all non—essential contact and travel should stop now, says the prime minister, as he urges people to work from home and avoid pubs, clubs and theatres. boris johnson outlines drastic new measures, telling whole families to stay at home for m days if one person has symptoms of coronavirus. but schools will remain open. they are overwhelmingly worth it to slow the spread of the disease, to reduce the peak, to save life, minimise suffering, and to give our nhs the chance to cope.

from this weekend, anyone with underlying health conditions should be shielded from social contact for three months. the lockdown across europe tightens. the european commission proposes a ban on foreigners entering the eu for 30 days, and germany becomes the latest to close its borders. grounded — british airways is one of many airlines cutting their flights by up to 75%. rallying around the most vulnerable — communities start pulling together to help those who are already having to self—isolate. and coming up on bbc news: the international olympic committee will hold talks with fellow international sport organisers tomorrow in response to the coronavirus outbreak. good evening. the prime minister has announced drastic new measures to tackle

the coronavirus outbreak. boris johnson has urged everyone to work from home if possible and to avoid pubs, clubs and theatres. he said now is the moment to stop all nonessential contact and to avoid all nonessential travel. the over—705, pregnant women, and those with underlying health conditions must be particularly vigilant. whole families must now self—isolate for m days ifjust one member of the family has a new persistant cough orfever. from this weekend, those with the most serious health conditions should be shielded from social contact for 12 weeks. the advice came as the number of confirmed cases in the uk rose to 1515. the number of deaths remains at 35. —— in the last few minutes, the death toll has been announced as 53. the uk's chief medical adviser, professor chris whitty, sought to reassure people saying that for most people the chance

of dying of coronavirus is very low and that for now schools will remain open. but he warned that the new restrictions on people's lives were going to last for a long while. here's our health editor, hugh pym. britain wakes up to a very different week. commuter numbers are well down on normal, with more people choosing to work from home. carnaby street in central london is quieter than usual, even for a monday morning. but plenty of people queueing at a supermarket tills and shelves needing to be restocked. and this afternoon, the prime minister said drastic action was needed to slow the growth in cases. he had this message for those with a fever or a new, persistent cough. if you or anyone in your household has one of those two symptoms then you should stay at home for m days. that means that, if possible, you should not go out, even to buy food or essentials other than for exercise and, in that

case, at a safe distance from others. and then this advice for the whole population. now is the time for everyone to stop nonessential contact with others and to stop all unnecessary travel. we need people to start working from home where they possibly can and you should avoid pubs, clubs, theatres and other such social venues. and for the most vulnerable, there was this new guidance. in a few days‘ time, by this coming weekend, it will be necessary to go further and to ensure that those with the most serious health conditions are largely shielded from contact, from social contact for around 12 weeks. and contrary to previous guidance, officials now plan to ramp up virus testing. just to give some numbers on that, over 44,000 tests conducted, of which over

42,000 were negative. and we will continue to scale up the testing every single week from here on in. moving out into the wider community. the nhs, meanwhile, is pushing on fast to make room for the inevitable surge in patient numbers because of the virus. at the mater hospital in belfast they are providing specialist beds with ventilators. nurses are being trained in using protective clothing to care for patients who have tested positive. it's warm, it's challenging. it's like you're in the desert. and there is no air. and we can only be in there for about 40 minutes at a time so trying to do everything we can do for that patient in that timeframe, to keep ourselves then safe with the risks of the masks. hospital leaders point out that most patients will recover quickly and won't need specialist care. but they are worried about the sheer scale of patient numbers. i think what scares us is the potentialfor the numbers of patients that could come.

and we don't really know how many could come at the moment. but we have been preparing for the worst, absolutely preparing for the worst. but i'm confident that we are prepared for that. but one doctor from an english hospital, supported by some front line colleagues, says the nhs isn't prepared for what is coming. we are not ready. we are running out of masks already. and we haven't even started the crisis, really. there is a crucial lack of ventilators and even our oxygen supply might be in danger. ministers will argue the latest measures should help hold back the increase in cases. the prime minister said they were draconian. they will certainly make a difference to people's everyday lives. hugh pym, bbc news. let's talk to our medical correspondent fergus walsh. the impact on people's lives will be huge. absolutely profound, sophie.

let's go through the measures, because they have only come in in the last 40 minutes or so. so, if one person in a household has symptoms, a continuous cough or a fever, then the whole household should stay in isolation for 14 days, if possible avoiding going out and even buying food where possible. people should work from home across the uk. they should avoid unnecessary travel, avoid all pubs, restau ra nts, clu bs, unnecessary travel, avoid all pubs, restaurants, clubs, theatres, social venues. restaurants, clubs, theatres, social venues. and people with specific health conditions, about 1.4 million people will get advice by the weekend that they should isolate themselves for up to 12 weeks. for themselves for up to 12 weeks. for the over 70s, pregnant women, who we don't think i write any special risk, just precautionary, and those with other health conditions, they need to take special notice of these

social distancing measures, so really extraordinary. and we have just heard the latest death toll is 110w just heard the latest death toll is now 53, up from 35 yesterday. london is particularly badly hit, is that why the action is presumably so drastic so quickly? if no action we re drastic so quickly? if no action were taken, the estimate is that the outbreak would double every five or six days, and the intention is to slow the spread. it can't be stopped altogether, and to reduce the peak. the whole point is to try to allow the nhs to cope. we havejust had figures from northern italy, and there are more than 800 people in intensive care justin lombardi. there are more than 800 people in intensive carejustin lombardi. the aim is to stop the health service from being overwhelmed, too slow and smooth the peak of this so that it can continue through the months, but it will save lives if we can reduce the number of cases all happening in a few weeks. fergus walsh, thank you. let's speak to our chief political correspondent, vicki young,

who's in westminster. a dramatic escalation of measures after the government has been criticised by many for not doing enough? and they would say that actually we are not that far behind the other countries, but they are doing this at the right time. they always talked about the timing. you just have to think, sitting listening to the prime minister, a man re—elected just over three months ago, he could never have thought that he would stand there and speak to the nation announcing an effective lockdown of the country, the kind of measures that haven't been seen since the war. let's talk a bit about enforcement, something i asked him about. he is not talking about cu rfews, about. he is not talking about curfews, there are in other countries, but he is not talking about that yet. he is appealing to people's sense of personal responsibility, that even if you are younger and healthier, these things apply to you as well. he said, it will be extraordinarily difficult, but ultimately, if we all do it, it will save lives. also questions about the economy, not shying away from that, saying it will be a

severe blow for the economy, and he said the government would try to do what it could for businesses to make sure they have the space to come back from this. there is bound to be more measures brought in. there will have to be help for people who will see their wages dipped dramatically. all our lives, no doubt, havejust changed for quite a long time in a way that all of us could not have predicted. thank you. the prime minister said the new measures were particularly important for anyone over the age of 70 as well as those with underlying health conditions. pregnant women have been included on the list for the first time. our special correspondent, lucy manning, reports from brighton. five, six, seven, and... they have saved the last dance for today. the older generation, told like everyone that they must step away from others and minimise contact, but the prime minister is clear that it is particularly important for the over 70s. simply to be told that because iam over70, 70s. simply to be told that because i am over 70, just, that i have got

to stay—at—home is not in my interests, in a way, although i know the intention is good. it's like solitary confinement without having done the crime. it's mothering sunday next sunday. will i be able to go and see my family, or will i be on skype while they are in the restaurant? i think we've had be on skype while they are in the restaurant? ithink we've had rather conflicting information. on the seafront at hove, fresh air is allowed. older people to avoid others, those with health conditions shielded for 12 weeks. we kept our distance. it would be difficult because we are very social animals, but even so, we have skype for our family. we are calm and unafraid. whatever is thrown at us. social distancing needs to happen because when the older generation are out and about, they can't be sure if people have coronavirus butjust

aren't showing the symptoms. but there is a clear danger that social isolation is also likely to be a big problem. getting ready for self—isolation, jane. her daughter has already insisted her mum, a spanish teacher with diabetes, works online from home. i will self—isolate because i am in the age group, 72, and i suffer with type two diabetes. i am a vulnerable person. i do miss you. the good thing about all this technology is that, actually now, you won't be able to get rid of me, because i'm determined that we will be able to do some nice things together, whether that is cook alongs or book club. for the elderly, the vulnerable, pregnant women and their families, these will be the most difficult weeks and months, split

apart in the hope lives will be saved. lucy manning, bbc news, brighton. the bbc is putting on hold its decision to change the licence fee for people over the age of 75. free licences will remain in place until august. the director general, lord hall, said it was challenging times for the country and the focus had to be on keeping operations going and serving the public during such a difficult time. there has been another day of heavy losses on world stock markets. london's ftse 100 closed down 4%. there were even bigger falls in new york, frankfurt, paris and madrid. amongst companies, aviation firms have been hardest hit. here's our economics editor faisal islam. across the uk, the eerie sight of airports turning into parking lots as planes are grounded, and used as people stop flying across the atla ntic people stop flying across the atlantic and within europe as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. pilots, air crew, ground staff,

airlines forced to lay off workers, and in the case of virgin, temporarily imposing leave without pay for several weeks at least.|j queued sense of anxiety at the moment, and waiting for update daily to see how quickly this crisis is going to be under control. elsewhere, car manufacturers across europe are shutting down for the rest of the month at least. it is something we want to minimise and stop. that is why you saw prompt action last week, that is why you will see prompt action again when we meet. the public can be assured of that. indeed, his counterparts in the usa slashed interest rates by 1% last night. the markets across the world tumbled again, reaching the lowest levels for several years before recovering half the losses. these are massive moves in stock markets, and they are happening every single day. they reflect the fa ct

every single day. they reflect the fact that when parts of society shut down, sectors of the economy do too, from aviation to car production. and while right now the health emergency is obviously the priority, when companies run out of cash, they can't pay people, they have to lay workers off, and that is why huge amounts of government help, more than they possibly could imagine last week, will now be required. the world's major capitals starting to feel emptier. the world's leaders speaking on a teleconference about the health and economic challenges. perfectly obvious, just the g7 conversation i was having today, everybody sees that this is going to be potentially a severe blow for the economy. just two, please. no worries. many in business are choosing to mokin at this time of crisis. here, a gin distillery in bristol making alcohol hand sanitiser for the needy. elsewhere,

manufacturers are looking at changing production lines to make the ventilators the nhs desperately needs. workers and workplaces that are likely to end up needing much more help too. well, for many, the monday commute has been less busy than usual, with fewer people taking trains and buses as more and more people are encouraged to work from home. and some parents have already decided to take their children out of school, asjon kay reports. we have free time and then... the kitchen is now a classroom. in essex, lizzie is keeping her ten—year—old twins off school to protect them from coronavirus. they filmed themselves today. the key is going to be planning. lizzie has a genetic condition which makes her vulnerable to infection so there is no going out, meeting friends, they are self—isolating. no going out, meeting friends, they are self-isolating. i am trying to keep it educational but also with an element of fun and so far we seem to

be surviving the first day quite well. still smiling but what if this goes on for weeks or months? fingers crossed if you come back in three weeks we will still be speaking to each other. even before this evening's statement from the prime minister, it has been a quiet monday in many places. in the bristol sunshine this afternoon, we met rebecca. at the time, she was hoping to stick to her normal routine for as long as possible. people still have to eat and go shopping and enjoy life. are you? do we look like we are not? but boris johnson's advice tonight about avoiding nonessential travel and contact with others means life is set to change now in more ways. i am glad he has decided to take this step but i am frustrated he did not decide to take this step earlier and it feels like he has wasted time. it is probably the right thing right now but it is a shame because i think people are

going to get a bit bored and won't know what to do with themselves but it is the right thing going forwards. playtime in the garden. jeremy has taken his kids out of school to self—isolate. his wife died two years ago and he says he will do whatever he can to protect his family. it is a very difficult decision but i take this very seriously. what would you say to somebody who thinks what you're doing is an overreaction the schools are open? of course, we must contact with our friends but my children cannot afford to lose another parent andi cannot afford to lose another parent and i can't afford my asthmatic daughter to contract this virus so we are staying in until we can go out again. it is not yet clear what will happen to parents who take their children out of school over coronavirus fears. for now, the government is advising schools to stay open. ministers say closing could cause even more disruption. jon kay, bbc news. the european commission is proposing

a 30—day ban on foreigners entering the european union and on all non—essential travel within it. germany today became the latest eu country to close its borders. in france, president macron is preparing to address the nation again in the next hour. our europe editor, katya adler, is in brussels. how soon could this ban on travel to the eu begin? the details are a little bit complicated, this would be an exceptional travel ban in exceptional travel ban in exceptional times. one of the measures that the european commission is trying to introduce to coordinate a kind of europe wide response to the coronavirus and it wa nts to response to the coronavirus and it wants to create a kind of fortress europe, to stop extra cases of the coronavirus entering the eu but it is not up to the european commission. it is up to individual eu leaders to sign this off and as you mentioned, some countries already have serious travel restrictions in place on one another, like germany or austria or

france on italy and they are in no hurry to lift those bans. it is one of those situations that puts a tension between the european union and the individual members and it does not mean this travel ban cannot come about but it is complicated. what does it mean for the uk, that has left the eu but is in a transition period? the commission suggests the uk cannot be forced to join an eventual travel ban and it would be invited to do so but whatever it decided, uk citizens would not be prevented from travelling into the rest of the eu. katya adler in brussels, thank you. in spain, the government has announced sweeping measures allowing it to take over private healthcare providers and requisition equipment such as face masks as the number of cases there has risen to almost 9,500. 335 people have now died. spain declared a state of emergency on saturday, placing the country in lockdown and ordering people not to leave their homes unless they needed to buy food or medicine or go to work. damian grammaticas

reports from madrid. this is spain on a warfooting, the military mobilised for this fight against the virus. instructing people to go back to their homes. keep apart, police warned people in madrid. day one of a state of emergency. those who don't have masks improvise. you are only meant to get out if you are heading to work or buying food. like these italian students, stuck here in spain indefinitely as all flights to italy have been grounded, but they think the lockdown is justified. do you think this is necessary, all of these measures? absolutely necessary. it is the only way you can fight this situation. to stop the virus spreading? to stop the virus, yeah. and this is why — spain's hospitals, a health system under severe stress. there is a desperate need to slow the pace at which people are being

infected. this hospital on the edge of madrid has set aside more than 100 beds for coronavirus patients in the past few days. they are not overwhelmed, but the problem they have, they say, is that they are already running low on stocks of safety equipment, and that means the medical staff are being put at risk. alex, one of the nurses, tells me that the masks we are carrying out —— are better than those the hospital staff are provided. translation: i think it is necessary that the government takes these measures. we are trying to stop a disease we don't understand. we see what some countries in asia did. we think this is the best thing to do. so, this is now a european capital living under extraordinary measures. the buses run, but they are empty. the prado museum, police scan their mobiles for the latest information. while teams try to

disinfect the city. and madrid's main train station is still working, but only for essential journeys. the risk from the virus is all around. irene, a doctor, is trying to get back to her hospital urgently. she was studying in the usa but got a call saying they needed her back here. she arrived from new york this morning. i guess this is an emergency, and anything we can do to help is like what we have to do, so... meanwhile, those forced to stay—at—home are trying to make the most of it. an aerobics session laid on free for everyone stuck in one group of apartments. followed by a game of communal flat— bound bingo, keeping spirits up even as the country shuts down. from this evening, spain is closing its borders, only residents and spanish citizens are allowed to enter the country. damian grammaticas, bbc news, madrid. and you can find out more

about the symptoms of coronavirus and how to protect yourself on the bbc news app and on our website, bbc.co.uk/news. let's take a look at some of today's other news. the trial of scotland's former first minister, alex salmond, has heard allegations from a civil servant that he initiated a sexual assault by telling her he wanted to recreate a pose on a christmas card. the witness, who can be identified only as woman b, said it happened during a meeting at mr salmond's official residence. alex salmond denies 13 charges relating to nine women. a police officer who was called to the scene where pc andrew harper was killed in berkshire last year has told the old bailey that he witnessed his body "tumbling" in the road. pc harper died when he was dragged by a car, which his colleague told the trial was speeding "very fast" near the a4. three teenagers deny murder. the comedian, actor and presenter roy hudd has died at the age of 83. he was best known for the radio two

series the news huddlines, which ran for more than 25 years. efforts are being stepped up around the country to try to help the most vulnerable deal with the pandemic. community groups have been springing up offering a range of services from food deliveries to dog walking. sian lloyd reports. vital supplies for the elderly. this outreach group in birmingham have been running a food bank, but now they're responding to the coronavirus. since friday they've been providing supplies for people who are self—isolating. demand is rising. this delivery is on its way to an elderly woman who can't get out of the house. if i can sacrifice a little of what i have to help others, then so be it. that way both of us will survive rather than me trying to hoard and i survive and the other person perishes. there's been a surge in new support groups. people wanting to lend a helping hand in their local communities.

550 people havejoined since saturday and they are all willing to help in their local street. things are gathering pace. adrian and jennie are mobilising volunteers in their neighbourhood of sandwell. so we've got these little cards that have been produced that we are just popping our names and telephone numbers on and people can ring those individuals and say, i need this help or ijust want to chat. in falkirk, the owners of a local shop have been handing out kits with soap, hand wash and masks to vulnerable people. a community group set up near wrexham this weekend is already being supported by people from all walks of life. we have got police officers, we have an excellent counsellor. we have teachers and people who work in the nhs, hr managers, a real cross—section of the local community who have all come forward because we understand things are going to get

worse before they get better and we wa nt to worse before they get better and we want to make sure that vulnerable people are protected. and if you're aged over 70 in padstow, this shop is offering an early opening to allow customers a calmer environment. it was a very busy hour, it was like a little social club. people having a little social club. people having a little social club. people having a little chat and filling up their trolleys. it was a good bit of business. and in cardiff, more people doing their bit. reaching out to those who may come to rely on the kindness of others is a lifeline in the months to come. sian lloyd, bbc news. time for a look at the weather. here's chris fawkes. -- phil —— phil avery. some good weather would not go amiss at the moment, it was a glorious day widely, right across much of england and wales but i should better acknowledge that scotla nd i should better acknowledge that scotland and northern ireland were close to this weather front which was spreading cloud, wind and rain

and that combination will move across the solway, it will be across the greater part of england and wales overnight but it will not spread the cloud into the far south—east so here it could be a chilly night under clear skies. the skies will clear further north across scotland and northern ireland but there will be a breeze here and some showers should keep most of you frost free. tuesday? a different kettle of fish, for the greater part of england and wales there is more cloud and rain across the western hills of wales and perhaps the south—west and after a dry start for northern ireland, the return of the same weather front back from northern ireland and eventually to mainland scotland but it will be a breezy day. the windows from the south—west so if the cloud breaks up, the eastern side of the pennines, you could be looking at 15 degrees. a cooler affair when you stay in the sunshine and showers north of the weather front across the northern and western isles. the same weather front, journeying towards the southern half of britain and it is at this point that we see much more in away of sunshine with a

few showers across scotland and northern ireland. hang in there and you get to see the sunshine as well. still mild across the south and having pushed that front into those southern areas, it lurks with intent through thursday and into friday, perhaps those isobars are squeezing so quite breezy here and a combination of wind and rain in the south but with higher pressure building across scotland and northern ireland on the north of england, you have some sunshine, if a little cooler. back to the new measures to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, fergus walshjoins me. 55 people have died in the uk, how long could this last four? no time limit has been put on this but it does look like that the peak of this epidemic will be through in about 12, 13 weeks or so. but it is not clear how long that pubs, clubs and restau ra nts a nd long that pubs, clubs and restaurants and theatres will have to stay closed. but these are the

most extraordinary measures ever taken in peacetime. and all of our lives are going to fundamentally change in the weeks ahead. we are not just talking about change in the weeks ahead. we are notjust talking about protecting vulnerable groups, we are talking about all of us avoiding all unnecessary social contact, all unnecessary social contact, all unnecessary travel should stop and we should work from home, none of us should go to pubs, restaurants, theatres or social venues because if we do not, more lives will be lost. we need to comply with this to save lives. fergus walsh, thank you. that's all from the bbc news at six. so it's goodbye from me, and on bbc one, we nowjoin