of the airline flybe is in fresh doubt tonight as it struggles with a slump in flight bookings since the coronavirus outbreak began. our business editor simonjack explained. you remember back injanuary came close to collapse. it one of reprieve when the owners including vegan atlantic put in extra cash in return for the evidence lowering duties. some think that they suffer from on domestic flights. what i understand is that the government does not think i can review those

passenger duty rates while the uk is still in the greek —— grip at the eu rules. now that may discussions about the short term loans to flabby it more difficult. if there are any concerns they were halted by the coronavirus according to the company has made a bad situation even worse. it could be the thing that kills off an airline which is already in poor financial health. that was fine in jack. we will keep you up—to—date with flybe as at the time are coming. the greek island of lesbos has become a flashpoint in a new migrant crisis for europe. aid agencies have complained that their staff have been assaulted and intimidated as they try to cope with refugees coming by boat from turkey. the governor of lesbos has apologised for the violent actions of some residents. hundreds of migrants have arrived on the island since friday when turkey opened its borders following an influx of refugees from syria.

0ur correspondentjean mackenzie reports from lesbos. where are you from? congo. how old are you? ten. ten? these are lesbos' newest arrivals, trapped on the island, now behind bars. i've been here for three days. three days? yeah. what's it like in here? not enough food, no sleeping. we want to go to a better place, not here. the hundreds of migrants and refugees who've made it across the sea in the past week have been kept in this holding pen. can they leave or are they detained? they are not detained. they can leave? no. no, so they are detained? for years, this island has been overcrowded. more than 20,000 refugees now live in a camp that was meant for far, farfewer, stuck here while europe struggles to agree on what to do with them. thousands make their way from the camp to the port,

desperate to leave. they're pushed back by police. these flare—ups have angered locals and in the past few days, that anger has turned to violence. bleep. migrants and journalists have been attacked. and an aid centre has been set on fire. some aid workers are now leaving the island. the medical clinics, which treat hundreds every day, have been closed. why are you locking up? because we have a lot of problems on the island with ngos. we are having a lot of riots with the ngos. it looks like we are dealing in a war zone and this unpredictable security situation is something that we never experienced before. it is putting our activities in a very difficult position. recent videos show the greek coastguard firing at people trying to cross the sea.

we showed these to the island's governor. they have received such orders to shoot, but in the air, not on the people. look, look. that's the migrants being hit on the head by the coastguard. yes. what do you think about that? i reject. i don't like it. i don't like this behaviour. it doesn't represent me. as greece scrambles to secure its borders, european leaders have offered hundreds of millions of pounds to help. we don't want money, we want not to have a problem. the point is not to get money. the point is not to have a problem. let's spare their money. let's send the money back. a navy ship arrives to take the new arrivals to the mainland, but thousands are left behind, on this island that no longer wants them. jean mckenzie, bbc news. borisjohnson has said he is "sticking by" the home secretary, priti patel, who has faced allegations of bullying at at a third government department.

labour's demanding an independent inquiry into what it called her "shocking and unacceptable behaviour". the new claims relate to her time as the international development secretary and follow similar claims at the home office and department for work and pensions. she denies all the allegations. she has the support of the prime minister. the problem is for the home secretary, that in recent days that have been more allegations. it started with a dramatic resignation at the home office threatening to sue the government in an industrial tribunal. those allegations have come from other civil servants working at different departments where priti patel works. it was very important for her today not to be just sitting next to the prime minister and the front row beforehand to wholeheartedly support

her. which is exactly what he did. the home secretary is doing an outstanding job delivering change, putting police on the street, cutting crime, and delivering a new integration system. i am sticking by her. home secretary has categorically denied and rejected all allegations that are being made against her. she put out a joint e—mail yesterday, to staff and be home office. she said that she regretted the resignation she has said it was now time for the home 0ffice said it was now time for the home office to come together as one team. she said she deeply cared about the well—being of civil servants and valued their professionalism. that was the only reference that has been from her expect these allegations swirling around her. it is a problem for her, but the that she is safe and thatjob would be wholehearted backing from the prime minister. down the road, there is this cabin investigation to see if she broke the ministerial code that says that staff ca n not the ministerial code that says that staff cannot be bullied. possibly

this attributable could be held in public, it could be very difficult for her. so much to deal with, in terms of legislation, integration system was going on the coronavirus, all of the things you will have to deal with while all of this goes on around her. deal with while all of this goes on around her. the headlines on bbc news. the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the uk jumps to 87, as a public health campaign urges people to wash their hands regularly. italy is shutting down schools and universities as it tries to stop the spread of coronavirus. the ups and downs of the race to take on donald trump — billionaire bloomberg drops out; former vice presidentjoe biden is the comeback kid. back to our main story now, the coronavirus outbreak. today, the government announced it's changing the rules so that people who self—isolate will be able to claim sick pay more quickly from their employer.

they'll get the statutory payment of 94—pounds a week from day one, rather than having to wait four days. here's the prime minister in the commons earlier. we in the commons earlier. are not at the point yet wi are we are not at the point yet where we are asking large numbers of people to self—isolate. that of course, it may come if large numbers of people happy symptoms of coronavirus. if they stay at home, but also understand, that they are to protect all of us by slowing the spread of the virus. that is what the best scientific evidence tells us. if they stay at home and if we ask people to self—isolate, they may lose out financially. today i announce that they have secretariat will bring forward as part of our emergency coronavirus legislation, measures to allow the payment of

statutory fa ke measures to allow the payment of statutory fake pay from the very first day that you are sick rather for day under the current rules. i think that is the right leg forward. nobody should be penalised for doing the right thing. nobody should be penalised for doing the right thing. that was the prime minister talking about statutory sick pay, but of course those who are self—employed, or freelance, aren't eligible for that payment. here with me now to discuss that is andy chamberlain from the association of independent professionals and the self—employed. from your point of view is that a significant gap that the cabinet means to plug in some way?” significant gap that the cabinet means to plug in some way? ijust say self—employed people did not get the benefit of this paper, or indeed more and plan because they did not have an employee. i'll be asking is to first of all issued guidance specifically for freelancers and self—employed. what back the circumstances? secondly when calling on then to put in place a mitigation

fund which can be accessed from self—employed people whose income is likely to be affected. what an appetite and stars. but ideally it would you like that to say? we are saying freelancers should speak to their clients, and where possible should work from home. we urge contractors and real answers to do that sooner rather than later. if they can't work through sickness, their income is not protected in the same way that it is for most employees. we suggest to them, paper perhaps should self—isolate early said they did not contract the infection. it's easier if there is guidance out there for the government explaining that that is what they should do. and some cannot work from home more easily than others. it depends on what you do. there are some that can't. they are likely to be impacted, notjust buy if they are unfortunate enough to contract the virus, but also because the client might close its offices.

0ur the client might close its offices. our large public events are being cancelled, which is likely to help us out and play hard. he said no statutory cover for them, which that event, but there are options for freelance people to take out some sort of policy that would protect them in the incidence of illness. there is a lot of confusion today. he had been trying to work this out. he had been trying to work this out. he had been speaking to insurers saying what would you pay out if there are instances when they aren't sick but they are self isolating or have been asked to stay at home and not worth? it is not clear. it is not worth? it is not clear. it is not clear if you took out a policy now, you have a 60 day period before you can make a claim. taking a policy now, read the fine print because it may not actually help you. you need to let in place already. the theory is that if you are well, by doing what is regarded as the right thing, that isn't necessarily covered. that is not

clear. that is something to look out for stop government may have to make we expect the government to help businesses. i'll be insane to make sure self—employed and did not get left behind. the mitigation fund, that could end up being quite a large pot of money? -- 5 million self—employed people in the uk at the money. 15% of our labour market. this is not a marginal group of people. they are likely to take a branch of anything. yes it is a large pot of money that they are going to need this money. people have bills and rent to pay. so we are calling on the government, let me assurance can you give self—employed people now? me assurance can you give self-employed people now? thank you very nice. you can keep up—to—date with all of the developments around the coronavirus and a watch out for and what it might mean for you, on the bbc news.

on the bbc news app and on our website. that's bbc.co.uk/news. rock band genesis are reuniting, and have announced their first tourfor 13 years. the bandmembers, phil collins, mike rutherford and tony banks, who are all 69, will be joined by collins' 18 —year—old son on drums. david sillito reports. # she seems to have an invisible touch, yeah... # genesis, from '70s prog rock to ‘80s and ‘90s chart success. # i can't dance # i can't talk... # they've been around for more than 50 years. but a reunion was, according to phil collins, highly unlikely. ill health had stopped him from drumming. but in recent years he has returned to performing and his son nick can now fill in for him on drums. and so they arrived at radio 2 this morning to announce that they're going back on the road. it's been a kind of conversation that's been brewing a little bit.

i think when i was out on the road showing i could still do something, i think we all felt, why not? # turn it on # turn it on, turn it on again... # it sounds a bit of a lame reason, just to say, why not? but we, you know, kind of enjoy it. # i will follow you will you follow me # all the days and nights that we know will be. . . # it's been 13 years since they last played together and their last tour was, phil collins said, a chance to say goodbye properly but the music business is full of farewells and retirements that don't last very long. it's a natural progression. phil started, then he retired but he came back touring and his son nick was drumming.

it seems to be moving towards an area where it could be possible. you know, i think five years ago, or before that, would have been a big ask but it sort of happened naturally. so, a band that began in the ‘60s with a very different look and sound, has found a renewed appetite to return to the road... # turn it on, turn it on again. ..# ..and more than 50 years of hit records. david sillito, bbc news. we'll bring you more updates will relating to the coronavirus. along with the situation and status at flybe. a little bit later as well. a little bit later as well. now it's time for a look at the weather. hello again. sunshine was in shorter supply

today, we have had some rain for england and wales. getting about as far north as north wales and towards the wash. and that rain and drizzle is easing off overnight but stays quite cloudy, misty in the hills. we do see some wetter weather coming in from the southwest through the english channel and affecting more southern counties of england. where we have a clearer skies northern england, scotland, northern ireland there will be a frost around, and maybe some mist and fog the first thing in the morning. some sunshine on the way on thursday. a lot more cloud as you had further south, across england and wales. that heavier rain running through the channel to sit very close to the southeast corner of england through much of the day. the weather should improve towards the southwest, there will still be quite a chilly wind, mind you, a more southern areas of england. that will take the edge off of the temperatures. many parts of england and wales brightening up, with some sunshine but still one or two to showers. the wetter, windier weather clears the southeast quickly on thursday evening. hinting perhaps at a touch of frost here and there by friday morning. there is another weather front coming in from the atlantic. this one it is very weak and it is more an area of cloud and

showers moving very slowly. ahead of it, some mist and fog patches mainly through the midlands and northern england. much of the day in eastern england and particularly eastern scotland will likely to be dried with some sunshine at times. now into the weekend, things started to turn much windier and wetter as well. we have a deeper area of low pressure coming in so the winds are picking up. that first went in front, increases the amount of cloud on saturday, it lowers the cloud onto the hills of western parts of england and wales and brings some drizzle. the second weather front is much more active. that means steadier, heavier rain arriving in northern ireland and western scotland through the day. the wind strength, is more of a southerly and eventually temperatures will be in double figures. 0nly briefly mind you, because that weather front bringing the heavier rain westward will sweep across england and wales. should be clearing away very quickly by sunday morning, and it is still quite windy on sunday. but this is cooler and fresher air when it as well. still windy on sunday, it is a day and sunshine and showers, following that heavier

rain overnight. a lot of showers across the western side of the uk. but no doubt given the strength at the winds, it will be blown up to the eastern side as well. this temperature is dropping away through the day to around eight or 9 degrees. still unsettled, next week.

hello, i'm ros atkins, this is 0utside source. italy announces a newjump in cases of coronavirus and the highest number of deaths from the disease outside china. the italian government is shutting down all schools and universities as it tries to stop the spread of the virus. after super tuesday primaries in the us, billionaire michael bloomberg drops out of the race for the democratic nomination, instead he's backing this man. we are very much alive! and make no mistake about it, this campaign will send donald trump packing. biden and bernie sanders are now vying for the right to take on donald trump in november.