you're watching bbc news at 9 with me, annita mcveigh. the headlines. president trump suspends travel from 26 european countries into the us, not including the uk, in a bid to combat the spread of the coronavirus which has killed 38 people there. in italy, all shops except food stores and pharmacies will be closed as it strengthens its lockdown due to the virus. the government here prepares for an emergency meeting. it's expected to announce stepping up its response, to delay the spread of the virus rather than containing it. and coming up injust a few minutes, we'll be answering all your questions on coronavirus in a special programme.

good morning and welcome to the bbc news at 9. travel from 26 european countries to the united states is being suspended, as part of sweeping measures announced by donald trump to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. the measure doesn't include the uk. in a televised address from the white house, president trump said "strong but necessary" action was needed. here in the uk, the prime minister is holding an emergency cobra meeting later. it's widely expected the government will announce that it is stepping up its response to coronavirus. and italy is to close all shops except food stores and pharmacies in europe's toughest lockdown yet. let's hear the moment president trump, in an address to the nation, announced those new travel restrictions on 26 european countries.

after consulting with our top government health professionals, i have decided to take several strong but necessary actions to protect the health and well—being of all americans. to keep new cases from entering our shores, we will be suspending all travel from europe to the united states for the next 30 days. the new rules will go into effect on friday at midnight. these restrictions will be adjusted subject to conditions on the ground. there will be exemptions for americans who have undergone appropriate screenings, and these prohibitions will not only apply to the tremendous amount of trade in cargo, but various other things as we get approval. anything coming from europe to the united states is what we are discussing. these restrictions will also not apply to the united kingdom. the chancellor rishi sunak has told the bbc that he doesn't see a need for the uk to adopt a us—style

travel ban as part of its response to the spread of coronavirus. in this country, we are determined to take the right steps at the right time and in all cases and at all steps, we are going to be guided by the advice of the chief medical officer and the chief scientific officer. we haven't believed that is the right thing to do. the evidence here does not support that. what we are trying to do is to contain the virus while recognising that it is now likely it will spread more significantly. our assistant political editor norman smith is in our westminster studio. from what you are hearing this morning, are we looking at the government moving from containment to the delay phase in its response to the delay phase in its response to the delay phase in its response to the virus? and if so, what specific measures that include? yes, the indications are that government have now decided we have to to this second stage of trying to protect ourselves against coronavirus. the signs are that they are not minded to go for some of the more dramatic,

disruptive measures, such as closing schools, travel bands, discouraging public meetings, public events, all that sort of thing. they are parking that sort of thing. they are parking that for the time being. instead i think they are moving in the direction of guidance, advising people to self—isolate if they feel at all unwell. maybe some particular advice for the elderly, stay—at—home. perhaps we might get some advice on social distancing, so we might be a bit aware of the amount of time we spend out and about. the obligation will primarily be on people doing the right thing. it might be about the government taking action. now it's time for a special edition of your questions answered, with our colleagues from 5live, focusing on the coronavirus outbreak.

hello, i'm rachel burden and welcome to this special edition of your call. today, we're broadcasting notjust on bbc radio 5live but also on bbc two the bbc news channel. we are streaming on the bbc news website and live on facebook as well. we arejoining forces to answer your questions of the coronavirus outbreak. across the bbc, we have seen an almost unprecedented demand for information about the virus and how it might impact you. so for the next hour we will try to get those a nswe i’s. good morning. i'm annita mcveigh. you can get your questions in now on twitter using the hashtag #bbcyourquestions or tweet @bbc5live. with the advice and guidance changing all the time, i will bring

you all the latest lines. joining us to help answer those questions, we have the bbc‘s medical correspondent, and presenter of the bbc‘s coronavirus podcast, fergus walsh. good morning. good morning. there are so many issues to cover and so much confusion out there. fergus will help to cut through all of that and give you some clarity about how the virus might affect you and your family. maybe it's a question about your elderly relative? or perhaps it's about when you should start working from home? could it be your travel plans? the easter holidays are coming up. possible school closures or events being cancelled. we are waiting to hear on that. or perhaps you just want to know why the virus is causing so much disruption and ask if there's a vaccine? if you want to text 5live the number is 85058 or call us on 08085 909 693. we would love to talk to you this morning. let's introduce our other guests. we have alison loveday, an employment lawyer. we also have mike joining us from his home, a former head of the government contingencies

secretariat, in other words, head of the government contingencies secretariat, in otherwords, he head of the government contingencies secretariat, in other words, he is to be in charge of emergenciesjust like this, didn't you, mike? good morning. 0h, he's not there. 0ur personal finance correspondent simon gompertz is in the bbc newsroom in london. good morning. good morning. nice to know that you are there. hannah is in devon and recently quit her full—time job hannah is in devon and recently quit herfull—timejob to form hannah is in devon and recently quit her full—time job to form a folk band so it means that you are very much looking after your own income at the moment. how is it all going? yes, thanks, just playing folk clubs and gigs as much as we can, really. what are your concerns with the virus, then? my concerns are that my earnings are pretty unpredictable in normal circumstances, so we play between two and seven gigs a week and sometimes we have weeks of depending on what we can get booked and we are relying on people continuing to attend gigs and festivals going ahead. because we arejust festivals going ahead. because we are just starting out, festivals going ahead. because we arejust starting out, if festivals going ahead. because we are just starting out, if things continue to worsen this spring and

summer, continue to worsen this spring and summer, my career continue to worsen this spring and summer, my career will be in serious jeopardy. i'm wondering what support there is for somebody in my position. i think that is probably one for simon. one thing that came out of the budget yesterday was an attempt from the chancellor to try to loosen the rules on applying for some benefits, to help people who we re some benefits, to help people who were affected by the virus, even indirectly, but weren't employed so they could not claim statutory sick pay from their employer. it could be easier for you to try to get universal credit, but of course, it isa universal credit, but of course, it is a complicated thing to apply for, but there are restrictions if you are self—employed on your level of income prior to your claim. those have been lifted so it is something you could look at. is that reassuring in some way? yes, i think so. reassuring in some way? yes, i think so. it is really difficult because obviously, we can't predict what our earnings are going to be each week so earnings are going to be each week so for us to work out what we would

normally earn is a bit difficult so it might be a bit easier for people in other professions. have you noticed there is a reluctance to book evil gigs, that people are going out less? not so much yet. i think there is a general anxiety about whether festivals will continue this summer and things like that and obviously, we were planning to go to europe, perhaps in september and play some shows there but we have got a lot of friends who are touring their and who are not going to go. there have been cancellations there so that is a concern for us. good luck with it and thank you for getting in touch, hannah, who has recently quit her folk band tooth —— quit herjob to form a folk band, rainy day woman. alison, do you want to add anything to that? know, the situation is really highlighting the vulnerability of the gig economy, so there will be lots of people like anna, not necessarily in a folk band

but working for themselves, maybe with a friend but in a very small unit with unpredictable income and nothing to full back on. i think anything the government can do with social security benefits, particularly speeding up the application process, i think we also have to think about the most vulnerable, people that will have difficulty applying online, how they can speed that up with telephone applications. now peter from now peterfrom kent, a driving instructor. what are your concerns? good morning and thank you for taking my call. how do i protect myself and my pupils, as we work in a confined space, with regards to the controls of the car, the steering wheel, gear sticks and doors, etc? do we continually wipe them down? wipe down every so often? peter, that is a very good question and there have been several cases in japan and elsewhere taxi drivers, tourist bus drivers, being infected

by passengers. the number one thing is that you do wipe down the gear stick and other things in your car oi'i stick and other things in your car ona stick and other things in your car on a regular basis, but also, you have got to get out of the habit of touching surfaces and then touching your face. you are obviously in an enclosed space and there is a chance he could cough and the virus could spread that way. but as well, you've got to do what you can in terms of hand hygiene. but it is a tough one when you are in that confined space. it is because we are sitting in the carfor it is because we are sitting in the car for 6—8 it is because we are sitting in the carfor 6—8 hours per day without the use of hot water and soap. that is true, so if you can get it, if you can find it stuck in the back of a cupboard somewhere, some alcohol, at least 60% alcohol and gel —— hand gel, use that but it is a difficult one. how are your clients responding to this? are they showing any

relu cta nce to this? are they showing any reluctance to have lessons? are they respectful of a basic level of hygiene? i had one cancelled yesterday morning because the lady woke up with a high temperature and a cold so she cancelled the lesson. i have other pupils... i have hand gel in my car which they use during the lesson. that sounds like a sensible way to manage it. yes, they are thinking about it, do a sedentary,. white thank you for joining us. peter, a driving instructor from kent. they in what fit is talking about immunity, this comes up quite regularly. what would you like to ask? good morning and thank you for taking michael, i want to know if once you have been ill, if you develop an immunity, because i'm particularly worried about my pa rents particularly worried about my parents who are in their 80s, you can be infectious when you are asymptomatic, i don't want to go and see them but i'm wondering if i had the illness, and i got over it, i

would then be safe because i would be immune? is that the case?‘ couple of things, there, fay, if you get the virus and you have gone through the symptoms and you have a self—limiting disease like four out of five people, fever and a cough, you should get better after about a week, and once the symptoms subside, you should no longer be infectious. you should then have antibodies which will protect you in the future from getting reinfected and certainly, we have found in the outbreak of sars, which is another type of coronavirus, from about 2003, that it was not really an issue, reinfection, but it has to be said that people's immunity can wane. certainly in the coronavirus that causes the common cold, those that causes the common cold, those that are not serious, people get them again, but i think you are probably likely to be protected and then when you have got through the

infection, you should not be at risk of spreading it to your parents. and i suppose ultimately, what we want is community immunity and that might be something that happens down the line if the virus spreads? that is right, so at some point, probably most of us may get this virus in the next year or two and then hopefully we will have a vaccine which will protect us in the future. vulnerable people in particular. thank you for joining us. i'm going to fly through a few questions which i would like to put you mike. "i'm a type one diabetic on immunosuppressants, due to go to the theatre tonight in an audience of around you would have 50 people, should i be going", that is down in west yorkshire. "i'm due to go to cheltenham festival today which will involve travelling by public transport. what is the advice?" mike, you have been involved in managing government outbreaks before of things like foot and mouth disease. is it time to start advising people who may be more vulnerable to stop going to these big public events?”

more vulnerable to stop going to these big public events? i think that depends on what the scientific advice is in the first instance. if the scientific advice is that people with immunosuppressa nt problems should stay away from big crowds, thenit should stay away from big crowds, then it is time to say that. otherwise, if people feel safer by not going and it is not going to cause a problem, don't go. there's no point in worrying yourself. it may be a very small risk but if you are right, don't go. if you are going to disrupt your life dramatically, there is no strong advice on not mixing with people, but don't worry too much about it. i think the clear message here is that we need good and certain advice from government and good uncertain advice from people who run organisations, and action. —— good uncertain advice. i thought the comment from the driving instructor, peter, was very telling. that man has taken precautions in his car, is showing people what to do and people are doing it and developing the sense that you are being helped to make a decision and being helped to protect yourself is very important. in general, are you worse off travelling by train to the

cheltenham festival or being at the festival itself? a train is a confined space, the festival is in the open air. from what i understand, and fergus may have a better view of this than i have come if you are in the open air at cheltenham and you are able to stay a reasonable space away from people, about a metre, then you are probably about a metre, then you are probably a bit better off than you are in a confined space on a train. that is absolutely right, it is enclosed spaces where you are at greater risk of having a virus passed on. it is one of the issues about whether sporting events should be cancelled, because if you are out in the open air, watching a much, and it is cancelled, then you just pile into the pub and you are probably at even greater risk in a crowded pub from getting the virus than getting it at football. 008085, 909693 if you want to call and ask an expert question. jonathan and sutton has been in touch. what would you like to ask? oh, touch. what would you like to ask? 0h, he has gone so we will come back

to him in a moment. we have got team in belfast. hello. hello. good to hear from you, you are concerned about a wedding? yes, we are getting married two weeks on saturday over in belfast. we have already had flybe cancel a number of guest flights from england which they have managed to get back on but now obviously with all the worries at the moment, we are concerned about all my family and friends being able to travel over so it is a concern. we just wish it was this saturday and then it would be ok. yes, what a shame! simon, on that, what kind of protections are there for people who have invested an awful lot of money in events like this? it basically comes down to travel insurance for the people who are coming to be guests at the wedding and the event itself, well, there is event insurance, but it may well be that you have not got that. you would be looking to the venue to see whether they would help you out in some way. it assuming it is all going ahead,

hopefully it is, then the important thing is that the people coming, if they are from around the world, if they are from around the world, if they are from around the world, if they are coming from a country where there is not any problem to travel from, so italy, there is a problem. other parts of europe, that's ok to come to the uk at the moment, although if they then subsequently wa nt although if they then subsequently want to go to the united states, they themselves might have a difficulty. but those are the sort of things people are going to be looking at. have you got a contingency plan? yes, the venue and suppliers have been pretty good and then obviously, if people can't travel, the insurance should cover it but we are then going to canada straight after for it but we are then going to canada straight afterfor our it but we are then going to canada straight after for our honeymoon but they have not cancelled the flight there yet so hopefully of things right. best of luck with it all and i hope you make it and i hope your friends and family do as well. wishing you a very happy future together! tim in belfast, planning his wedding, not the only one at that dilemma at the moment.

rosein rose in oxford has got in touch, you're watching us on bbc five live, and on bbc news and the news channel. what is your question? why are schools still open and why...|j think the question was why big events taking place, we lost the sound for a moment. it is no problem. back to you, mike, the former head of government contingencies secretary at. former head of government contingencies secretary atlj former head of government contingencies secretary at. i think there are two things to think about, one is, would shutting the schools at this stage do any good? if it would, and if it is going to be significant improvement in our protection, i think the government would say so. i think decisions ought to be made at local level. the second thing is, if you disrupt schools, you send children home, and people have to stay off work to look after their children, then you people have to stay off work to look aftertheir children, then you might be doing things like harming the health service. one of the lessons from foot and mouth disease was that if you don't think very carefully about the consequences society, you can do more damage than good. i'm pretty sure to keep children safe,

the government will give good advice when it is necessary but i think you have to think very carefully about shutting schools and the knock—on effects of that if it is not necessary. do you have children, rose? yes, a 12-year-old and a 15—year—old. rose? yes, a 12-year-old and a 15-year-old. what are your concerns? do you think there should be more proactive action when it comes to closing schools at this stage? yes... there's clearly a problem, and i'm sorry we are going to have to leave you, rose but i think there's a lot of confusion for pa rents there's a lot of confusion for parents at the moment fergus about what the right thing to do it and obviously, people will be concerned about getting to and from work if they have got particularly small children to look after a time. yes, there is and i don't think we are going to see the kind of mass school closures that many countries have done, likejapan, closures that many countries have done, like japan, closing closures that many countries have done, likejapan, closing all closures that many countries have done, like japan, closing all its schools, school closures in italy, etc. it is about balance, as mike said, if you close the school, then you may have parents who are doctors and nurses, health care workers, or indeed delivery drivers for a

supermarket, that can't go to work. but targeted school closures, when outbreaks become bigger, are more likely, because although children are relatively spared from this virus but they are probably able to spread it between the generation. they are effective carriers, aren't they? that is the problem. thank you, fergus. you are listening to some five live and watching on the news channel as well. annita mcveigh has been keeping in on the questions. absolutely and we will get to some of those in a moment butjust first of those in a moment butjust first of all, a summary of the main lines on coronavirus so of all, a summary of the main lines on coronavirus so far today. president trump has suspended travel from 26 european countries into the us in an attempt to combat the spread of the coronavirus. the restrictions will be in place for 30 days and will start from tomorrow, but do not apply to the uk. so far, 38 people have died from the virus in america.

here in the uk, boris johnson will chair an emergency cobra meeting later to plan the government's response to covid—i9 after the world health organization declared it a pandemic. it's expected that the announcement will be that the uk switches its tactics, aimed at delaying the spread of the virus rather than containing it. there are now at least 460 confirmed cases in the uk and eight people have died. the virus has also struck hollywood. oscar—winning actor tom hanks has confirmed he and his wife, rita wilson, have tested positive for coronavirus. he made the announcement on an instagram post, saying he had come down with a fever during filming in australia. he's on the gold coast working on a new movie about the life of elvis presley. the 63—year—old added that both he and his wife will now spend time in isolation. getting back to the hundreds of comments we have had so far from you

this morning in response to the conversations we have been having, we have had a tweet from sarah mcdonald, who asks, how much is the real situation being understated, given the very low level of testing in the uk? "if one member of the family is told to self—isolate, should the rest of the family do so as well. we had something with the same symptoms at the end of last yea r" same symptoms at the end of last year", lindsay says, "after my husband had been in contact with a delegation from china at work". a practical point from chris, who says, "i am in the risk group, i live alone, and i don't know how anyone —— maggot i don't know anyone who can collect medication i may need so how do i get it?" a good question. stephen chelmsford says, "of the 470 question. stephen chelmsford says, "of the a70 infections, how many are currently ongoing? surely some of these have got over it as this goes back to february? what is the real

number with ongoing infections as this could be lower?" some really interesting questions and points, rachel, i'm sure you will get into some of those as we continue the discussion. yes, recovery rates, fergus, it is something we should emphasise as well while we are talking about the numbers. yes and we should emphasise that four out of five people who get covert to 19 will have a mild, self—limiting illness, a cough and fever, feel a bit grotty for maybe a week or so, and after you get infected, the average amount of time it takes for you to display symptoms is about 55 and seven days, and then you will have the symptoms —— 05— seven days. you will have the symptoms for about a week and then after that you should no longer be infectious. the question about self isolation, if you are in a family, if you have got young kids and you've got to look after them, they will have to self—isolate, too. if you are able to shut yourself off and your partner can look after the children or you just live with a partner, then you try and not see

much of them for a week, if you have respiratory symptoms. that advice may come very respiratory symptoms. that advice may come very soon. respiratory symptoms. that advice may come very soon. a couple of questions about testing. cathy and milton keynes has a query about that as well the good morning. good morning. would you like to ask your question? yes, my question is about testing. we get these daily updates of the number of people who have tested positive for coronavirus but iam tested positive for coronavirus but i am wondering how meaningful these numbers really are when it seems that relatively few people are being tested, so there could be hundreds more people out there with the virus going about their normal lives. yes, there will be hundreds, probably thousands, potentially tens of thousands, potentially tens of thousands of people with the virus and in any health care system, south korea has done an extraordinary effort in singapore, in terms of upping the numberof effort in singapore, in terms of upping the number of testings compared to the uk. that is why we are going to get this advice very

sooi'i are going to get this advice very soon about people with respiratory symptoms, a cold or fever or flu—like symptoms, to stay at home for a week. yesterday, it was announced that the number of tests being done will be upped from about 1500 per day to 10,000, so we will get a clearer picture ofjust how much the virus is spreading within the uk. do we have the capacity for that? clearly they are saying if they intend to do it, we do but this isa they intend to do it, we do but this is a huge lab operation, isn't it? yes, but hospital labs can do this pcr test, basically, they take the throat and nose swabs, take it to the lab and there is a very clever thing that grows up and amplifies, it is called pcr, amplifies the genetic material, looking for a couple of genes and within a day or so couple of genes and within a day or so you get the answer and there are lots of labs that can do the test, it has been around for a long time, and it will give you the answer within a day or so. cathy, i know you have a question about comparison with other countries' numbers. yes,

i was wondering what the criteria are for testing people in this country because i've heard that for example in italy, they are testing eve ryo ne example in italy, they are testing everyone who is symptomatic, whereas in south korea, they are testing perhaps everybody in a hospital, whether it is staff or patients but in this country, i think about a week ago i was hearing that we were only testing people who had severe respiratory problems, who came in to hospital. it seems very different countries so it is very difficult to understand the different numbers that we are given that come out in the news. yes, in this country, there testing is being extended to anybody who has respiratory symptoms within hospitals, but you are right, not everybody is getting tested. a lot of people have had trouble getting through to nhs 111. they have reported symptoms, and been asked to self—isolate and have been waiting several days to get tested.

one of the reasons why it has been ramped up. but absolutely, the 460 confirmed cases, it is probably the tip of the iceberg. the same would apply to most countries around the world, where there are cases, that the real number will be much higher. thank you forjoining us. you are listening to bbc five live, watching the bbc news channel and bbc two as well. it is a coronavirus your all special. the hashtag is bbc your questions answered. we have fergus walsh with us, the bbc‘s medical correspondent, and allah is in day, an employment lawyer. alison, i think this one might be for you if you can help gareth out in swansea. good morning, gareth, what would you like to ask? good morning, i'm a self—employed carpenter and i also meant my home. i heard that the banks are going to be deferring loan payments and mortgage payments so if i have to self—isolate, what help, or is there

any help to cover the cost of my rent and what about sick pay for myself? good morning. ithink rent and what about sick pay for myself? good morning. i think the sick pay query came up right at the start of the programme. if you are self—employed then you typically won't have any entitlement to statutory sick pay. but there are other social security benefits that you would be advised to apply for, and apply for sooner rather than later because they can take a short while to be processed so things like universal credit and there also an employer support allowance which you may be able to be eligible for. in terms of other financial support that the government has announced, they have indicated that there is a grant for small businesses so you may be eligible for that. there is a business interruption loan scheme which the banks are running so again, something you would have to apply for. there's also a local authority hardship fund. that is to

allow the local authorities to help people who are particularly in need in their local people who are particularly in need in theirlocalarea. i people who are particularly in need in their local area. i think you have got options and rather than wait until you are desperate, it is better to understand what the application processes will be and what evidence you will need so if you need it, you can apply straightway. the chancellor was on this programme this morning talking about the safety net mechanisms. he was not saying they would necessarily replace income but for a short period of time, they would provide some assistance to that, comedy that offer you any comfort. yes, if i could see some support, it would be great if i have to self—isolate. would be great if i have to self-isolate. simon, anything to add? on the mortgage side, we know that several lenders have said that they will look kindly on people who are having trouble with the mortgage because of their situation to do with the virus. rbs, natwest, have

said they will give people three months without having to pay. you would still have to pay later, though. tsb have said people can have a two month mortgage holiday. if you have a mortgage, it is important to speak to your lender if you are in financial difficulty. they are likely to view those cases in the same way that they view other cases of people who are in some form of hardship and they show forbearance but an important question to ask them is that if you do ask for help in that way, what you don't want is for their to be some entry on your credit reference saying that you have somehow defaulted on your payment. you need to weigh the things up quite carefully and check in detail what kind of help they can get. but gareth is a private renter, simon, so it is unclear what support there will be for him, simon? there isn't really any support for people renting and that is a big gap in the

policies we are seen coming out. it particularly affects people in the youngerage particularly affects people in the younger age groups because predominantly from middle—aged upwards most people own their own homes, they might have a mortgage. below that, the larger number of people are renting, and we don't have the help yet for people renting. you're basically going to be asking your landlord if they can show you a bit of forbearance but there is nothing they have to do. stay with us, simon, because i think sandra in york is a question for you. this is about a holiday, and you. this is about a holiday, and you will find loads of people in a similar situation. what your dilemma? we got to go to disneyland in paris on sunday for three days... what would you like to know, specifically? obviously all the parades and everything, the best pa rt parades and everything, the best part of going, really, and because the parks to open, we don't know... if we cancel ourselves, we don't get

a refund. if they cancel or close it down, we will get a refund. i think that includes the flights. we don't wa nt to that includes the flights. we don't want to get there and find out... we would be isolated for two weeks in a hotel room. my partner is diabetic and needs a lot of medication and my daughter will be in another hotel with our two little boys. concerned about a few things. like my terrible dilemma, and sandra will not be the only one faced with the situation. it is either play it safe and outgo, and this is the holiday of a lifetime they have been saving for four months, or go and risk, you know, maybe new measures will be introduced well you are away, or you will have a reduced experience on holiday there in disneyland. what is your advice, simon? ithink holiday there in disneyland. what is your advice, simon? i think a lot of people will be in this dilemma situation. you fall between two stones. it is fairly clear of travel toa certain

stones. it is fairly clear of travel to a certain area is banned, like italy, your tour operator will then sort you out, either read you on something in a safe place or give you a refund. there is no problem at the moment travelling to france and to paris. we are allowed to do that, but we know there are restrictions within france on what can happen, and gatherings and that sort of thing. the instance of coronavirus cases in france is higher than in the uk well then i can understand why you are worried. if you do have travel insurance, then you can speak to your insurerand travel insurance, then you can speak to your insurer and see if there is any to your insurer and see if there is a ny cover to your insurer and see if there is any cover for you for missing events that you were booked to go to. but they will only look at that on a case— by—case they will only look at that on a case—by—case basis, and they will still be governed by this underlying thing, that you are allowed to go to france and you can go on the holiday. so it is a real dilemma for you. thank you, simon. iwant holiday. so it is a real dilemma for you. thank you, simon. i want to go back to the former head of the civil contingency secretary, the uk government department for planning,

and you worked on the sars outbreak and you worked on the sars outbreak and foot and mouth. mike, when it comes to having a coordinated response to this, this is part of the difficulty, sometimes slightly confusing and conflicting messages that sometimes, consumers in this case, people are having to deal with. it is the guidance from the government to mortgage and travel companies as to what to do?m isn't, it should do. if the mortgage company has any sense, they will be putting information on their website so putting information on their website so people can interrogate that quickly. we have seen quite a lot of these problems. for example, if you wa nt these problems. for example, if you want to go somewhere and think you will cancel your holiday, if the foreign office has not the travel ban or travel advice on to it, as i think simon said you can't get any redress. i think the companies handling travel should be up front now in saying what they do and don't know about what you can and can't do. and what you should do about your insurance arrangements. they will benefit from that in the long term. ithink will benefit from that in the long term. i think companies that actually respond to the concerns of people will see a benefit in the

long term from loyalty. can i make one other point, please? somebody before a race the problem about getting medication, when they couldn't leave those —— somebody raised the problem. i was going to say a lot of pharmacies now operate delivery services, and if you are ordering your medicine from your gp, ask them to send it to a pharmacy who will deliver. one of the big household chain pharmacies, they do it, and! household chain pharmacies, they do it, and i know other smaller pharmacies where i am do it as well. please, don't feel you can't get your medication. ask some advice from your gp about where they can send it, to someone who will deliver. are really good point. thanks, mike. mike granite is the kishna alongside fergus walsh, and simon gompertz, a personalfinance correspondent, alison loveday, an employment lawyer, all here as part ofa employment lawyer, all here as part of a joint broadcast between radio 5 live and the bbc news channel. you

can live and the bbc news channel. you ca n text live and the bbc news channel. you can text on 85058. i have to say, genuinely, in my 18 years of broadcasting here for at the bbc, i have never seen anything like this before. and also #bbcyourquestions, currently trending on social media this morning. if you want to get in touch please send your questions. clearly, we a re touch please send your questions. clearly, we are not going to get through them all. but looking across then we do get a general sense of then we do get a general sense of the sorts of areas you would like covered, and make sure we hit those markers throughout this programme. we are here on air with you until ten o'clock this morning. let's go back to our callers. emma in ipswich. good morning, what would you like to know? good morning. i'm self—employed and i work in two care homes doing beauty treatments — one in ipswich, one in cambridge. my my concern is if the care home goes into a lockdown period, where does

that leave me with receiving my income? if they are in lockdown, remember, i can't work, and i can't get ssp, so wee does that leave me for receiving any income at all? ssp being statutory sick payment. again i think we are going back to some of the previous questions. because you are self—employed i think this highlights some of the limitations that type of status gives, and it doesn't typically have any right to sick pay. so you are back to applying for the social security benefits that are available, like universal credit, like the employment and support allowance. there is also the option of potentially applying for a local authority hardship grant and that sort of thing, but i think in the first instance you should speak to the care homes and see whether or not they have any assistance they can offer, and look at your terms and conditions of business with

them. it may be they are very informal and won't cover it but if you have anything more formal and it is they who are saying, you are capable of going on, but they are saying they can't allow for health reasons, then if not your normal rate they may be prepared to pay you something. some kind of reduced rate. and, emma, iwould imagine your visits in terms of mental health and well—being within the homes are really important to the people you look after. they are, and iam people you look after. they are, and i am always so busy when i come in because they care homes i work at have an all inclusive policy, so the residents, as part of their staying m, residents, as part of their staying in, they have hair and residents, as part of their staying in, they have hairand nails residents, as part of their staying in, they have hair and nails done every week or every other week, where the night it will have a massive impact on the residents as well. you make a very good point -- so well. you make a very good point -- so it will have a massive impact. we will keep ourfingers so it will have a massive impact. we will keep our fingers crossed this won't affect you too badly, nr. wishing you all the best, n in

ipswich. to that point, fergus, and thatis ipswich. to that point, fergus, and that is something i know simon in fleet wa nts that is something i know simon in fleet wants to talk about. how far is this going to spread? that is pretty much your question. fire ahead. you have pretty much done my question. out of curiosity, are we all going to get this virus? is it just a matter of time? yes, simon, very difficult question. the modelling on this is an absolute maximum number who could get this, get a pandemic strain of any new virus, that suggests it could be 80% of the population in the first wave, but it is more than likely it will be far, far fewer than that. but evenif be far, far fewer than that. but even if it was just 20% of the population, well, that's around 12 million or so, so still a lot of people. and what we don't know, we don't know whether yet this virus is here for good and is going to keep coming back every winter, which makes things like antiviral drugs which we haven't talked about, and a vaccine,

really important for the future, or whether perhaps it might die away in the way that sars did, and with the warmer weather, like other cold and flu viruses, it might die down. we really don't know, but we have to prepare for potentially, potentially, millions of people in the uk getting infected, which is why all the measures we have heard about, moving to the delay phase, are about trying to bring down the peak of cases, because if you just did nothing, you could have a massive impact on the nhs with something like 50% of all cases within about three weeks, so the measures about social distancing, and all the rest, they are all about flattening the curve, so fewer people get it all in one go. does that make sense to you, simon? yes, it does. so it is not guaranteed. i could escape it? you could escape

it, but no guarantees, i'm afraid. thank you, simon in fleet. no guarantee that any of these things at the moment. it is 9:aiam. let's go back to i in a bbc news studio with the news. yes, thank you rachel. president trump has suspended travel from 26 european countries into the us in an attempt to combat the spread of the coronavirus. the restrictions will be in place for 30 days and will start from tomorrow but do not apply to the uk. so far 38 people have died from the virus in america. that decision to implement a travel ban by president trump has caused global stocks to plunge — with the ftse 100 falling 6%. european stock markets also sank — some more than 5% at the start of the trading this morning. earlier, stocks in asia saw big falls, with most market indices registering declines of more than a%. yesterday, wall street stocks plunged almost 5% on closing.

here in the uk, boris johnson will chair an emergency cobra meeting later to plan the government's response to covid—i9 after the world health organisation declared it a pandemic. it's expected that the announcement will be that the uk switches its tactics aimed at delaying the spread of the virus rather than containing it. there are now at least a60 confirmed cases in the uk and eight people have died. the virus has also struck hollywood. oscar—winning actor tom hanks has confirmed he and his wife, rita wilson, have tested positive for coronavirus. he made the announcement on an instagram post, saying he had come down with a fever during filming in australia. he's on the gold coast working on a new movie about the life of elvis presley. the 63—year—old added that both he and his wife will now both spend time in isolation. just before we go, to some comments. a line coming in from spain, from

madrid, the president of the madrid region is saying the spanish government is considering locking down madrid as a measure to stem the coronavirus spread in the country. now, this is the president being quoted on a local tv channel in spain. the spanish government denied yesterday that it had any plan for such a lockdown. from what we've seen such a lockdown. from what we've seenin such a lockdown. from what we've seen in the past hours, though, the president of the madrid region is saying the possibility of closing down madrid is under consideration. not entirely clear what is happening, but some concerns that the madrid region could be closed down in response to coronavirus. rachel, i think you are going to develop what is happening there in spain just develop what is happening there in spainjust now. rachel: yes, we obviously not about italy, fergus, but spain are a concern as well? it is. spain, like france, germany, the uk, said a lot of cases

and a rising death toll from this virus, and these measures to potentially lockdown whole cities. well, we have seen italy has done that, and spain would be the first country to do that if it goes ahead. outside of china of course, in europe. absolutely. they don't stop the virus altogether. i mean, that ship has sailed, sadly. what they do isjust that ship has sailed, sadly. what they do is just slow it down. taking some pressure off hospital intensive ca re some pressure off hospital intensive care units, and really i think the lesson everyone is learning very fast, i mean, if they hadn't already learned it from wuhan, is that many hospitals and intensive care units in northern italy, one of the most advanced health care systems in the world, where they were running out, and quickly ran out of intensive ca re and quickly ran out of intensive care beds. they set up makeshift intensive care beds in corridors, they had a shortage of ventilators, even a shortage of plugs for oxygen

tanks to give people oxygen. hospitals here in the uk are setting up hospitals here in the uk are setting up the expansion of intensive care, with not the same level of service that you would expect normally, but just so they can provide critical ca re just so they can provide critical care to a greater number of people. sort of sustaining service. 0k. care to a greater number of people. sort of sustaining service. ok. i think we can go to hampshire. good morning, jo. good morning. i am supposed to be going to a conference tomorrow with 2000 attendees. i live with my mother who is 82. i am concerned i will bring the virus to her. should i stay home? what do you think? it comes down to a personal decision, jo. in some ways i am surprised the conference is going ahead because so many have been cancelled. but, you know, 2000 people in a crowded space is an

ideal circumstance for viruses and seasonal germs to spread. and then you go back to your mum. it has to bea you go back to your mum. it has to be a personal decision. i can't advise you not to go, but you are clearly at greater risk of picking up clearly at greater risk of picking up the virus in a room of 2000 people than you are sitting at home with your mum, but these are the difficult decisions now people are going to have to be making in the days ahead, and we may get further advice on that sort of thing from government, more and that sort of thing, in the coming hours. fact, cani thing, in the coming hours. fact, can i ask mike about that? that's my insight. should this be a time when conferences and things like that are being postponed? —— mike. conferences and things like that are being postponed? -- mike. my answer is yes, for the time being. i think ofa is yes, for the time being. i think of a conference doesn't have to be held and there isn't a pressing reason for doing it, which seems

unlikely, people should certainly consider it. if it is a very local affairand consider it. if it is a very local affair and involves a few hundred people from one locality, it may be less of a risk that one —— than one that attracts people from across the country and internationally. i know one statutory agency in my county in kent that is not sending people to meetings any more, and that seems perfectly sensible. they have a limited number of skilled staff, they are protecting themselves by keeping those people away from likely sources of infection. thank you, mike for the time being. we have mark in gosport. this is where it is beginning to have an effect on people because ‘s incomes. yes, i run a chauffeur company, and ido yes, i run a chauffeur company, and i do cruise runs around heathrow, gatwick, and i have lost over £3000 in bookings. my question was about self employment rights and that, but i think that has been covered so my

other question for the panel, because i have checked my terms and conditions on the booking is now to ask for a non—refundable deposit. what i seem to be getting back from a lot of my american clients as they already have a contract with me and if they haven't cancelled i can't change the conditions of my terms and conditions. what i am seeking is advice from the panel. where do i stand now in reassuring the booking and trying to get some kind of protection, it and non—refundable deposit? sounds like one for our employment lawyer. sire not really unemployment question, but i understand from a business perspective —— understand from a business perspective — — not understand from a business perspective —— not really an employment question. if your initial term is where, i will do thisjob for x pounds, then the customer has agreed to that, then without their agreement you can't really impose an additional term like a non—refundable additional term like a non— refundable deposit. additional term like a non—refundable deposit. for additional term like a non— refundable deposit. for future bookings, where you haven't got all of your terms agreed, then you could

certainly look to introduce that. but the customer has a total right to cancel if they want to, do they? it depends on the terms you have engaged on. if there is no cancellation right within there, and there probably is, as long as you do it within a time period, then that would seem to be reasonable notice. it is really tough for you, mark. would seem to be reasonable notice. it is really tough for you, markm is. i think we have it is really tough for you, markm is. ithink we have had it is really tough for you, markm is. i think we have had quite a few questions mentioning events and i think the hospitality industry already is suffering. and people particularly in the gig economy worked job tojob. how particularly in the gig economy worked job to job. how will you manage it? element i have a few guys i pass work to when i am busy and obviously there is a knock—on effect, it is just going obviously there is a knock—on effect, it isjust going down hill —— yes, i have come to my guys. how will i manage? i don't know. i will contact my local council today, get an answer from them and see where we stand, and obviously look on the government website as to what your panel when mentioning about getting the loan back. getting an advance

for our losses. white it certainly sounds like there are options to be explored there. thank you very much, mark. you won't be alone in that position but it does not make it any easier. let's say good morning to rob in sheffield. good morning. you have a tough day ahead, haven't you ? good morning. you have a tough day ahead, haven't you? i have, yes, good morning. sadly, my concern is my mother's funeral today. it's at one o'clock. we have a church service, then afterwards at the crematorium, and i have a lot of aunties and uncles who are coming, three or four of them in their 905, two in their late 805, and iju5t wondered, you know, what the view wa5 wondered, you know, what the view was really, because i haven't seen a lot of them for a long time, you know, shaking hands, kissing and cuddling like you normally do at a funeral, etc, because with them being in their905

funeral, etc, because with them being in their 905 etc, i don't like to say this but it is possibly the la st to say this but it is possibly the last time we may see them, and obviously the event, the funeral, you know, it can't be cancelled, it has to go ahead. ijust wondered if there are any precautions we could take, you know, well then i obviously there are a few people coughing and spluttering, just normal coughs and colds. so hard. how do you not hug someone at a funeral? i know. it is really difficult, rob, and obviously this has to go ahead. i think the thing that everyone can do is, you know, wash their hands more often than they would, and maybe if you manage to get hold of any alcohol hand gel, pass that around, because just touching somebody is not going to give you the virus. you have to then put your hand to your face if you've got the virus on your hands, so that

is one thing. but it is really very difficult. it is, yeah. you feel so awful not shaking hands with family you've not seen in such a long time, at such an occasion, and it's a bit ofan at such an occasion, and it's a bit of an awkward one, like you said. but, like i've told the family, if you shake hands, and i don't think there's anything wrong with it, but just don't touch your face, until we get somewhere where we can wash your hands, or if we have some antibacterials, which i think we have, actually, so that will help. rob, you mentioned that some people have coughs and colds. those people really maybe probably shouldn't be hugging, because very soon we are going to get advice that people with flu—like or cold like respiratory symptoms should be staying at home, so symptoms should be staying at home, so they have to really think carefully about that. thank you so much. rob, we really do wish you all the very best today. we'll be thinking of you. we have carried on

in altrincham now. you have an event coming up on sunday. tell us more about it. i have a half marathon down in hampton court. i am travelling down by train, and i will be going to the event. there is no parking. a lot of runners. three water stations, spectators, volunteers. i haven't heard there are cases down in that area. the paris half marathon was cancelled. i am wondering whether i should actually do the race? presumably you will have been training for this for some time as well. what do you reckon, mike?m you are very worried, don't do it. there's no point making yourself worry. if you can be sure that you can wash your hands beforehand, the what —— can wash your hands beforehand, the what — — water can wash your hands beforehand, the what —— water being handed out is by people who have wash their hands and the surfaces are clean, because you will get bottles, and you feel you can keepa will get bottles, and you feel you can keep a distance from people, and ta ke can keep a distance from people, and take the precautions we have all been told about, then do do it, but

i think my personal view, you know, one of my daughters is going to run the london marathon. and i think there's a good chance that might not happen. but in any case anybody who goes to one of those events needs to make sure they got their own protection and procedures with them, and if they feel unsafe don't do it. mike, thank you so much. it's time to smack us to say goodbye. for the last are you have been listening and watching a joint programme between and the bbc news channel about the coronavirus outbreak, also streaming on bbc facebook. 0ver coronavirus outbreak, also streaming on bbc facebook. over the last week we have seen an almost unprecedented demand for information from you, getting about 100 texts a then it here to the programme at i hope the programme has been able to give you some answers. studio: yes, thank you for all your texts, tweets and questions. clearly the outbreak coverage continues across bbc news and we will be responding to those

questions. and don't forget the podcast will be continuing on but for now to viewers on the news channel, goodbye. studio: and to viewers on it is goodbye from the news channel. —— to viewers on five live. good morning. it has been a rather pleasant start to the day for many of us. sunshine across england and wales but it has been notably chillier this morning compared to the last few mornings, especially in the south—east. some snow, ice, across the northern half of the uk. that is the scene for many of us at the moment, lovely blue skies and a bit of sunshine. through today we will see some showers moving through but i said it would be notably chillier and that is because we have got this colder air mass, which has moved down to

the south—east now. in the south—east corner you will certainly notice the difference. it has all been behind this weather front here which has brought us some rain overnight. this area of low pressure moves into the west of scotland. notice how the white lines of the isobars get a little closer together. we would see some strengthening winds. those winds will blow the showers through fairly swiftly across england and wales and all of us at some point may catch a shower. the most frequent ones will be across england and northern ireland, still wintry over the higher ground. these are the wind gusts. a0, a0 five miles per hour around the north, north—east of england, northern ireland. an —— a0-a5 england, northern ireland. an —— a0—a5 miles per. and here that could cause some disruption. 7—iidc, down bya cause some disruption. 7—iidc, down by a good few degrees in the south—east compared to yesterday. tonight, showers continue to feed south and east. still wintry nets over the high ground of scotland but again temperatures will drop away across these northern areas so slight frost and some ice around

first thing tomorrow morning. further south, not quite as cold, but a chilly start to the day with some sunshine. a range of high—pressure, small ridge, starts to me then. so most of the day on friday is unsettled then this low pressure will gradually move in. the cloud will increase a little across wales, the south west of england and eventually some rain spreading in the case might. could be the odd shower around the south—east of england but for most of the uk on friday it will be dry without sunshine, nick macleod perhaps into the afternoon than the morning, and just a few showers to head into the main band of rain and temperatures about 7—11. —— that cloud perhaps into the afternoon. this will live on and give strengthening winds for a time. this rain perhaps moving south and east during saturday night into sunday. it may linger across england and wales during sunday before it clears the way. there will before it clears the way. there will be some sunny spells at times,

particularly on saturday. temperatures will still be about 7-10 temperatures will still be about 7—10 or ii temperatures will still be about 7—10 or 11 degrees celsius. then into next week, while not completely dry high—pressure looks to be building up so it will be dry for many of us. bye—bye.

hello, it's thursday, it's ten o'clock, i'm victoria derbyshire and we're live from new broadcasting house. coronavirus latest — president trump has banned travel from most of europe to the united states for 30 days. it doesn't include the uk, though. to keep new cases from entering these shores, we will be suspending all travel from europe to the united states for the next 30 days. the new rules will go into effect friday at midnight. the ban will come in to force at midnight on friday but as it only applies to 26 european countries. will it really be effective? tom hanks and his wife have tested positive for coronavirus, an unnamed cabinet minister has been tested and is self—isolating.