this is bbc news. the headlines... 16 million people in northern italy are placed in quarantine for a month because of coronavirus. in lombardy, ski resorts, gyms and nightclubs can't be opened. restaurant customers must sit at least a metre apart. china reports its lowest number of new infections in a single day, since january. here, new emergency laws — including court cases over video link or phone — to help tackle the virus are announced. after 11 o'clock we'll be putting your questions about coronavirus to a virologist. a doubling in funding for flood defences to £5 billion is expected in the budget on wednesday. she really is beautiful, innit? a slightly unorthodox royal welcome for meghan who delivers a message

for international women's day. value and appreciate that women enjoy live sand set the example for some men who are not seen enjoy live sand set the example for some men who are not seen yet that same way. “— some men who are not seen yet that same way. —— not seen some men who are not seen yet that same way. —— not seen yet that same way. and talking movies is at the berlin internationale film festival. that's in half an hour, here on bbc news. the italian government has announced a massive shutdown across the country as it struggles to cope with the coronavirus outbreak. all cinemas, theatres, and museums have closed. around 16 million people across the north and east of the country are now in quarantine as part of the stringent new measures being introduced to tackle the spread of covid—i9.

all but emergency travel is prohibited to and from the entire region of lombardy, including the city of milan. in china, only 44 new cases were reported — it's the lowest number of new infections in one day since january. all new cases are in wuhan where the outbreak started. here, the government's announced plans for emergency laws to help tackle the virus. among the measures are plans to allow people to leave theirjobs and volunteer to care for those affected. there is also proposals to allow court cases to be heard via video links. and the new laws will also consider the emergency registration of retired health professionals. the italian authorities‘ hand has been forced by a steep rise in the number of infections in the country. officials say there are now more than 5,000 confirmed cases, a jump of more than 1,000 in 2a hours. more than 230 people have died.

the new restrictions will hit italy's financial centre milan and the tourist hotspot venice. most of the cases have in a region of lombardy as well as 11 other provinces in the north and east. translation: we are facing an emergency, national emergency. we have been applying precautionary measures from the beginning was up we are acting acting with the utmost determination. the region's home to ten million people. that's like locking down tokyo or new york. gyms, swimming pools, museums and ski resorts will be closed. restaurants and cafes can open but customers need to sit at least a metre apart. religious events like funerals or weddings are banned. and the pope's weekly sunday blessing will be delivered by video stream. instead of addressing the thousands who usually gather in st peter's square. movement within the so—called red zones will be for

urgent matters only. anyone who breaks the quarantine rules could be jailed for three months. one of italy's leading politicians says he has tested positive with the virus and has been self isolating. translation: i have always said, don't panic. let's fight this and in this moment i will, of course, give a good example and follow the advice of the doctors and scientists. i will try to lend a hand by working from home as much as possible and i am fighting, as it is right to do, for each of us and for the country. officials say they will start recruiting retired doctors to help deal with the surge in cases. the new measures are due to last until the third of april. rich preston, bbc news. bethany gave us an update. we got

the first indication of this was happening yesterday evening. i'd eventually the decree was announced at two o'clock local time by italy's prime minister. these measures which area prime minister. these measures which are a partial lockdown, a flexible lockdown. 0f are a partial lockdown, a flexible lockdown. of areas in northern italy iam here lockdown. of areas in northern italy i am here in bologna which is about 40 i am here in bologna which is about a0 kilometres outside those zones, but the whole of lombardy to the north, areas like venice, they have all been affected by these measures, people have been told that they shouldn't move in and out of place there are very essential emergency reasons for them to do so, in social work reasons. the police will be able to have powers to stop people and ask them why they are moving in and ask them why they are moving in and out. trains and planes are still running, although we did see those pictures of how quiet it is looking at milan central station this

morning. but it is sunday morning andi morning. but it is sunday morning and i think some people are certainly trying to see how they can get ina certainly trying to see how they can get in a doubt, people who don't live there, visitors for example. get in a doubt, people who don't live there, visitors for examplem is curious on the one hand for the government to announce this closure, fairly dramatic move, the detail of the measures are quite interesting. people have to sit a minimum of a metre apart, some restaurant owners will struggle to fill their restau ra nt will struggle to fill their restaurant and pay their bills if they do not pack people in. are they have to be shot by 6pm. we have this situation where flights are still going into doubt. that seems very confusing. —— still going in and out. it is a partial lockdown, not the situation we have seen a china weather was a much more stringent thing, but there is war italy's

government called a national emergency over the last week, the number of infections continuing to rise. they said that last week was a crucial week in determining the number of new infections, we have seen number of new infections, we have seen these numbers rising. this decision has been taken by the government to try and stop that as much as possible, but there are people saying, is this all coming to late? should these measures have been taken before now? what are we doing to our economy if you are shutting down even partially cities like milan, which is italy's financial capital? talking about the metre questions on cafe sent restau ra nts, metre questions on cafe sent restaurants, that has been the advice for a while. we have seen in recent days people trying to establish that in restaurants, but in some places it is simply very difficult for people to control that. emergency laws which would help to recruit millions of healthcare volunteers

are being drawn up by the government, as ministers prepare for a likely coronavirus outbreak here. the bill, expected to go through parliament by the end of the month, would make it easier for potential volunteers to take time off work. 0ur political correspondent, chris mason, reports. down the decades, people have been volunteering for the stjohn ambulance. the organisation has a history going back over iao years. the government wants to make it easier for those who volunteer now to do so for longer if, as expected, the coronavirus outbreaks gets worse. around three million people volunteer, in what the government calls a health, community health and social care setting, for organisations like the stjohn ambulance or the red cross. health secretary matt hancock wants those described as being "skilled, experienced or qualified" volunteers to be able to do so for up to four weeks, if they choose to, without fear of losing their dayjob.

other plans include allowing court cases to be heard by telephone and video links to ensure that the justice system continues to function in the event of an epidemic, and making sure there is no impact on the pensions of retired health professionals who return to work having re—registered. it's also budget week. new chancellor rishi sunak will give his first budget on wednesday. he tells the sunday telegraph his focus will be on what he calls "the economic security of the country," and he wants to ensure that there isn't a permanent impact on firms that are otherwise financially sound. ministers are well aware they have to be prepared for things getting significantly worse. late last night, oxford university said one of its students had tested positive for the virus, having returned from abroad. but they have been advised the risk to other students and staff is very low.

in the us, all 3,500 crew and passengers on board a cruise ship — including iao britons — are to be tested for the virus. they've been stranded on the grand princess, off the coast of san francisco, since last week. so far, 21 passengers have tested positive for the disease. 0ur correspondent sophie long has more. well, another day has passed and ia2 britons and more than 3,000 others remain stranded on the grand princess cruise liner. the ship was supposed to dock in san francisco first thing saturday morning, but was prevented from doing so because it's now known at least 21 people aboard do have coronavirus. now, the company that owns the ship say they want to bring her in to dock as soon as possible so they can get people into the appropriate medical quarantine facilities. we heard from vice president mike pence on friday evening. he's the man co—ordinating the operation to contain the virus here in the us, and he said they had a plan and that the ship would be able to dock in a non—commercial port before the weekend was out.

but i have been speaking to people on board and they said they had no information. they still don't know where they are or where they are going and when they will get there. they say it's becoming increasingly difficult. they have been confined to their cabin since thursday lunchtime. they are getting deliveries of food but they say they are becoming much less regular and they are concerned about medical supplies and food supplies running out. on friday evening, one passenger, who said to be critically ill, was evacuated from the ship along with his travelling companion. but more than 3,000 others remain stranded on that ship and they still have no idea where they are going or when they will get there. a little earlier, two of the british passengers — jackie bissell and maggie bartlett — spoke to my colleagues ben thompson and nina warhurst from bbc breakfast. the captain gave us a report earlier today, saying we were going to go

into 0akland. although us passengers will be taken off and tested were put into quarantine. anyone who needs to go to hospital will be taken to the hospital. but there is nothing about what they are going to do with us, to just a waiting game. how are you coping day to day? it is a long time to be inside one room. it was all right but it is getting boring now. apart from that, the service is terrible. the food situation is diabolical. it seems as if they are running out of food. they say they haven't got anything. all we need is a sandwich, tuna or cheese, they said they haven't got anything. they sent our some spaghetti with a bit of sauce and cheese, it wasn't even cooked. the food is getting diabolical. you

cannot eat it. we waited over two hours for a cup of tea this afternoon. i had to keep going out in the hall, asking them where it was, phoning down, you cannot get through any more to room service. it has only been this afternoon, but it has only been this afternoon, but it has just deteriorated and we are quite worried about what will happen in the future. how long are we going to be here? what sort of service, how will they look after us? maggie ru ns how will they look after us? maggie runs out of drugs tomorrow. they said that was being dealt with, but up said that was being dealt with, but up until now we haven't heard anything. give us a sense of how far you were able to get out of your room. you say you were able to go into the corridor and communicate with certain people, but that is the liberty. —— that is the limit. with certain people, but that is the liberty. -- that is the limit. as soon as liberty. -- that is the limit. as soon as you liberty. -- that is the limit. as soon as you step out of the room, they had you the tray of food, and as soon as you they had you the tray of food, and as soon as you step outside they are telling you to get back in your

room. no contact with anybody. telling you to get back in your room. no contact with anybodym you could speak to the prime minister now, what would you like to say to him? please get us off their ship. there is absolutely nothing wrong with us. we have had though test, neither of us are ill, we are fine. no testing has been suggested whatsoever. please, we want to come home. for a second consecutive day in china, there have been fewer than 100 new cases of coronavirus in the whole country. the health authorities are reporting aa new suspected cases in the past twenty—four hours. and there have been a further 27 deaths — all of them concentrated in hubei province, where the outbreak began. penny is news editor of do size magazine. what strikes you most as

evidence of the signal because of this? —— new scientist. evidence of the signal because of this? -- new scientist. we have been talk about when the next big one would be coming since bird flu was a concern. there has been talk about our speed for the bill, these kind of things are likely to happen, so there has been talk for a decade or more and this is the time that it is actually happening. last time we saw this was swine flu, much milder. what we are seeing here with coronaviruses quite about more of a threat to public health. coronaviruses quite about more of a threat to public healthlj coronaviruses quite about more of a threat to public health. i have been thinking about what people have to consider with elderly relatives for example, and precautions, there is talk that the government, this is just speculation, look at saying to people over the age of 70 that they cannot go to big events or be among big groups of people. when you start limiting activities on the basis of

age, that certainly has a much bigger impact than some of the other motions. yes, it sounds sensible because we are starting to get data coming through from thousands of cases in china, and was the death rate looks like it are probably about i% of the general population, in the over 70s it is more like maybe 8%, at that might shoot up to about ia, 15% in the over 80s. precautions for those age groups are probably sensible. in terms of what the government can do, attempts at providing support, —— in terms, are there measures it can develop that would help ensure there are sufficient numbers of staff to safely operate warts on hospitals? yes, a lot of the thinking behind this delay phase, which would be the next one, is all about staggering. it loose like we will have an

epidemic in the uk but the slower it progresses, we were not all be heading hospitals at the same time. that is crucial. especially if we can make the peak at her after we are out of the flu season because the nhs is always of the most rain at this time of year. if we can slow things down by taking social distancing measures, people working from home if they can, cancelling mass events when the time comes, that could help the steady stream of cases. presumably at some point they have to go from simply being able to isolate a patient, treat them on individual basis, presumably at some point double not be possible because the numbers are just too big for staff to cope with. what we saw with the mitigation fees in the mcafee is once there is a large number of cases you will

start having the mild cases stay—at—home, keep in touch, let the health authorities there if it gets worse, but up to 80% of cases are quite mild. —— mitigation phase in wuhan. it is about preserving beds for people with severe conditions. you can keep up—to—date with all the details of coronavirus on the bbc news app and on our website. the headlines on bbc news... 16 million people in northern italy are placed in quarantine for a month because of coronavirus. china reports its lowest number of new infections in a single day, since january. here, new emergency laws — including court cases over video link or phone — to help tackle the virus are announced.

you sport, and for a full round—up, from the bbc sport centre. lots of news about women's cricket. we have a world cup final to discuss. we have been talking about the two edmund and coronavirus, listening to your discussion there, the fact that there had been a number of major sporting events cancelled or postponed because of that, at this morning it has been announced that the bahrain grand prix will be the first—ever formula 1 race to be staged behind closed doors. the organisers issued a statement to say it was halting ticket sales for event later this month and participants only will be able to attend. competitors only. they say they know how disappointed people will be about safety is their priority. in the six nations, scotla nd priority. in the six nations, scotland host france while england have won their first triple crown in four years after they beat wales

33-30 in four years after they beat wales 33—30 in what was a thrilling and somewhat controversial match at twickenham. 0ne somewhat controversial match at twickenham. one player sent off after a dangerous tackle. after the match, eddiejones seemed to imply that the referee was biased in favour of wales. he said that at the end of the match it was 13 against 16 with england's ls gains of eddie in the bin before the other player was dismissed. ijust in the bin before the other player was dismissed. i just find it bizarre. usually don't comment but i can't see how he you can tackle a quy- can't see how he you can tackle a guy. you might as welljust say can't see how he you can tackle a guy. you might as well just say that you let him go, how else are you supposed to tackle him? this bit about where your arms are, what a load of rubbish.

a man who wish to kill the tackle, thatis a man who wish to kill the tackle, that is what he was trying to do, absolute rubbish. i'm sorry, i have broken my rule. there was one other talking point during that match, a lot of people picking up on this from england's joe marler who appears to be grabbing allen when jones around the groin. this is an offence that has a minimum punishment of a 12 week ban. this is what he said after the match. when i react, i get a red card. it is staff. hopefully they will have a look at it, joe is a good bloke, lots of things happen on a rugby field. my question is, as they got as being a captain is, you cannot speak to a referee about anything, i look at a touch judge, obviously didn't see what happened that is fine. england's women are one when away from their second successive grand slam after they thrashed wales in front of a record crowd. eglinton scored ten in total. their match was the only women's six nations fixture of the weekend with scotland versus

france and ireland versus italy because of the coronavirus were called off. we majored in world cup final, australia have thrashed india by 85 runs in the women's g20 world cup final by 85 runs in the women's g20 world cupfinal in by 85 runs in the women's g20 world cup final in melbourne. it was set to be the biggest event in women's sporting history. katy perry was there to begin the proceedings. after her performance, and it's truly one—sided final, australia absolutely ruthless, posting an imposing score of 18a—a with half centuries and for two players. india we re centuries and for two players. india were bowled out for 99, at the final attendance of 86,000 just feel short of the biggest crowd at a women's sporting event. johanna konta has been knocked out of the semifinals of the monterey open. she was beaten in straight sets. she was struggling with a knee problem and require some

strapping. eventually losing 6—3, 6-a. strapping. eventually losing 6—3, 6—a. tyrell hatton se to short lead going into the final round of the arnold palmer invitational. he coped well with the windy conditions, he will begin today on six under par. very michael roy had a relative... he tied on four under with australia's marc leishman. there's a big derby in the premier league today — it's manchester united hosting rivals manchester city at old trafford. city are 25 points behind leaders liverpool after they came from behind to beat bournemouth 2—1 at anfield — mohammed salah with liverpool's equaliser on his 100th premier league appearance. this was just his third defeat in his a5 career. more on the beep is for web cycling build—up to this afternoon's i should se six nations match between scotland

france. can helmet jonathan blake can helmetjonathan blake is here. it is difficult when you thrust into thejob. how has rishi sunak signalled what he is planning without telling us? he is not allowed to tell sa ntelli without telling us? he is not allowed to tell santelli over says budget box or wednesday afternoon. he has stuck firmly to that long established tradition and a savoury little other than a view leaks or

announcements beforehand until he stands up in the house of commons on wednesday. we didn't learn a huge amount as to the contents of the budget this morning, but rishi sunak has been out and about, early in the job for theories, the budget we were due to get was delayed because of the general election, and add to all that pressure on top of that the coronavirus, which i would imagine has meant that they had to an extent rip up the plans and start again. the chancellor has said this morning that the government is ready to respond in the short—term and offer help to businesses and ensure that the economy does not suffer permanent damage as a result of the coronavirus. they suggested that there could be some help to employers. it isa it is a huge task, at one i feel a

great responsibility to make sure we get our response right. i am well supported and we are working around the clock to make sure that whatever the clock to make sure that whatever the scenario, we are very well—prepared. the scenario, we are very well-prepared. are you going to be spending and borrowing more to get us spending and borrowing more to get us this crisis? you have to wait for wednesday, but we are looking very ha rd wednesday, but we are looking very hard at the range of scenario side making sure that in each of those we can respond appropriately, that means providing support for public services, and we have already done that with regard to the nhs, making sure we can support vulnerable people, at making sure we can help businesses get through what could be an impact on the businesses, could be significant, but for a temporary period. talking about businesses, one thing many employers will have to deal with its paying much higher proportions than usual of sick with that forecast that in a worst—case scenario up to a fifth of us could be off sick at any one time. as we have reported, the governance has relaxed the rule on how soon people

can claim statutory sick pay, specifically if they are self isolating. the chancellor was asked about that this morning and whether that was working as a shoot, and also the issue of people who were self—employed and cannot claim statutory sick pay getting access to benefits as quickly as they need to. again, there are a range of scenarios as to what might happen, so scenarios as to what might happen, so you talk about a scenario we do not know for sure is going to happen but we are prepared, and that is what you would respect as to do, i did those scenarios they will be an impact on business. i am cognisant of that. it could be significant but it will be temporary. we are actively looking at ways we can support businesses, exposing those small and medium—sized businesses, support businesses, exposing those smalland medium—sized businesses, a bridge through a temporary period of difficulty so that they can emerge on the other side and we can get back to normal quickly. it is temporary, of course, but mike cherry from the federation of small businesses says the government

should now urgently reintroduce a full re bate should now urgently reintroduce a full rebate for small firms. we are looking at a range of options to provide temporary support small businesses to get them to theirs. but given them a rebate on sick pay now is the kind of thing that stopped a company going down. we have a budget wednesday, but the broader point is to be a cognisant of the impact it will have on small businesses' cash flow, alkene that when we get to the other side we have not lost all of these great businesses permanently and that is what we need to provide them with that support. it could be access to some sort of contingency funding, allowing businesses a bit longer to pay certain taxes than they would normally have, but we will have to wait until wednesday to see the detail of the chancellor's plans. in terms of the budget now, only back in december the government issued its manifesto for the general

election campaign manner and it committed itself to some rules to control public expenditure. is the chancellor going to recommit to those rules in his budget?“ chancellor going to recommit to those rules in his budget? if he is, he is not saying so now. he was asked about this repeatedly at those rules in the manifesto was to balance the books on day—to—day spending by the middle of this parliament, 2023, and to limit the amount of money the government borrows to be spent on investment to 396 borrows to be spent on investment to 3% of gdp. they were in place when sajid javid was chancellor, rishi sunak is not saying at this point whether he will stick to those rules are whether the government will in fa ct are whether the government will in fact in the wake of the coronavirus crisis take the opportunity regardless of that to loosen the restrictions it has good in itself in terms of taxes and spending and balancing the books, so we will have to wait until wednesday, but it was interesting that the chancellor did not say there are rules that they are not going to change. it could be

an opportunity for, to loosen restrictions slightly. if he is plain out, that will be quite a big story on the day. there will be lots to wash—out four, even if coronavirus is going to be the dominant theme. thank you very much, jonathan. spending on flood defences in england is set to increase. the government has said this will offer better protection to home and businesses, the rest of the uk will receive the same percentage increase for its own flood defences. the duchess of sussex has urged men to do more to respect women during a surprise visit to a school. the duchess appeared at an assembly at a school in dagenham in london ahead of international women's day. last night, meghan appeared with her husband prince harry at an event in london. 0ur royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports. take a good look, because we won't be seeing much more of this for a while. the duke and duchess of sussex last night at the royal albert hall, still introduced as their royal

highnesses, and still very much