this is bbc news. i'm shaun ley. the headlines at 3: the health secretary, matt hancock, warns that measures to combat coronavirus will disrupt the lives of everybody, and older people and those with health conditions will be asked to stay at home. the protection of the vulnerable and elderly by asking them to stay away, to stay at home, that is in our action plan, but we do not want formally to say yet that people should do that. british companies are urged to join a "national effort" to produce more ventilators and other medical equipment "at speed". supermarkets urge shoppers not to buy more than they need, saying there is enough for everyone if people are considerate. the foreign office advises against "all but essential travel"

to the united states after president trump introduced a travel ban on the uk yesterday. woman speaks spanish on loudspeaker. and spanish police use drones with loudspeakers to tell people to go home. the foreign office advises against all but essential travel there too. hello, a very good afternoon. if you have just joined hello, a very good afternoon. if you havejustjoined us, welcome to bbc news. the health secretary, matt hancock, has warned that the measures the government will take to combat the coronavirus will disrupt the ordinary lives of almost everybody in the country. he confirmed that in the coming weeks people over 70 and vulnerable people would be asked to self—isolate, staying at home and cutting down contacts. here are the day's other main

developments: matt hancock said ministers would ask the nation's manufacturers to switch to the production of ventilators needed to treat people who develop severe symptoms. more doctors would be trained in their use. supermarkets in the uk are urging customers not to panic buy during the outbreak. they say there is plenty of food available. and the foreign office has advised against all but essential travel to the united states following the us government announcement imposing restrictions on travel from the uk. the foreign office is also advising against all but essential travel to spain, and the balearic and ca nary islands. easyjet is the latest airline to cancel all flights to spain, beginning tuesday. ryanair is also limiting the number of flights to the country. here's our political correspondent, nick eardley. for weeks now we have all been told to wash our hands more, but the government is increasing its response to coronavirus. already, if you have a persistent cough or fever you are to stay at home and new measures could be coming soon.

many of them will be focused on those most at risk, in particular the elderly. they could soon be asked to shield themselves from the virus by staying away from other people for months. protection of the vulnerable and elderly by asking them to stay away, to stay at home, that is in our action plan, but we do not want formally to say yet that people should do that, and the reason for that is simply this length of time that they would need to stay self isolated, stay at home, to protect themselves, it is a very big ask. it is a very long time. the scottish government says its plans for the elderly focus on reducing contact rather than complete isolation but soon families are likely to be asked to isolate together, too, if someone in a household show symptoms. engineers will be asked to produce as many ventilators as possible. the government needs more

and has said it will buy as many as can be produced. there are also plans to take over beds in private hospitals if the nhs comes under too much pressure. i think this response is going to be one of the biggest challenges that our generation faces. some questions are being asked about the response, though, including about the idea immunity can be built up by protecting the most vulnerable while others get a mild illness. ministers say that is not the plan, despite the government's chief scientist suggesting it was part of the approach. labour wants more information about how decisions are being reached. we do that not to undermine the government, because we want the government's strategy to succeed, but it is important we can all reassure ourselves the government is taking the correct approach. the prime minister is holding talks with officials this afternoon. emergency legislation will be published in the coming days and new measures are likely to be introduced soon. our political correspondent

jessica parker is here. in terms of the scale of this, it is still quite hard to grasp because it is constantly moving. presumably meetings continue over the weekend in whitehall, phone conversations between the uk government, the scottish government, the welsh government and the northern ireland executive, all different moving parts, and trying to keep everybody calm and focused on sensible precautions at the right time? yes, you have a few different elements in play, you have the number of stories and lines coming in from all over the world as countries take different and very drastic approaches for how they deal with the virus. you have quite a lot of speculation and varying reports as to what might happen here and then you have the official line is coming from the government. we know borisjohnson met coming from the government. we know boris johnson met with officials coming from the government. we know borisjohnson met with officials in downing street yesterday and we understand he is doing that again today. one of the problems has been

over the last 24—48 hours, the issue on messaging. during a public health crisis, communication becomes incredibly important. people need to know what is going on and this thing about the over 70s being asked to stay at home, that was spilling out yesterday through some briefings, there were reports about it and matt hancock was asked about it today, saying more on that within weeks, but i would imagine, from the perspective of the government, it is not ideal to have it spilling out from unsourced briefings and the health secretary not being too specific about when it might happen and as nick hardly mentioned, there is the variance with what the scottish government are saying on theissue, scottish government are saying on the issue, they are saying that elderly people could be asked to reduce social contact but not pushing the message they could be asked to stay at home altogether. as matt hancock was saying, it could be four months if it did come to pass, which is a really big

challenge? yes, four months is the figure that has been reported on quite widely. i have not heard him say four months specifically but he did not push back on that either and it is a big ask for a long time, he said. the government has been repeatedly suggesting they do not want to go too fast with the more drastic measures because they think people might tire of it and the measures will become less effective if people stop taking them seriously. there is an opposite view that if drastic measures are needed they need to be implemented quickly and fast but i think we are going to get more from the government this week. you will get this emergency legislation said to be published. i would expect to hear more about the plan to ban mass gatherings. —— set. there has been a slight difference with scotland, saying that gatherings of more than 500 people should be stopped this week. thank you very much.

dr maxjonas is a consultant in intensive care medicine at the university hospital of southampton. hejoins me now from southampton. thank you very much for being with us on bbc news. let me ask you first of all if you can explain to us the value that a ventilator might have in treating somebody with severe symptoms from coronavirus? of course. about one in 20 people who are infected with the virus will require some form of enhanced critical care, and some of those will need help breathing and that is where the ventilator comes in. the ventilator is just a sophisticated device for helping gas getting into the lungs and helping it to get out as well. where you at all surprised by the figure that was announced today that at present the uk has about 5000 ventilators available? today that at present the uk has about 5000 ventilators available7m does not surprise me. we have not beenin does not surprise me. we have not

been in this situation before. 5000, for what we would be currently using them for, would probably be a surplus but the situation has changed because we have a virus that attacks the respiratory system in people that need intensive care, so we are short and we will need to do something about that.|j we are short and we will need to do something about that. i do not know if you can answer this question but i will put it to you and you can tell me sharply if you cannot. is it possible for manufacturers of other goods of this kind, basically electronically operated, but have a certain number of moving specialist parts, is it possible for them to turn to production of this because my understanding is that there is not a domestic manufacturer of ventilators? there is not a domestic manufacturer but i imagine that certain manufacturers in the uk can make parts. all the ventilators that i know, and i have been to several production lines, they are built on

a production line in germany, switzerland and america and they have parts from other countries that are bolted in any production line fashion. the important thing is to go back to the 1940s, the 1950s, the uk led the way in creating bits of equipment, and they got when problems by putting bicycle gears into ventilators. there is innovation. you can do that. if you look at the manufacturers quoted, rolls—royce makes systems for delivering gas into aeroplanes, which is how we fly at 30,000 feet, so they have experience and hopefully giving the blueprint, they can produce something that is as rugged as a gcb and as luxurious as a rolls—royce. rugged as a gcb and as luxurious as a rolls- royce. that rugged as a gcb and as luxurious as a rolls-royce. that would be a good combination. —— jcb. can

a rolls-royce. that would be a good combination. ——jcb. can you a rolls-royce. that would be a good combination. —— jcb. can you talk about plans for dealing with an access number of cases, rather than what would be the case forjust flow? everybody has pointed out that this is different to influenza. we are naive to this. we have not seen it before. i think the important thing about all of this, and i know that there are political aspects and people saying other things, it is to have one clear voice. my confidence comes from the fact that chris whitty is a genealogist used to dealing with infectious diseases. he will be told by history but we could not be in better hands if we get it right. that is the first thing. we have got to recognise the nhs is only part of the issue. it is also down to the population not only

relying on the nhs, but the nhs will relying on the nhs, but the nhs will rely on the population. they have got to do the things that make it safer, isolating and washing their hands, and the other things, we will have to see how it develops but i am hopeful if the strategies which chris whitty and have —— and his tea m chris whitty and have —— and his team have sorted out, we will be able to decrease the peaks to allow us to spread the site. that is sketching out to some extent where we might be going. thejourney we are on is one that lots of people would find difficult to grasp because we do not get these kinds of major public health emergencies in this country that often. what sort of advice are you offering, friends, patients, about how to mentally deal with what is going to be a long period of heightened stress? that is a really good question. ifind it difficult. i am over 60 and i have other issues so i am in a higher risk group myself. my view on this

is if we are sensible and we work together and a lot of people have compared this to world war ii and the blackouts, we need to work together as a country, which is really important, we need to help ourselves and help others, but what i think is important is you socially distance yourself if you're worried about contact and you are in a higher risk group, and by that i mean more than two metres, you wash your hands frequently if you touch things which you have picked up, and just the basics like that will reduce the number of transmissions. we are still not entirely clear about the transmission mode of this virus, but i believe if we are sensible as a population and work together and do not panic buy and do all the things which are inevitable because of the anxiety raised by the communications to date, we will get through it, and ifeel that the message, especially to the elderly because i have seen publications out there, the nhs will do everything we

can to adapt and over, and have a bed for any patient that comes through and i think if chris whitty gets it right and we follow his advice and do not have political interference, actually we will get through this. dr max jonas, that is a good, upbeat point to end this interview on. thank you for being with us this afternoon on bbc news. i hope we get a chance to speak again soon. to get more on the impact of the virus on travel, our correspondentjenny kumah is at heathrow. it isa it is a place people are spending a bit longer in, some people at least, than they were hoping to, i would imagine. you've been talking to passengers about frustrations for those who are not going away. there must be frustration with the uncertainty of people coming home. what sort of disruption is their at heathrow at the moment? this is having a massive impact, in

particular flights to and from spain have been hard hit this weekend. a number of airlines have announced they will be either reducing flights to spain or stopping them altogether, so today, for example, ryanair say they will be reducing flights from midnight today, through to midnight on thursday. we also had easyj et to midnight on thursday. we also had easyjet this weekend saying it will cancel flights for the rest of the months from tuesday. it is running a normal service up until then but they will be operating a number of return flights. further afield, they will be operating a number of return flights. furtherafield, more disruption is anticipated as the us government has said it will be banning travellers from the uk and republic of ireland. that ban comes into force in the early hours of tuesday morning. today, we have heard the foreign office is advising against travel to the us, in all but

emergencies. lots of airlines very concerned about the impact this is having also on their businesses, particularly with those flights to the united states being vital rates to their business. one more thought, if there is any possibility of compensation for travellers. a lot of people will end up travellers. a lot of people will end up having to spend extra money, but equally there is currently abroad, who can't actually get home at the moment but what sort of help might be available for them? it very much depends on the airline and your insurance policy so the advice is to check with the airline and they will ta ke check with the airline and they will take their cue from the foreign office. if the advice is to only travel in an emergency, you have to check if you are insured and covered for that. the airlines are saying in

the meantime that they are struggling, calling on the government to offer them financial support. today the trade body airlines uk called on the government to stop its prevarication and bean counting and the government says it is working with the sector to support workers, businesses and passengers and they say they have done things like influence of the eu commission to relax flights and they said the treasury stands ready to help all businesses including the airline industry impacted by the coronavirus. jenny kumah in heathrow, thank you very much. in spain, where nearly 300 people have now died, a state of emergency is in force. for the next 15 days, people will be confined to their homes, apart from going to work or shopping forfood or medicines. kathryn stanczyszyn reports. another european capital city almost deserted. spain has declared a lockdown, meaning people are banned from leaving home except for buying essential supplies and medicine, orfor work if they can't do so remotely. authorities have decided to use

drones to encourage those out on the street to return to their houses. schools are shut, museums and sports venues closed, and restaurants and cafes can only do home deliveries, a huge adjustment for society. a week ago, we were fine. we were all dancing, partying, out on the streets, and, within seven days, we are now confined to our homes. so this is something very serious to consider, and the spanish culture is to be outside, so it's very hard for people. the uk has advised against all but essential travel to spain, but british citizens there already are being allowed to fly home. with 191 deaths, spain is europe's worst—hit country after italy, with confirmed cases rising by 1500 injust 2a hours. italy has now recorded more than moo deaths. it began a nationwide lockdown almost a week ago. yesterday, there were coordinated outpourings of gratitude

across spain and italy for health professionals battling the coronavirus. the state of emergency in spain will last for two weeks. it could be extended as the spread of coronavirus continues. kathryn stanczyszyn, bbc news. away from spain, other european countries are bringing in new restictions to combat the spread of the virus. france has announced the closure of all public places that are non—essential to public life. that includes restaurants, cafes and cinemas. long—distance train, plane and bus travel is going to be progressively reduced over the coming days. local elections have taken place across the country today, although turnout appears down by 5%. germany is to close its borders with france, austria and switzerland tomorrow, although goods and commuters will be able to cross between the countries.

in austria itself, where around 800 cases have been reported, gatherings of more than five people have been banned. and in the vatican, the pope will carry out the traditional easter week celebrations without worshippers because of the pandemic. us airports have been thrown into chaos as new coronavirus health screening measures for people returning from mainland europe come into force. long queues formed as travellers waited for hours for the screenings before passing through customs. the uk government is advising against all but essential travel to the united states. president trump has tested negative for the coronavirus, the white house says. mr trump underwent a test days after hosting a meeting at his florida resort with a brazilian delegation, some of whom had the virus. several cruise ships are reported to have casesof suspected coronavirus.

more than 600 british passengers are on board the braemar, which is off the coast of the bahamas. 20 guests are in isolation, having shown flu—like symptoms, after five people tested positive for covid—i9. there are also 20 crew members who are isolated, including a doctor. the foreign office is working with fred olsen cruise lines to help bring uk citizens home from the vessel. supermarkets are urging shoppers to stop stockpiling during the coronavirus outbreak. the british retail consortium is asking customers not to buy more than they need as our business correspondent katy austin reports. queues outside supermarkets and shelves emptied of essentials like loo roll, hand wash and long—life foods show many shoppers have not heeded the official advice that there is no need to stockpile. people at this store in london felt there had been an overreaction. there's no nappies, toilet paper, nothing, nothing. so it's going to be a struggle.

i think that somebody needs to put kind of a cosh on it and say, you can only take so much. it's a little bit over the top, frankly. one of my friends said, like, you've got to get bog roll, tea bags, and i was like, why? don't know, she's frightened me, so i've come out to get it all. supermarkets have had to adapt quickly by speeding up supplies, increasing warehouse space and they're running online delivery services at full capacity. they are also being allowed to extend their delivery hours, but still many shops are limiting the purchases of the most in—demand products. here at aldi, customers are being asked not to buy more than four of anything. now they've written to customers, asking them to be considerate in the way they shop, telling them that buying more than is needed can sometimes mean others will be left without. shoppers are reassured, though, there is enough for everyone if we all work together. the risk is that we alljust buy that little bit more than we actually need, and, if we all did that, then that would cause more of a problem in terms of making sure that we've got the right supplies

coming through the system. today's letter is a plea to all customers to stop panic buying for fear of overstretching the system and leaving the most vulnerable without what they need. katy austin, bbc news. a group of voluteers is working to ensure vulnerable elderly people confined to their homes by coronavirus in porthcawl are not forgotten. they aim to drop off essentials and offer emotional support over the phone to people in isolation, relieving some of the pressure on local gps and the nhs. madeleine moon is one of the founders. i asked what gave her the idea. i was thinking of this because i had done a lot of work when i was working in defence around resilience planning. and keery marlow, who's a local retired police officer and community activist, had been thinking of it two streets away. —— kerry marlow. we came together and we have had a fantastic response from meetings at the surgery,

talking to church representatives, talking to the local veterans‘ hub. everybody is keen to do this and one of things we can do is take some of the pressure off the supermarkets. we can have local volunteers, perhaps some of our younger citizens in the town, going to the supermarket and picking up orders and delivering them. we are setting up a system which we are trying to make absolutely safe and secure for people so that scammers cannot get in. because of course a lot of people who will be knocking on the door, because it's a volunteer scheme, will be strangers, people they haven't met before, and there is always the potential for that to be exploited, isn't there? there is, and what we are saying is that there will not be any money transferred between the volunteers and the people we are supporting. for example, we will not be touching any of the restricted drugs. so any pharmacy visits, where we pick up medication,

it is going to be medication that it is safe for a volunteer to walk through the streets with and leave outside somebody‘s house. we will not be doing interaction on a personal basis. it will be a case of a knock on the door, confirming yourfood is here, your medication is here, and then the person will back away while they watch and see that the person receiving it pick it up so we know it has gone inside and will not be stolen. it sounds like a great idea and presumably you're also encouraging things like phone contact, skype and things like that? it can be hard enough living on your own when you are elderly, and this will be that much harder with all the uncertainty and potential panic and people's general unease which is a natural reaction to an unpredictable situation like this? the important thing about this

is it is not one person doing it. kerry is doing amazing stuff, because he has the technical expertise and he's got people working with him doing that. we have people who are going to organise on a ward basis, so the volunteers won't be roaming all across porthcawl, they'll be walking from the political ward basis, so they are more likely to be people that you would know anyway. i am sorry to interrupt you, it's a great idea and more power to your elbow. i hope other communities will think on these lines and perhaps we will see a network of contacts developing between communities. briefly, if people want to find you in the porthcawl area, how do they make contact? we have a porthcawl response to coronavirus facebook page that kerry has set up and basically, what will happen is the surgery will direct people to us.

that was madeleine moon talking about a new volunteer service they're working on in porthcawl to help those self—isolating to pensioners who may need extra support while they are inside. a pill which prevents the transmission of the hiv virus will become available on the nhs in england from next month. prep, taken daily, stops hiv being passed on through unprotected sex. the pill is already free in scotland to people who are at the highest risk of contracting the virus. i was iwasa i was a little early when i went to the weather but i can go to it now with darren now. hello, as the sky is clear and winds dropped there was a frost on the way for many tonight, some rain to clear from the south—east, showers following tend to die out. but the cloud will probably move south away from scotland into northern england and eastern england and that should just about keep temperatures above freezing. frost is more likely

elsewhere with lowest temperatures in scotland. for many, it starts dry and sunny on monday, the cloud breaking up in northern and eastern england but it will increase in scotla nd england but it will increase in scotland and northern ireland as the wind picks up and we have some rain in during the afternoon. still dry for england and wales after the cold start with some sunshine, temperatures up to ii or 12 degrees. on tuesday in the rain in the north will be much lighter as it heads into england and wales but it will return more steadily and heavier in northern ireland and western scotland. in east england, thanks to a south—westerly wind, temperatures could reach 14 or 15.

hello, this is bbc news with shaun ley. the headlines: the health secretary warns that measures to combat coronavirus will disrupt the lives of everybody

and older people and those with health conditions will be asked to stay at home. the protection of the vulnerable and elderly by asking them to stay away, to stay at home, that is in our action plan, but we do not want formally to say yet that people should do that. british companies are urged to join a "national effort" to produce more ventilators and other medical equipment "at speed". supermarkets urge shoppers not to buy more than they need, saying there is enough for everyone if people are considerate. the foreign office advises against "all but essential travel" to the united states after president trump introduced a travel ban on the uk yesterday. man speaks spanish on loudspeaker. and spanish police use drones with loudspeakers to tell people to go home. the foreign office advises against all but essential travel there too.