welcome to bbc news. i'm maryam moshiri. our top stories: spain and france follow italy in announcing sweeping emergency restrictions on citizens to combat the spread of coronavirus. american airlines cuts three quarters of its international routes as passengers stay put through the pandemic. in the philippines blockades and cu rfews affect in the philippines blockades and curfews affect millions in the capital as cases plus 100. travel constrictions in place as they tried to stop the spread of covid—19. —— restrictions. and we look at the impact covid—19 is having on religious practice around the world.

hello and welcome to bbc news. european countries are continuing to take extraordinary steps to try and stop the spread of the coronavirus. measures on a scale not seen before in peace—time are coming into force. in spain there's a nationwide poartial lockdown for the next 15 days, while in france all cafes, restraura nts, cinemas and most shops have been ordered to remain shut. this report from rich preston. bells toll. three of europe's biggest economies have imposed national lockdowns. spain is europe's second worst hit country, with more than 190 deaths in more than 3000 infections. and has now declared a state of emergency. cafes a nd restau ra nts will only be able to carry

out home deliveries. for the next two weeks, people have been told to stay at home unless they are going to work or buying food or medicine. maria begona gomez fernandez, the wife of the spanish prime minister pedro sanchez, pictured here with her husband last year, has tested positive for the virus. 0n the streets, cheers of support for health workers going to work and caring for the sick. at the stroke of midnight, sweeping new restrictions came into force across france. public places described as non—essential forcibly shut, including cinemas, cafes and nightclubs. the traditional french bistro, an integral part of the country's cultural identity, closed. more than 90 people in france have died of coronavirus and authorities say this is the only way to prevent mass fatalities. translation: i am aware of the efforts and sacrifices that are required and i have

confidence in the ability of frenchmen and women to understand the seriousness of the moment and to adopt together the civic, responsible and supportive behaviour which will enable us to overcome this crisis. despite the logged on local elections are going ahead. the prime minister calling for people to come out and vote but to do so sensibly and keeping a safe distance away from others. italy remains europe's worst—hit country with over 1,400 deaths. its national lockdown has been in place for nearly a week but the number of cases and fatalities keeps rising. on friday, the world health 0rganization said europe was now the epicentre of the covid—19 outbreak, a virus which started in china and which in just ten weeks has spread around the world and killed thousands of people. rich preston, bbc news. the world's largest airline by passenger volume, american airlines, is to cut three quarters

of its international flights because of the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic. the reduction will begin on monday and continue until may 6. american says the changes will mean parking almost its entire widebody fleet — about 135 aircraft. short—haul flights will continue as scheduled. 0ur news correspondent simon jones has more. american airlines transport around 200 million passengers each year. now it is effectively saying three quarters of its services will go because it will no longer fly to destinations like europe, after president trump initiated a banner saying people from mainland europe, the uk and ireland cannot travel to the us. so a lot of the players will be grounded. they will take a big financial hit over this and it will happen very soon. it will begin on monday and those players will not take to the air

all of april and reassess the situation at the beginning of may. you have analysed here in the uk, for example, same to the uk, for example, same to the government, if you do not give us immediate financial support, when we get to the end of this crisis, they may not be much left of the airline industry. easyjet, one of the major operators, which runs to many european destinations overnight, we have had the foreign office saying we should not go to spain. 18 million people go to spain each year. that would be a big hit for them and now they are saying they are going to stop flights from spain is simply have rescue flight to bring british people back home. you mention the usa but lots of countries putting forward restrictions on travel and that is having an impact on travel. absolutely, for people who want to go on holiday, for people who want to get home, it is a boring time

because they are not sure whether the flies will operate at all. for the airline industry this is an enormous hit. many are finding it difficult generally without this coronavirus problem, struggling to get by and the airline industry is saying we need help otherwise there will not be a service when things get sorted out. president trump's doctor says his test for coronavirus has come back negative. a letter released to the media explained the president agreed after having an in—depth discussion with his doctor and that it was a week after he met with brazil's president, some of whose entourage had tested positive. meanwhile, as the country tries to limit the spread of covid—19, a first death has been recorded in the southern state of louisiana, while georgia will suspend its presidential primaries from this month until may. 0ur washington correspondent, jane 0'brien, reports. a new sense of urgency in the us, as more than 500 additional cases are confirmed and the death toll rises to 50.

testing is being ramped up, and for donald trump, it has become personal. facing criticism after being exposed to an infected person several days ago, he says he is now being tested. after a slow and at times mixed response, americans are reeling from the rapid disruption to their lives. many are stockpiling food and medicine and confronting social restrictions. museums have closed and gatherings are limited. there are few economic safety nets in the us, and millions of americans have no health insurance. lawmakers have passed emergency measures offering paid sick leave and free testing. most people without symptoms, or asymptomatic, aren't being tested, and could still be spreading the disease. until you really understand how many people are asymptomatic, and asymptomatically passing the virus on, we think it's better for the entire american public to know that the risk

of serious illness may be low, but they could be potentially spreading the virus to others. the impact is perhaps being felt most in the cities, which are starting to empty. the administration says there are no immediate plans to restrict domestic travel, but the president says it is being considered. in such a vast country, that would have been unthinkablejust a few days ago. but this is the new reality, as america shuts down. jane 0'brien, bbc news around thirteen million people living in metropolitan manila, in the philippines, are now under strict new rules set by the government to slow the spread of covid—19. president rodrigo duterte's "lockdown" comes as the country confirmed it has 111 cases of the novel coronavirus resulting in 8 deaths. 0ur reporter in manila, howard johnson, has been to see the blockade in action. this is a checkpoint on the southern tip

of metro manila, this city of some 13 million people. two days ago, president rodrigo duterte announced there would be a lockdown on this city to try to stop the spread of covid—19. today we are seeing it enforced. the last two days we saw an exodus of people leaving the city prompting questions about whether it was a good idea to have these two days to allow people to leave, perhaps they could spread the virus around the country. that's the question being asked but we are seeing police officers handing out these leaflets with all the advice about washing hands and social distancing and also testing people's temperatures on this checkpoint. if they are not showing a temperature above 38 degrees, they are allowed to pass, noting where they are going to but it seems contrary to the idea of having a lockdown on the city, people are being allowed to leave here today unless they have symptoms of covid—19. and howard, the country has confirmed it has 111 cases of the

virus, doesn't it? what happened around a month ago is we saw the first three cases in this country. this is the country where we saw the first death outside of china and there was a month where nothing much really happened. people here lulled into a sense of security and then people here lulled into a false sense of security and then in the last week, we've seen the numbers spike up to 111 as you say, the number of deaths here as well which is causing concern and the fear is there has been under—reporting due to lack of testing, not enough test kits here in this country. last week, 2000, they are buying in more test kits and being more proactive with the testing rather than waiting for people to come with symptoms, to display those symptoms. that's what's being going on here. there is concern the numbers could rise here in the coming weeks. what about closing bars, restaurants, clubs, things we've seen in major european cities and countries.

there is a document going around this week from the government, there will be curfews in places in parts of the city from 8pm till 5am in the morning. no mass gatherings, no cinemas, no screenings allowed anymore. shops will be allowed to sell food and on line services to get the goods to people but there is a restriction of movement in this city and if there seems to be an outbreak in an area, that area will come under special lock down and an even tighter lockdown in the particular area. they will put all of their resources into working out where the accused and people will be quarantined in their homes and we will see tougher measures of movement in those areas. australia's prime minister has announced that anyone arriving into the country will face a mandatory 14—day self—isolation. he also said cruise ships from foreign ports will not be allowed to dock for 30 days.

the measures will come into effect from midnight on sunday. all people coming to australia will be required — will be required, i stress dash to self isolate for 1h days. required, i stress dash to self isolate for 14 days. this is very important. what we have seenin very important. what we have seen in recent weeks is more countries having issues with the virus and that means the source of those transmissions are coming from more and more countries. our bands have been very effective to date and what this will ensure is that particularly australians, with the majority of people coming back in, they self isolation for 14 days will do an effective job flattening the curve as we go forward. similarly in relation to cruise

ships. in specific cases where we have australians on a cruise ships will bespoke arrangements which we put in place under the command of the australian border force to ensure the releva nt border force to ensure the relevant protections are put in place. we are seeking to assist australians come home by ensuring flights continue to run but when they come home they will spend 14 days in self isolation. the australian prime minister scott morrison. in the united kingdom, more than 200 scientists have sent a letter to the government criticising its coronavirus strategy. there are over 1,100 confirmed cases here, and 21 deaths. but, prime minister boris johnson hasn't closed schools or introduced travel restrictions. big public gatherings are still allowed and there is no advice to work from home. people with mild symptoms won't be tested but instead are being asked to stay at home. sophie hutchinson has more. on your marks... get set... go! a large group of runners out today, keeping fit, but the question now

is for how much longer? concerns about the coronavirus mean the government may ban mass gatherings. it is understood the measure could be brought in as early as next week in order to free up emergency services to deal with the virus. the evidence tells us that stopping mass gatherings does not have a huge impact on the spread of the virus but, for example, the decision has been taken in some countries because of the impact on public services and because when you have a mass gathering, that draws on the police and the ambulance service who need to support it. today, the death toll in the uk jumped, almost doubling from 11 to 21 people. all those who lost their lives were in the at—risk groups — aged over 60 or with underlying conditions. there are now more than 1,100 confirmed cases in the uk. one of them is a newborn baby and its mother, but officials believe the true figure could be as many as 10,000. the world health organization has raised serious concerns about the uk's strategy

to allow enough people to be infected with the virus who then recover, in order to build up so—called herd immunity. meanwhile, hundreds of scientists have written to the government, urging them to introduce tougher measures to stop the virus spreading and warning of the risks of a lack of action, and other experts agree. the uk government response has, in my view, placed the country at a considerably higher risk of becoming the next domino to fall in the series of outbreaks that we have seen around the world. just remember this — if you cut your number of contacts in half, then you have cut in half the number of opportunities the virus has to transmit. if everybody were to do that, then there would be a chance of slowing the infection to the extent that you would not be overwhelming the nhs. do you know the national anthem? shall we sing it? the government has announced it is developing plans for more new ventilators to be produced as quickly as possible and said the nhs will buy up beds in private hospitals to boost capacity. it has insisted its approach is the best way to keep

the public safe, and stressed those with a dry cough and a fever should self isolate. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: we look at the impact coronavirus is having on religious practice around the world. today, we have closed the book on apartheid and that chapter. more than 3,000 subway passengers were affected. nausea, bleeding, headaches and a dimming of vision — all of this caused by an apparently organised attack. the trophy itself was on the pedestal in the middle of the cabinet here. now, this was an international trophy, and we understand now that the search for it

has become an international search. above all, this was a triumph for the christian democrats of the west, offering reunification as quickly as possible, and that's what the voters wanted. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: spain and france follow italy in announcing emergency restrictions on citizens to combat the coronavirus pandemic. american airlines cuts three quarters of its international routes as passengers stay put through the pandemic. more now on the spanish government's decision to impose a national lockdown to try to control the spread of the coronavirus. that development coincided with news that the prime minister's wife and two female cabinet ministers tested positive

for the virus after taking part in an international women's day march in madrid last weekend. miguel murado is a freelance journalist in madrid and he told me more about how the country is responding to the crisis. in the last 48 hours, there has been talk of people understanding this in the wrong way, as if this were a holiday, going to the coastal towns in spain, spreading the disease, u nfortu nately. but i think this is going very quickly and people are beginning to understand, i think, the majority of people understand now, the seriousness of the threat on the fact that the numbers are going up and that the decisions made by the government are so harsh, i think, will convince whoever is not convinced yet that they have to take care of themselves. and of course, the wife of the spanish prime minister has tested positive

for coronavirus, having been on a huge demonstration last sunday? i mean, that's pretty big news isn't it? yes, this is going to be controversial because that huge demonstration on sunday because of women's day was seen by many voices were warning this was a mistake. that those demonstrations are typically very big in spain and that maybe people could get infected. the government allowed it to go ahead and even encouraged people tojoin in the demonstration and even sent all the female cabinet ministers to the head of the demonstration and now as it happens two of those female ministers have tested positive and now the wife of the prime minister, who was also at the head of the demonstration, has also tested positive. so this is, in a way, a blow to the credibility of the government. also it means that the prime minister will have to be quarantined. but i think more generally, and leaving aside

all these debates and controversies, it shows how far the virus has gone and the fact that people you know, that people that are famous are getting it in such huge numbers, it means that it is already everywhere. how about you on a personal level, how worried you about what is happening in spain, right now? because i imagine the way of life obviously is so different, everything is so different, so difficult for so many people? well, i am one of those convinced that it is important to stay at home. those of us who have small children, well, that it is a little bit more difficult. i have a four—year—old, he does not understand what is going on, he wants to play in the street and i tell him he can't. i have been reporting from wars and so i am not a stranger to curfews that this is completely different. there is an eerie feeling. i mean, of course, curfews in war zones very terrible

things but in this case, the fact that you do not see the danger, that the danger is anywhere, the people crossing the street and cough could give you the virus, that anything you touch could get you infected, this is a very, very strange feeling and one that i have not experienced. i am not worried about myself, i am worried about my family, i worry about my mother who is an elderly person. this is the people i think we should be most worried about because for most of us hopefully it will be the mild symptoms of the disease that we will suffer but for some people it is extremely dangerous so we have to take care of them. let's get some of the day's other news. in central and eastern africa, rwanda, kenya, ethiopia and sudan, are among the countries to have confirmed their first cases. and morocco, has suspended air and sea links with france and spain, and banned any public gatherings of more than 50 people. in israel, restaurants,

shopping centres, gyms and hotels will be shut down from sunday morning in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. gatherings of over ten people have also been banned. in the west bank, the palestinian authority has asked worshippers to avoid mosques and churches and pray at home instead. the state news agency in kuwait is reporting that all malls, except for those selling food, are being closed. and the tech giant apple has announced its closing all its retail stores outside china for two weeks, in response to the outbreak. the firm, which has dozens of outlets around the uk, says it's willing to do what ever it takes, to prevent the spread of the virus. the coronavirus is also having an impact on religious practice around the world. pope francis is delivering his wednesday and sunday addresses only via video link. churches and mosques in bethlehem are closed for at least the next two weeks, and the saudi arabian government is restricting access to the holy city of mecca. 0ur religion editor,

martin bashir, reports. fanfare. easter sunday last year, and more than 100,000 pilgrims gather in rome. bells toll. but the church of st peter, which for centuries has welcomed saints and sinners, is now closed, and it may stay that way this easter. so what of the catholic church in england and wales? if we here, in this country, are asked to close churches for the celebration of mass, i will say yes, people should not come to mass. but yes, the churches should remain open so that people can go and pray, and yes, i will ask priests to continue to celebrate mass, even if they do it on their own. and everyone was singing along to all the songs... the church's wider ministry is also being impacted. for almost 65 years, the hosanna house and pilgrimage trust has taken

disabled children to lourdes in france every easter. it is the catholic church's oldest and largest pilgrimage, but it is not happening this year. it was very difficult having to pick up that phone and having to ring a family and explain the reasons why the pilgrimage wasn't going to be taking place. for a lot of these children, this could be the first holiday that they have ever had. for the families, this could be the only respite care that they receive. coronavirus does not discriminate, and for muslims, the hajj pilgrimage to mecca, which attracts over 2 million pilgrims in july, is also now in jeopardy. qari asim, an imam in leeds, is preparing worshippers for potential disappointment. as a person of faith, i believe that my god wants me to not only protect my own

self, but also protect the lives of others. and if that means postponing a particular obligation due to circumstances beyond my control, then i am following the message of god, you know, by not performing that particular religious obligation. back in rome, the annual delivery of flowers from the netherlands used to decorate st peter's on easter sunday has been cancelled, signalling the possibility that, for the first time in modern history, this year's open—air mass will not take place. martin bashir, bbc news. wright stein has introduced a 15 day self isolation period. the wife of the prime minister has tested positive for

coronavirus. hello. well, the weather's going to be a little hit—and—miss early on sunday morning. some of us will need our brollies, for sure. but it won't be long before the sun comes out and actually, for many of us, sunday is going to end up being a pretty decent day with at least some sunshine. now, currently a weather system is barrelling across the uk. it has brought rain to scotland and some other western parts of the uk, certainly through the early hours of sunday morning. you can see the rainfall here falling across parts of wales, the south—west of england, and scotland and northern ireland too. but two different wind directions. 0ne coming across the north across scotland, so here it's colder. also a little bit of wintriness across the highlands. here, the winds are blowing out of the south—west, so it's quite a bit milder. so i think a mild start for much of england and wales, but scotland and northern

ireland will feel a little more chilly early on sunday. now, you can see the various areas of rain crossing the country, so this is a weather front that will bring some rain around lunchtime in the south—east and east anglia. showers in scotland, but the vast majority of the uk sunday afternoon enjoying a fine day. if it won't be clear blue skies, at least the weather is looking dry and bright. now, monday, two things happening on the weather front. 0n the one hand, we've got high pressure building in from the south—west. 0n the other, there's a low pressure lurking close to iceland. but the high pressure will be more dominant across the uk on monday, and early scenes outside of town probably looking something like this, so some mist, some frost around. crisp, sunny, calm conditions on monday. certainly across england and wales, across much of eastern scotland too. but early in the morning, we'll start to see weather fronts affecting — or a weather front affecting — western scotland and northern ireland here, and stronger winds, so very different weather here. but the vast majority of the uk, i think a fine day on monday, beautiful sunshine on the way. and then, monday night into tuesday, that weather front‘s going to slip a little bit further south. in fact, it's trailing out into the atlantic here, and there's another

sort of pulse of rain running along it. so that does mean that we're expecting some rainfall to reach, again, north—western areas during the course of tuesday. perhaps a bit more cloud overall across the uk on tuesday. i think the sunniest spots will be in the south and in the east, but look at these temperatures. these are south—westerly winds, 15—16 degrees tuesday for some of us. monday and tuesday will feel like spring. and then, towards the end of the week and into next week, it's not necessarily going to turn that warm but the winds will die down, the sun will come out, and we have a high pressure, with crisp weather on the way.

this is bbc news, the headlines: spain's prime minister, pedro sanchez, has banned people from leaving home unless they need to buy essential supplies and medicines or to go

to work. it comes as his wife maria tests positive for covid—19. the country is europe's worst hit state after italy. france has brought in strict measures after seeing a sharp rise in infections. prime minister edouard philippe has ordered bars, clubs, cafes a nd restau ra nts, cinemas and most shops to close. as many people as possible are being asked to work from home while schools will close from monday until further notice. the world's largest airline by passenger volume, american airlines, is to cut three quarters of its international flights because of the downturn caused by coronavirus. the reduction will begin on monday and continue until may—the—sixth. american says the changes will mean parking almost its entire widebody fleet. now it's time for a look back at the week in parliament.