you're watching bbc newsroom live — it's 11 am and these are the main stories this morning: stock markets around europe fell sharply, despite coordinated action by central banks to try to stop coronavirus from causing a global recession. easyjet says it may have to ground most of its planes as a result of travel bans and falling demand — british airways cancels three quarters of its flights in april and may. from today, the uk government is holding daily televised briefings to update the public on the fight against coronavirus. new york city and los angeles shut down bars, restaurants and other public places. restrictions continue to tighten across europe, with more border closures. the head of france's health service

has warned the situation there is deteriorating very fast. and we'll be getting some of your questions answered on coronavirus when we speak to a gp shortly. good morning. european stock makets — including the ftse 100 share index in london — have plunged nearly six per cent in early trading despite efforts by leading central banks to try to limit the impact of the coronavirus on the world economy. airline shares have been badly affected as major airlines plan to largely ground their fleets of aircraft through april and may. the owner of british airways, iag, says it will be cancelling 75 per cent of flights. downing street is stepping up efforts to keep people informed

about its plans for tackling the coronavirus outbreak and how to protect themselves. from today, borisjohnson or a senior minister will hold daily news briefings. he will also convene another emergency cobra meeting and take part in a video conference call with the other g7 leaders to discuss a co—ordinated global response. the education secretary, gavin williamson, is meeting headteachers‘ leaders today to discuss their concerns. a number of schools have already taken the decision to close. and in scotland, official advice to cancel all large gatherings of more than 500 people comes into force today. most of the 35 coronavirus—related deaths in the uk have been people aged over 60 and with underlying health conditions. simonjones reports. this is something we are now going to be seeing on a daily basis. the prime minister and senior ministers supported by scientific and medical

experts holding briefings following criticism that there has been a lack of transparency over plans to stem the spread of the virus. many admit they are anxious, particularly after the government said over the coming weeks, everyone over the age of 70 could be told to stay at home, potentially for a period of months. it's just scary and straightaway it scares my husband and yes, because he is in that age bracket. i don't fancy being locked away for a few weeks. ahead of today's news conference, there will be a meeting here at the cabinet office of the government's emergency cobra committee. that will look at the next steps for shielding the vulnerable and elderly from the virus and whether mass gatherings should be banned. there will also a phone call involving leaders of the g7 nations in which borisjohnson will urge them to put more money and expertise into speeding up the development of a vaccine. among those to have lost their lives is retired police officer

nick matthews, who was 59. he previously suffered a heart attack. his wife described him as her soulmate. and jez martinez‘s 78—year—old grandfather died at wickham in buckinghamshire. she said he had tested positive for the virus. it was very shocking. obviously we are grieving. there's been a lot going on, as we've seen. the testing has been stopped but now the worry is for the rest of my family and everybody else that may go through this. to ease demand on the emergency services, the scottish government says gatherings of more than 500 people should be cancelled from today and head teachers, feeling the pressure, will meet the education secretary to discuss their concerns. british holiday—makers have been facing a battle to get home after countries like spain went into lockdown. this was a scene at the airport in tenerife. and in the us, the race is on to get out before transatlantic flights are grounded. the stress levels have changed, been feeling very, very anxious and just really wanting just

to have the security of getting on that plane and taking off. the sense of uncertainty has meant panic buying in the shops is continuing. it's clear that daily life will not be normal for some time to come. simon jones, bbc news. as we mentioned earlier, markets fell again this morning, after central banks around the world took co—ordinated action to try to limit the economic impact of the pandemic. the federal reserve in the united states has cut interest rates to a quarter of one per cent. president trump has praised the move but markets have reacted cautiously. rather a big inbox then for andrew bailey, who takes over as bank of england governor today. let's talk to our economics editor faisal islam. you've been speaking to him, haven't you? on behalf of all broadcasters. the new governor, andrew bailey, has given an interview. we should go

straight to that. here he is, speaking a short time ago. i think it was another strong signal of coordination amongst the central banks, which, you know, we work very closely together and we have been working very closely together, and i've been part of that, along with mark carney running up to the handover here. i think one of the important elements from our point of view was the action that the federal reserve took in coordination with the other central banks on the so—called swap lines, and that's important, because you so some pretty big dislocations in the financial markets last week, particularly in dollar financial markets, which of course are global by nature. so, the fact that the federal reserve has now, with the other central banks, extended the swap lines, we can provide essentially three month dollar money, is a step forward, and we are going to see that works its way through the markets today and in the coming days to see what the effect is, but i would emphasise, this is strong coordination amongst central banks. and viewers, people at home who are worried about the current situation will have heard from you and your predecessor last week that the shock would be large, sharp but temporary. it seems like it may last longer

than those words suggest. well, i think there's two parts to it, and you're right, it's a very important point. first, how long covid itself is going to go on for. 0bviously, that's not something that is a central bank we have an that as a central bank we have an expertise in. we are working very closely with epidemiologists to understand that. that will obviously have an effect on the economy, no question about that. secondly, which we emphasise last week, which we are very keen also to ensure doesn't happen, is that the economic effects secondly, which we emphasised last week, which we are very keen also to ensure doesn't happen, is that the economic effects that materialise during the period of covid then get extended onwards by virtue of effectively the damage that's done to the economy, and that's something that we want to minimise and stop. and that's why you so prompt action last week. and that's why you saw prompt action last week. that's why you'll see

prompt action again when we need to take it, and the public can be assured of that. and clearly, this is a historic day in this institution, your first day — what are you hoping to achieve? 0bviously, get through this crisis, but what are you hoping to achieve as a governor? well, i had and have a whole set of objectives as governor. we've got very big things going on. obviously, we are going to have a new relationship with the european union. we've got very important issues in the world of financial technology and how the system adapts to that, and how the bank of england adapts to it, frankly. i've also got important objectives for the bank of england as an institution. we are a public institution, we serve the people of this country. as i said at the treasury select committee recently, one of the things we need to address is our presence in the country as a whole, because that is one of the ways in which we serve the country as a whole. of course, in the initial period, obviously it's going to be very focused on the response to covid. that's the key thing at the moment, and we need to get

through that period. we've got some important objectives after that. white mikey spoke about being ready to ta ke white mikey spoke about being ready to take prompt action. clearly, —— he spoke about being ready to take prompt action. there are three brown markets, which is understandable, given what we have seen with the grave health crisis we have. this matters. the new governor is trying to give confidence that there will be an impact, and he acknowledged that last week when he was sat by his predecessor mark carney, they said it would be potentially large, sharp but temporary. people thought that was a few days, but clearly

now, the underlying epidemic will last longer than that. following the coordination action we had in the dollar markets, and also that emergency rate cut, the bank of england can do more. it has a monetary policy meeting next week, where that sort of action could take place. there is also all sorts of things that can be done in the financial system. i think it is a statement of intent from the new governor of the bank of england just hours into his newjob that more can be done, and we have seen big implications of some of the concern in the stock market. he also said it was a coordinated action last night with central banks, and that is important. the g7 are having a video conference call of world leaders. there has been a suggestion that pa rt there has been a suggestion that part of the concern in markets is the lack of coordination globally on

the lack of coordination globally on the underlying health epidemic. this isa the underlying health epidemic. this is a big challenge now. it mayjust help. they are going to throw everything at it, is my sense. just to make sure that this sharp shock which may nonetheless last a few weeks, that it won't become permanently scarring. that is what they are trying to do. there are so many aspects to this. it is a com pletely many aspects to this. it is a completely different beast to grapple with compared to the credit crunch, when quantitative easing, money to ease spending, was done. people are staying home, airlines are cutting flights dramatically, businesses across the spectrum are struggling because people are not going out and don't want to spend money. they are staying at home. you are right. 2008 was a problem that they desperately had to fix. anyone walking a round a city centre will see that economic activity has

slowed. the ftse was down 6.5% this morning. paris, nearly 9%, germany down 7.5%, madrid down a further 10% on top of the foals that we saw over the last week. these are big falls in and of themselves. that is because markets assess that there is a very big risk out there, which there obviously is. an interest rate will not solve the underlying pandemic, it won't solve the problems for individual sectors like the airlines, but it can help the flow of cash and money around the system. but this will be accompanied... i think what the markets are saying generally is, yes, great, interest rates will be low. monetary policy has to do a lot of the hard work, but more is required from british governments. the british government did a lot last week, but other governments need to do more. it is a big challenge, and i think the new

governor is showing that there may be more to come. thank you very much. the country is short of ventilators which will be needed to help people in hospital whose breathing has been hit by coronavirus. that's why the government is asking manufacturers to switch producion to make this medical equipment. i'm joined now by stephen phipson, the chief executive of make uk, which represents manufacturing companies. he will be meeting the government today. thank you very much forjoining us. what have you been told, what is your understanding of the task being set here for manufacturers? we've been working very closely with officials in downing street, the prime minister's business team, over the last 2a hours, working on how we can scale up the manufacture of these products substantially from where we are at the moment, and

identifying the right sort of factories and companies that could do something. i'm very pleased to say we have a lot of volunteers as well coming forward from industry, manufacturers saying they could re—purpose their capacity to be able to build these kind of units. you have to remember, they are electromechanical units. we have a thriving sector in contract manufacturing which is used to taking a design from one particular company and being able to build it for them. we've been working on that capacity. we can see that we could mmp capacity. we can see that we could ramp up substantially from where we are at the moment. but there are challenges still to work through, and we will be doing that again later this afternoon with the business team in downing street around sourcing components, particularly the electronics that are used in these kind of systems, where a lot of those products are sourced outside of the uk, so making sure the supply chain is there will be integral to this, so quite a bit of work to do. the first look at this is that we could re—purpose

quite a lot of manufacturing capacity that is the right sort of capacity that is the right sort of capacity to build these units. on that issue of supply chains, what is happening with those right now? right now, of course, we've seen a lot of products from asia are being limited in being able to be shipped to the uk. we have started to see the release of products coming through from china now, just starting, but there is a two week lag in the system. companies have reported shortages of different types of components. making sure those are coming through as part of it. and we have seen a rapid fall off of export orders as countries have locked down their own demands. a double whammy there. on the supply chain stuff, quite a hit from asia, but just starting to chain stuff, quite a hit from asia, butjust starting to see the roots of that coming back at this stage. the numbers being put out there are that there are 5000 ventilators currently in the country and we will need many times more than that. how

quickly do you think ventilators can start being churned out? i mean, do you have any predictions on figures? very early to say at this stage. you need the complete pack of designs and assembly instructions and then set up factories to do that. that can be done quite quickly with a lot of focus. the thing we need to concentrate on next is to make sure we can buy all those different materials that are required to build those things, particularly the electronics, making sure we have enough contingency in place, enough capacity to be able to get those electronic components that often come from overseas markets, to make sure the supply is there. early days yet, though, a lot more work to do. we are working very closely with that team in downing street. they area that team in downing street. they are a professional group, and we will make sure we have a good outcome in the next couple of days, and a plan going forward is the focus now. that comparison has been

made to the production of spitfire aircraft during world war ii. this sounds more difficult to achieve than that. we have an industry that is used to making electromechanical products, so we have the right sort of capacity, which is important. re—purpose in factories that are doing something completely different isa doing something completely different is a very hard task and would take a very long time, so we have some of the right capacity there, which is somewhat different. you have to remember that many parts of the uk are used to doing urgent requirements. we do it in the defence area, where there is a front—line demand for troops and an urgent requirement from government, and we are able to respond to that, so and we are able to respond to that, so there is some knowledge about how to do this. we have a better position in terms of the right sorts of factories to do it. the key part is going to be getting hold of those critical materials, and that work is going on now. we will know the a nswer to going on now. we will know the answer to that in the next couple of days. you are having talks with the government later. is there anything in particular you will be asking for to ensure this can happen as quickly

as possible? it will be vital. we will need to make sure that supply chains, if those materials are around, are diverted to this particular endeavour rather than being used in other parts of the system. the government will need to intervene. and that needs to be a clear direction on which products the manufacturers will be making and the manufacturers will be making and the provision of all the relevant drawings and instructions on how to do that. then these are highly regulated products as well, to make sure we have a fast—track method of making sure product testing and standards employed are those which produce safe products at the end of it. that will require a coordinated approach, and government's role is to provide leadership for that. and are you saying that? i am, they are doing a very good job so far. thank you very much. doctors' surgeries are among those to change their procedures around booking appointments, with some gps only offering face—to—face appointments after patients have been through telephone screening. dr sarahjarvis is a gp and clinical director of patientaccess.com. shejoins me now to discuss how nhs

doctors are coping with the virus. are most gps now changing the way they are working? we certainly have advice from the nhs that that is what we should be doing. in about 2596 what we should be doing. in about 25% of the country, people use online tools to make their appointments. what we do know is that we have now been given advice that we have now been given advice that nobody should be allowed to make an online appointment and come into the surgery without having telephone or video consultation triage. until now, video consultation has been only a small proportion. it hasjust consultation has been only a small proportion. it has just been consultation has been only a small proportion. it hasjust been made available to all surgeries by one provider. we will see more of it, not just people not provider. we will see more of it, notjust people not being allowed to come in until they have been seen, but really trying to do more of those consultations on the phone or through video rather than getting people in. a new system coming in at

a time of great demand — that could cause real concern for people who are worried and feel that they need to see their gp. you're absolutely right, but this has been happening for some time. for a couple of yea rs, for some time. for a couple of yea rs , we for some time. for a couple of yea rs, we have for some time. for a couple of years, we have had online consultations and triage, where people would submit forms in the comfort of their own home to the practice. we have seen 75% of people submitting a form didn't need to see a doctor face—to—face. submitting a form didn't need to see a doctorface—to—face. in some respects, people need to recognise that this is for their own sake, because quite frankly, the last place you want to be when you are yourself unwell is in a place full of sick people, particularly for elderly people as we move more towards the system of having older people self—isolate, i think we will see more of that. the focus has been on people seeing their gp because of concerns around whether they have got a cold, the flu, coronavirus, whatever. there are other issues that don't go away, existing and new

medical issues. exactly. i really wa nt to medical issues. exactly. i really want to get this message out there, if you have a new cough for more than half a day, or a fever, you then you should go online. do not bring iii. then you should go online. do not bring 111. go to somewhere like patient access, which has a coronavirus checking tool and will tell you whether you need to self—isolate, how to do it, and when you should call 111, because the vast majority of people should not be calling their gp or iii vast majority of people should not be calling their gp or 111 if they have no symptoms. for other people, they will need to get in touch with their gp. we they will need to get in touch with theirgp. we are they will need to get in touch with their gp. we are trying to get more people using online apps so they can order repeat medication. that is really important. people will not be able to stockpile. we do not want to be in able to stockpile. we do not want to beina able to stockpile. we do not want to be in a situation we have been in with toilet rolls where there isn't a shortage in the country but it feels like there is because of stockpiling. people need to not panic but get online and order

repeat prescriptions. if you do not have online access already, contact your surgery about getting it. prior to this, there were issues of shortages in some medications, particularly hrt. hrt was the classic one, and we have heard a lot about that. there were significant problems. that seemed to be an international manufacturing and supply issue. there are always issues with some medications, and at the moment, there aren't many more. it is almost exactly the same number that we have had for several years. the difference is that it has been focused on one area, which has been hrt. there has been more of a shortage and it has gone on for longer. the government has plans to keep supply chains for medicines open. so people not being able to stockpile will be controlled? open. so people not being able to stockpile will be controlled ?m open. so people not being able to stockpile will be controlled? if you need a prescription, you will send a

request to your gp. what about the question of a temperature? the symptoms are, as we've said many times, common to other things, so is the temperature of the guaranteed factor? the problem we've got is that the majority of people with coronavirus will have a temperature. 0ne coronavirus will have a temperature. one study said up to 98% of people had a temperature. those are people in hospital, so they might be people with the more severe illness. if you have a temperature above 37.8 degrees and if you don't have a thermometer, if you are boiling hot, shivering on and off, you probably do have a temperature, but get hold ofa do have a temperature, but get hold of a digital thermometer ideally. if you have a temperature or a new cough for more than half a day or so, ora change, a cough for more than half a day or so, or a change, a significant change in an existing cough, those are the features, but we need to stress that if you have a vulnerable relative, for instance, who is 85,

even though they are not being told to self—isolate, if you only have a runny nose or sore throat, don't assume that is not coronavirus. it is unlikely but stay away from vulnerable people, even if you don't fulfil the criteria to self—isolate. the advice on that has changed, hasn't it? the advice on self isolation has changed. it changed last thursday. initially, a runny nose and other symptoms were not regarded as the coronavirus. nose and other symptoms were not regarded as the coronaviruslj nose and other symptoms were not regarded as the coronavirus. i think thatis regarded as the coronavirus. i think that is the key. if you have those symptoms, you do not need to self—isolate, but i would say, given that there have been a few cases, and they are a few, the fifth person to introduce coronavirus in taiwan only had a runny nose. it is a tiny proportion. i am saying, let's use common sense. if you don't fulfil the criteria for self isolation but you have a runny nose, then go about your daily life but be careful, wash

your daily life but be careful, wash your hands, as we all should, but also perhaps avoid going to see an elderly or vulnerable relative. thank you very much. some breaking news on the price of oil. we hear that brent oil prices plunged more than 9%, to a four—year low. more falling prices there. we heard about the fall in prices in the stock market, all the markets down. also a line from the european commission, saying that closing borders is not the best way to make sure the eu contains coronavirus. presumably thatis contains coronavirus. presumably that is part of a wider briefing, so we just that is part of a wider briefing, so wejust had that is part of a wider briefing, so we just had that line at the moment. we will keep you up—to—date with that and bring any more developments from there as we get them. and also a line from borisjohnson's spokesman saying, the prime minister will be discussing social distancing measures to protect the elderly and vulnerable at the government emergency meeting later today.

cobra, the government's emergency committee, is meeting this afternoon, and there will be a news briefing. it is part of a new daily pattern with the prime minister briefing us every day. nicola sturgeon has said the next few months are likely to be very challenging and unprecedented in our lifetimes. from today, the scottish government will organise —— want organisers to cancel events with more than 500 people. lorna gordon is in edinburgh. tell us more about what she was saying. it was an informative briefing. nicola sturgeon was there, as was scotland's chief medical officer and the scottish health secretary. ms sturgeon said they are starting from a position of trying to be as open as possible. they want to get their message and their information out to the public. as you say, this is the day where this advice to cancel gatherings of more than 500 people

comes into force. ms sturgeon said that under constant review is whether that will be expanded to smaller gatherings. also under co nsta nt smaller gatherings. also under constant review is whether they will close schools. some schools, a few here and there, and most schools in shetland, are closed at the moment. ms sturgeon said it will not be a binary choice going forward about schools. there may be areas they choose to close schools in, and others where they stay open, but she did warn that if and when they do start closing, in a wider scale manner, it is likely to be for a very long time, perhaps three or four months. there was also more information on the testing procedures here in scotland will stop ms sturgeon said that people with symptoms going into hospital will be tested, as will front line nhs workers, but there is also what is called the sentinel gp testing

which is usually used for seasonal flu. that will be expanded by the end of the week to cover 200 gp surgeries in scotland, covering a population of 1.2 million people. anyone in those areas presenting with symptoms similar to covid—19 will be tested for the disease. that is to allow the medical staff, the experts who are modelling all this, to get a sense of how the virus is spreading and whether there are hotspots where they need to focus their efforts going forward. much has been made of differences in different areas in terms of public policy. how much coordination is there between scotland and westminster right now? we got a sense from the briefing this morning that there is a lot of commonality, actually, that there is complete agreement on the science going forward. ms sturgeon said there may be differences in timing or differences in policy around the

edges. the chief medical officer for scotla nd edges. the chief medical officer for scotland said that all the chief medical officers of the devolved nations are having conference calls several times a day to discuss policy. for instance, she said there will be a conference call this evening at seven o'clock, where they will discuss what measures should be put in place for those they believe to be extremely immunocompromised. she said that those they consider to be at particular risk going forward may have severe restrictions put on their movements to try and protect them from this virus. they rejected suggestions that there is confusion over the advice to the elderly being different in the different nations. it emerged over the weekend that advice here in scotland is that those who are older will be encouraged to reduce their contact with the wider groups of people, but

perhaps they were told while reducing that contact to increase their contact with a smaller group of one or two close friends and family, suggestions that perhaps the policy is not so different between scotla nd policy is not so different between scotland and england in that area and that it will become clearer after the cobra meeting that is taking place later today. thank you very much. it is taking place later later this afternoon and we will keep you updated. there will also be a public briefing from the prime minister after that. time for a look at the weather with simon. sunshine across many parts at the moment, cloud across the east but the south coast some beautiful blue skies and fairweather cloud, always thickening across scotland and northern ireland, here there is rain starting to move in, for england and wales remaining dry with sunshine

into this afternoon, maximum temperature up to between 11 and 1a, ten north and west. moving east, breaking up as it does, patchy rain for wales and north—west england entered tomorrow morning, there are skies further north, temperatures down to between three and seven, not as cold as last eight so thrust free into tuesday but claudia england and wales, rain in the morning as well, more rain but mild. hello, this is bbc newsroom live, the headlines. stock markets around europe fall sharply, despite coordinated action by central banks to try to stop coronavirus from causing a global recession. easyjet says it may have

to ground most of its planes as a result of travel bans and falling demand — in april and may. from today, the uk government is holding daily televised briefings to update the public on the fight against coronavirus. new york city and los angeles shut down bars, restaurants and other public places. restrictions continue to tighten across europe, with more border closures. the head of france's health service has warned the situation there is deteriorating very fast. good morning. the international olympic committee will hold talks with heads of international sports organisations tomorrow — in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

it's the second executive board meeting in as many weeks. there's less than five months to go, until the start of the games on 24thjuly. the ioc say that the discussions are part of regular talks with stakeholders. the prime minister of japan, shinzo abe and the tokyo 2020 organisers have reiterated that the games will go ahead as planned. it's due to be a big day across several sports as they plan for their next steps due to the coronavirus outbreak. england's rugby premiership is set to postpone their league season. european cup competitions are also set to be put on hold. 0ur rugby union correspondent, chrisjones has all the details. the premier leigh kasperek the season on hold for three weeks but no one realistically thinks it would resume so even though rugby might be for weeks to start, there is a feeling it could be as many as ten or 12 weeks.

feeling it could be as many as ten or12 weeks. it is feeling it could be as many as ten or 12 weeks. it is very much a case of let's wait and see what unfolds. after four toronto wolkpack players were put into self isolation after experiencing mild symptoms of coronavirus — it will be a big day for super league clubs too. they'll meet the rugby football league for talks on how the sport continues. st helens' chairman has warned the future of the sport is in danger.. huge financial implications, the very existence of the sport is on the line. we are different to soccer, we had at the beginning of our season. this is open—ended and time and quantum, no one knows the full extent of it. the british horseracing authority is due to hold a meeting shortly as the sport prepares to close it's doors to fans.. racing goes on as normal at hereford and southwell but kelso has already closed it's doors. it's the first meeting in britain without a crowd. that's due to scottish government guidance banning gatherings of more than 500 people.

trainer nick alexander has four runners there and joined us earlier. it is going to feel very odd, and seems a little absurd to be going ahead with racing but the other side as it is important to keep any bits of the economy going that can be safely kept going so it is going to be on but i think we are doing the right thing as one editors government recommended. uefa meet tomorrow to decide what happens to all european competitions including euro 2020. well the italian football federation want the championships postponed..rome hosts the first match of the tournament onjune the 12th but want time for their top flight to finish instead. the serie a is one of many leagues that's been suspended due to covid—19 with italy the worst affected by the coronavirus in europe. and before we go, something to put a smile on your face as we've seen some premier league footballers keeping themselves busy on social media.

at the weekend liverpool's alex 0xlade chamberlain was dancing with his partner perrie edwards from little mix.. his team—mate james milner took to twitter to respond. he said he's also having a barrel of laughs at home... rationing the tea bags for the week — with the hashtag "so much to get on with"... that's all the sport for now. you can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website. the head of the health service in france said the situation in the country was deteriorating fast. new york and los angeles are shutting down all entertainment venues and

causing down bars. ski resorts and are closing and efforts to repatriate 30,000 british tourists from resorts and france are under way and only 26 countries and africa have caused models will stop south africa's declared a state of disaster. we had in a period of exponential growth which is becoming obvious, 5000 cases, doubling every three days. that is the point that it is about to take off and there is a real sense and france that we are on the edge of a precipice. it has been

a certain amount of insouciance and lackadaisical approach and the government is getting more worried that people are not getting the message. we have lots of new measures coming into force, the school closures and bar and cafe closures, but that is a sense that things are only going to get worse. we really feel in paris whilst life is kind of continuing as normal, there are people on the streets and thatis there are people on the streets and that is traffic, something big is about to hit, the wave is about to crash and hospitals are beginning to really feel the strain so i would not be at all surprised if and the next day or two bc measures announced here which are similar to the ones in madrid and roma. you can see a kind of chain reaction taking

place across europe as countries suddenly realise you wave is about to hit them. the eu executive arm has said that closing borders is not the best way to contain the spread of the coronavirus and state what is normally obviously a free travel zone. the european commission spokesman said anybody measures must be well coordinated to prevent them from aggravating the crisis by impeding food or medical supplies. france, germany, the eu's two of the key figures have agreed to enact measures on the external borders and the coming hours so the french presidency. that is just through that they are going to be talking about measures on the external borders of the eu any coming hours so the message there that they want to try to protect the free market

zone within the eu. we will bring you the latest as we get it. let's go to norman smith and westminster. we will have that briefing from the prime minister later, the government emergency committee meeting, what are you expecting. we will get an announcement on social distancing for the over 70s, what does that mean? it is not the same as telling people to stay inside their houses for weeks or months, which was floated over the weekend, that is some way off but it seems likely we will get a suggestion that those over 70 may be should think about about going to public events maybe do not go to the library or clubs to minimise the risk they might face because the mortality rate amongst the over 70s who do contract the virus as a much higher. we are also

likely to get more detail on the emergency legislation which will be unveiled tomorrow with a view to being introduced in parliament on thursday. the nuts and bolts of that, most of it we know the idea for example are changing the ratio of care homes and schools are so cursed that our teachers can —— care staff or teachers contract the virus then will be measures to compulsorily quarantine them they have the virus if they refuse to self insulate. we may get some medication about when the modelling on which the chief medical officer and scientific officer have based much of their strategy will be put into the public domain. a lot of epidemiologists and scientists are saying let us look of the data you're basing your strategy on because it is useful to have a broad range of opinion, analysing the data

andi range of opinion, analysing the data and i don't know whether we will get that today but it is coming soon and the last thing we may get is some indication on family isolation. what that means is of someone and a family contract c virus then the whole family in that household would be expected to self—isolate but the point as it is a moving and rolling the picture when measures are being rolled out as we go along and the signs are the government will stick to that strategy. this was the message from the transport secretary. we are following the advice of medical and scientific officers to rethink the best way to handle this is not to do what politicians think is correct but do what the experts and scientists tell us needs to be done. that is the first thing and that has been the hallmark of the way the british government has been handling this.

the second thing as other countries are ina the second thing as other countries are in a different position, italy and france and germany mayjust be a week or two ahead in terms of the infection rate. when he says other countries may be a week or two ahead to explain the differences we are seeing in different countries in terms of their approach, how much centralised coordination as there? it is true to say we are slightly one removed from the approach being adopted by other countries to have gone for a much more intensive immediate blanket response to try and almost suppress the virus as much as possible. i think the view of our experts as it is almost impossible to expect to just to stamp out the virus and that sort of way and the disk is a soon as you lift restrictive measures that the virus soldiers again so we have had

a more gradual response —— the virus surges again. the efficacy of sustaining these restrictions for months and the view and british government circles as it is better to hold back until be really need to introduce these measures otherwise the danger is by the time you get to the danger is by the time you get to the peak of the crisis people are no longer observing those restrictions and therefore there is a much greater danger of a really huge upsurge added to which there is a view that some of these measures actually risk being counter—productive, the most obvious one in relation to schools. he feared being a few close schools now and that is not a substantial threat that the problem is care staff and others who have children stay—at—home or worse still they tell send children to stay with grandparents and they are those most

at risk so i think some of the measures other countries have taken the comedy view here is actually they are not necessary and in some ways could be counter—productive. stock markets around europe fall sharply, despite coordinated action by central banks to try to stop coronavirus from causing a global recession. easyjet says it may have to ground most of its planes as a result of travel bans and falling demand — british airways cancels three quarters of its flights in april and may. from today, the uk government is holding daily televised briefings to update the public on the fight against coronavirus. in the business news... global stock markets have sunk despite central banks around the world announcing a co—ordinated effort to ease the effects of the coronavirus.london's ftse 100 share index fell more than 7% in early trade.

earlier, markets in asia closed sharply lower. and it's travel stocks that have borne the brunt again. ba owner iag says it will ground up to 75% of its fleet and lay off staff. easyjet, ryanair and jet2 are also facing similar pressures. and in an bid to protect the economy from the effect of coronavirus, america's central bank has cut interest rates to almost zero and launched a $700bn stimulus programme. it's part of a co—ordinated action announced yesterday the central bank had already cut interest rates by half a percentage point after an emergency meeting on march 3rd. bt has said that its residential network can cope a surge in demand — with many more people working from home because of coronavirus. the rapid rise in the number of people working from home and using video conferencing has led to concerns over bottlenecks and slowdowns. the problem would also be made worse if schools were to close — resulting in higher levels

of computer game and movie and tv streaming. the economic impact of the coronavirus shows no signs of slowing. global stock markets have taken a hit — with travel shares amongst the biggest losers. here's the current state of play — across europe — and that's despite massive coordinated action taken by central banks in the us, the eurozone, the uk, japan, canada, and switzerland. yesterday, the us federal reserve cut interest rates to almost zero and launched a $700bn stimulus programme. and travel stocks taking a beating as airlines announce plans to ground more than 3/4 of their fleets, lay off staff and cut costs.

michael hewson is chief markets analyst for cmc markets. give us a sense, looking at those numbers, it is hard to comprehend such big falls once again for travel firms and it is another terrible day, they are the most exposed, other firms may be later but right now the concern is travel. when you think it cannot get any worse you see the price moves we are seen today, take easyjet for example, since 21st of february share prices are down over 60% but it is a mistake to focus just on the travel sector, hotel chains are down quite significantly, whitbread down, cineworld down 36% today anything

thatis cineworld down 36% today anything that is exposed to consumer demand is getting hit very hard. so many of these firms have overheads that are very ha rd to these firms have overheads that are very hard to change, cinema have to pay rates and rents and employ staff, airlines are trying to mitigate by grounding large proportions of the fleet and cut capacity and lay off staff temporarily is that enough save them? that is not fs grounding of aircraft lasts for a significant amount of time because you ultimately need cash flow, working capital and money coming in at the same time as paying your stuff. if you are not getting that then we have got a taste of what could happen if a company has a cash flow problem, look at carillion a couple of years ago from, it ran out of working capital, not able to pay its staff and went bust and that is what

we are seeing, significant concern and the absence of intervention this shutdown lasts for months instead of weeks that some airlines could go bust. is a sense of the government responses around the world. the coordinated action by central banks is to prop up the front line but what's of businesses and industries turning to government saying we need to help but that is a finite amount of resource. that is but it is not just about businesses being bailed out, it is about all of these staff been made redundant and have fixed costs. at the moment there is a demand shock coming, looking at chinese retail sales for february the declined 20% in february, up 8% injanuary, the declined 20% in february, up 8% in january, that the declined 20% in february, up 8% injanuary, that is coming our way. all of us need to pay our bills and mortgages and electricity and gas

and the uk economy is going to undergo a significant cash flow problem in the absence of fiscal intervention from partitions not only in the uk, we have gone some way to that end the budget but things are moving so fast you need a very coordinated fiscal response globally and we're not seeing that the moment. thank you. another difficult day for the global stock markets and individual shares and the su is travel will be of the brunt of this but down the line we will expect to see other businesses really facing difficulties. just hearing a spokesman for the prime minister has asked the finance minister to chair minister has asked the finance ministerto chairan minister has asked the finance minister to chair an economy and business response committee on coronavirus. so many businesses and industry is looking to the government for help but they clearly have to prioritise what they want to

do and it has the money to step in. coronavirus is potentially having a impact on mental health. we can talk to rosie from the mental health charity mind, what are your concerns at the moment because there are so much uncertainty. there is, it can be quite a frightening time for everybody and i think it is quite important that we have looking with a critical eye at how we are consuming this constant stream of news and information are considering where we are getting a material from, when we look at it and how often. part of our advice is for

people to consider things like what social media you might use the coming months and maybe it is the case you want to limit perhaps looking at a particular feed but continue to check in with other groups to kind of moderate your exposure to some really quite alarming content. on that point, a lot of mine space can be occupied with reading something that is not confirmed, may not be true but obviously sets minds worrying. confirmed, may not be true but obviously sets minds worryingm confirmed, may not be true but obviously sets minds worrying. it is a really worrying and uncertain time for everybody so we would encourage people to limit what they are looking at two trusted sources so the nhs, dot uk. teenagers facing exams, not knowing whether schools will be closing our weather they will be closing our weather they will be closing our weather they will be happening but having to continue to proceed as normal with

revision and getting up for them. alongside all the mainstream health advice about hand washing and clean environments, the main thing is to consider whether a module in isolation that you are making time to connect with people you about, making time for exercise and access to nature and sunlight and fresh air and that you have a routine with structure but also some variety that keeps life in balance for you. and not knowing whether or not you should be preparing for exams for insta nce should be preparing for exams for instance when they might be happening or not, what is your advice to kids in that situation but anyone else you has something coming up anyone else you has something coming up that they need to focus on and prepare for as if it will happen but knowing it may not. yes, until you

are told otherwise life needs to continue as normal, we do not know how long this will go on for so until you are told this is not happening on you are going to need to self—isolate, you should continue with life as normal and that will provide structure and comfort and routine but also stop you from feeling perhaps quite so overwhelmed with other possibilities but until told otherwise assume stuff is going ahead. thank you. now it's time for a look at the weather. sunshine across many parts of england and wales, quite a settled start to the week and this is the scene start to the week and this is the scene at the moment and south tyneside, lovely blue skies and cumulus cloud. he high—pressure extending from the azores into england, quite settled but this

weather system to the north—west and this is the satellite, cloud moving into scotland and northern ireland, still cloudy across eastern england but even that tends to break with sunny spells developing so for most of england and wales, drier sunshine into the afternoon, rain moving into much of scotland and northern ireland and maximum temperatures up to between nine and 13, the breeze steadily picking up as well. to make this rain moves south and east by breaking up and eventually parking across wales, the south—west of england, patchy rain through the innate year, clear skies for the north but also showers, overnight to pitchers above freezing so not as cold as last night. cloud and rain for wales and the south—west of england on tuesday, more cloud in general and more rain moving in to northern ireland and scotland as the date goes on, temperatures between nine and 13. in wednesday we have

the rain across scotland and northern ireland which will move south and east, behind it colder air sta rts south and east, behind it colder air starts to move in across the north—western areas and as it moves further south chillier air moves south but it will stay mild across the far south—east of england, quite one for some with sunshine. cloud and rain sticking out from central areas, brighter on whether north of that, sunny for scotland and northern ireland, temperatures between eight and ten but in the south—east are still up into double figures, 15 or 16 and south—east areas. there is the weather front at the end of the week, sticking around southern parts with as high pressure builds further north so a diverse of today when he high—pressure is in the northern parts so into the weekend fine and dry for scotland and northern ireland, for england

and northern ireland, for england and wales, rain around at times particularly on friday into the weekend. but away from the far south it should be drier and brighter.

this is bbc news. i'm joanna gosling. the headlines at midday. stock markets around europe fall sharply, despite coordinated action by central banks to try to stop coronavirus from causing a global recession. airlines are hit hard — easyjet says it may have to ground most of its planes as a result of travel bans and falling demand. british airways cancels three quarters of its flights in april and may. from today the uk government is holding daily televised briefings to update the public on the fight against coronavirus. it also insists that the scientific advice is for schools not to closeat the moment. new york city and los angeles shut down bars, restaurants and other public places. restrictions continue to tighten across europe, with more border closures.

the head of france's health service, has warned the situation there is deteriorating very fast. european stock makets, including the ftse100 share index in london, have plunged nearly six per cent in early trading, despite efforts by leading central banks to try to limit the impact of the coronavirus on the world economy. airline shares have been badly affected as major airlines plan to largely ground their fleets of aircraft through april and may. the owners of british airways, iag, say it will be cancelling 75 per cent of flights. meanwhile, shares in associated british foods, which owns the retailer primark, have been suspended, amid falling sales.

downing street is stepping up efforts to keep people informed about its plans for tackling the outbreak. from today, borisjohnson or a senior minister will hold daily news briefings. he will also convene another emergency cobra meeting and take part in a video conference call with the other g7 leaders to discuss a co—ordinated global response. this afternoon, the government's expected to issue new guidelines on social distancing and how to protect yourself. as a number of schools take the decision to close, the education secretary, gavin williamson, is meeting headteachers leaders today to discuss their concerns. and in scotland, official advice to cancel all large gatherings of more than 500 people comes into force today. most of the 35 coronavirus—related deaths in the uk have been people aged over 60 and with underlying health conditions. simonjones reports.

this is something we are now going to be seeing on a daily basis. the prime minister and senior ministers supported by scientific and medical experts holding briefings following criticism that there has been a lack of transparency over plans to stem the spread of the virus. many admit they are anxious, particularly after the government said over the coming weeks, everyone over the age of 70 could be told to stay at home, potentially for a period of months. it's just scary and straightaway it scares my husband and yes, because he is in that age bracket. i don't fancy being locked away for a few weeks. ahead of today's news conference, there will be a meeting here at the cabinet office of the government's emergency cobra committee. that will look at the next steps for shielding the vulnerable and elderly from the virus and whether mass gatherings should be banned. there will also a phone call involving leaders of the g7 nations in which borisjohnson will urge them to put more

money and expertise into speeding up the development of a vaccine. among those to have lost their lives is retired police officer nick matthews, who was 59. he previously suffered a heart attack. his wife described him as her soulmate. and jez martinez‘s 78—year—old grandfather died at wickham in buckinghamshire. she said he had tested positive for the virus. it was very shocking. obviously we are grieving. there's been a lot going on, as we've seen. the testing has been stopped but now the worry is for the rest of my family and everybody else that may go through this. to ease demand on the emergency services, the scottish government says gatherings of more than 500 people should be cancelled from today, and head teachers, feeling the pressure, will meet the education secretary to discuss their concerns. british holiday—makers have been facing a battle to get home after countries like spain went into lockdown. this was a scene at

the airport in tenerife. and in the us, the race is on to get out before transatlantic flights are grounded. the stress levels have changed, been feeling very, very anxious and just really wanting just to have the security of getting on that plane and taking off. the sense of uncertainty has meant panic buying in the shops is continuing. it's clear that daily life will not be normal for some time to come. simon jones, bbc news. ajoint statement has a joint statement has just come through from the bbc and the department for digital, culture, media and sport. the tv licence for people over 75 had been due to come into effect in june. people over 75 had been due to come into effect injune. for now, we don't want people to worry about potential changes. we will do everything we can to serve the nation at this uniquely challenging

time. as the national broadcaster, the bbc has a vital role to play in supplying information to the public in the weeks and months ahead. recognising the exceptional circumstances, the bbc board has decided to change the start date of the new policy. the current plan is to bring it in on the 1st of august. we will keep the issue under review as the situation continues to evolve. so a delay in introducing over 75s having to pay for the tv licence. and the situation will be kept under review. as we mentioned earlier, markets fell again this morning after central banks around the world took co—ordinated action to try to limit the economic impact of the pandemic. the federal reserve in the united states has cut interest rates to a quarter of one per cent. president trump has praised the move but markets have reacted cautiously. rather a big inbox then for andrew bailey, who takes over as bank of england governor today. let's talk to our business

presenter ben thomson. he has a lot to grapple with. these measures are being taken and yet still the markets are crashing. measures are being taken and yet still the markets are crashingm is astonishing that we can look at a market board like that, and that coming after the us federal reserve has promised $700 billion worth of stimulus. markets still don't find any stimulus. markets still don't find a ny co mfo rt stimulus. markets still don't find any comfort in that. that i think is what is so unprecedented here. we have seen force like this over the last couple of weeks as the impact of the virus makes its presence felt. initially, it was things like travel stocks and airline suffering. they have fallen sharply again today as they have been forced to ground the fleet and lay off staff to cut costs. we a re the fleet and lay off staff to cut costs. we are getting indication of other firms in the firing line. individual organisations, things like cinema chains, shares down sharply because people simply won't be going. restaurants, hotels, those

businesses that rely on customers coming through the doors every day and spending money don't see any end in sight for this. people staying at home means they are having to lay off staff to keep their costs down. central banks are trying to curl —— come up with a coordinated response. some countries have said, we are prepared to step in. they are trying to work out what their priorities should be, which industries they need to safeguard, who they can promise money too, because there are so many demands on the money right now, they have to work out if and when they can make a difference. in some cases, big business might have enoughin some cases, big business might have enough in reserve to get them through. they can reduce costs as much as possible. but on most high streets right now, whether a small restau ra nt streets right now, whether a small restaurant or an independent shop, if people are not going in, not spending money, it is hard to see how they can get through the next few weeks, never mind if it prolongs into the next few months. and the

prospect of a global recession is a real one that is being discussed. technically, you need two consecutive quarters of economic contraction, and it takes quite a while for these figures to come through, so we are always looking back at what has happened when we get these figures, and we are still in the early stages of this, but it is clear that if people are not going out and spending, businesses will not be able to be as productive as normal. if staff are working from home or a business is shut down entirely, it will clearly have a detrimental effect on the economy, andi detrimental effect on the economy, and i think that is what the markets are looking at here. they are looking at events in the future, so they are trying to factor in what can happen next. brent crude is interesting, because falling significantly over the last couple of weeks because there is less demand for it. factories in china aren't using it, it isn't being used to power planes, so we have seen falls. 10% down today. $30 a barrel,

and just a few weeks ago it was up to $70 a barrel. you might think, why do i care about what the stock market is doing for my day—to—day life? our pensions are invested in the stock market. any savings you may have might be linked to returns to that, may be dividends you are due to be paid, so it has a knock—on effect. it could have quite a significant impact. of course, from the bank of england governor, we are hearing that they are prepared to step in to help when necessary. as i have touched on, there are so many demands on the money and resources right now, working out where the money can go and who they can prop up, be it airlines, travel firms, other independent organisations, lots of questions, and at this stage, not many answers. so the government will be holding the first of its daily news briefings later. who's in westminster.

what do you expect to hear from the prime minister? we know there will be proposals for the elderly to engage in what is called social distancing, advice for older folk may be to think twice before going to public events or busy social occasions, so if you have a choir you go to, mayjust hold off on that for a while. they are much more at risk from the disease. we know the mortality rate amongst older folk is eight or 9%, so much higher. that is not the same as the proposal suggested over the weekend of saying to older people, you will have to stay indoors for possibly three or four months. that is an option but it is not what we are going to get today. that is being held back, i think, for several weeks. elsewhere, we now know that the scientists are likely to publish the data on which they base the more gradual response

to the strategy which the government in britain is pursuing. they will publish the data on which they are modelling. if not today, then very soon, because as modelling. if not today, then very soon, because as we modelling. if not today, then very soon, because as we know, various epidemiologists and other sciences have been saying, let us look at that data, because perhaps we can feed in our ideas and interpretation of what that modelling actually means. the government may give us a little more on the emergency legislation which will be set out tomorrow. in truth, we know most of it. we know, for example, it will allow schools and care homes to have different ratios. if care workers get sick, the care homes can still operate. for schools, get sick, the care homes can still operate. forschools, people could be forcibly quarantined if they refused to self—isolate. we learned today that it will not include proposals for rationing of food to try and get round the panic buying

we saw in some stores over the weekend. that will not form part of the emergency legislation. it may compound the sense of panic and alarm and sent people scuttling off to the supermarket in even greater numbers. that is not going to be in the proposals. 0ne numbers. that is not going to be in the proposals. one other thing i think we may get, although it is not confirmed, is moving to self isolation forfamilies, confirmed, is moving to self isolation for families, because at the moment, if an individual contract the virus, they are expected to self—isolate. the government is looking at saying that if one person gets it in the household, everyone has to isolate. it may not be now but it is coming down the tracks soon. just to say we will have the briefing from the prime minister later, and also a european commission spokesman has said that they are looking at what will happen with any limits to

travel and also the movement of goods inside the zone or free travel within the eu, so we may have some news on that later. stay with us for all the latest updates. for now, good buy if you are watching on bbc two. —— goodbye. the headlines on bbc news: stock markets are again seeing big losses because of fears about the coronavirus, despite action by central banks to try to prevent a global recession. airlines have announced they'll be largely grounding their fleets throughout april and may because of a sharp fall in demand and the increased travel restrictions. from today, the uk government is holding daily briefings to update the public on the fight against coronavirus. around the world countries are taking steps to limit social activity and the movement of people across borders. the head of france's health service said the situation in the country was "deteriorating

very fast", with the number of cases doubling every three days. america's two biggest cities — new york and los angeles — are shutting down all entertainment venues and placing restrictions on restaurants and bars. germany is introducing strict border controls from today. as ski resorts in europe close, efforts to repatriate 30,000 british tourists from resorts in france are under way. spain has reported more than 1,000 new cases in 2a hours and at least 26 countries in africa have now reported cases — prompting many to announce measures to control the disease. kenya is blocking entry to all non—nationals without a residence permit. and south africa has declared a state of disaster and is closing its borders and schools. in total, we now know that the number of cases of coronavirus outside china now exceeds that in china itself, where the pandemic began. in a moment will talk to our washington correspondent, gary 0'donoughue, who's

at dulles airport. first to hugh schofield in paris. a real step change in the response there. in the last few days, there has been a sudden acceleration of measures in a country which i have to say had an unconcerned attitude to say had an unconcerned attitude to the virus is now gripped with a sense of impending doom, almost. the message from doctors in particular is very alarming. we have had a series of escalating measures. first, a school closure announcement on thursday, then on saturday the announcement from the prime minister that cafes, restaurants, bars and any public places had to be closed, any public places had to be closed, any place that was not essential. now, today, once again the government hinting that it is not

enough. irritation that over the weekend there were photographs and films of parisi ands out and about in parks and enjoying themselves in groups, seemingly paying very little heed to the warnings not to approach other people, or two to keep —— or to keep one's approach is limited. president macron will appear on television this evening and will turn this into more of a spanish or italian style lockdown, in which case the country will be really up against it. one feels, i have to say, this sense of a wave spreading across europe. italy, spain, now france potentially, with these really drastic measures in place, and a country which a few days ago felt almost untouched, lackadaisical, is suddenly confronted with the awful reality. it is almost as if at the beginning stages you know what is going to

happen but you can't take it in. it has to start really happening before you understand that your lives are going to be changed really radically. thank you. hugh schofield in paris. let's go to gary 0'donoghue in washington. update us with the situation there and the measures being taken. i'm here at dulles airport, the main airport that serves washington, dc. you can see behind me, not a load of people coming through, many wearing face masks, a lot of reporters here i wearing rubber gloves. there is a lot of cleaning going on. as of midnight tonight, the uk and ireland will not be able to fly their nationals into the united states. those countries being add to the schengen area countries for the next at least 30 days, we think. in terms of the general picture here, one of the biggest impacts, i think, will

be the school closures. we are looking at public schools, state run schools, two thirds of the states are closing them. that is 32 million children staying at home for the foreseeable. as you mentioned, we have also got restrictions on restau ra nts a nd bars have also got restrictions on restaurants and bars in a number of places. some are closing entirely, some have big restrictions put on them. i think there will be more questions about internal domestic travel in the united states, whether they will be clamp—downs on that later today, and potentially more quarantining of later today, and potentially more quara ntining of people later today, and potentially more quarantining of people at home and working from home. all of these things are on the table, and the general picture with the numbers is that we have more than 3500 cases in the united states, across 49 of the 50 states, so it is everywhere. there have been 65 deaths until now, as far as we know. and closing the

borders to people travelling from europe, and now, as you say, also the uk and ireland, that is people moving. what about supplies, imports, shortages? what is the shortage on that —— what is the picture on that? there have been no restrictions on imports as far as we know so far. there have been shortages, or there are starting to be. anecdotally, i can tell you that my local grocery store last night, the shelves had been completely cleaned out in many of the parts of the shop. extraordinary buying of toilet paper that people seem to have fixated on in this country and elsewhere. whether or not there will be restrictions on the amount people can buy of all products, i don't know, that may be something the administration is considering, but i don't think there is any fear at this stage that there won't be any

material or goods coming into the country. we will have to see how that develops, because it is something they will have to look at, i'm sure. gary, thank you very much. the constant news about coronavirus could be taking its toll on people with mental health issues, especially those with anxiety. dave smithson is operations manager for the charity anxiety uk. hejoins us now from salford. what are your concerns? good afternoon. as you said, we are living in difficult and dangerous times and people are worried about the uncertainty. those with pre—existing conditions are living with high levels of anxiety, and thatis with high levels of anxiety, and that is crippling with what we are facing at the moment. what is your

advice to manage this? first, manage how much news you are taking in. we have a 24—7 news cycle and if you are constantly watching the news, that will only make you more anxious. maybe have a preset time where you will check what is happening. if we are going to have daily bulletins going forward from medical advisers, maybe that is the time to check the news and monitor what is happening, just once a day. is it important for there to be transparency on the latest developments so that there is at least some sense of knowing as much as you can about where we are going? absolutely. that is why we would advise that following the official briefings would be the best place to get that information and not looking at other sources, particularly social media, where sometimes things get distorted and it is not always

accurate and up—to—date information. stick to the official briefings. but to look after ourselves, be mindful of looking after your well—being, to be self soothing, to plan ahead, to have some mindfulness techniques you can call upon. we ran some seminars on our youtube channel over the weekend, and one was on tolerating uncertainty yesterday, and tomorrow evening we are running one about managing 0cd during these difficult times. if you are stuck at home and you have to self—isolate, what is the best way to use that time? if you are stuck in the house at the best of times, you can get stir crazy. absolutely, and now is a good time to plan ahead for that, so identify what you can do, books to read, magazines you can store up now. maybe there is a box set on demand that you always meant to

watch but never found the time to. do some gardening if you can get into the garden. mindfulness techniques will help your mental well—being but also give you something productive to do. baking, whatever you can do at home in that self isolation situation. plan ahead now and have plenty to keep you occupied. be busy and be creative? absolutely. being creative is a good way of being mindful anyway at the best of times, so even more so at these particular times. also, consider eating healthily. whatever exercise you can get to maintain. if you are in a rural area and you can go out and about without mixing with a lot of people, keep doing that exercise, getting that little bit of fresh air, but also keep that mind for this approach about what you are doing day to day. it is so much to grapple with when you have got your lifestyle and it is hard to imagine something changing. we will all have to make changes. i guess we are

gradually but quickly coming to terms with that. it could change our outlook in the long run quite dramatically, couldn't it? absolutely. we have been testing our business continuity plans, and we ran an exercise last week where we all work from home for half a day. going forward, i think we will see more and more technology being used in the way we work, the way we interact with each other, the way that we have hospital appointments. we are developing a therapy on demand service that will be developed and launched very shortly through an app. we are trying to accelerate that so that if people can't go out and have face—to—face interactions in the coming weeks and months, we will be able to offer that online or via the telephone. the way we do business and work in the future will also be affected by this, and we could see some real differences in year to come. thank you forjoining us. scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon has said the next few months are likely to be ‘very challenging and unprecedented

this in our lifetimes' — from today — the scottish government want organisers to cancel events involving more than 500 people. 0ur scotland correspondent lorna gordon gave us this update from edinburgh. ms sturgeon said they are starting from a position of trying to be as open as possible. they want to get their message and their information out to the public. as you say, this is the day where this advice to cancel gatherings of more than 500 people comes into force. ms sturgeon said that under constant review is whether that will be expanded to smaller gatherings. also under constant review is whether they will close schools. some schools, a few here and there, and most schools in shetland, are closed at the moment. ms sturgeon said it will not be a binary choice going forward about schools. there may be areas they choose to close schools in, and others where they stay open, but she did warn that if and when they do start

closing, in a wider scale manner, it is likely to be for a very long time, perhaps three or four months. there was also more information on the testing procedures here in scotland. ms sturgeon said that people with symptoms going into hospital will be tested, as will front line nhs workers, but there is also what is called the sentinel gp testing which is usually used for seasonal flu. that will be expanded by the end of the week to cover 200 gp surgeries in scotland, covering a population of 1.2 million people. anyone in those areas presenting with symptoms similar to covid—19 will be tested for the disease. that is to allow the medical staff, the experts who are modelling all this, to get a sense of how the virus is spreading and whether there are hotspots where they need to focus

their efforts going forward. much has been made of differences in different areas in terms of public policy. how much coordination is there between scotland and westminster right now? we got a sense from the briefing this morning that there is a lot of commonality, actually, that there is complete agreement on the science going forward. ms sturgeon said there may be differences in timing or differences in policy around the edges. the chief medical officer for scotland said that all the chief medical officers of the devolved nations are having conference calls several times a day to discuss policy. for instance, she said there will be a conference call this evening at seven o'clock, where they will discuss what measures should be put in place for those they believe to be extremely immunocompromised. she said that those they consider to be at particular risk going forward may have severe restrictions put on their movements to try

and protect them from this virus. they rejected suggestions that there is confusion over the advice to the elderly being different in the different nations. it emerged over the weekend that advice here in scotland is that those who are older will be encouraged to reduce their contact with wider groups of people, but perhaps they were told while reducing that contact to increase their contact with a smaller group of one or two close friends and family, suggestions that perhaps the policy is not so different between scotland and england in that area and that it will become clearer after the cobra meeting that is taking place later today. white knight we have the latest figures for coronavirus from public

health wales, confirming another 30 people have tested positive for covid—19 in wales, bringing the total number in wales to 124. the total figure currently for the ukjust prior to the total figure currently for the uk just prior to that update was that there are 172 cases in the uk, 35 dead. we will get the figure for the uk overall after 2pm. for all of 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. the comedian and actor, roy hudd, has died at the age of 83. he started his career as a butlins redcoat, and later hosted the radio two show the news huddlines which ran for more than 25 years. he also appeared on tv shows including coronation street and call the midwife. now, it's time for a

look at the weather. some fine weather for many to start monday but although some hold on to good sunny spells this afternoon, for others it is changing. england and wales with sunny spells, light winds and feeling pleasant, clouding over, rain for the west. he had the winds, gusts up to 60 in the western isles, scotland and ireland with clear spells and blustery showers, rain pushing into parts of angled and wales, more persistent into the hills and it will be milder, still clear spells to the south—east and north—east scotland, with a touch of frost. claudia tomorrow, patchy rain and drizzle to the west, misty and murky, substantial rain back to

northern ireland and scotland, but easy but despite the crowd more widely milder.

hello, this is bbc news, the headlines. stock markets are again seeing big losses because of fears about the coronavirus — despite action by central banks to try to prevent a global recession. airlines have announced they'll be largely grounding their fleets throughout april and may because of a sharp fall in demand and the increased travel restrictions. from today — the uk government is holding daily briefings — to update the public on the fight against coronavirus. new york city and los angeles shut down bars, restaurants and other public places in an effort to halt the spread of the virus. restrictions continue to tighten across europe, with more border closures — the head of france's health service,

has warned the situation there is deteriorating very fast. in the business news global stock markets have sunk despite central banks co—ordinating efforts to ease the economic impact of coronavirus. london's ftse 100 fell more than 7% in early trade following losses in asia, where markets closed sharply lower. and it's travel stocks that have borne the brunt again. ba owner iag says it will ground up to 75% of its fleet and lay off staff. easyjet, ryanair and jet2 are also facing similar pressures as countries close hotels, bars, restaurants and urge people to stay inside. and in a bid to protect the economy from the effect of coronavirus, america's central bank has cut interest rates to almost zero and launched a $700bn stimulus programme. the central bank had already cut interest rates by half a percentage point after an emergency meeting on march 3rd.

bt and other broadband firms have said their residential network can cope a surge in demand — even though many more people are working from home because of coronavirus. the rapid rise in the number of people using skype, facetime and other video conferencing has led to concerns over bottlenecks and slowdowns. the problem would also be made worse if schools were to close — with higher levels of computer game, movie and tv streaming being used. the economic impact of the coronavirus shows no signs of slowing. global stock markets have taken a hit. here's the current state of play — across europe — and that's despite massive coordinated action taken by central banks in the us, the eurozone, the uk, japan, canada, and switzerland. yesterday, the us federal reserve cut interest rates to almost zero and launched a $700bn stimulus programme. travel shares are amongst

the biggest losers. but also firms that rely on footfall, like cinemas, or retailers.... and of course the well documented issues facing retailers to keep the shelves full despite panic buying. christopher snelling is head of uk policy at the freight transport association. give us a sense of what your industry is facing now. there is a big job to make sure people get what you they need. how are you doing it? it isa

you they need. how are you doing it? it is a big job but not one we are com pletely it is a big job but not one we are completely unjust to. there have been things like preparing for a no—deal brexit but we have issues of the year of what happens if the weather disrupts movement, issues like closing down airfreight for several weeks, the moderate fuel strikes into thousand. this kind of disruption to supply chain is something planned for and logistics and that is adaptability and flexibility will stop the important thing to say is the gaps we are seeing in the shelves are not a supply problem, there are not issues getting goods to the stores, all of the gaps and because of demands, because people hoarding and i think our message to the public at the moment is from everything we see on the haulage side but in retail that thatis the haulage side but in retail that that is not a crisis and that site

at all and that the shelves not keeping restocked so people do not need to panic buy or stockpile. keeping restocked so people do not need to panic buy or stockpilem isa need to panic buy or stockpilem is a really important point and i wa nt to is a really important point and i want to get more detail because we know that supermarkets are a very efficient business in terms of knowing what they need, predicting demand using data and they make sure they have the right stuff at the right time. you are telling me this is just right time. you are telling me this isjust an right time. you are telling me this is just an issue right time. you are telling me this isjust an issue because right time. you are telling me this is just an issue because we are not playing by the rules, not conforming to the established rules and it has messed up the model. the whole of logistics is based around trying to make the goods in the shop as cheap as possible so it is good value for everybody so that means it is ailing the system and retailers will do that through their chain. that means if there are sudden unexpected spikes and purchasing it will take a while to counter for that because you have a supply chain, you need to

up you have a supply chain, you need to up production and get those moved but from everything we are seeing other out hotspots with problems we are not seeing massive problems with the collection or distribution of these things, it is just a question ofa these things, it is just a question of a short period of time whilst we adjust to people rather panicked behaviour. if you could talk to those people who are buying things perhaps unnecessarily because you are telling me there's plenty available in the warehouses, what would you say and reassure people that see those scenes and think i was not going to panic but everybody else is so i will. if you see a gap on the shelf it is not because the product does not exist any more, it is because everyone has been in there and stripped the shelves that morning. it is important for people to purchase they need, we are hoping that will spike because those people who have hoarded fna few days we can

see the shelves being restocked with more produce then they will not need to hoard again and we can get back to hoard again and we can get back to greater degree of normality. then will need to move to a phase of coping with potentially wider impacts of the virus as more people are affected on a free get into more restrictions. already logistics companies around the country and the world a re companies around the country and the world are planning on how to keep the goods moving and keep things supplied that we will all need and all the weeks and months ahead. thank you. interesting to speak to people at the forefront of this, to make sure the stuff we are buying at the supermarkets gets there on time. in line of breaking news, be happy talking about airlines cutting capacity and routes to do with the big slump, we have had an update from virgin atlantic telling us it

will cut about 80% of its flights by the 26th of march, 75% of its fleet so the 26th of march, 75% of its fleet so following in the footsteps of easyj et so following in the footsteps of easyjet and british airways saying they will make severe cuts and ask staff to stay—at—home. in the case of virgin atlantic ask staff to take eight weeks of unpaid leave and then try and change some roots. 0ne eight weeks of unpaid leave and then try and change some roots. one will be cut permanently between heathrow and newark which will be permanently terminated but the rest temporarily asking staff to take unpaid leave following in the footsteps of others but nonetheless quite clearly a very turbulent time for the airline industry. and tough on workers. thank you.

later today the prime minister is to address the nation on the threat of coronavirus — after he meets ministers and health officials — to announce measures including isolation for the elderly and vulnerable — who are deemed high risk. natacha heyburn is a deputy manager at a care home in littlestone—on—sea in kent. she is concerned about her residents and by what she says is a lack of government support and guidance. what are your concerns? we have residents who are self isolating and they fit the criteria but 111 are telling us they have to self—isolate, no support from gps and they are not testing anybody so on friday we found with concerns, askedif on friday we found with concerns, asked if we could test residents and told there is no facility to test any more so we told there is no facility to test any more so we don't know whether residents do have it all they do not. we are getting no support whatsoever, just told to self—isolate, gps not supported, 111

not supporting, no back—up and we cannot believe they are not testing people to find out whether they do haveit people to find out whether they do have it or not so b can move forward with the plans to do with it. another environment looking after vulnerable people you believe you may potentially have cases of coronavirus and you are having to do with it. potentially. but because we cannot get any proof we are dealing with it day—to—day because we cannot prove whether these residents do haveit prove whether these residents do have it or not so do we isolate the entire home or is it unnecessary which is not good for the well—being? which is not good for the well—being ? we are which is not good for the well—being? we are not getting any support or help at all, it is as though they are just been forgotten, just leaving them and in my opinion if you are in a care setting and not an acute setting we are leaving them

to die because we have no tools to enable us to help these residents should they develop extreme breathing difficulties because they will not be admitted to hospital. we currently have a resident in hospital that did have ticked all the boxes and they we were told this morning that this resident is very u nwell morning that this resident is very unwell but they are not testing this person because they do not test people any more. sorry to interrupt, why did you say the people that are in the care from were not be admitted to hospital? why notjust send them to hospital, call 999 if you are send them to hospital, call 999 if you a re really send them to hospital, call 999 if you are really concerned. because they are saying they have to self—isolate and that is no resource for that because the hospitals are at stretching point as well. there is no clear guidance, from cqc oracle authorities to move forward. how sick of these residents question

—— how sick are these residents? how sick of these residents question -- how sick are these residents? one had a high—temperature and the resident and hospital is quite lb cannot confirm whether they have the illness or not because the hospital are not testing and when we spoke to 111 on friday about a residents we we re 111 on friday about a residents we were basically told to get on with it, there is nothing they can do, self—isolate them and go from there. i went to the gp surgery and asked them for help and support and a testing kit and they actually told me to stand back from the counter and there is no support out there, we are running out of sanitiser and being told there emergency supplies to the care sector, where are they? it is just to the care sector, where are they? it isjust a to the care sector, where are they? it is just a service from these people, we are getting no support whatsoever. what is the hospital

said about not testing the patient question mark theyjust keep saying that not testing any more. the bottom line is because this individual they are not a celebrity ona individual they are not a celebrity on a partition on a footballer, so they are being left which is so unfair because a lot of our residents have a good quality of life and why should theyjust be left because the abbott testing people. —— they are not testing people. —— they are not testing people. how vulnerable our staff feeling? we have a procedure in place for staff coming in because of the risk of infection but also with if school closes who will look after their children, that will cut our workforce and there is no back—up plan, that is in the nhs but not any ca re plan, that is in the nhs but not any care setting a definite of these

supplies, they said that as an emergency supply, where are they are? iam emergency supply, where are they are? i am not alone, emergency supply, where are they are? iam not alone, on emergency supply, where are they are? i am not alone, on social media... a technical issue u nfortu nately, we media... a technical issue unfortunately, we have lost natasha but talking through her concerns about the care home she is a deputy manager at n kent. we can speak now to peter randall, who is 70 years old and self—isolating at his home in fulham, london. why are you self isolating now? it's not too serious, i have just done it on my own, i have had a bit of a cold since new year off and on so last week it was getting slightly worse so last week it was getting slightly worse so when the government said on friday anyone who has a new condition to isolate for five days,

isaidi condition to isolate for five days, i said i have still got my cold so i am staying in for three days and thought i would keep out of the way and give myself a chance. what have you done to prepare for being at home like that? over the last couple of weeks i have been shopping bits and pieces, nothing extra than i would normally but just and pieces, nothing extra than i would normally butjust some tins and vegetables and fruit but luckily i cook everyday myself, make my own bread fi needs to so i have been stocking up on four bags of flow which will last me a month, yeast and things. i grow my own vegetables so and things. i grow my own vegetables so i'm wondering whether i can go to my allotment because now is the time

to start planting. so it is not somewhere you to start planting. so it is not somewhere you can to start planting. so it is not somewhere you can actually get to and be able to grow those supplies to use anyway. i was going to go there tomorrow and plant some potatoes and onions because they can be left in the ground but like tomato and lettuce, anything and seed boxes i will need to go and water in the greenhouse but if we are isolated at my age then that is are isolated at my age then that is a no—no. are isolated at my age then that is a no-no. are you having much contact with anyone outside? a no-no. are you having much contact with anyone outside ?|j a no-no. are you having much contact with anyone outside? i do speak on the phone to friends, no deal problem with that. some friends last

night said they would get shopping for me if i needed it but i have not got the symptoms of coronavirus at the moment and i do not expect to have but as the situation goes on, i do sufferfrom some have but as the situation goes on, i do suffer from some conditions and i cannot afford to catch anything but iam0k cannot afford to catch anything but iam 0k at cannot afford to catch anything but i am 0k at the moment, pretty self—sufficient. i am 0k at the moment, pretty self-sufficient. the speculation is that the government will announce measures for over 70s to stay—at—home potentially for up to four months, how would you feel about that? i got to go with the flow as far as it goes, i cannot do a lot about it. i think they are correct in one sense, we do not know what will happen but i am predicting probably a month myself but i would

not think four months, they would not think four months, they would not do it for that but maybe i do not do it for that but maybe i do not know. if the situation gets much worse then obviously everyone will have to stay indoors like they are in europe but i think the government is doing the right thing at the moment doing it slowly. it is going to hit us one day and hopefully a long way off and not at all. thank you. stay safe and we appreciate you taking the time to talk to us. thank you. for the past few weeks, we have all been told the best thing we can still do to prevent the spread of coronavirus is to wash our hands and not touch our faces. hand washing is fairly straightforward — but how do we counter the instinct to rub our eyes or cheeks? we asked psychologist natasha tiwari for some tips.

i haven't touched my face in weeks. when we touch on faces what we are really doing is coming ourselves down and we are really activating a certain pressure points which then activate something called a nervous system which is what makes as some ourselves down internally. you see the same response in dogs and cats and children. if when our parents are shocked touch their faces are when the are surprised or upset we

are more like a to do exactly the same thing. at a time it is more important than ever to not touch your face unconscious that your mind is constantly moving to a face but it can better protect you by doing the things at noticeable soothe you and so your unconscious mind will prompt your hand to go to your face. whilst it is almost impossible to totally stop touching your face, a key way you can go about making it easier would take out the habits which lead you to that might mean winning glasses instead of contact lenses, the winning unless make—up -- it lenses, the winning unless make—up —— it might mean winning less make—up and habits are around how you use your hands to rather than living them about, make an effort to crush your hands on your lap then find the urge comes to pick your hands up and touch your face you

will be more aware of what you are doing and will catch yourself. i cleaned my hands before i touched my face. well, coronavirus is dominating social media — with people sharing their personal stories and concerns on twitter. but many are using the platform to encourage others to stay positive. opera. nowhere more so than in italy — where concert halls and opera houses may be closed, but music can still be heard on the streets. the italian tenor, maurizio marchina took to his balcony in florence to sing the classic ‘nessun dorma'. and apparently he's not alone; many people have been doing the same — using music to connect with the outside world and to show support for their neighbours. and in spain, although millions are confined to their homes, some have found innovative ways to stay fit and help others. this fitness trainer was filmed leading a workout from the roof of a building in seville — while residentsjoined in from the surrounding apartments and balconies. )and staying in the united states,

the lead singer and staying in the united states, the lead singer of the killers has been demonstrating his hand—washing technique. but rather than opt for happy birthday, brandon flowers chose a tune from his own back catalogue. #jealousy, turning saints into the sea # swimming through sick lullabies # choking on your alibis # but it'sjust the price i pay # destiny is calling me # open up my eager eyes # cos i'm mr brightside. # and the prime minister will be

giving a briefing this afternoon. stay with us for updates. now it's time for a look at the weather with nick miller. monday may have started chilly but with plenty of sunshine, that is about to change for some, much of anger in wales will continue with long sunny spells through the afternoon but for scotland and northern ireland you are close to this weather front and it is coming with cloud and rain as well so many of us will be turning wet out through the afternoon into the evening. northern ireland and the rain mostly to the west, some patches are reaching east but west across western scotland by the afternoon and winds picking up, mostly noticeable here, average speeds but gusts up to 60 in the western isles. the extent of the fine weather across much of england and wales, still high cloud pushing

west and east of scotland still dry, quite chilly with the rain but where there is sunshine it feels very pleasant. through tonight, cloud and rain outbreaks south, across wales and western england, heavier bass into the hills with is in scotland and northern ireland is cleaner with blustery showers, not as chilly but parts of south—east angled and north—east scotland with clear spells and end up close to freezing with a touch of frost, more cloud tomorrow, wales and west of england seen tomorrow, wales and west of england seen patchy light rain or drizzle, mist and fog and cost and hills, substantial rain into northern ireland and scotland again during the day, a breezy day, more of us seeing to apertures in double figures despite the cloud. this latest weather front moves south through tuesday night into wednesday, still outbreaks of rain along it but turning increasingly light and patchy moving south but a clear boundary between the mild air

to the south and the chilly air to the north but again strong winds by the north but again strong winds by the time of wednesday across northern scotland with wintry showers. a lot of cloud for england and wales, again patchy rain, south of it seeing a brightness, it will be very mild with to purchase into the mid—teens but for more of us at turns cold on wednesday. across south of the uk friday into the start of the weekend the chance of outbreaks of rain when is elsewhere high pressure builds so dry up but a chilly breeze.

plans for social distancing for the elderly and the vulnerable will be discussed at the government's emergency meeting on coronavirus this afternoon. downing street is to hold the first daily press conference on the crisis — in which the next steps in the uk's plan will be outlined. as the pressure grows on the nhs, there are concerns about the health of front—line workers. the immediate priority, from my end, representing the nation's doctors is to keep them protected, keep them free from infection. because if they fall sick and they aren't able to work, we won't have a workforce. we'll bring you all the latest from developments at home — and abroad, where markets are plunging and borders closing. british airways, virgin and easyjet all say they are grounding the vast