tonight at 6pm: day one for italy in lockdown as it struggles with europe's worst coronavirus outbreak. italian police patrol the streets as they try to enforce a stay—at—home policy. famous tourist sites are quiet as hundreds of flights to italy are cancelled. the italian health service is stretched now — and it could get worse — here's one doctor's warning. stay—at—home and be prepared for a kind of war, because we are facing a war now here. here, the number of coronavirus cases is up by 5a. a sixth person has died — he was being treated at watford general. we'll be looking at the role of gps and their tough message

for some patients. the chancellor will announce help for the economy during coronavirus but will promise the biggest increase in spending on roads, research and rail in a generation. the sexual assault trial of the former scottish first minister — one of his accusers claims she felt humiliated. the old bailey hears about pc harper's last moments — three teenagers are accused of his murder. the show must go on — coronavirus oi’ not — tens of thousands gather for the start of the cheltenham festival. and coming up in sportsday later in the hour on bbc news: a huge night for tottenham — they need goals against leipzig in germany to reach the champions league quarterfinals.

good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. italians are experiencing the first day of a nationwide stay—at—home policy as the government tries to contain the coronavirus epidemic. the country faces growing isolation. hundreds of flights to italian destinations have been cancelled and neighbouring austria has imnposed stringent border controls. italy has europe's biggest outbreak of the disease. so far, there are over 10,000 confirmed cases. the number of dead has risen to 631 — that's a jump of 168 in just one day, the biggest so far. here in the uk, a sixth person has died after contracting covid—i9 and the number of confirmed cases has risen to 373. more on what's happening in britain in a moment, but first let's join our italy correspondent

mark lowen in 0rvieto. imagine mark lowen in 0rvieto. hearing your country is being imagine hearing your country is being closed. from naples in the south to the supermarkets of rome to the financial capital in milan, news of the restrictions spread as fast as the virus. in bologna today they took ina as the virus. in bologna today they took in a new reality of a country in quarantine, the toughest confinement measure since the war. it has all hit italians and foreigners here as well, several airlines stopping flights in and out. 0ld airlines stopping flights in and out. old friends are keeping their distance. obviously we will not be able to travel in the immediate future. we have been told we can only take trains between cities in italy for reasons of work or health oi’ italy for reasons of work or health orfor some italy for reasons of work or health or for some extraordinary emergency and apart from that we must stay

put, and that seems sensible. another thing is they have put this spotlight on age groups and it makes me feel really old. i am optimistic about it. living around requires a form which we, like everyone, had to com plete form which we, like everyone, had to co m plete to form which we, like everyone, had to complete to show either urgent need oi’ complete to show either urgent need ora complete to show either urgent need or a return home. we would have to produce it if asked. it says here falsifying this document could lead to prosecution. never could people in italy have conceived of the idea they were needed to move within their own country. as we drove out their own country. as we drove out the traffic was circulating but it seemed quieter. roads to the borders are open although austria has banned italians entering on mice with medical certificates. we have come out of bologna and we are yet to face any checks on document so it is not clear how these restrictions

will be enforced. we got through to a doctor in one of the worst virus hit areas. hospitals are near breaking point. we need more beds, more doctors, more nurses, because i think in one to two weeks we will reach the top so if we will not have more facilities we will not know how to ta ke more facilities we will not know how to take care of the patients. we are facing a war now here. in rome, deserted tourist sites show the huge economic impact. the government discussing suspending tax and bill payments to help italians. inside the vatican, the pope led mass. in this emergency where rules apply even to bury the dead now, there may

be no other option. despite the most drastic restrictions italy has seen in the italian prime minister's office has not ruled out imposing more severe measures. it is hard to know what they could be. british airways and ryanair has stopped all flights to italy. could all airports in this country be closed or could the travel ban be imposed more tightly? we simply do not know. if virus has become a national emergency and cause the biggest restrictions, the most dramatic restrictions, the most dramatic restrictions, italy, europe, has seen restrictions, italy, europe, has seen since the second world war. mark, thank you very much. italy has the largest cluster of coronavirus cases in europe, but why has the country been so badly affected? our medical correspondent fergus walsh is here. i guess our health experts will be watching this. why italy? they had

poor surveillance early on. the virus was circulating silently for witch and they have been playing catch up ever since. lots of transmission happens in the home between generations and that puts the elderly at risk and italy has the elderly at risk and italy has the second oldest proportion of elderly in the world. we are not talking about a poor country. this has a great health service. it is, but it is the sheer numbers. when you have thousands of people infected and you can multiply the official figures by tenfold infected and you can multiply the officialfigures by tenfold or more then you get a massive impact from then you get a massive impact from the minority and it is really sobering to read the accounts of doctors in many hospitals where they see the critical care units have been overwhelmed with patients with pneumonia, breathing difficulties, they do not have enough ventilators and they are setting up makeshift intensive kid and corridors. everyone wants to know well that happen here? we simply do not know. maybe we will get lucky but we

cannot leave it to luck, we have to prepare. fergus, thank you very much. a man in his early 80s has become the sixth person with the coronavirus to die in the uk. the patient — who had underlying health conditions — caught the virus here and died in watford general hospital. more than 26,000 people have now been tested for the virus in the uk and there have been 373 confirmed cases. part of the government's plan is to try to limit the number of people who end up in hospital and that means gps playing a central role. 0ne leading gp has told our health editor hugh pym that patients with routine health issues must be prepared to be pushed to the back of the queue. this is the sort of protective equipment which nhs staff have to wear if they are in contact with patients possibly infected with coronavirus. here two nurses demonstrate how it is put on ahead of carrying out a test. gps are now being sent the equipment

for use in their surgeries. 0ne leading gp said they expect many patients to come in even though those who might have the virus have been urged to stay away and call nhs iii. and that will mean nonurgent appointments being cancelled. we do expect cases to rise rapidly over the coming weeks. practices are routinely doing health checks, assessing people's blood pressure, diabetic control, long—term problems with heart disease and lung disease, those routine checks will need to stop. some gps have complained they haven't yet received the equipment. ministers say it is being sent out this week. we wanted to get the timing of the roll—out right so that the equipment is there, should this epidemic hit in a very large way. a sixth patient has died in the uk with the coronavirus — at watford general hospital, a man in his early 80s, who had underlying health conditions. at the specialist children's hospital, great 0rmond street, a health worker tested positive

for the virus. nonessential heart surgery and appointments will be stopped for two weeks. so, with the spread of the coronavirus, what is the nhs facing up to here, whether it is gp practices or hospitals? 0ne senior health official said today there could at some stage be thousands of cases in the uk. with a new virus like this, we normally see, we can expect, if you like, a peak in cases, it has a relatively slow take—off at the start and that's really where we are at the moment. it will start to rise quite sharply. hello, jonathan, dr may here... gp video consultations like this demonstration will become more common, with many infected patients asked to stay—at—home and others wanting to avoid visits to the surgery. we are trying to ensure we can keep our service running for the patients who need us, and that we can respond as the situation changes. the nhs care we are all used to is set to change radically

for a time as the virus epidemic reaches its peak. the sickest will be prioritised, others will have to wait longer. hugh pym, bbc news. let's take a look at some other developments linked to the global coronavirus crisis. shares in europe and the us have risen — recovering some of the ground lost on monday when markets saw the biggest falls since the 2008 financial crisis. london's ftse 100 was up 2.4% — after a 7.7% drop in the previous session — while us markets opened up 2%. spain has shut down schools in several regions, suspended flights from italy and closed the lower house of parliament for at least a week after a politician tested positive for the coronavirus. the number of cases there has risen to over 1,600. and china's president — xijinping — has visited the city of wuhan — the centre of the coronavirus outbreak. his visit is being seen as a sign that the authorities believe they have the situation

there under control. it comes as china recorded its lowest number of infections — just 19 on tuesday. all were in wuhan apart from two people who had arrived from overseas. after five days stuck on a cruise liner off the coast of california, more than 120 british passengers on the grand princess are this evening waiting to board a plane home. they'll have to be screened for the coronavirus, but if they are free of the infection they should arrive home tomorrow and enter two weeks of self—isolation. from san francisco, sophie long reports. this is a complex, high risk operation. the task — removing passengers from the ship and into quarantine without causing further contagion. the critically ill were the first to leave the cruise liner. they were followed by californians and canadians. they came in yesterday and that's going along incredibly well, working with the state of california

successfully — very successfully — and also with canada and with the uk. the grand princess has now been alongside for about 2k hours, but hundreds of passengers remain on board. they still don't know when they will get to set foot on dry land or what will happen to them when they do. old and now much closer friends jackie and maggie are really hoping today will be the day. we don't know where we're going at all. we haven't been tested yet. we haven't had any sort of test — not even a temperature check — but we are both well. that's good. we are both well. the guy came round yesterday with his hazard suit onjust seeing if we were 0k and writing down on his little pad, but that's all we've actually had. and what has been the hardest thing, would you say? the not knowing. that has been the hardest thing i think — not having anything concrete to go on. they say they haven't

had any information from the foreign office, but for them — and thousands of others who have been confined to their cabins for almost a week — there have been moments of great joy. the first time we got on deck yesterday is when the ship was coming in and it was like heaven just to get outside and get a breath of fresh air. the future for more than 1000 crew members — among them 21 britons — remains even more uncertain. they will be quarantined and treated on board the ship but the authorities say the grand princess cannot stay here. sophie long, bbc news, oakland. meanwhile, the chancellor, rishi sunak, will deliver his first budget tomorrow against the backdrop of the coronavirus outbreak, which has the potential to have a huge impact on the economy. 0ur political editor laura kuenssberg is in westminster for us tonight. what can we expect? there has been a

rush at the treasury to come up with a way of helping the economy through what is a very unpredictable coronavirus situation here in the uk and in his first budget, he has only beenin and in his first budget, he has only been in thejob and in his first budget, he has only been in the job a few months, he is under significant pressure. we understand from the treasury along side that he will promise what they are dubbing the biggest package of spending on infrastructure, things like roads, rail and research, spending on infrastructure, things like roads, railand research, in a generation. i understand the gross figure they are looking at spending over five years is more than £600 billion. to put that in context it is not unexpected that we think of all the things promised during the general election campaign but it would mark a significant gear change if you like in the levels of public investment on those kind of things in recent decades. that said it is very important to think until we see all the documents tomorrow we will not be able to put person in the

full context. it will be very important to look at exactly what is laid out in black and white. remember this is about capital spending, so long—term projects, bricks and mortar, day—to—day spending, where the significant strain in government departments, is a different set of accounts if you like altogether. just because the government is making big promises on the long—term checks may fancy writing it doesn't mean day the squeeze on public spending will disappear. plenty more on tomorrow's budget — and the latest developments in the coronavirus outbreak on the bbc website — including the symptoms and how to reduce your risk of becoming infected — plus advice for people with underlying health conditions. that's at bbc.co.uk/news or on the bbc news app. the time is 6.16pm. our top story this evening. italy is in lockdown as it

struggles with europe's worst coronavirus outbreak. here, the number of coronavirus cases is up by fifty four — a sixth person has died — he was being treated at watford general coming up in the next 15 minutes: the cheltenham festival is under way, and there is a popular winner in the champion hurdle, as the favourite comes home. a woman who's alleged to have been the victim of an attempted rape by scotland's former first minister, alex salmond, has faced cross examination from mr salmond's lawyers. the high court in edinburgh heard her say she suffered flashbacks and waited years before coming forward to police. 0ur scotland editor sarah smith was in court and sent this report. mr salmond today heard more graphic evidence from one of the women, who described how she says she was assaulted by him in 2014. inside the court, the woman was then asked about her attempt in 2016 to get

mr salmond's support for a political project. this she sent a text to an snp official, saying, would be great to be working with him again. she contacted the police in september 2018 to say she had been attacked inside the first minister's official residence of bute house. inside the first minister's official woman h told the police she was assaulted by mr salmond after a dinner in bute house in may 2014. his lawyers argue that's not possible, because he was rarely in bute house that month, and his diary shows other events for the evenings he was there. asked if she accepted there was no incident with mr salmond in may 2014, the woman replied, absolutely not. she described alex salmond as a man who was often aggressive and bullying, saying he assaulted her in bute house again after another dinner in june 2014. mr salmond's lawyer asked, is the truth that you weren't at the dinner at all, and there was no incident with the first minister? woman h said, i wish

on my life that was true, but that is not true. i wish i wasn't there. i wish for my life that the first minister had been a nicer and a better man and i wasn't here. she first contacted the snp to discuss sexual misconduct in 2017, telling the court she started having flashbacks around the time of the harvey weinstein case and the metoo movement. mr salmond's qc also asked her, did a woman who is a scottish government official encourage you to speak to the police? there was nobody cheerleading me to come and do this. i'm doing this off my own back. this is not fun. i'd rather not be here. i think you see how hard this is. mr salmond has pleaded not guilty and he denies all the charges. sarah smith, bbc news, edinburgh. the prime minister has suffered his first revolt against his decision to give the chinese telecoms company huawei a role in building britain's 5g data network.

the prime minister's majority was reduced from 80 to just 24 after a group of high profile tory backbenchers — including several former ministers — warned huawei's involvement could help chinese spies. the firm denies it's a security risk. earlier today, a jury at the old bailey heard how a police officer died when he was dragged by a car for more than a mile. pc andrew harper suffered multiple injuries after the incident last august, which happened as he responded to reports of a burglary in berkshire. henry long — who's 18 — and two 17—year—olds who can't be named deny murder. from the old bailey, helena wilkinson reports. pc andrew harper, 28 years old, a police constable with thames valley police. today, his widow lizzie was in court with other family to heal ——to hear the prosecution open its case. the jury heard he was killed in truly

shocking circumstances. it was here last august in the village of sulhamstead in west berkshire where pc harper had been with a colleague when they were called to reports of a burglary. they were off shift but went anyway. a decision the prosecution said that was to cost andrew harper his life. it was at lambdens hill, a dark country road, where the officers came across the three defendants. pc harper attempted to stop them, but his foot got caught in a tow rope that had been pulling a stolen quad bike. the court heard he was dragged for more than a mile at speeds of more than 40 miles an hour. brian altman qc, for the prosecution, told thejury pc harper had been swung from side to side like a pendulum, losing items of his police uniform along the way, the rest of it being quite literally ripped from his body. his colleagues tried in vain to save him but he died at the scene. henry long, who is 18, and two 17—year—olds who can't be named because of their age, all deny murdering pc harper. the trial is expected to last six weeks.

helena wilkinson, bbc news, at the old bailey. back to our main story — the coronavirus outbreak. here, the government says we must prepare for changes to the way we live in the weeks ahead. but for now, it's business as usual for many. today was the first day of the cheltenham festival, with punters taking a fairly relaxed approach to the prospect of attending a huge public gathering. more on that in a moment. but first, danny savage has been to the lake district, where the hospitality industry is already taking a hit. it's only march, but the effect of coronavirus is already being felt on tourism in the lake district. for the main ferry company on windermere, they're already dealing with foreign visitors not coming. it's having a huge impact on the business. but now people living within driving distance are staying away. what we are seeing now is the reluctance of uk visitors to move around the uk, and we are hearing reports from hotels and self—catering accommodation that they are not receiving the level of bookings that they would imagine to at this time of year.

these boats are tied up because it's low season, but there's a fear that this could be the scene in months to come, and that would be a real indicator ofjust how big a hit tourism is taking. other businesses aren't hiring staff this year, because they don't believe the demand will materialise. well, we've already had quite a few cancellations already. louise lets a spacious self catering annex in her home to tourists. cancellations have consequences, not just for her. the cleaning lady, the laundry people, the decorators, the gardeners — their income will go down because they don't have any other source of income. she can't understand why uk visitors are beginning to stay at home at this point. we popped down to ikea and john lewis at the weekend, and they were packed, cheek byjowl, and yet folk are thinking, we better not travel to the lake district alter ——or to anywhere else in case there is a health problem.

i find it quite bizarre, actually. so, this is the workshop room. this is our biggest letting room. 40 miles away, in the heart of the yorkshire dales, neil and jane run an award—winning bed—and—breakfast in bainbridge. in the last few days alone, they've lost 16 nights of future bookings. but because it's a virus, they understand why. if we get somebody coming here with a cold, if we get a slight sniffle, when do you know? that's what the difficulty is, the uncertainty. nobody knows at the moment, which is why i think our future bookings are quieter. i'm very optimistic, yeah. i think once people understand what's going to happen next, i think there's a lot of uncertainty about what's going to happen. back in the lakes, this is what it should look like this spring, but will it quiz the losses are already stacking up, and they spring, but will it? the losses are already stacking up, and they are worried not just about their health but about their incomes, too. danny savage, bbc news, windermere. well, the chelthenham festival has begun despite concerns about the coronavirus outbreak. around a quarter of a million people usually attend the racing event over its four days, and organisers

say special measures are in place to try to keep racegoers safe. attendance today was down by about 10% on last yea r‘s record crowd. our sports correspondent andy swiss reports from cheltenham. the usual queues, the usual excitement, but cheltenham knows these are not usual times. the focus on hygiene as much as horses, with 24 specially installed hand sanitising stations dotted around the course. we had no concerns personally, but i'm very pleased they are taking extra precautions with the hand washing etc. did you think twice about coming here? no, definitely not. we were quite worried it might get called off at one point, but happy it's gone ahead. i think there's a difference between obviously here and then the extent in china and italy, so obviously, like my mum said, if it does get worse, we would have understood, but at the moment, i think it's ok at the moment, no worries. cheltenham is one of british racing's biggest festivals. they normally sell about 250,000 tickets, so there is a lot of relief here that it is actually going

ahead, but like allsports, it's facing an unprecedented challenge. in football, manchester united's game in austria on thursday is now behind closed doors, while in rugby union, england's and ireland's games in rome and paris this weekend have been postponed. unlike many european countries, sport in britain is carrying on for now, but for many here, these are uncertain times. it's really frustrating that some sporting events might get cancelled, and no one really knows what's going to happen in the future, so i think, you know, we are alljust hopeful that it doesn't get any worse and we can obviously stop it cancelling any of our fun, really. and today's crowd of 60,000 at cheltenham was 7000 down on last year's opening day. as epatante took the big race, the champion hurdle. amid the concerns, something for the fans to cheer as sport in britain presses on. but for how much longer?

andy swiss, bbc news, cheltenham. time for a look at the weather. here's nick miller. a chance of showers at cheltenham this week, all part turning cooler after temperatures hit 16 celsius in norfolk and a few spots in eastern england. for northern ireland and northern england this evening, temperatures will fall close to freezing under clear skies. south wales and southern england hold onto a lot of cloud, some outbreaks of rain, clearing away through the night, but temperatures staying up. tomorrow is a day of sunshine but also showers, and clearly there from the word go across scotland and northern ireland, heavy downpours in places, wintry on the hills in scotland, and pushing south through the day. much of southern england into east anglia will stay dry until well after dark with further sunny spells. it will be another windy

day, perhaps less so for england and wales, but gusting the 60 mph across the north—west of scotland. still miles in while —— mild in wales and england. tomorrow evening and night, the showers will fall as snow to quite low levels, snow to the hills in northern ireland and northern england, so it could be icy in places on thursday. thursday will bring another weather system across the northern half of the uk, with rain, hailsnow and the northern half of the uk, with rain, hail snow and strong winds. to the south of that, strong winds and a few showers. it is turning colder. friday and into the weekend, friday looks mainly drive. but then another weather system comes in at the start of the weekend, but a stronger one comes in on saturday night, pushing rain south across the uk, with strengthening winds. it looks like high pressure may well try to settle things down next week. something worth waiting for. weather warnings and flood warnings still available

online. that's all from the bbc news at six, so it's goodbye from me, and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are.

good evening, this is bbc news, the headlines. the number of coronavirus cases in the uk has risen to 373 and a 6000 has died as officials warned that the peak could come in a fortnight. that's right for a sixth person has died. —— a six person has died. the first day of nationwide current time gets under way in italy. and british airways and ryanair has cancelled all flights between the uk and italy until early april. the government has seen off a rebellion by senior