the next stage of tackling coronavirus: within the next fortnight, it's likely anyone with a cold or temperature will need to self—isolate. the government's chief medical advisor says preparations are underway to move from containing the virus to the next phase. probably within the next 10—14 days, we should move to a situation where we say everybody who has even minor respiratory tract infections or a fever, should be self—isolating for seven days afterwards. bell rings. the stockmarkets are hit by dramatic falls around the world. police in italy enforce the quarantine in the north of the country of a quarter of the population. here for now, big public events will go ahead as planned and schools will remain open. also tonight...

alex salmond arrives for the first day of his trial — accused of sexually assaulting ten women. and the deal is done to save british steel — it's been taken over by a chinese firm, 3,000 jobs are saved. and coming up on bbc news — more disruption to the six nations as france against ireland is postponed because of coronavirus fears. two out of the final weekend's three games have been delayed. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. as coronavirus continues to spread through the uk, the government's chief medical adviser says it is likely that within the next 10—14 days, anyone with even a minor respiratory tract infection or a temperature will be required to self—isolate for a week.

it's part of government plans to move from the containment phase to the delay phase of the outbreak. today, a fifth person has died. there were 319 confirmed cases in the uk as of 9am this morning, a rise of 46 since the same time yesterday. almost 25,000 people have been tested. worldwide, just over 111,000 people are known to have been infected, of those more than half have already recovered. our health editor, hugh pym, has the latest. events a re events are moving fast and this evening, the prime minister and senior officials explained the latest government thinking. there will be no rush into radical new measures. while it's absolutely critical, it's absolutely critical in managing the spread of this virus that we take the right decisions at the right time, based on the latest

and best evidence. so we mustn't do things which have no or limited medical benefit, nor things which could turn out actually to be counter—productive. could turn out actually to be counter-productive. but officials announced one significant change to advice likely in the near future. we are now very close to the time, probably within the next 10—14 days, when the model would apply where we moved to a situation where we say everybody who has even minor respiratory tract infections or a fever should be self isolating for seven days afterwards. a fourth individual in the uk has died with the coronavirus. the person in their 70s was at royal wolverhampton hospital. in scotland, there are now 23 cases, one of them an individual at the university of the west of scotla nd at the university of the west of scotland who tested positive for the virus. there is no less of a challenge elsewhere in europe as the

maintenance worker at disneyland paris tested positive, though the park has stayed open. in france there is a ban on all gatherings of more than 1000 people. and with the streets looking quieter in berlin, the german government has announced a financial bailout for companies hit by the coronavirus outbreak. both have seen more cases so far than the uk. in france, more than 1200 with 19 deaths. there have been more than 1100 cases in germany and two have died and spain has announced nearly 980 cases with 25 deaths. 0ne expert told me she thought britain's response was well judged so far but the european figures could be a sign of troubled times ahead. these are countries we would anticipate as being able to contain a virus like this or at least this kind of spread of infection. so it is concerning that they have struggled to do it and i think it suggests once there is the development of ongoing person—to—person transmission in a

country, it becomes much harder to stem the tide of this infection. the government hasn't yet move to the next phase of its response to the coronavirus threat but the message to the british public: it may not be far off. hugh pym, bbc news. this announcement about anyone who has a minor respiratory tract infection or fever to self—isolate, what does that mean exactly and how significant is this move? potentially quite significant. the advice now is if you come back from one of the —— was affected countries, you should self—isolate. what professor whitty is saying is because normal flu is what professor whitty is saying is because normalflu is dying what professor whitty is saying is because normal flu is dying away a new coronavirus cases are rising rapidly, the advice will probably be whoever gets a heavy cold, cough or a temperature should just stay at home and self—isolate and do so for seven days from the moment the symptoms first appear. that is quite a change. there were questions today

at the press conference with the prime minister and professor whitty about why the uk is in following other countries, like closing down big public events? yes, they are stung in by the suggestion they haven't acted quickly enough that their argument is we may do things differently here, they said, to other countries but going too quickly with some of these big measures like school closures may not have a big impact to begin with but it is very hard to do a u—turn and stop them. so if you do something like that, you have to be sure it will have an impact. they are saying right now they don't think these big measures well but there may be a come dill, thyme in there may be a come dill, thyme in the near future when they may be implemented. thank you. there have been dramatic falls on stockmarkets around the world. fears about the impact of the coronavirus outbreak have combined with a slump in the oil price, to give shares their worst day since the 2008 financial crisis. trading in america was briefly suspended after sharp falls led to an automatic halt in the buying and selling of stocks. here's our economics editor faisal islam.

the opening bell at the new york stock exchange, their smiles didn't last. trading having to be halted after just four minutes last. trading having to be halted afterjust four minutes in which time the dowjones index dropped 2000 points. a market that is full of anxiety about the potential economic global slowdown due to the virus which i don't think we have even seen virus which i don't think we have even seen yet and you end up with a perfect storm. that is what we had today. this was part of the knock-on effect of the global spread of coronavirus to 100 countries around the world. globalfull coronavirus to 100 countries around the world. global full started coronavirus to 100 countries around the world. globalfull started in asia, spread into europe, where italian market slumped 11% today for step german markets down over 7% and in the uk, the ftse100 tumbled over 7% as well, the sharpest fall since the financial crisis a decade ago. these extraordinary moves in global stock markets matter notjust because of the impact on your pensions and investments, there are impact on government budgets, on business spending as well. there

we re business spending as well. there were also historic moves in connected markets, such as oil and in government borrowing. and all this matters because of what it reveals right now. understandable uncertainty about the actual outbreak of the virus, but unpredicted consequences of how nations respond economically and diplomatically. today's moves were triggered by a collapse in oil prices after top oil producer saudi arabia and russia fell out over the impact of the virus leading to a slumping demand for oil. both these top producers are now pumping it into the market and although that will lower pump prices the motorist here, the overall impact dragged markets down. markets don't have much confidence that governments and central banks are going to be able to support the economy through this coronavirus epidemic. i think there isa coronavirus epidemic. i think there is a worry that central banks don't have too much scope to cut interest rates and there is a concern that

governments will be too slow to stimulate the economy. this is not just a trading panic, the markets asking big questions about not only the speed and effectiveness of effo rts the speed and effectiveness of efforts to contain the virus and its economic impact but also uncomfortable trade—offs between the two. faisal islam, bbc news. the foreign office is warning against all but essential travel to northern italy which is mostly in quarantine. italy is the worst—hit country in the world after china. almost 100 people have died in the past day, with the death toll rising to a63 and the number of confirmed cases up to just over 9,000. up to 16 million people — a quarter of the population — are effectively under lockdown in the north of the country, including venice and milan, and now need permission to travel outside the area. 0ur correspondent mark lowen is in bologna. mark, ican mark, i can see it is pretty quiet behind you? yes. with no sign of the

outbreak slowing here, italy's prime minister has pulled this his country's darkest hour. all ski resorts have now been ordered to close. there is a deepening sense of shock here. italians asking why this country has been hit so badly. this is the world's second oldest population. northern italy at the heart of europe with lots of access in or out but in truth, there are no easy a nswe i’s in or out but in truth, there are no easy answers at the moment here, just a surging crisis. out of the red zone but not out of danger. in bologna, the first main stop south of the new restricted area, they were taking no chances. italians are adjusting to the surging outbreak and the toughest confinement measures since the war. "i came from milan", sergio says, "and i had to prove i have a work appointment here because they've stopped the movement of people. we're all worried." everyone travelling from the exclusion zone to britain must now self—isolate, a worry for francesco, flying to london. it can be that ijust

cough or do something and they will ask me to leave or... i'm really not sure what's going to happen. but you're still going to go? but i'm still going to go, yeah, yeah. you can see now the controls are gradually being stepped up. this train is heading towards milan and people here are having their ids checked, to see if they can justify their travel up into the exclusion zone. having announced these restrictions, the authorities now want to show that they are being implemented, to give people confidence that perhaps this outbreak can start to be contained. accessing the zone without a permit can lead to a fine or prison. italy now a laboratory for virus control. that is welcomed by doctors, like eleanor, arriving in bologna. translation: it's an emergency situation. i may be asked to work in a department where there's more need. we've never faced anything like this and we're not ready. protests at the measures prompted riots in 27 prisons across italy,

after all visits were stopped. some inmates set buildings alight, breaking out of their cells, several managing to escape. six died in the violence. "we see that our relatives inside have no masks," she says. "they have no treatment, nothing." this is the pressure italy is now under. cases rising, deaths soaring, restrictions biting. it's a combustible mix. mark lowen, bbc news, northern italy. a number of major sporting events have now been postponed because of the virus. france has called off its six nations rugby match against ireland in paris, and italy has postponed its game against england in rome. most sporting events in the uk, though, are still on for now, including one of the highlights of the racing calendar, the cheltenham festival, which gets under way tomorrow. our sports editor dan roan is there. are they still expecting a good turnout?

absolutely, yes. 60,000 fans expected through these gates tomorrow, as many as almost a quarter of a million would you believe, over the next four days. trautmann is very much on and that is because the government insisted today there is no need based on scientific opinion to close our cancel spot. —— mcgregor cheltenham is very much on. but spot being impacted by the coronavirus. today, the third six nations match of this tournament was postponed. in the states, the indian wells tennis tournament was cancelled. italy tonight on the brink of cancelling all sport for the next few weeks. so inevitably, there are some who are questioning whether or not it is right the government is telling sport to carry on but that is the message they told sports authorities and broadcasters at a meeting earlier today held by the department of culture, media and sport. they did tell sport to start preparing itself or when or if sport is told

that there can be no fans at mass events. of course, for the broadcaster, this could have significant repercussions. they are being asked whether or not they can ta ke being asked whether or not they can take sport free to air because the government and medical experts are concerned if you do this, fans will just go to the pub and it could be counter—productive. i can tell you that in that meeting, certain sports entities, particularly football league clubs, rugby clubs, who are so dependent on match day revenue, made very clear to senior officials that if such a policy was implemented, it would have a devastating impact on their finances. dan, thank you. scientists in liverpool have begun tracking the spread of coronavirus across the uk by analysing the genetic code of samples taken from hospital patients. the research also reveals whether patients have other serious infections. it could help explain why some people with covid—19 get seriously ill but the majority don't. 0ur medical correspondent fergus walsh has this exclusive report. this is how coronavirus samples arrive at liverpool university.

bio—security is paramount. the samples from throat swabs are contagious, so this part of the process was a demonstration, otherwise we couldn't have filmed inside the containment lab. the scientists here are tracking how the virus is spreading from person to person in the uk. so we have some patients, and we have no idea how they got infected, but by looking at their genetic material and comparing it with others, we can fill in the missing link. it's like a detective story. with that information, we may then be able to understand the spread of the disease better, which may help us control the outbreak in the long run. and this lab is where that detective work happens. the genetic analysis is so precise, scientists can work out the chain of infection from one person to the next. these are samples taken from patients in the uk with covid—19.

they're no longer infectious and once they work out their sequence, which takes just a few hours, scientists will have a more complete picture than ever before of what is making them ill. this tiny machine reveals the unique genetic signature of each patient‘s coronavirus infection. it also shows all the other viruses and bacteria which are present. from their work on another coronavirus called mers, the scientists know it's a combination of infections which can be deadly. so the technology we have been using allows us to take a sample from a patient, analyse that sample within near real time, within hours, and identify these really, really dangerous bacteria. we can then feed that information back to the clinicians who can then design appropriate antibiotics to treat those particular patients and help them recover from covid—19 a lot more quickly. the work here may help explain why some people get

seriously ill with covid—19, but the vast majority don't. that information could be crucial in saving lives. fergus walsh, bbc news, liverpool. and you can keep up to date with all the developments concerning the coronavirus outbreak, including the symptoms to watch out for, on the bbc news app and on our website. our top story this evening: within the next fortnight the government's chief medical adviser says it is likely that anyone with a cold or temperature will need to self—isolate. still to come, back at school after coronavirus. we look at the impact on one school in devon.

the chinese company, jingye, has bought british steel, securing the future of more than 3,000 workers in scunthorpe, teesside and north yorkshire. jingye has promised to invest £1.2 billion in upgrading plants and machinery, but it'll come at a cost of up to 500 jobs, a price unions say is worth paying to secure the future for the remaining workforce, as our business editor simon jack reports. this plant has been on government life support since last may when british steel faced closure again. today, the future looked secure for most but not all of the nearly 4,000 workers and thousands more in the supply chain. there are 500 jobs that have gone, so some people are a bit upset about that, but, on the whole, it's positive for the town. yeah, i think it's fantastic. it will be good. it'll be good for all the contractors as well because we've got so many thousand, but the contractors as well, you've got another 15—20,000 people. i am pleased to announce that day jingye group has

completed the acquisition of british steel's assets. british steel's new chinese owners today promised a bright future, supported by over £1 billion of new investment. at the grange lane cafe in the shadow of the plant, feelings are mixed. emma hudson's son—in—law lost his job, but she hopes some certainty will help others. at least people can carry on now. they know that their life is set at the steelworks and, hopefully, business will pick up for all the small businesses in the town. mike scott is a truck driver. he's been down this road before. it will only be short—term, and then these lads will be back in the same situation they've been for the last again, i think. a couple of years ago, greybull capital promised them everything. a couple of years before that, tata steel promised them everything. it'll come round again, unfortunately. there's obviously relief here today that, after ten months of anxiety, most, not alljobs, will be secured, but there's also scepticism.

remember, jingye is just the latest in a long line of would—be rescuers. can they succeed where others have failed? business secretary alok sharma unsurprisingly said the government welcomed the news. most importantly, it secures thousands ofjobs in british steel, and i want to pay tribute to everyone who's been involved in making this happen, particularly the workforce who are incredibly passionate, incredibly skilled, and i'm delighted that this brings the uncertainty to an end. it's been painful process to get here, but tonight it's hoped this is a new dawn for british steel. simonjack, bbc news, scunthorpe. the trial of three russians and a ukrainian charged with the murder of the passengers and crew of flight mh—17 has opened in the netherlands. the trial opened with the names of the 298 people aboard malaysia airlines flight mh17 which was shot down over ukraine in 2014, being read out. the four defendants were not present in the courtroom and are being tried in absentia.

the trial has begun at the high court in edinburgh of alex salmond, who is accused of sexually assaulting ten women while he was first minister of scotland. the former snp leader faces a total of fourteen charges, including one of attempted rape at the first minister's official residence, bute house. mr salmond, who is 65, has entered not guilty pleas to all of the charges and has vowed to defend himself vigorously. 0ur scotland editor sarah smith reports. cameras click. alex salmond arrived at court today determined to prove his innocence. he is, thejudge told thejury, a very well—known public figure, but they must reach a verdict on the evidence and nothing else. politics, they were told, is irrelevant. mr salmond is facing 14 charges of sexual assault, including one of attempt to rape. his lawyer told the court he will claim that four of these incidents were consensual, including the charge of assaulting a woman with intent to rape. on one charge of sexual assault against another woman mr salmond

will say he has an alibi for the time of the alleged assault. the courtroom has been cleared of most of the press and all of the public when the first of the women complainants started giving evidence. she is speaking from behind a screen that obscures herfrom mr salmond who is sat in the dock. the jury can see her, but she can't be identified in public and we will refer to her as woman h. the former scottish government official described being in the first minister's official residence in edinburgh one evening in may 2014 when she says he started groping her and touching her breasts. 0n the 13th ofjune 2014, mr salmond visited a factory as part of the independence referendum campaign. that evening woman h says he attempted to rape her. she said...

alex salmond has pleaded not guilty and denies all the charges. the trial is expected to last around four weeks. sarah smith, bbc news, edinburgh. the duke and duchess of sussex have made their last official appearance as senior royals. prince harry and meghanjoined the queen and other senior royals at the commonwealth day service at westminster abbey. coronavirus protocol was observed with prince harry bumping elbows with singer craig david as he greeted him. the oscar—nominated actor, max von sydow, has died aged 90. his stage and screen career — which spanned over six decades — included roles in high—profile films like the exorcist, james bond and star wars. his family announced "with a broken heart and infinite sadness" that the swedish—born actor died on sunday. let's return now to our top story, the coronavirus outbreak, and a secondary school devon has reopened after a pupil tested positive for the coronavirus. and after a deep clean just a few students and staff who were in close contact with the pupil are self—isolating

for a few more days. with gcse‘s and a levels just around the corner, jon kay has been looking at how coronavirus is changing school life. the queue for school dinnersjust got longer. no one is taking any risks at churston ferrers grammar after one case of coronavirus closed the whole school for a week. what is the purpose of triple glazing? so as they get back to normal what can other schools learn from what happened here? some pupils are still off, self—isolating at home as a precaution. can you see the powerpoint 0k? like lily, who has no symptoms. i've never done it before. nowjoining physics class via webcam. how reassuring is it that you can keep studying like this? oh, it's very important because i can, like, ask questions if i don't get it and i can be confident in the topic. at least you don't have to wear school uniform.

that is true, i've been in my pyjamas quite a lot. last week, this was the only uniform. the school was deep cleaned after a pupil contracted coronavirus in italy. today public health england said it was safe for the 1000 students to return. it would be nice to know what is going to happen. these pupils told me it had been a strange week, but they felt reassured. it's a bit different with some people panicking but i think a lot of people are just getting on with the day now. you are trying to be normal? yeah, just trying to be normal and not, like, think the worst of it. but as the virus spreads across the uk, what about their gcses in may? it's a bit frustrating that we have missed potential, like, lesson time. we've just got to trust our school and the government to do what's right for us. we are open for business and learning. but as he tries to calm nerves, the head teacher knows he may have to shut again if the government orders a schools closure

programme in the weeks ahead. we are prepared for something else happening and that may well be the case and we have to make sure that our pupils have got all the materials, the books, that the students are briefed and that we have learned from the first experience. until then, chemistry will be streamed online. what is happening here could be a lesson for other schools. john kay, bbc news, devon. time for a look at the weather, here's nick miller. all of this cloud does not bode well for all of you wanting to view the superfull moon for all of you wanting to view the super full moon out there. but what is more worrying is what is coming with this cloud and that is more rain to areas that do not want any more at the moment. these weather fronts are coming across and some of us fronts are coming across and some of us will see a lot of rain between now and mid—morning tomorrow. it is across much, if not all, of the uk at the moment. there will be a few brea ks

at the moment. there will be a few breaks in the cloud in north—east england and eastern scotland, but it stays very wet in eastern wales and much eastern england. widely 20—40 millimetres of rain and more in the hills and the increasing likelihood of flooding and some travel disruption, particularly across parts of mid wales into the hills, where there could be up to 100 millimetres of rain. the met office has an amberwarning millimetres of rain. the met office has an amber warning in force with flooding likely. when the rain ends, the water still feeds into the river. tomorrow, look at the colours coming in on a mild south—westerly wind. it will be unusually mild for this time of the year. still some weather to contend with in the morning. showers in scotland, northern ireland and northern england, but driven along by wind gusts it will be blustery wherever you are. misty and murky in places, some are further patchy rain. where you do get to see some sunshine,

particularly in eastern parts of england, you could be up to 17 celsius, 63 fahrenheit. it will cool down a bit as the week goes on, but there will be further rain or showers around. keep up—to—date with the weather warnings on our website. a reminder of our top story... within the next fortnight, the government's chief medical adviser says anyone with a cold or temperature will need self—isolate. it is goodbye from me and on bbc one one week and joined the bbc‘s news teams where you are.

hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: a fifth person in the uk has

died from coronavirus, as the number of cases rises to 319 overall — the prime minister, borisjohnson, has said the uk remains in the "containment" stage of its response for now. it is absolutely critical in managing the spread of this virus that we take the right decisions at the right time, based on the latest and best evidence. on the latest and best evidence. police in italy enforce the quarantine in the north of the country of a quarter of the population — the toughest restrictions on movement since the war. stock markets around the world have fallen sharply because of concerns about the economic impact of coronavirus. and fears of a price war over oil producers.