tonight at ten — the prime minister tells anyone with a new persistent cough or fever to stay at home for a week — as plans to tackle coronavirus are ramped up. boris johnson says we're facing the worst public health crisis in a generation — ten people have now died in the uk. i must level with you, level with the british public. more families, many more families, are going to lose loved ones before their time. there are now almost 600 confirmed cases in britain, but experts think the real number could be closer to 10,000. some people with really quite mild symptoms can spread this virus to a lot of people, so people with minor symptoms should stay at home for seven days. global stock markets in free fall — the ftse 100 suffers its biggest

one—day fall since 1987. empty streets in italy as the death toll passes 1,000 — 188 people died in the past 2a hours alone. broadway shuts down, as a state of emergency is declared, and president trump bans all travel to the us from continental europe. throughout the day the bbc has received nearly 15,000 questions about coronavirus — we'll be answering someo of them. and coming up on sportsday on bbc news — manchester united get their biggest away win in europe for nearly seven years, as they score five in austria in front of a crowd ofjust 500. good evening. britain is facing its biggest public health crisis in a generation and up to 10,000 people could already have the coronavirus. that's what the prime minister

and the government's scientific experts announced today, as they set out how britain should tackle the growing threat from the virus. anyone with a persistent new cough or fever should stay at home for a week. but the measures aren't as severe as those being implemented in other parts of the world. the uk's chief medical adviser said bringing in more drastic measures too early could do more harm than good. it's thought that peak infection rates are still up to three months away — possibly into june. for now, there will be no uk—wide ban on large sporting gatherings. and schools will remain open. unlike in a number of other countries, the new advice today is that if anyone in your family or workplace has a new persistent cough or a fever, they should stay at home for seven days. it comes amid anotherjump in confirmed cases — to almost 600. the total number of deaths also rose — ten people have now died. so far nearly 30,000 people have been tested. our first report this evening

comes from our political editor, laura kuenssberg. for self—employed mike, stuck at home waiting for tests. so there is no statutory sick pay for me. i haven't earned a penny since the start of march and i really am sort of now hoping to get on with life. 0r kay, who's been told to wait for her symptoms to go before she goes out again. it's my husband's birthday tomorrow, so we've cancelled our plans and we are going to have an isolation party at home, just the two of us. 0rjohnny, who has symptoms but can't get a test. in some ways it's understandable because i'm young, i'm fit, i'm unlikely to die of this thing, but at the same time, like, the day before i came down with it i spent it sat next to my 90—year—old granddad, watching the england—wales rugby game. the virus is already affecting many of us. good afternoon, everybody, and thank you very much for coming. from tomorrow we are in a new phase, with some new rules but not yet the most drastic action. this is the worst public health crisis for a generation.

i must level with you, level with the british public. more families, many more families, are going to lose loved ones before their time. a deeply sober and extremely unusual message to the country. from tomorrow, if you have coronavirus symptoms, however mild, either a new continuous cough or a high temperature, then you should stay at home for at least seven days to protect others and help slow the spread of the disease. we advise all those over 70 with serious medical conditions against going on cruises and we advise against international school trips. how sure are you that the approach you're taking, holding back from some of the more drastic measures, is the right one? asking elderly people to stay at home, that's one thing that you've really got to time,

as chris and patrick have been explaining, so that it coincides with the period at which the epidemic is really at its peak. people start off with the best of intentions, but enthusiasm at a certain point starts to flag. if you start too early and then people's enthusiasm runs out just about the peak, which is exactly the time that we want people to be doing these interventions, that is actually not a productive way to do it. but, hang on — in scotland, the first minister has pushed further. mass gatherings require to be policed, they require to have emergency ambulance cover. we are minded now that we will advise the cancellation from the start of next week of mass gatherings of 500 people or more, and that is principally to protect the resilience of our front line workers. and listen to this — ireland's leader, taking more drastic steps already. schools, colleges and childcare

facilities will close from tomorrow. where possible, teaching will be done online or remotely. cultural institutions will close as well. our advice is that all indoor mass gatherings of more than 100 people, and outdoor mass gatherings of more than 500 people, should be cancelled. number ten is well aware outwardly they are taking a less stringent approach than some other countries, even our near neighbours, but that is based on what they say is the best scientific evidence they have. in the genuine belief that we are in this for the long haul, perhaps three months from the worst, and more draconian measures will only have an effect if they're taken at the right time. rushing into drastic action might not be the safest route. should schools be shut? above all else this pandemic means the firstjob is to protect the nation's health, but this is also a test of the politicaljudgement and competence of those in charge. laura kuenssberg, bbc

news, westminster. the prime minister said the most important task was to protect elderly and vulnerable people when infections peak — the most dangerous period is still some weeks away. our special correspondent lucy manning has been talking to some of those who are most risk. the older generation, the workers, the vulnerable. the delay phase will mean changes for everybody‘s lives. older people are most at risk. the advice today is just to protect themselves. but at chelmsford's age concern lunch club, the worries are, will they be asked to stay in more — should they be staying in more? i don't want to. i think that would finish me off. lilian gowers is 8a. this is what keeps me going, it really does. eating with people and seeing people. mother and daughter tracey and sue mortimer have already changed their behaviour. well, i've basically

locked her down. that way she's not on buses, touching things, touching handrails. it's about battening down the hatches. it is scary, yeah. it's notjust a cold. to me, that would be a severe flu. to my mum, that would be a fatal flu. and people aren't getting it. there are difficult conversations going on in families across the country. people telling parents and grandparents they need to change their behaviour and follow the government advice. soon life at home and at work is going look very different for some weeks, even months. for workers, a cough or temperature means to stay home for a week. at this creative agency in brentwood, business has been affected. the government not yet telling firms everyone should work from home, but they're ready. i think too much of a situation where we act too soon will have negative impact.

so i believe that the government is doing the right thing at the moment, but i think that big decisions will be made over the next few weeks and we will have to adapt. and the vulnerable are already suffering. aimee emery has multiple sclerosis. her treatment weakens her immune system, so it's been delayed. as i am at a high risk category of contracting the disease, the virus, i don't think i would want to even leave my house at the moment, really, because it is quite scary. a prime minister warning many more families will lose loved ones before their time — perhaps the most sobering message this country will hear. lucy manning, bbc news, essex. well, with the government moving into the delay phase of its plan to tackle coronavirus, what's the thinking behind today's measures, and the impact on the nhs? 0ur health editor hugh pym reports.

taking precautions. regular disinfecting on london underground to try to reduce the virus risk. today, we learned the peak of the epidemic could be three months away, with many more cases. so what can people who are infected expect? some of the people in the group i was skiing with had fallen ill. andrew tested positive after a skiing holiday in italy and is now self—isolating at home until he recovers. what are the symptoms, what does it feel like having the virus? i have had worse flu, without a doubt. the most debilitating aspect is the uncontrollable coughing. that is probably the worst bit. the rest of it, the fever is no different to a normal flu—type symptom. i'd say it's not to be worried about. this is what the government thinks would be the peak number of cases without new measures. late spring, and well above nhs bed capacity. with the interventions, it's hoping to flatten

the peak and delay it. so, we are trying to reduce the number of cases at any one time. that's very important for nhs, in order to make the nhs able to cope with this. and it's also important because it pushes it out in the summer months, where the nhs is less busy. he said reducing virus cases much more would be difficult, but that might not be a bad thing. it is not possible to stop everybody getting it, and it's also actually not desirable. because you want some immunity in the population. we need to have immunity to protect ourselves from this in the future. medical authorities have written to doctors today, warning them there'll be extreme pressure and they might have to work in unfamiliar areas. many of them are concerned for their patients and their own health. my colleagues, the nursing staff and everybody in intensive care are very much in the front line, and are at risk of contracting the illness, which may be mild, or may be severe, from patients they treat.

so it is something that really does focus the mind and is of great concern for us at the moment. there was no specific new advice for older people at home and others who are vulnerable to the virus. age uk supports the government's approach, but has called for more detailed guidance. people that are in particularly vulnerable situations, perhaps because they are living with someone who are at risk, maybe they have had cancer treatment, maybe they are an older person and they are caring for them. i think people like that do need some more advice, they are bound to be anxious. the new instruction to people to stay away from work if they have symptoms will affect many businesses. this car repair centre in suffolk already takes employees' temperatures twice a day. if they're too high, they're sent home. all employers will now be keeping a close eye on their staffs health. hugh pym, bbc news. 0ur medical correspondent fergus walsh is here. many countries, france, ireland among them, shutting their schools,

many asking here why that's not happening. the government is adamant it is being led by the science and the scientific advice is that unless you were to shut all schools for three months it would barely have any impact on suppressing the epidemic, and they don't think banning mass gatherings at this stage would have much effect either. what the government is relying on is altruism, and that means a self isolating for seven days if you have a cough ora isolating for seven days if you have a cough or a high temperature, and eventually it will ask whole families to isolate for 1h days, if one person in that household is infected, but that's not coming yet, nor is asking the elderly or those with underlying health conditions, to isolate themselves, because otherwise that might have to be four months. we heard peak infection rates may not be until may, june even. is the nhs ready for this? there is no doubt the nhs, especially intensive care, is in for

a rocky period. most people will get a rocky period. most people will get a mild illness, four out of five, but one in 20 may need critical care. the main therapy is oxygen, they may need a ventilator. that's where we've seen the biggest pressures on hospitals in italy and china. the big unknown is what proportion of the uk population are going to get this and we simply don't know that yet, so we don't know what the pressure will be. the game now is not completely suppress the epidemic. we need to start building up what's called herd immunity. a final point, it's worth stressing that 99 out of 100 people who this will survive it, but it's going to be a bumpy few months. fergus walsh, thank you. there's been turmoil on stock markets around the world today. the ftse had its worst day's trading in more than 30 years, closing nearly 11% down. the huge sell—off was prompted by general fears of the impact the pandemic is having on the global economy, and a decision overnight,

by president trump, to announce restrictions on travel betwen continental europe and the us. this evening a state of emergency has been declared in new york and broadway is being shut down for a month. 0ur north america correspondent nick bryant is there. sophie, i'm on broadway right now. the great white way will go dark for the next few weeks. disneyland in california has announced it is closing its doors. new york city has declared a state of emergency. we began the day in the suburbs of this great metropolis, where the military has been deployed to help the local community. the national guard on the streets of american suburbia — here not to maintain public order, but to safeguard public health. boots on the ground for a mercy mission. how many kids? 0ne. 0ne kid? providing food to needy families whose children have stopped getting free meals because of the closure of the schools.

people here are getting sick and they are fretful. i think people are worried, i think people are nervous. the idea is with these resources that are available, it's about coming together, maybe it will ease a lot of people's nerves. new rochelle on the outskirts of new york city has now become ground zero in america's coronavirus outbreak. it's not yet in lock down. there's still freedom of movement, but they've created a containment area where schools, colleges, houses of worship, will be shut for the next two weeks. residents here complain the trump administration hasn't done enough, especially with testing people for the virus. i think that they are approaching this situation very slowly and it's not fair to the communities that are infected. it's not. i think they need to do more, produce more tests as fast as possible. new rochelle is a satellite town and the fear is people who commute to manhattan will fuel the contagion. further down the tracks they're worried the subway system could become a super spreader, so they've been disinfecting turnstiles and trains.

but the big apple has already had more than 50 cases. president trump is about to address the nation... the trump white house has been accused of minimising the crisis and the shock announcement from the oval office last night of a european travel ban only added to the confusion. we made a life—saving move with early action on china. now we must take the same action with europe. we will not delay. i will never hesitate to take any necessary steps to protect the lives, health and safety of the american people. at european airports, the rush to beat the travel ban, which comes into effect tomorrow, but doesn't include the uk. it was announced without consultation with the european union and without even alerting us airlines. at the opening bell on the new york stock exchange they were bumping elbows, that new coronavirus greeting, but soon it was head in the hands as the markets nosedived in response

to donald trump's speech. it was the worst day since the crash of 1987. so, the president who promised to make america great again is struggling with his biggest crisis yet — of trying to keep it healthy. nick bryant, bbc news, new york. 0ur economics editor faisal islam is here. another terrible day on the market — some of the biggest—ever day falls. are we here for the long haul? are we here for the long haunm was a torrid day on global markets after those comments from the us president. we can see some of the numbers. this was focused on europe, where it directly affected travel companies, airlines and the like. you can see there the german index down 12%, the italian index at the bottom, down 17%. the ftse down 11%, thatis bottom, down 17%. the ftse down 11%, that is the second worst percentage fall on record, around the same as black monday. the 10% fall in the dowjones, that

black monday. the 10% fall in the dow jones, that is black monday. the 10% fall in the dowjones, that is despite the fact that us authorities, the federal reserve, put in $1 trillion worth of funding to get the markets going again. what you have here, it is not the same as the financial crisis ten yea rs the same as the financial crisis ten years ago when the plumbing of the financial system wasn't really working. markets are meant to price risk. there is a showing that they see the risk of the coronavirus pandemic now, affecting companies, affecting their cash flow, affecting their ability, some of them, to stay in existence, frankly. that is why they have been marked down. notjust on share markets, but also corporate markets. the thing is here that they are assessing the risks, and it doesn't help when the people you expect to dampen down those risks, world leaders, seem to act in a way that exacerbates them. thank you. a number of countries have introduced drastic measures today, to try to slow the spread of the virus — among them, ireland. tonight all schools, colleges and nurseries were closed until the end of the month and mass gatherings have been banned. our special correspondent ed thomas has this report from dublin.

6pm, and this was dublin at rush hour. from the streets to quiet city parks. and empty restaurants. as ireland's partial shutdown began. i'm a bit scared, because i can't go home in case i pass it on to my grandmother, my grandfather. what does this mean for you? well, it's better to be safe. we're going to stay at home. you've made that decision, stay at home with the children? yes. so far, there's only one urgentjob. how manyjobs should there be? there should be at least 60 or 70 jobs on that. 70 jobs? this time of the evening, yes. the advice here now is to work from home if you can. but for a taxi driver like colin, that's a problem. finance. who is going to pay the bills? i'm self—employed. so you're losing the school run? i have a school run, the schools are now going to be closed for two weeks.

if this carries on, what are you going to do? can you cope with this? no, definitely not. 0utside dublin, after the schools and colleges shutdown was announced, this was the picture in one supermarket. we filmed this in another store. the queue for essentials stretched along every aisle, as a nation asks family and friends to stay apart and hunker down. it's a bit frightening that people were coming here to stock up on food, given the fact it's a crisis. the newspaper were saying it's going to close soon. so ijust made some stock, to make sure that everybody was ready. businesses are going to stay open, though? well, we're not sure yet. there was concern, but also calm. the irish prime minister has acted and moved quickly. this partial shutdown, does it give you confidence? it certainly gives confidence to people who have families, it gives confidence to people who are in the workforce, because it is a pre—emptive strike, as opposed to waiting until it escalates.

and that is the bigger worry, what comes next. ed thomas, bbc news, dublin. in italy more than 1,000 people have now died since the first cases of coronavirus there six weeks ago. more than 15,000 people are infected. but today italy's government said there were signs that the lockdown imposed on northern italy was starting to work. 0ur italy correspondent, mark lowen, is in rome. sophie, italy hasjust sophie, italy has just seen sophie, italy hasjust seen its biggest daily rise in cases since the outbreak began. tonight, all catholic churches across rome are being closed, unprecedented in modern times. alone, of course, with the closure of shops, restaurants, schools and a raft of other venues. the milan stock exchange has just had its biggest ever one—day fall. the economic impact is huge, and of course the impact, also, on a very struggling health care system now. when i spoke to the italian foreign

minister today, he said there should bea minister today, he said there should be a single european unit, coordinating the resupply of all hospitals and clinics across europe in need. but he also sounded a note of optimism. he told me that in ten towns in the north of the country where the first restrictions, the red zone, were imposed, there have been no new infections. he said this is the way to beat the virus. it is a model that is being rolled out across italy and elsewhere as well as they are echoing measures in italy. this country is now a laboratory, a testing ground for virus containment. and britain and other countries, sophie, are deciding to what extent they should follow italy's lead. mark, thank you. tonight the french president addressed the nation and announced that all nurseries, schools and universties will close from monday — calling the outbreak the nation's worst public health crisis in a century. elsewhere, the czech republic has declared a state of emergency for 30 days, it's closing its borders to travellers crossing from germany and austria. in germany, the elderly and their families have been advised

to avoid public transport, to stop hugging people, and to avoid large public events. norway is also shutting schools and nurseries — tonight belgium and portugal have said they're doing the same. four towns in the north east of spain have tonight been put under quarantine — a first in spain, where the number of cases has soared to more than 3000. around a third of them are in the capital, madrid. 84 people have now died. from madrid, our europe correspondent damian grammaticas reports. inside this madrid hospital are 100 covid—19 patients. spain may be just a week or so behind italy. infections accelerating by almost 1000 on yesterday. the medics on the front line, starting to struggle. my feeling is we should be one step ahead of this crisis instead of two steps behind. people working here in this moment don't have enough protective equipment, so more health workers are facing a risk of falling ill.

and falling ill too, the lady in black, kissing spain's queen last week. she's a government minister but it's now known she's infected. so the queen and spain's king, who met emmanuel macron yesterday, have also had to be tested. spain's prime minister is keeping his distance. journalists today forced to ask questions by video link from his car park. he's called for social discipline, but not shutdowns. this is one of the worst affected areas around madrid. what strikes you when you are here is how many people are out on the streets. spain's government is issuing warnings, but unlike italy it's not yet shutting down areas like this. this is an infection hotspot, but tour groups of pensioners at high risk have still been coming. the bars and restaurants open. the people here doesn't care, in the bars taking the beers, in the cinema.

it's not normal, so everybody, two weeks in house and we can cut the problem. some are scared the local pharmacist is out of thermometers. as you can see, they are empty right now. and down to his last box of sanitiser. this is all you have? yeah. 0ne delivery, and the next one is coming? we don't know. we don't know when. 0utside we found these british language students who have alljust booked flights home. us two are going tomorrow. saturday. monday. because of the virus? yeah, and because they cancelled all our classes. so is spain doing too little, too late? the fear this place could, like parts of italy, could be overburdened injust a few days' time. damian grammaticas, bbc news, madrid. let's take a look at some of today's other news. the ministry of defence has named the british servicewoman killed in a missile attack in iraq yesterday as 26—year—old lance corporal brodie gillon. she was described by her squadron

leader as an utterly professional soldier, an outstanding medic, and loyalfriend. a civil servant has alleged that the former first minister of scotland, alex salmond, started a sexual assault by telling her to get on the bed. she was giving evidence on the fourth day of mr salmond's trial. he's charged with 1a sexual assaults against ten women, all of which he denies. the government has announced measures to make smart motorways safer. under the plans, hard shoulders will no longer be opened for traffic in busy periods. 38 people have been killed on smart motorways in the last five years. the french—born chef and restaurateur michel roux has died. he was 78 and had been suffering from a lung condition. the chef founded his london restaurant, le gavroche, in 1967, and it became the first in london to receive three michelin stars. back to the coronavirus pandemic now. and its impact on sporting fixtures around the world is continuing to grow.

manchester city's champions league game at home to real madrid has been cancelled. and now there are real concerns about the future of this summer's european championship, being held across the continent. 0ur sports editor dan roan is in manchester outside the etihad stadium. dan. sophie, the last few moments, arsenal football club have announced their head coach, mikel arteta, has tested positive for coronavirus and their entire squad will dow have to go into self isolation. it puts huge doubt, of course, on their match this weekend against brighton. it came after the premier league announced all the fixtures this weekend would go ahead as planned, and the news that benjamin mendy, a defender at manchester city, had to go into self isolation today because a member of his family had shown symptoms for the virus and was also in hospital. the impact on football

is growing, of course. today, uefa announced that next week they may well postpone euro 2020, no less. the national european championships due to take place. mounting pressure for both the premier league and the afl, announcing this weekend's fixtures would go ahead. it has been a day like no other. tennis tours, nba basketball, the grand prix, or postponed. in britain, however, sport continues with cheltenham. today, the government said they would look at cancelling sports events in the future. sports having to face up to a closure unprecedented in peacetime. throughout the day the bbc has received nearly 15,000 questions on coronavirus. 0ur health correspondent sophie hutchinson has been taking a look at some of your most common concerns. my dad's got a chronic lung disease, copd, and i would like to know, how dangerous is coronavirus

for people like him? for anyone with a lung condition such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma, there is a raised risk from the coronavirus. charities are advising that people take any medication they might need with them at all time and really manage their conditions. the virus is dangerous because it attacks the tissues and airways deep inside the lungs. i'm wondering if, once i've had the illness and if i thankfully get over it, i will then be safe because i'll be immune? is that the case? well, the truth is we don't know, but it seems highly unlikely that you could get the coronavirus more than once. there have been a small number of reports from china of people who say they've had it twice, but usually with a virus, once you've recovered, you have antibodies — and they protect you in case you come into contact