hello it's tuesday, it's 10 o'clock, i'm victoria derbyshire, and we're live from new

broadcasting house. new financial help for businesses will be announced today after the hospitality industry warned that measures to tackle coronavirus are catastrophic for its members. health experts say they warned ministers what had been the worst case scenario, with up to 250,000 deaths, had become the most likely scenario before yesterday's emergency measures. also pregnant women are included in the groups considered most vulnerable. if that is you, we will bring you guidance in the next hour. i wasjust wondering if i needed to be self—isolating, if it is ok needed to be self—isolating, if it is 0kfor needed to be self—isolating, if it is ok for me to go to work, being surrounded by over 1000 children every day. as her husband i'm also a secondary school teacher in a different school, should i be taking any precautions? should i be self—isolating? any precautions? should i be self-isolating? and what do you do if you cannot work at all over the next weeks and months let alone from

home? how would you pay the bills, pay for food? we will have an official from the department for work and pension is to tell you what benefits you might be entitled to, and how to apply for them. —— the department for work and pensions. good morning, thank you for being with us. we will be here each day and we will spend time answering your questions and helping to guide your questions and helping to guide you through this crisis. we'd like to ask what you think of these new, dramatic measures, how it will affect your life and livelihood. use the hashtag #victorialive. other ways to get in touch: chris has tweeted this, i knew to stay in for 12 weeks because i'm at risk. my partner as an electrician. he visits multiple households every

day. the only way he can protect me is by staying off work or by going to live with his parents which leaves me completely alone for three months. this viewer says, the prime minister advises everyone to avoid pubs. with all due respect, will he pay the rent to my landlord? this advice would damage my business, the staff working for me, why? why? there isn't anything about what would be done to help us. the chancellor and promise that will talk about help for businesses. we'll have to wait for their daily news c0 nfe re nce to we'll have to wait for their daily news conference to find that what help might be available. we are going to ask for your video diaries. if you can, send a 62nd video diary as you adapt to these measures. turn the phone to landscape. that is the best way to record, so you are recording it like that. then you

do not get those two black bars on either side. send to our e—mail address... in the next hour we're going to talk specifically about women who are pregnant and also we're going to look at how you claim benefits if you can't work we have an official from the department of work and pensions to help you through. first, annita mcveigh has the news. the government is set to announce more financial measures to help the economy during the coronavirus outbreak, amid warnings that the latest restrictions could put a lot of businesses out of business. boris johnson has urged everyone to stay away from pubs, theatres and restau ra nts, away from pubs, theatres and restaurants, to avoid unnecessary social contact and to work from home where possible. let's talk to our assistant political editor norman smith. what measures are the government likely to announce?

we will see a fairly extensive range of measures directed mainly at the travel and leisure industry, who have clearly been hardest hit but an extension of the sort of proposals outlined by the chancellor in the budget, so things like loans, grants, tax relief, an extension of the business rate holiday. even that may not be enough when you compare the actions of president macron, who has talked about 300 billion euros worth of support. there is also likely to be some sort of help for people working in those sectors who 110w people working in those sectors who now risk losing theirjobs, businesses calling for ways guarantees, labour demanding mortgage and rent deferral options and again, there will be real pressure on the government to take a more extensive action to enable people to claim sickness pay, with millions ineligible either because they are self—employed or earning less tha n they are self—employed or earning less than £118 per week. norman, thank you very much for that. as

well as avoiding unnecessary social contact and working from home, people are being told to self—isolate to 1a days if anyone in their household show symptoms. the number of people who have died in the uk is 55, and there are around 1600 confirmed cases, although it is estimated thousands more may already be infected. much more on what you should be doing, in a few moments. the eu is expected to close its external borders to prevent free movement between member states today. the closures come as both france and germany ramp up efforts to combat the spread of coronavirus. many countries have already introduced internal eu border closures. french president emmanuel macron has announced an enforced lockdown similar to the one imposed by italy and spain saying that we are ina by italy and spain saying that we are in a health walk. that is a summary of the key news. back now to victoria. —— a health war. all of us are this morning

are facing a new reality. the prime minister yesterday afternoon unveiled dramatic measures to try to fight coronavirus. and today, the chancellor will announce new financial plans — just days after the budget — amid warnings the restrictions could put firms out of business. this is what borisjohnson is urging us all to do. no more "non—essential" contact. that means no visiting friends or family unless absolutely necessary. it means avoiding travel. no more going to work, unless you need to. that means working from home, where you can. avoid pubs and restaurants. these won't be forced to close, but the government could do that if necessary. sporting events and festivals won't take place because they can't be staffed by medics. if anyone in your household gets symptoms then you'll have to stay at home with everyone you live with for 1h days.

and don't use the nhs, unless you really need to. this is to help an already overstretched health system cope. we're going to be asking your questions throughout today and answering them with gp dr gaurav gupta, professor of public health at newcastle university allyson pollock, nhs doctor, dr sonia adesara and professor of health psychology susan michie. welcome all of you. first i will ask what you think of the new measures. given the new scientific evidence the new measures are sensible. given the new scientific evidence the new measures are sensiblem given the new scientific evidence the new measures are sensible. it is right for the government to change strategy. looking at the data they used based on imperial academics they said on current projections they said on current projections they were estimating that the number of people that would need admission and need intensive care beds was eight times the number of beds we have so it is important that we strange that might change strategy

and important to follow the advice given by the government, going forward. the main thing here is to follow the government advice. it is the right advice at the right time. it isa the right advice at the right time. it is a fast changing situation. i would urge all the public to stay calm and to remember that whilst the vast majority of the population will stay at home away from infection, the nhs workforce is going to put itself in harms way to protect them so itself in harms way to protect them so try to be compassionate and kind to yourselves, your neighbours and to yourselves, your neighbours and to nhs staff. that kindness message we have to spread around to neighbours, streets, communities. that is crucially important, particularly the over 70s, people with medical health problems, we are asking them to isolate themselves or quite a long period of time, so it is important that those of us that can, the younger generation, that we step up and step in to support them in any way we can. allyson pollock,

how do you reflect on the new measures? the government has completely changed tack. it's original strategy was mitigation, to try to slow the epidemic, recognising that the same number of people would be infected, and that was to try to prevent health services being totally overwhelmed. they realise now they don't have enough health services or social ca re enough health services or social care to deal with an epidemic, largely because they have cut so many services, so now largely because they have cut so many services, so now they are moving from mitigation to absolute suppression, so they are now trying to wipe out the virus by eliminating contact, to prevent transmission from person to person, so it remains to be seen how effective that strategy will be, but this is a fundamental change in the policy. straight to questions from our viewers now. looking at the e—mails, and every second there are many coming in. starting with

a heartbreaking one from clive. my beautiful wife died of ovarian cancer. her funeral has beautiful wife died of ovarian cancer. herfuneral has been arranged on thursday this week. it will be a small affair, but a lot of people will be in their 70s. what advice can anyone give me this matter i would estimate that about 40 will matter i would estimate that about a0 will attend, and 20 have already pulled out. it is a real time of sadness for us. clive, we send you our love and strength. it is absolutely heartbreaking. clive has sent me the most wonderful photograph of his wife. what is the advice for clive and for his wife was not funeral which is due this thursday? that is a really tough one. if you want some social support during this time i can understand. he will recognise it will be an individual decision for people as to whether they feel comfortable with attending, keeping two metres away from people, not touching surfaces, washing hands, etc or whether

they feel that they need to stay at home. ido feel that they need to stay at home. i do hope that some people feel able to go and support him at that time. asa gp, to go and support him at that time. as a gp, what would you say? my thoughts go out to clive and sorry to hear of his loss and the difficulty he finds himself in. in terms of advice, follow the official advice about social distancing. some attending might have their own conditions and safety to think about. i hope they will find other ways to celebrate the memories of clive's wife on an ongoing basis but i think the best thing to do is to follow the government advice on the website. for what it is worth, clive, you could have a small affair, and when it is over you can have an incredible memorial service when you can invite everyone. i am really sorry. sue says, we keep hearing, if you have underlying health issues, to self—isolate. sue

says, have asthma, polycystic kidney disease, hypertension and four previous cerebral aneurysms. asthma has been mentioned as one of the underlying illness is to be concerned about. 0n underlying illness is to be concerned about. on my other illnesses are concerned? i have decided to isolate anyway. illnesses are concerned? i have decided to isolate anywaylj illnesses are concerned? i have decided to isolate anyway. i think thatis decided to isolate anyway. i think that is the right thing to do. in terms of who is at risk the advice that has come out is clearer than before yesterday. anyone who is eligible for flu vaccination as a guide, is thought to be at risk. in terms of what to do, if you go on the government website you can find a room list of people at high risk, people over 70 and people on 70 with certain conditions who should do more social distancing. one anonymous peer says i've never commented on any platform before but i feel compelled to do so now. i'm may train critical care nurse, i am

a single mum, i've never claimed any benefit of any kind, i am starting night shifts today. holidays will not be taken and days off will be spent caring for ventilated patients where the government will profit one third of my wages while i go without time off and my children go without me being around. i accept all of the above is the reality of the situation but i'm made it's really angry by the selfish people who are hoarding, making it impossible for me to doa hoarding, making it impossible for me to do a normal shop to feed my kids whilst i'm at work. i should not be working in these circumstances, 13 hours a day, worrying about whether or not i can feed my family. the government needs to get a grip on the situation, and as our behavioural specialist, susan, what do you say about the people who are still hoarding and panic buying? can i say first of all we need to look after nhs staff. if they are unnecessarily stressed and exhausted, their immune system will be compromised and they are more likely to go off sick. in terms of

people who are hoarding, we are finding people going out to get a week or two weeks worth of supplies all that the same time, suddenly see the shelves are empty, it got dramatised, people panic then everybody thought they needed to go out, so at this point it is vital that people don't need more than two weeks worth of supply in their house at any one time. we are going to move on. so much to talk about. the latest advice as pregnant women to the list of vulnerable groups. so if you're pregnant you should take particular care to avoid social contact, don't travel unless you absolutely have to, and work from home if you can. it follows reports that a baby born last weekend tested positive, minutes after being born. the uk's chief medical adviser, chris whitty, said global research suggested of the small number of women

who gave birth when they had the virus, or gave birth soon after they'd recovered there were no complications. but pregnant women should still be cautious. for many infectious diseases there isa for many infectious diseases there is a small but appreciable additional risk and we will not know that until a lot more women have had children. we do not know for sure. we can say reliably that it is safe there are some additional risk. this isa there are some additional risk. this is a very new virus. so the information we have is relevant to people in the third trimester of pregnancy, but not in the earlier stages, and this is something get people very concerned about, but there is no evidence from other coronaviruses that makes us feel this is particularly dangerous for a way that for example that the zika virus was dangerous to pregnant women, but we have taken these precautionary measures whilst we try

to find out more to include pregnant women in the group alongside older women in the group alongside older women and people who have got three existing significant health conditions. we may find that was overkill, in retrospect, but we would rather be more precautionary now, rather than the other way. let's talk now to nagla kirkpatrick, who is 35 weeks pregnant and expecting her first baby — she's in bristol. hannah antoniades whose baby was due on sunday — she too is in bristol. i don't know what it is about bristol but i welcome you both to the programme! you have five weeks to go, how are you feeling, naga? i'm feeling fine. i'm panicking at the moment. it is a bit scary after yesterday, after telling us that everything was all right and there was nothing to worry about over the past weeks. they are precautionary measures. you heard chris whitty

express that. does it make sense? to a certain extent, but then the question of is it dangerous to me, how is it passed onto babies, can i pass it onto my baby if i get it? there are so many unanswered questions. why is it all of a sudden so different? did someone die? not as far as we know, a pregnant women or woman who has given birth. do you wa nt to or woman who has given birth. do you want to come in, sonia? don't panic. this is a beautiful time and enjoy it as much as you can. is there any evidence globally that any pregnant woman or baby has been harmed by the coronavirus? we are being over safe here. we are taking as much precaution as we can so do follow the government advice but try not to panic because there is no evidence globally that pregnant women or babies have been harmed from coronavirus. you want to come back

on that? do you have anything else to ask? i am self-isolating now. my job was based on me travelling around the country and now i cannot do it but i have been travelling over the past four weeks. can i, if i think over the past four weeks. can i, if ithinki over the past four weeks. can i, if i think i have it already, get tested ? i think i have it already, get tested? at the moment there is no testing unless you feel unwell enough to be in hospital. in terms of pregnancy the advice is correct from sonia. if you look at the royal couege from sonia. if you look at the royal college of gynaecologists website there is information around things like breast—feeding and feeding your child after. i hope everything goes well, and good luck to you. thank you very much. hannah, you are full—term, and your due date was sunday. you want advice about what to do with your newborn when he or she comes. that's it. as a family we have decided we are

self—isolating. i have a three—year—old who goes to nursery. we are holding her at home at the moment. my husband has immune problems. so it is quite scary for us. there is no advice about what we should do with family members, so we've made the decision to self—isolate, but it is quite scary to think we could go in hospital. we know that there's more risk of going into hospital with infections we are in there. and then what do you do once you have had the baby? there is absolutely no advice or anything about what to do with newborns. so it is quite an anxiety provoking time for any new mum. it is quite an anxiety provoking time for any new mumlj it is quite an anxiety provoking time for any new mum. i can understand why it is causing so much anxiety. you are doing all of the right things. given that your husband has immune problems, self—isolating is husband has immune problems, self— isolating is sensible husband has immune problems, self—isolating is sensible to stop and i'd like to reassure

you, going into hospital, cases of coronavirus in hospital, we keep them isolated so in hospital, we keep them isolated so you will not be at more risk of infection by going into hospital. please be reassured by that. it is changing situation. my recommendation is, when you go into hospital to give birth, talk about this with your midwife and your hospital doctor. they'll be able to give you the latest advice. you are doing all the right things. so please be reassured. you will want to show your baby to family and friends. you have to be quite innovative and use social media as much as you can. i think about structuring your time. having a new babyis structuring your time. having a new baby is fairly chaotic anyway stop if you do not have help from others around you, think about how you structure your time and what your social hours will be, so that you can check in with family and friends and update them, and they can see the baby. alison, you are in the studio in edinburgh. pleasejust jump studio in edinburgh. pleasejust jump in at any point. do you have anything to add? it is good advice

to look at the website of the royal couege to look at the website of the royal college of obstetricians and gynaecologists. they put out good advice for women who are pregnant. i'd like to make a second point. it is important that people do not panic. panic buying is an illustration of people really being anxious and scared and frightened. it is really important that people understand that, although this virus is new, we do have good data from china and other countries that 80%, over 80% of the people who get this virus recover completely, after about 4—5 days. they get a nasty, flu—like illness, and 80%, meaning that for every ten people that get it, eight get better completely. the remaining people, of those, 15%, 15

in every 100 will be serious. some of them will need oxygen. then there is the 5% you will need ventilation. but, the people who are really at risk, and we know this, are the people who are over 80, with multiple illnesses. so i think we really need to get this into perspective. there are lots of good websites and information. it is important that we do not get to panic. china has a population of 142 million people and managed to confirm that to 82,000 confirmed cases. 0ut confirm that to 82,000 confirmed cases. out of 10,000 people there we re cases. out of 10,000 people there were only five that actually contracted the virus, thanks to the various contracted the virus, thanks to the various measures. contracted the virus, thanks to the various measures. it is really important not to panic, to be sensible, to be sensible about working at home, who you see, but to try to live your life as normally as possible. but to take

care. another question, on pregnancy, from emma ridley and her husband, grant. question, on pregnancy, from emma ridley and her husband, grantlj question, on pregnancy, from emma ridley and her husband, grant. i am a secondary school teacher, i am eight weeks pregnant, i was wondering if i need to self—isolate, if it is ok for me to go to work, being surrounded by over 1000 children every day. as her husband i'm alsoa children every day. as her husband i'm also a secondary school teacher as it different school, should i be taking any precautions? should i be isolating or shielding myself and my wife, to protect her? you want to a nswer wife, to protect her? you want to answer that? as we know, being pregnant has been defined as a high—risk group. it would be a good idea to look at all the precautions you can take. given the specificjob i think it makes sense that you self—isolate. if anybody in your household has got symptoms then you need to be self—isolating as i have sought for 1a days. but go to the

gov.uk website as well as the website of the royal college of gynaecologists. does the husband go to school and teach still? it is a tough one. we must remember the advice about the importance of cleaning your hands thoroughly, not touching your eyes, nose and mouth. this is the main transmission route. if you goes to school, the first thing he does when he comes into the house, wash hands thoroughly, possibly changes clothing, that could protect him. and wash hand throughout the day as well. one viewer says, i've just discovered i'm pregnant and whilst this should bea time i'm pregnant and whilst this should be a time ofjoy i find myself being very fearful. i'm fortunate to be working from home but my husband needs to work from at work in central london unlike trials are still at school, not sure what i should be doing in terms of self—isolating as my husband needs to work, but i am worried. your last a nswer to work, but i am worried. your last answer fits this,

as well. paula, this is what you as a gp, i miss really anxious, i'm pregnant, is it safe to have the whooping cough vaccination, and is giving birth safe in hospital, also? in terms of getting immunisation, we recommend that you get immunised because it protects you and your child against other illnesses that are more harmful than what we know of coronavirus. hospitals can be a place of safety. if you are on with coronavirus, you have to deliver your baby into hospital so we should not think of hospital as a place we need to avoid at all costs. in some cases hospitals would be the safest place to be. i completely agree. people will get other illnesses, not just coronavirus, they will still get cancer, heart attacks, strokes. it is important that viewers know that hospitals are still open, you can still call your gp, if you have

got any health concerns. the health service is still open and hospitals are safe, and open. what's more questions about pregnancy. we could come back to that, we will move onto the next section. good luck to naga and to hannah, we send you our best. what do you do if you find yourself out of work, with no income because of the latest restrictions? maybe you need to stay at home for 1a days because someone what do you do if you find yourself out of work, with no income in your family has symptoms, or perhaps yourjob involves you working at big events, which are being cancelled. what does it mean if you are self employed or on zero hour contracts? if that's you, how do you pay your bills? and how do single parents cover child care costs? we have a panel of experts who we hope can answer these vital questions. but first, here'sjim reed with an outline of what help you might be able to get. if you can't work because of coronavirus, then that could mean negotiating the benefit system. the first possibility

is statutory sick pay. it should now be paid by your employer, like wages, from the first day you are sick or self—isolating for up to 28 weeks. you can get more if your company has its own sick pay scheme to top it up. if you are on a zero—hours contract, you should still be able to claim, though you need to earn an average of £118 a week for the past eight weeks. if you are self—employed, or working in the gig economy though, you may not qualify. there are then two options — you might be able to claim both. esa is linked to your national insurance contributions over the last few years. this will now be paid from the first day you are sick or self—isolating, instead of having to wait eight days. to get it, you need to go online and make an appointment at the localjobcentre. if you are off work or seeing jobs dry up, you might also be able to claim universal credit. whether you qualify and the amount

you can get is based on factors like your savings, the size of your family and your partner's income. the government now says you can receive a month's payment upfront without physically going to a jobcentre, so you should be able to claim on your phone or laptop. there is normally a wait — up to five weeks — for the money to reach your bank accounts but you can ask for a cash advance. this should be paid in a couple of days if needed. let's talk to veronica madden, customer service leader from the department of work and pensions, and richard lane, from step change, a debt advice charity. andy chamberlain, from the association of independent professionals and the self—employed. and to ask our panellists questions we have, fiona laycock, 25, freelance musician struggling for work and worried about how she will afford her rent. that is her housemate emily alongside her.

tracey cryer runs a small businesses supplying support staff and teachers into special needs school, says she has no idea what to tell her staff and emily samuel, a 23 year old primary school supply teacher who has had to self isolate due to a pre—existing lung condition. i'm going to start, veronica, with an e—mail. sudhir is a 71—year—old living on my own and working as a self employed science and maths private tutor. i have never claimed any benefit except my state pension. if i am asked to self—isolate there will be a sharp drop in my income. do i expect any financial support from the government for loss of income and if so who do i contact? first, it is important to point out that there is an entitlement guide on our uk website which you can access and have

a look at. the situation is entirely dependent on circumstances, so if he has any savings or property that could come into consideration. you may be entitled to pension credits. i would advise to go online and have a look at our website, and if he has any concerns, he is more well —— more than welcome to contact us. the website address is... gov,uk. and there is also i understanding universal credit section on there. you said locally, thejobcentre. do you mean ringing them or go in person? all job centres alljob centres are currently open, we have a wealth of support, they will be talking to local community

to ensure we have a wraparound service. i would suggest if you cannot access information online, by all means, attend job centres. they can attend them, so you cannot ring a job centre or can you? if you wa nted a job centre or can you? if you wanted to get further information, there is a helpline number, if it's 0k to share, 0800 328 56aa, where people can reach us. emily, go ahead with your question. i have to self—isolate for the next 12 weeks, i'm not sure if i'm going to get any ssp. my agency haven't got back to me and i don't have any money whatsoever because i am a supply teacher, so what can i claim ifi supply teacher, so what can i claim if i cannot claim ssp? andy,

please help with what level you have to earn before you qualify with statutory sick pay. the government has announced that it will extend some benefits to self—employed people, but not yet a statutory sick pgy- people, but not yet a statutory sick pay. but if you are not self employed, you have to add £118 per week —— and —— you have to and £118 a week. are you self-employed? technically not, because i work through an agency, but it is a grey area whether i will get paid. your agency, if you earn £118 per week, i'm not necessarily telling you to tell us what you do only, if you earned that, if i have understood andy correctly, you will qualify for

statutory sick pay from your agency? yes, the employment status is the key thing here. providing emily is deemed to be employed or worker, she will get it. this one says, i am self—employed, i have a mortgage, i'm becoming increasingly worried about making sure it is paid. is there any help i can get? i've heard about small grants for self—employed people but had do i go about seeing if that's true and claiming them? i don't know if you can help, andy, or veronica? i'd like to say a couple of things on that. this is the big concern. we are very of things on that. this is the big concern. we are very worried that the government is leaving the self employed behind in its preparation of this crisis, they do not have the same protection on their income as employees. we are calling on the government to set up an emergency income protection fund to help self—employed people. we welcome the measures unveiled at the budget, a

bit more access to benefits, but it is becoming increasingly clear that they will come nowhere nearfar enough. if you have access to £97 per week statutory sick pay, that won't cover your mortgage. so how do we help these people? so you are calling on emergency protection for self—employed and people on zero—hours contracts you don't qualify for statutory sick pay? absolutely, we want to see this. we need income protection for people who have fluctuating incomes, volatile incomes, more vulnerable people in our society. we have set up people in our society. we have set upa people in our society. we have set up a petition, unfortunately the parliament website has not published it yet, if you keep checking the website, it will be up there soon, you can go and sign the petition because we are really pushing the government. we wrote to the health secretary about four weeks ago asking for this. we are really pushing for this, we could do with all of the help we can get. four

weeks ago, you are ahead of the game. the owner, freelance musician, go ahead? yes, i make my money through various ways, weddings, corporate parties, stuff like that. i private teacher as well. obviously with the bands ongoing, but going into places like pubs, not a ban but nearly, it's losing work through gigs. also private teaching, it's very ha rd gigs. also private teaching, it's very hard to teach vocal from low income if i tried to give you a vocal lesson now i'd find it difficult. not as difficult as me! what is your question? i'm wondering what help there is for people like me, freelance musicians, people in the events industry, a whole span of different professions. i'm wondering what help there is for us because i know, i am in a what help there is for us because i know, lam in a blessed position, i don't have to pay extortionate lehi rent, i'm in coventry but i know

people in london are paying lot higher rents. let me ask veronica from the dwp. would somebody like the owner and all those of the freelancers who are not going to be able to recruit like fiona be entitled to benefits?” able to recruit like fiona be entitled to benefits? i would strongly suggest that they would make a strongly suggest that they would makea claim strongly suggest that they would make a claim for universal credit online. what that will do will take in consideration their circumstances, if they have any earnings that will be looked at, it doesn't necessarily mean that they would not be entitled to other support, especially if they have children or housing gusts. so strongly suggest they go online and make a strongly suggest they go online and makea claim strongly suggest they go online and make a claim for universal credit. your call for emergency protection, with that cover freelancers like your —— like fiona? with that cover freelancers like your -- like fiona? exactly like her. we hear from so many

of these groups, physicians are classic. the government hasjust groups, physicians are classic. the government has just said, groups, physicians are classic. the government hasjust said, don't go to clubs or pubs, if you are a dj or musician, your income is out the window. they are almost entirely self—employed, and they don't have any regular money coming in. i appreciate the government has moved some things around and is trying to change the benefits system but this isa change the benefits system but this is a clunky system and what we need is a clunky system and what we need is cash coming into these people now. in norway, the government have said that self—employed people, let's look at what you earned over the last three years and we will pay you 80% of that on a monthly basis. they will just you 80% of that on a monthly basis. they willjust pay you 80% of that on a monthly basis. they will just pay you four fifths of whatever your regular income is. i know that that is a big ask but people have rent and mortgages and bills and food to pay. what is the government going to do to help them? i don't think these tweaks to the benefits are going to help. let me bring in richard from a debt advice charity. people are wondering about borrowing money, from

various institutions, and from payday loan companies, to cover things like rent, to cover things like childcare gusts, because the interim is going to drop dramatically, what is your advice? we know that people are already borrowing to pay researchers because the safety net is not there. so people are borrowing to buy food? yes, a quarter of people don't have savings to full back on. firstly, if you can avoid it, try not to go for high cost credit. if you can avoid going for a payday loan, please try and do that. why? because it is very easy to spiral as a control, the interest and charges can racked up quickly. you can try your local reddit union which could have a line of affordable credit for you if you have to turn to credit. —— your local credit union. people don't have to suffer in

silence. at our charity, we help 600,000 people every year with financial problems so reach out, we can help you with benefits, with repayment plans, reach out for help now. how do people get in touch with you? we have set up a hub which is for people to get in charge, and it is stepchange. org/coronavirus. people to get in charge, and it is stepchange.org/coronavirus. we also have a helpline. tracy, she runs a support service for special needs school, what is your question?|j school, what is your question?” have 40 plus temporary workers, that are very nervous have 40 plus temporary workers, that are very nervous at have 40 plus temporary workers, that are very nervous at the moment in relation to what could be an imminent school closure and the only advice i could give them is to sit tight. they are looking to me for advice on what's going on and what is going to happen, should the

schools decide to close for a prolonged period of time. it's a worrying time all round with 70% of my temporary workforce and low income families and single parents. we wa nt income families and single parents. we want to know what to say to them. yes, pointing them in the right direction. who wants to help with that? we have heard that they can apply for universal credit, which i think could be helpful. as i have said before, my concern is that the level of income you will get from doing that and the time it might ta ke to doing that and the time it might take to get that income in after you have been through the process is going to be extremely challenging for people. i think we're looking at here at the government really needing to step up and help people, particularly the self—employed. .. needing to step up and help people, particularly the self—employed... go ahead, sorry. veronica from the work and pensions department, if somebody applied for universal credit today,

they matched all the right criteria, they matched all the right criteria, they don't have savings, how long would it be before they got their first cash? if they feel that they need money straightaway, whether it's to cover housing costs, food etc, they can apply for an advance that they would get the same day. that is a payment that they would receive in advance of the five weeks which traditionally people are aware that universal credit can take five weeks to start paying. is that cash advance the first payment or is it a loa n advance the first payment or is it a loan that has to be paid back? there would be deductions of future payments for the individuals to pay back, yes. it is alone. nick says my wife runs a small business and was crying on her way to work because she has to lay three and freelancers because they have nothing to work

what happened to —— work on. what happens at herjob goes, how do we pay the rent? it is terrifying. they need to make sure that they have to see if they are eligible for sick pay, and thereafter urge them to make a pay, and thereafter urge them to makea claim pay, and thereafter urge them to make a claim for universal credit. these questions, i'm going to bring in my other guests, because they are... how do we not panic? you are behavioural specialist, some of these questions are imparting stress on us, for god sake, and wejust sitting in a tv studio. for so many people, this is a really stressful time, how do you dial down the stress ? time, how do you dial down the stress? first of all, don't panic. it is absolutely understandable to be incredibly anxious and concerned, especially about your financial situation. i think

the idea of planning, what would we do if this we re planning, what would we do if this were to happen, is good. i also think as has been suggested, signing petitions and putting pressure on the government to step up their responsibility to look after everybody in society is needed and if people are doing something, if they are active in doing something with other people, that will help in turn manage their anxiety. ok, andy, thank you very much, from the association of independent professionals and the self—employed, thank you. your petition can be found, it hasn't been published yet. go to the website and keep checking it. which website? the ipse website. and search? ipse.co.uk. it is your

organisation's website, i understand. once that is published, we will have it all over our website and we will have links for you to sign it. thank you very much. can i just touch on your previous message, people worried about not being able to pay the rent, i would like to hear something from government that they would not be evicted by the landlord over the next couple of months. this is a real fear in london particularly where rent is high. a number of people have suggested that a ban on evictions could be brought in.” suggested that a ban on evictions could be brought in. i think that is definitely needed. thank you for your time as well, veronica, we appreciate your help and advice. i will give you their website again, gov.uk, and here is the number. 0800 328 56aa.

richard, stay with us, more questions to come, no doubt. the hospitality industry has described the measures advising people to avoid going to restaurants, pubs and entertainment venues without ordering them to close as "catastrophic". they say they're facing an existential threat and are calling for government help to prop up the industry. the chancellor announced measures to help businesses in the budget and more is expected today. today of course is st patrick's day. pubs and streets in ireland would usually be filled with people but not this year. all celebrations have been cancelled and pubs closed in the republic of ireland. but across the border in northern ireland many pubs will remain open. let's talk to emma mcclarkin from the british beer and pub association and kate nichols from uk hospitality, which represents coffee shops, hotels, nightclubs, visitor attractions and leisure venues. what do you think of the new measures and how will it affect the hospitality industry? as you said, this is as existential

threat which is an industry which is 10% of uk in rome, 5% of gdp and has a large number of people who are reliant on a planet for their work, 3.2 million people work in hospitality. the measures are just referring to a certain number of outlets, they mean that people are just not going out altogether. we have seen a 50% withdrawal of revenue and fitful over the last few days. and we dissipate that will drop to 100% by the end of the week and put simply, these businesses have two to three weeks of cash weeks of left these businesses have two to three weeks of left before they will run out of money and have to take drastic measures, we have already seen businesses having to lay off staff because they simply don't have the support from government to be able to continue to pay them. what specifically do you want from government? we need business rates relief from all businesses for all sizes, in hospitality, that would give us breathing space, as well

as an nic holiday. what we really need isa an nic holiday. what we really need is a measure like we have seen in france, denmark, germany, and america, where they have had nojobs should be lost as a result and they have agreed to underwrite the costs of 70 to 90% of the hourly wage and staff costs who are likely to face job losses should business be closed. that is the big, bold immediate measure we need. do you have any idea how much that might cost the government or taxpayers? we estimate £5 billion for the hospitality industry to fund it but it's just money that would otherwise go to universal credit and welfare. we are argument with the government saying, help is by giving us breathing space, it's not about businesses, it is about allowing businesses, it is about allowing businesses to support and pay their workers. and pay their workers. understood, let me bring in kate. your view on what needs to happen as far as you are concerned?” your view on what needs to happen as far as you are concerned? i am emma

clarkin from the british beer and pub association, it's been devastating news for the pub section i began the country. we employ nearly a million people and it's really devastating, it is an existential threat as kate said. we need help and clarity from the government, and the instruction and the guidance yesterday, urging action. we are literally two weeks away from these pubs having to close. close to good, a community asset which will be lost forever. apologies for getting your name wrong, emma. do you need a government to formally close pubs, restau ra nts a nd government to formally close pubs, restaurants and so forth so those institutions can claim, recoup some of their losses on their insurance? we absolutely need clarity on where we are. we feel like we are stuck in no man's land at this point. some pubs will able to claim if

it is formal closure, but many will not be able to and they will need desperate help from the government. we need to get cash flow into the industry, liquidity needs to be addressed immediately there will be mass job losses by the end of the week if we do not get action. and we can speak now to ger in banagher. and five miles away over the border in enniskillen is pat blake who's planning to open just a small part of his blakes of the hollow pub later. and cat robey from thejermyn street theatre in central london. let's talk about what's happening in northern ireland, if we can, festival. —— first of all, what are you opening and how come? we are licensed for over 1000 customers and on st patrick's day... we would

be expecting maybe 1500 customers to pass through the various bars. so annoying, skype, it keeps cutting in and out, i'm really sorry. are you just going to open one room, basically, even though the government is urging people not to government is urging people not to go to pubs? one room and we will review it later on this afternoon. good luck, pat. cats, hello. i can't you but hopefully somebody will turn your microphone up. tell us about your microphone up. tell us about your sector and how things are going to be affected. like many theatre companies... if i kante you, to be affected. like many theatre companies... if! kante you, perhaps tv viewers can't hear you either. —— can't hear you. are you drinking tea or alcohol there in the republic of ireland? a cup of coffee. tell us about your establishment. this pub has been here since the

1600s, and we have gone through a lot. we have endured things like world war i, we have survived the spanish flu, world war ii, you know, but this is deadly serious. and i don't think people are taking the necessary precautions. myself and luke were meant to do a video here today together, playing music, but we're taking it that seriously, we started to employ social isolation down here because this thing is rampant. the difference between yourself and the republic of ireland and pat in enniskillenjust five miles republic of ireland and pat in enniskillen just five miles away, your government has closed your institution, which i think i can see a picture of it, or part of it behind you, whereas, they have formally said you have to close, whereas for pat in northern ireland, the government has said that people

should not go to pubs and clubs, so are you able to claim on insurance? i actually took the decision to close before the government announced it. iwas close before the government announced it. i was looking at the data from all around the world and from italy, and the severity of the situation meant that i decided to close before that. but, look, the local economy, economies will recover. but money is no good to you if you are severely ill or even dead. so that's why i took the decision. people should take these opportunities now, we are closed, we are all isolated, let's start to become creative, get that garden mode, i have swept the floor, we haven't swept the floor in this pub since the 1800s. i admire your spirit, i really do. and you have given us a little bit of light relief here in the studio today. i

think we can talk to you now, tell it about your theatre briefly if you would? hello. we are jermyn street theatre in the west end, and like most theatres across the country, we get no government funding so the majority of people are very stuck and scared because, it has not been and scared because, it has not been an official banning, just an advice, so theatres have to close, which is the right decision but the way it has been handled means none of us can claim on insurance to cover any overheads or the cost of running the building, the cost of cancelling shows, paying the staff. it's a very scary time. so you need the government to formally say that your place is closed ? government to formally say that your place is closed? would that help?m would, because that has happened in mainland europe and it means that the theatres, it's an official banning and they can claim on their insurance so it was officially, it would help enormously. thank you, all of you. i know

it was brief but it was absolutely worth it. wish you all the best. i still have some experts here in the studio for the last few minutes, many questions coming in. let's try and crack through. this says, i'm pregnant and facing 12 week isolation, and finding it very daunting, i suffer from complex ptsd and long—term isolation is no good for my mental health, what should i do? ptsd is post—traumatic stress disorder, this is somebody who is highly anxious. one of the things to do is try and get as much control over your social and environment around you, to structure your time. get up, when you normally would. keep to routines as much as possible. don't look at all the tv and listen to all the radio the whole time. focus on what the information is that will help you, but also think about, it's

important to relax. the more relaxed you can be, the struggle your immune system and the more you will stay healthy. this one says, why aren't we doing more tests? why isn't london already in lockdown? the virus is spreading, why aren't we closing the schools? on the tests, it really is essential that the uk ramps up the number of tests because unless we know how many people have the infection, we don't actually know how effective these measures are in stopping it. testing is really important when you are trying to look at the rate of infection, the spread of infection in the numberof the spread of infection in the number of cases. the uk has lagged way behind south korea and china so that needs to happen. the government should be investing in public facilities to do that testing and not wasting money on very expensive private companies to do this.” not wasting money on very expensive private companies to do this. i have the pause you, i have so many more questions. i have to make a point

about poverty. we will be looking at millions of people plunged into poverty. we need political solutions, the government has made a political choice they are to go for a total suppression and almost moving towards lockdown, we need political solutions around rent, poverty relief, we already have a third of children living below the poverty line who rely on school meals for example. we need much more action for all those people who are now about to be plunged into serious poverty and despair and i want to add that poverty means a very poor outcome for those who contract the disease. we know from flu epidemics that the poor and elderly with multiple deprivation have the worst outcome. the government needs a multipronged strategy, notjust pushing everything onto the individual to make these decisions, it needs to come up with a proper

package of political solutions which means putting people first and thinking about what's happening to them their lives. i completely agree with alison. in my part of london, many families are already on the red and loss of income over the next few weeks will mean that they will struggle to put food on the table so we need the government to step in here. also, call to your viewers at home, do what you can, support your local food banks, call your neighbours, do what you can to make sure that everyone including our vulnerable and elderly have food on the table over the next few months. just to add, who will pay for this? it should not be the poorest and the neediest in our society paying for it, there are plenty of people that access funds and money, we could have a levy on the high income tax people, tax them, high income earners, and we could requisition private hospitals. now that i'm to get together and make sure that the poorest in society end up paying.

really appreciate it. laura ashley has said it has just filed for administration after rescue talks we re administration after rescue talks were thwarted by the coronavirus at break. that's some breaking news. thank you for all your advice, appreciate your contributions today. good morning. not quite as sunny as it was yesterday, but still for many parts of england and wales, mild today. temperatures into the mid—teens. this is the scene at the moment in lowestoft, a bit about it in the far south—east —— brightness in the far south—east —— brightness in the far south—east —— brightness in the far south—east, you might give it but we have what cloud and rain in northern ireland and scotland. very wet end to the day, the north—east could miss it until the north—east could miss it until the evening. mild, temperatures 13 to 15 degrees. a little chillier across scotland. temperatures falling away across

the afternoon. tonight this rate will move southwards, heavy at times, linked into a weather front here. —— this rain will move. behind it, colder air moving in. sunny spells and showers, quite cloudy with out bags of rainfor showers, quite cloudy with out bags of rain for central areas. for the far south—east, dry and mild with highs of 15 in london. you're watching bbc newsroom live. it's11.00am, and these are the main stories this morning. tougher new measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the uk —

the government and medical advisors urge everyone to avoid unnecessary social contacts, to work from home where possible, and to stay away from pubs and restaurants. the advice is very real for everybody. it is strong advice for the over 70s and there will be in the next week or so an announcement over people who are extremely vulnerable irrespective of their age. new advice includes if one person in any household has a persistent cough or fever, everyone living there must stay at home for 1a days and it's expected in the coming days that those with the most serious health conditions will be advised to avoid social contact for around 12 weeks. government ministers are meeting along with their chief medical advisers. they'll give an update on the latest information for us later today. the government is also set to announce new measures to support the economy, after warnings that the latest