coronavirus deaths rise as the government says future advice could keep older people in their homes. within weeks, those over 70 or with certain conditions could be asked to isolate themselves for a long period. it's going to be a national effort, and i don't mean those words lightly. i mean every single person in this country is going to be affected and going to have to do things. but as stockpiling continues, supermarkets urge people not to panic buy. in the last hour, six central banks,

including the bank of england, have coordinated action on the economic effect of the virus. also tonight: spain begins a state of near lockdown, with people only allowed out of their homes to work, buy food or get medical care. and how the outbreak is affecting religious services, including at the vatican. good evening. the government's said that in the coming weeks it will advise people over the age of 70 and those with underlying health conditions to stay at home for up to four months in order to protect themselves from coronavirus. the health secretary, matt hancock, has also appealed to the manufacturing industry, asking if production lines could be

switched towards making extra ventilators for the nhs. today, the number of deaths in the uk of people who'd tested positive for the virus rose to 35, with confirmed cases now close toi,400. in the last hour, the bank of england and five other central banks, including america's federal reserve, have announced coordinated action aimed at limiting the economic fallout from the virus. our first report tonight is from our home editor, mark easton. the centre of leeds today, as the government warns we may be just weeks from asking britain's elderly to go into self—imposed quarantine. to protect those most vulnerable to the virus, ministers plan to encourage more than 10 million pensioners and those with respiratory conditions to consider isolating themselves for what may be several months. 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'd need to stay self—isolated, stay at home, to protect themselves,

it's a very big ask, it's a very long time. it is a big ask, a measure that poses agonising questions for every family. both myself and my wife have elderly parents who, at the minute, are relatively physically fit, but we've had to change plans with having them looking after our children. my mum, she's 87 now, and i've given her the advice myself to stay in and not go out. whatever they advise, we'll have to follow, won't we? we trust in them, don't we? the government knows there's a balance between shielding at—risk groups from the virus at its height and exposing them to the health risks of loneliness, anxiety and depression. i've got underlying circumstances and, yeah, i'm 77, so i'm right into that category and i don't fancy it. i do think we do have to take it very seriously, and people protect themselves. hasn't everything gone crazy?

you're just walking around, people are going... co nsta ntly. it's been revealed that six residents in a nursing home in north lanarkshire have tested positive for coronavirus. no visitors are now being allowed at the highgate care home in uddingston. but what if you're caring for someone in their own home? the health secretary says britain will need an army of volunteers. every single person in this country is going to be affected and going to have to do things. if you are healthy and they are healthy, then please go and help them. the government's plan is based on reducing infections while increasing nhs capacity. this is how the virus might spread without interventions. scientific advisors hope the peak of the virus can be delayed, allowing time for the health service to free up more beds, train more staff and source more equipment. hospitals like this one in central london may soon run out of intensive care beds, so one idea is to requisition what these days are largely empty hotels, for extra space, drafting in retired medics

and volunteers to treat and support patients. dissecting forceps. operating theatres, with their supply of oxygen, may be used as emergency wards. there aren't nearly enough medical ventilators in britain for those whose lives may depend on them, so the government is asking engineering companies to switch resources to making as many of those as possible, although manufacturers warn it may take months to get production started. tonight, it was confirmed that nick matthews, a 59—year—old former police officer from somerset, is among those who've died after testing positive for the virus. he had previously suffered a heart attack and been off work. ministers don't want to spread panic along with the infection, but they do want to prepare the country for some very difficult days ahead. mark easton, bbc news. in a moment, our economics editor, faisal islam, on the new action from central banks but first our medical correspondent fergus walsh.

the advice is if you have a continuous new calf or high temperature, you stay at home for seven days. regular hand washing can cut your chances of getting covid—i9 and if you are infected, we are stressing that four out of five people will have a mild infection. the flip side is that one in 20 may need intensive care. tomorrow the prime minister will chair another emergency cobra meeting where they will discuss when to pull these levers on social distancing, such as restrictions on mass gathering and there will be a move to daily senior minister press conferences to try to explain why britain is not going as far as its near neighbours, but they will stress they are being led by the science and worth remembering, the science and worth remembering, the peak of this outbreak could be up the peak of this outbreak could be up to three months away. bring us up

to date on the economic response to this from certain countries because this from certain countries because this is news we just had this from certain countries because this is news wejust had in this from certain countries because this is news we just had in the last hour? yes, emergency rates cuts from the us central bank, the federal reserve, by one full percentage point, it is meant to oil the wheels of the financial system, low interest rates for us companies, and it is also a reflection on how serious the outbreak is in the usa and how much of an impact it will have on the american economy. there was a joint arrangement with world central banks to keep dollars flowing around the world, essentially, but it shows you that central banks are quite a blunt tool to deal with this, you will not solve it by cutting interest rates but you might help confidence and it does show with the federal reserve in the us had zero interest rates, they are running out of room on we need governments to do even more than they did last week. thank you both very much.

amid concern about stockpiling, 12 large food retailers have come together to urge people not to panic buy. they say they're working night and day to keep the nation fed and people should not buy more than they need. here's our business correspondent katy austin. queues for supermarkets and shelves emptied of essentials like loo roll, hand wash and long—life foods. pictures like these show shoppers aren't listening to official advice. how was it in there? an absolute nightmare, to be perfectly honest. not a lot on the shelves left. no toilet roll at all. have you tried to stock up on anything yourself? yes, to be perfectly honest, just because everyone else is doing it. but they did limit us when we went to pay. it's a bit ridiculous. i can't find toilet paper. i'm looking for toilet paper for a couple of days, three days, actually. supermarkets have had to adapt quickly by speeding up supplies, increasing warehouse space and they are 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 food retailers have written to customers asking them to be considerate in the way they shop, telling them, "buying more than is needed can sometimes mean that others will be left without." they 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 have got the right supplies coming through the system. superstores may be selling out, but stocks are holding up better at corner shops, although they say wholesalers' prices have soared. today's letter from retailers 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.

train companies today joined airlines in calling for government support because passenger numbers have dropped amid the outbreak. on some rail lines last week, they were estimated to be down by nearly a fifth. here's our tranport correspondent tom burridge. passenger numbers are significantly down at peak times in major train stations across the uk. as the coronavirus spreads, more people are working from home and avoiding non—essential travel. i do a lot of travelling with work, and now we've restricted that to dire need only, so a lot of work is being done via the internet. conference calls, etc. with what's happening at the moment, i think we're definitely looking in a bit more detail and only going places where we have to go. so, yeah, i suppose our habits will be changing. the worry and expectation from train companies is that passenger numbers will continue to fall, so they're negotiating

with government and they want relief on payments they make to run franchises. some train companies were already losing money before the coronavirus outbreak, so with passenger numbers falling, drastic measures are now needed from government, i'm told, if those companies are to survive. all of our travel habits will, for a period of time, change. my grandparents have just gone away to spain, and they're stuck in an airport at the moment, wondering whether they're going to get back, so it's made me think about travelling, obviously. ryanair is the latest airline to cut virtually all flights to and from spain for the coming days, the airline telling staff they'll have to take unpaid leave. job cuts could follow. jonathan matthews was due to fly back home with ryanair tomorrow from ibiza. now we've read this lockdown that was supposed to start on monday has been brought forward and we're not supposed to leave, so all today's plans are cancelled.

at airports like ibiza, a limited number of flights are still running, but most aren't. 0ne scandinavian airline says it will temporarily lay off 9,000 of the 10,000 people it employs. the uk civil aviation authority called it "the worst moment ever", as travel companies fight to survive. tom burridge, bbc news. globally the death toll from the virus has now exceeded 6,000 with a third of the deaths in europe. spain began a state of near lockdown today with people banned from leaving home except in certain circumstances. live now to damian grammaticas in madrid. yes, tonight the streets of madrid are almost deserted. police cars are circulating and everyone they say they tell to go home because at eight o'clock tomorrow morning, a

state of emergency begins because the hospitals are under extreme pressure. 8000 cases and as we have been seeing, they are really struggling, and a warning, there are distressing scenes from the start of oui’ distressing scenes from the start of our report. she is gasping, grief stricken, infected with the virus. last night, in this hospital, her husband died. today, doctors have told her to go home. she is not sick enough, not yet for a bed here. around her, her children are now at extreme risk of contracting. at extreme risk of contracting it. they warn us to wear masks, lest we get exposed, too. spain is in the grip of the virus. everywhere it's close at hand. this woman tells me the medics working double shifts are overwhelmed and fearful of being infected themselves. translation: it's so hard. you go home and you cannot kiss your child and your husband or get too close.

you cannot talk to your friends. but these are the measures we now have to take. and this is a sign of the pressure the medics are under. "don't come to the hospital if your symptoms are mild," the doctor says. he recorded this message to stop people flooding emergency rooms. he says it's the elderly they have to prioritise. and so spain has ordered everyone off the streets. madrid, a major european capital — silent. the police tell anyone they see to go home. and stay indoors, unless they are providing vital services or travelling to work. and journalists are still

allowed to work, too. unseen, the virus is propagating, and also the anxiety. so this is what happens when a country really starts to fear the threat posed by the virus. this is part of madrid's financial district, and take a look down here... one of the biggest avenues through the city. just two days ago this was thronged — now almost empty. most people here are now only allowed out to buy food oi’ for an emergency. petrol stations are one of the few places that are open and people have to keep a distance. but spain was slower to do this than italy. they should have had protective measures before because we are neighbours. it was impossible that it was not going to spread to here. applause. but for the past two nights, this has happened. applause, all across spain, to thank the country's doctors. they came out of their clinics forjust a few minutes

to acknowledge the gesture. gracias! then got back to work, trying to save hundreds more from succumbing to the virus. damian grammaticus, bbc news, madrid. elsewhere, germany is set to bring in new restrictions at its land borders from tomorrow morning. 0ur correspondent jenny hill is in berlin. what are they doing? let me give you a quick update because we now have the latest official figures. nearly 5000 people have now tested positive for the virus in germany. these are figures which are really alarming the authorities. it is very quiet in berlin tonight because they very a bru ptly berlin tonight because they very abruptly shut down clubs and bars last night. as of tomorrow morning, the vast majority of schools in the country will be closed, and this evening the government announced they would close partially the land

borders with france, austria and switzerland. i say partially because there will be some extensions. we are told that goods vehicles will be able to go back and forth as well commuters, as long as they can prove they are working. we do not know yet what that means for air and rail passengers. the interior minister who made the announcement this evening said he is going to discuss that with angela merkel tomorrow morning at what is now a daily government crisis meeting. they are concerned, the authorities here. they hope they can slow the spread of the infection down but they say the infection is very serious and they are looking to other countries in europe, spain and italy, of course, and they are telling the german public that they acknowledge that for germany the worst is yet to come. jenny hill, thank you very much. let's take a look at some of today's other developments: italy has recorded 368

new coronavirus deaths in the last 2a hours, bringing the total to more than 1,800. it remains the worst—affected country in europe. austria has contacted its citizens in the uk telling them to return home. the government there is also banning gatherings of more than five people and urging them to self—isolate. in france, voting did take place in local elections today, despite sweeping restrictions on public life. last night, the government ordered the closure of cafes, bars, restaurants and many shops. schools in france will be closed from tomorrow until further notice. the netherlands has closed all bars, cafes, restaurants, schools and sport clubs to curb the coronavirus epidemic. 1,135 infections have been confirmed there and 20 people have died. and irish government is asking all pubs to close from midnight tonight until the end of march. it's the latest in a series of stringent measures aimed at curbing the virus.

us officials say they're working to improve waiting times for health screening after chaotic scenes for returning travellers at some american airports. the trump administration's decision to include the uk and ireland in its european travel ban comes into effect on tuesday. 0ur washington correspondent jane 0'brien reports. as the last link to europe closed, panicked americans rushed to beat the travel ban. immigration at chicago's 0'hare airport was overwhelmed, with passengers reporting enormous crowds and unsanitary conditions. here at washington's dulles airport, though, it seems the shutdown is already taking hold because it really is eerily quiet here. this is normally one of the nation's busiest international hubs, but looking at the arrivals board, there is already only a handful of planes coming in from europe. americans returning on a plane from london were grateful to be home. just given the timing, i think we honestlyjust lucked out, just given that we got back today,

instead of tomorrow, because that would have been a lot more hectic. the airline industry is reeling from the travel bans and cancellations, as fewer americans risk travelling even within the country. american airlines, the world's second largest carrier, is cutting capacity and suspending almost all long—haul international flights from monday. the trump administration is promising sweeping measures to help prop up the economy as america grinds to a halt. tonight, vice president mike pence said the administration would increase the availability of vital tests. new national public—private partnership for diagnostic testing that is going to open the door to thousands more tests in real time for the american people, in the days ahead. despite his words, a shortage of kits continues to hamper efforts to get an accurate picture of how far coronavirus has spread. in denver, colorado, people queued for hours at one

of the drive—through sites that are starting to open. a letter from the white house, meanwhile, confirmed that president trump has tested negative after coming into contact with an infected person. but across the country, cases are rising and so, too, is the death toll. jane 0'brien, bbc news, washington. the old vic has become the first major london theatre to close a show because of the coronavirus. it announced this evening that the last two weeks of samuel beckett's endgame starring daniel radcliffe have been cancelled. the old vic is asking ticket holders to consider donating the cost to the theatre rather than asking for their money back. the vatican says that papal services leading up to easter sunday, which normally attract tens of thousands of worshippers, will be held via video—link. and here in the uk, churches and mosques are among those changing the way they do things.

0ur religion editor, martin bashir, reports. pope francis delivering his sunday homily from within the basilica, via video link, as he will on easter sunday, which is normally the best attended liturgy of the catholic church. last year, more than 110,000 pilgrims gathered in rome. but the church of st peter, which for centuries has welcomed saints and sinners, is now closed. 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 everyone was singing along to all the songs...

for almost 65 years, the hosanna house and pilgrimage trust has taken disabled children to lourdes every easter, 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. injerusalem today, the entire al—aqsa compound was closed with muslims forced to pray outside. the hajj pilgrimage to mecca, which attracts over two million pilgrims in july, is now also in jeopardy. qari asim, an imam in leeds, says muslims should not go to mecca if it endangers the lives of others. 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. back in rome, pope francis concluded his sunday message, but as shepherd of his flock, he still came to the window and offered a blessing, albeit to an empty st peter's square. martin bashir, bbc news. for the latest developments on the coronavirus outbreak, including what symptoms to look out for and how to reduce your risk, just visit our website at bbc.co.uk/news or go to the bbc news app. and all the latest detailed

government advice on the virus can be found at gov.uk and follow the coronavirus link. more throughout the night on the bbc news channel. 0n bbc one it's time now for the news where you are. the details for the end of the week and the outlook have changed a bit, but what i'm going to show you over the next two and a half, three minutes, is a band of rain staggering southwards over the week ahead with milder air for a while ahead of it, before colder air returns again. we start with cold air on monday. this ridge of high pressure means a frosty start for many, but the weather front coming in to the north—west is the one that will hang around in one form or another over the next few days. that will push into scotland and northern ireland, the wind picks up, cloud amounts increase and through the afternoon, we will see some rain arriving as well. for england and wales, it's still dry in the afternoon. some sunshine around. winds will be lighter, and after a cold start, temperatures will reach a healthy 12, 13.

during monday evening, that cloud and rain, heaviest over the hills of western scotland, will sink down into northern england and wales. the weather front bringing it will get so far south across the uk and then weaken, and then come back again from the atlantic on that little wave there in the weather front, which enhances the rainfall. a weak weather front moves into england and wales, bringing a bit more cloud, maybe some light rain and drizzle here and there, and then the wave tip comes in, the cloud thickens across northern ireland, western scotland, and it turns wetter later on in the day. for eastern parts of england, a good chance you will stay dry, with sunshine at times. here, it will be warmer, 1a or 15, with south—westerly winds returning. south—westerly, milder air ahead of that weather front and colder air to the north of it. wetter weather on tuesday night across the northern half of the uk. again, as the weather front moves south, it will weaken, with the rain becoming lighter and more patchy, mainly over the hills in the west, but we will see more cloud moving south.

the northern half of the uk gets into colder air, with wintry showers across northern scotland. a colder feel here, certainly. whilst it is quite cloudy in the south—east, we are still in the milderair, so temperatures of 15 or 16. here is the change — thursday into friday, because the weather front will stick around, this time across the southern half of the uk. still pretty weak at this stage on thursday, so it's more a band of cloud, but we have another little wave enhancing the rainfall and coming to the south—west later in the day. northern half of the uk, colder air and the wind is not too strong. a few showers in the far north, but temperatures lower, at around eight or nine. not as mild in the south—east on thursday. because we are getting that cold aircoming round, that high pressure from the north and milder air from the near continent, the weather front gets a bit more active with rainfall developing more widely, becoming more steady and heavier across the southern half of the uk.

further north, a cold wind picking up in the far north of scotland and blowing in wintry showers. across the board, those temperatures will be lower, typically 7—9. we end up with an area of low pressure close to the weather front which will be anchored over biscay. we should see the wet weather move away during saturday and sunday and this high pressure moving close to the uk. rather than right over the uk, the centre is now probably going to be across scandinavia, so it's in a different place. the weather still looks quite similar, generally dry as we head through the weekend and beyond. temperatures not too bad, not quite as cold, but feeling a little bit chilly, because for many of us, it will be rather windy.