europe the focal point of the global coronavirus outbreak. in the worst—affected country, italian doctors are treating patients in field hospitals because of pressure on services. europe has now become the epicentre of the pandemic, with more reported cases and deaths than the rest of the world combined, apart from china.

here, premier league and english football league matches as well as games in scotland are all off until april, and there's no six nations rugby this weekend. with several european countries closing their borders to foreigners, we'll have the very latest on the spread of the coronavirus. donald trump declares a national emergency in the us and says he may ban travel from the uk due to rising infections over here. british airways warns its survival is at stake, saying planes will be grounded and jobs lost due to mass flight cancellations. there's new uk guidance for those with flu—like symptoms — don't visit relatives in care homes. and the government says schools should remain open despite the outbreak unless advised otherwise by public health england. and coming up on sportsday on bbc news — we'll round up all the global sporting events postponed because of the coronavirus, including the masters

golf at augusta. good evening. the world health organization says europe is now the epicentre of the global coronavirus pandemic. the news emerged as organised sport, both professional and amateur, across much of the uk came to a standstill because of the outbreak. the premier league, english football league and scottish football association have all called a temporary halt to fixtures until 3rd april. in rugby, all six nations matches have been cancelled this weekend, and next month's london marathon has been postponed. in the uk, 798 people have now been infected, up by 208 since yesterday, but it's thought the actual number may be much higher. 11 people have now died here, and the government says it expects more deaths in the weeks and months to come. we'll have more on an extraordinary day for sport in a moment,

but first, here's our medical correspondent fergus walsh. this is italy, one of the most advanced health care systems in the world. in the northern city of brescia, they're reduced to treating patients in warehouses and tents because of coronavirus. italy has the worst outbreak by far in europe, but other countries are catching up. europe has now become the epicentre of the pandemic, with more reported cases and deaths than the rest of the world combined, apart from china. denmark announced it's closing its borders to foreigners from tomorrow. nearly a dozen european countries have now imposed border controls. in spain, a state of emergency will come into effect tomorrow, which could see restrictions on movement. the foreign office has advised against all but essential travel

to madrid and some other regions. france announced it is limiting gatherings to no more than 100 people. the eiffel tower and other key monuments and museums will close. a shutdown of schools will last at least two weeks. all of europe wants to avoid scenes like these in italy. but the uk's approach is in stark contrast to measures taken elsewhere. so, what is the science behind the government's delay strategy? well, if no action was taken, there'd be a huge peak of cases crammed into a few weeks well above the capacity of nhs intensive care units. the government's aim is to flatten that peak and have more of the cases towards the summer, when the nhs is better able to cope. that strategy only works if we all follow the new advice.

if you have a continuous cough or a fever, a temperature above 37.8 degrees, you stay at home for a week. it's reckoned if that happens, it'll cut the peak of cases by 20%. i'm about to do an online shop so my daughter can have some microwave meals in and get herself food, because i shouldn't be preparing food for other people. sophie rivett began self—isolating today, after waking up with a fever. she is a single mum with a 13—year—old daughter. every time i use a room i'm wiping down the surfaces. the government acknowledges that millions of us may get covid—i9 in the coming months because the virus can't be stopped. our aim is not to suppress it completely, also because most people, the vast majority of people get a mild illness, to build up some degree of herd immunity as well

so that more people are immune to this disease and we reduce the transmission. at the same time we protect those who are most vulnerable for it. who are most vulnerable from it. the government is adamant its strategy to fight coronavirus is the right one. lives will depend on it. fergus walsh, bbc news. well, it's been an unprecedented day for sport, with the coronavirus outbreak leading to the suspension of the premier league until april and the cancellation of six nations rugby matches this weekend. next month's london marathon has also been postponed. here's our sports editor, dan roan. whether it's football, rugby, golf or formula i, world sport has come to a standstill. this morning, after an emergency meeting, the premier league finally confirmed an unprecedented shutdown until at least early april. the decision followed the news that arsenal manager mikel arteta had tested positive for coronavirus. callum hudson—odoi then became the first player to confirm he had the disease.

hi, guys, as you may be aware, i had the virus over the last couple of days, which i've recovered from. i've followed the health guidelines and self—isolated myself from everybody for the week. liverpool have enjoyed a glittering season, but with the club on the brink of a cherished title, the fans have been left in limbo. it's disappointing, but, yeah, 30 years, we've waited 30 years for the title, we can wait another three orfour months. but typical liverpool, we can only do it the hard way. so, hopefully we'll do it in the next few months. it is quite tough but it's only suspended, it's not cancelled. so, we'll still be there. with a host of clubs with players now in isolation, the whole of the english professional game has been suspended, those in the cash—strapped football league facing an uncertain financial future. we've got six home games left and if we don't play them, we will be looking at a £250,000 hole in ourfinances, at least. it's very worrying for any industry, which football is, that relies

on people paying to come and watch it for the majority of its income, and all the associated things — it's extremely worrying. with british football entirely derailed, matches in scotland, wales and northern ireland were also suspended. here at anfield, they will be desperate for the campaign to resume, but seniorfigures within the sport fear that that may prove impossible, and the season is abandoned. that would be cruel on clubs like this and hugely damaging to the game as a whole, but it's notjust football, the pandemic is sending world sport into meltdown. this afternoon, next month's london marathon was postponed until october. the start of the formula i season will not be until may, with four races now cancelled. in golf, the prestigious masters tournament was postponed, and on a chaotic day, tomorrow's six nations rugby between wales and scotland was first declared on, and then off.

it was supposed to be the only sporting event going on, for us to be the only sporting event going on, when other people were mindful of the obviously seriousness of the situation, and i think we just took into account supporters, players, staff, was it really essential to maybe subject them to that risk? and what of the biggest show of all? today, the symbolic greek leg of the olympic torch relay cancelled over mounting concern over tokyo 2020. despite controversy over the government's support of such events, the cheltenham festival did conclude today. 69,000 fans were present as al boum photo retained the gold cup. this, the last action major sport could see for quite some time. dan roan, bbc news. the government has announced that local and mayoral elections in england due to be held in may will be postponed for a year due to the outbreak. 0ur chief political correspondent vicki young is at westminster for us tonight.

so, vicki, the outbreak is having ramifications affecting the democratic process? yes, it is extremely unusual to delay an election for a year but downing street said they feared that it would coincide with the peak of the outbreak, you could not have campaigners knocking on doors, or local councillors being diverted from the task of dealing with the coronavirus outbreak. but i think all of the developments today tell us all of the developments today tell us that for several months, the way we live our lives is really going to change fundamentally. and, of course, the prime minister has to lead the country through this crisis. he says he is basing his decisions on the science, but a lot of this will come down to his personaljudgment, of this will come down to his personal judgment, and that of this will come down to his personaljudgment, and that is already being questioned by some opposition parties today. i think that will continue and grow with the news now that the government is

planning on banning mass gatherings. there is no doubt this is going to be an enormous test of boris johnson's leadership. this evening, donald trump declared a "national emergency" in the united states in response to the threat from the coronavirus. he also said his administration may ban travel from the uk to america due to the increase in cases here. nick bryant has more details from washington. attention, customers... grand central station on the first full day of new york city's state of emergency. morning commuters so far unaware that the entire country was about to be placed on a similar crisis footing. in the city of his birth, there's been fury at donald trump for not taking the pandemic seriously enough, for fumbling the federal government's response. the federal government has botched this out of control. there's been little to no testing. they've been completely misinforming people, what you're hearing has changed from one day to the next. he doesn't believe in science, for heaven sakes. could i say that trump is completely clueless? it's all about him. in the fragrant setting

of the rose garden he addressed what for many americans is the most frightening crisis of his presidency. i am officially declaring a national emergency, two very big words. he was asked about his controversial european travel ban and why it didn't include the uk, a decision that's clearly now under review. we are looking at it based on the new numbers that are coming out and we may have to include them in the list of countries that we will, you could say ban or whatever it is, during this period of time, but yeah, the numbers have gone up fairly precipitously over the last 2a hours so we may be adding that. his tone tonight was self—congratulatory and there was still indications he doesn't quite get the magnitude. ok, i like that... ..of a crisis he has minimised four weeks. minimised for weeks. 0ur numbers are lower than just about anybody. everybody has to be calm. it's all going to work out. i like this stuff, i really get it.

people are surprised that i understand it. every of these doctors said, how do you know so much about this? it will go away. i think people are viewing this as having done a very good job. but in the suburbs of america a graphic reminder of where this superpower has fallen short. in testing for the virus, here in new rochelle, a hotspot on the outskirts of new york. they've opened up drive—through test centres under the eye of the national guard. and tonight the president was asked if he should be tested for the virus. are you going to be? most likely, yeah, most likely. not for that reason, but because i will do it anyway. he is a president so often at the centre of chaos, at the head of a nation that's yearning for calm. the national emergency allows donald trump to throw more money at this problem and to cut through some of the red tape. but the criticism has been that he views this pandemic through the prison of november's presidential election, that he is worried about the impact on the

economy and on the stock market, and that he's worried about the impact on his chances of spending four more yea rs on his chances of spending four more years the white house. many thanks, nick bryant, in washington. the government is now advising people with flu—like symptoms not to visit relatives who may be in care homes. the new guidance is an attempt to prevent the coronavirus spreading amongst the most vulnerable. the elderly and those with underlying health conditions are much more likely to develop serious complications if they're infected. here's our social affairs correspondent alison holt. at saint cecilia's nursing home in scarborough, they've already gone further than today's government guidance by asking relatives not to visit as they try to protect their vulnerable elderly residents from the virus. lyn harmer, hands carefully washed, sees her extremely poorly 91—year—old father matthew several times a week. did you have a good night's sleep? yeah. good. but she accepts this could be her last visit for a while. we can always telephone, and ask how our relatives are, and i'm sure

the carers will explain to them, you know, the reason why visitors aren't coming. our own common sense should tell us, you know, we have to think for them. today's guidance says people shouldn't visit if they have flu—like symptoms. the home's owner, who also represents other local care providers, isn't convinced that has gone far enough. are we acting quick enough? because we are looking at making sure that visitors perhaps can't come in into the home in the future unless it's an emergency, so we're taking our own actions now to try and prevent something more serious later on. this is our general store room where we basically hold all the stuff that we require. many care providers are also worried about getting enough stocks of hand gels, gloves and other protective gear. the government now says additional equipment will be provided for them. alcohol gel is a big thing, hand washing equipment, everything that we need for that, and it's becoming more of a struggle to get hold of things

like that at the moment. this meeting in york is a chance for care and public health professionals to plan together. the challenge is introducing measures that can be sustained. it might be that stopping visitors might help their physical health, but it might have a really poor impact on their mental, emotional health. and getting that balance right to protect older people will have to be kept under constant review. alison holt, bbc news, york. the education secretary for england, gavin williamson, has told teachers the government is "clear" that schools should remain open despite the outbreak, unless advised otherwise by public health england. butjust how are schools dealing with the current crisis? 0ur education editor bra nwen jeffreys reports. 0k, any internet—enabled device, you will be able to go on to get access to... getting ready to take school work online. with their gcses looming,

plenty of questions. but again, today, head teachers told to stay open. the minister asking them at their conference to remain calm. in the overwhelming majority of situations, there is absolutely no need to close a school, or to send pupils or staff home. obviously, there is action to be taken in the event of a positive test, but even then, your local health protection team can help stabilise the situation. in one country after another, schools are shutting, some parents and politicians asking why the uk is out on its own? head teachers arejust trying to keep going. we are trying to stay open, not just for the school and for the learning, we are a vital cog in this community. but he also knows some families may have to self—isolate. we're very aware about who our most vulnerable students are, and we will be working with them to put a bespoke package around them.

exams start next month in scotland, early may elsewhere. so, how are you all living with the uncertainty? even if the school does now close, it isn't going to panic us to do everything from home. not a lot of people will revise at home, and if people do, it won't be as well as they would at school. for the moment, at least, the government is holding back from school closures. that's partly because they would cause massive disruption. parents would have to take time off work, pupils revise for exams from home, and it's the vulnerable children who would lose out most. want to try meatballs? at this charity warehouse, they're getting ready. some children rely on school for their main meal. we know already that three million children are at risk of hunger through school holidays when they don't have access to free school meals, so we know that those children, if schools do close, are potentially at risk of going hungry.

ministers say they will look out for poorerfamilies, but any plans haven't yet reached these grass roots. branwen jeffreys, bbc news, birmingham. british airways has warned its survival is at stake, saying jobs will be lost and planes grounded, due to the mass cancellation of flights. our business correspondent theo leggett is here. how much trouble is ba and because of the virus? the entire aviation industry is in a lot of trouble. alex cruz, the chief executive of british airways, part of one of the most powerful aviation groups in the world, saying this is the crisis the like of which the industry has never seen before, and he is not the only one saying it. other airline bosses are saying similar things. because of travel restrictions on many routes they simply can't fly, they've had to ground aircraft. grounded aircraft aren't making money, they are costing money. another other routes like across the

atla ntic another other routes like across the atlantic for example, passenger numbers are right down. in some cases, halved, so the revenues aren't coming in there either and that means something has to give and jobs may have to go. alex cruz made these comments in a video to staff members at british airways but there's another audience for this dorsal stuff, the government, and over the past 24—hour is the aviation industry in the uk has been lobbying hard for the government to give them support to help them weather the crisis before they can consider what sort of shape the industry will begin after it. theo leggett, thank you. calls to nhs helplines have more than doubled since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, with tens of thousands of us dialling in every day. but now, the government's advice is that if anyone has a high temperature or a new persistent cough, they should self—isolate or stay at home for seven days, and not call 111 first. people should only dial the helpline or their gp if symptoms are severe. here's our health correspondent, dominic hughes. hello, you're through to the nhs iii service.

it's been a busy few weeks at this nhs call centre in bolton. services like 111 and nhs 2a in scotland say they're receiving more than twice the normal number of calls, and the coronavirus epidemic is presenting health experts with a fast—moving situation. they no longer wish to provide any further swab testing at the moment. the advice we are all being offered on coronavirus has changed. now, we're being told that if you have a persistent cough or a fever, you should stay at home for at least seven days. you won't get tested, you don't need to call 111 and you certainly don't need to turn up at yourgp‘s surgery or a hospital. however, if you are still feeling unwell after seven days, or your symptoms worsen, then you should seek medical advice. just extremely hot and a horrible headache. elsa scales and her husband have been self—isolating, after falling ill following a trip to spain. she struggled to get through to the 111 service, and was then told she didn't need a test and will now

probably never get one. i'd like to know one way or another whether i have or i haven't got it, because i'm isolating now, until 22nd march at least. and if i haven't got it, is there any danger of me getting it again? because both of us, both my husband and i, are vulnerable adults with underlying health issues. more and more of us are likely to find ourselves isolating like elsa. this is where we are confined, which isn't a bad place to be confined. and that could present some logistical challenges. what that means, practically, is to stay about two metres or three steps away from anyone else that you live with, so that might mean sleeping in a different bed, and it will mean having your own crockery, cutlery, toothbrushes, etc. nhs officials say the information available on their dedicated web page should be the first port of call. but the likelihood is that as the epidemic builds, some of that advice will change too. dominic hughes, bbc news.

in ireland, the measures introduced to tackle the coronavirus outbreak are much stricter than in the uk. in the republic, all schools and colleges are closed until the end of the month. our special correspondent, ed thomas, looks at the different approaches on either side of the irish border. 3pm, and instead of the school run, just silence. ireland has woken up to isolation, an invisible virus that's changing lives. whoa! he attacked. how did you do that? danielle now stays at home with her sons, with a makeshift kitchen classroom and a sense of being alone. day—to—day life, we've completely hunkered down. we're not seeing friends, we're not seeing family. so, it's pretty isolating. i couldn't ask anybody to help, because... so you said to your family, stay away? i rang my dad this morning and i said, "listen, "i'm not going to see

you for 2—3 weeks." we were due to go and see them this weekend, and ijust said we will do a facetime. that's it, i'm not risking it. they're too precious. all schools and colleges are now closed. no face—to—face, all on audio. yeah, no face—to—face. for katie, a psychology student, lectures are online. a sudden end to her final year. it's quite saddening. you want to see your friends and just have a good college experience. so i feel that my college experience has been cut short because of trinity closing. but it has to be done. but this is the picture north of the border, in northern ireland. life and learning goes on. schools are trying to stay open for as long as they can. i feel the school is a safe environment for the children. there should be a consensus between both the north and the south, and there shouldn't be any division. and questions too from students at queen's university in belfast. the virus isn't going to stop at the border, is it? i think we should shut down.

shut down the schools because it will stop the spread of it. i'm from spain, actually, and, like, the universities are starting to close right now, so i don't know why they're not following. but the irish republic did act to slow the spread of the virus. the question for northern ireland may be not if, but when it follows. ed thomas, bbc news, dublin. now, let's take a look at some of the day's other top stories. the pilot of the plane that crashed killing the footballer emiliano sala wasn't licensed to fly the aircraft. the air accidents investigation branch has now published its findings into what happened. sala, who was 28, and pilot david ibbotson, died in the crash in the english channel, two days after the striker signed for cardiff city, in january last year. in the trial on sexual assault charges of scotland's former first minister, alex salmond, a worker for the snp has claimed he kissed her on both cheeks then tried to kiss her on the mouth. the witness, known as womanj,

said the alleged attack, shortly before the independence referendum in september 2014, had been "like an awful nightmare". mr salmond denies all 14 charges against him. the colleague of a police officer, killed after being dragged behind a carfor more than a mile, has told a court that pc andrew harper's feet were "whipped out from under him" as he ran after a suspect. pc andrew shaw had responded to a report of a stolen quad bike with pc harper in berkshire in august last year. the accused, henry long, who's i8, and two i7—year—olds, all deny murder. finally tonight, thousands of you have been sending in your questions all week on the coronavirus, from how to protect yourself, to what's being done to try and tackle it. 0ur health correspondent, catherine burns, has more details now. what's being done to create a vaccine for it and when's that likely to be available to the general public? sorry to say this, but don't expect a vaccine any time soon. we're looking at maybe

a year to 18 months. scientists around the world are working on this and some of them have reached a stage where they're doing trials on animals. the next stage, after that, would be human testing. but even if that all goes perfectly, once they've got a vaccine, they've got to mass produce it and that will take time. so what you might find is that they will prioritise certain groups first, for example, health workers. i'd like to know what effect the virus is having on people with asthma, and in particular on children with asthma? so, we're dealing with a respiratory infection here, which can, of course, make asthma symptoms worse. there is some advice on how to manage this, though. first of all, always make sure you're taking your preventer inhaler as you've been prescribed to do. make sure, as well, that you have your blue reliever inhaler with you in case you have some kind of flare—up. and if you do think coronavirus is making your asthma worse, get in touch with health professionals. you mentioned children there and there is some positive news here. they don't tend to be too badly affected by this virus.

i've been wearing a face mask in public spaces and i get funny looks, so what should i do — should i wear one to protect myself? i think we're all getting quite used now to seeing people walking down the street wearing face masks. but if you want to protect yourself, this is not the best way to do it. the evidence just isn't there to show that they're effective. so, the thing that we keep saying over and again is true — wash your hands, wash them well and wash them often. we're now at the stage where this isn't just about protecting yourself, but everyone else too. so, if you develop a temperature or get a new and persistent cough, it's time to self—isolate. officials say you must go home and stay there for a week. you can find out more about the symptoms of coronavirus and how to protect yourself on the bbc news app and our website, which is, of course, bbb.co.uk/news.

that's it. now on bbc one, time for the news where you are. have a very good night. hello and welcome to sportsday. i'm chetan pathak. football is suspended in the uk — there'll be no premier league, football league or scottish football until april at least — as sport is overtaken by coronavirus. the green jacket won't be passed as scheduled in april — as the masters is one of many global events postponed. but there is some sport still taking place — for now — al boum photo retained the gold cup on a well attended final day

at the cheltenham festival. welcome to the programme — it's the day coronavirus changed the sporting landscape. football in the uk has nowjoined other major sports around the world by suspending play. the premier league, the efl, the scottish premiership are all on hold as well as leagues in wales and northern ireland. there've been big announcements impacting golf, formula one and rugby union's six nations too. asjoe wilson reports. it all seems to matter so much and it all seems routine, whatever else occurred there would be champions, football and sport.

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