trying to bail out britain — the chancellor announces a multi—billion pound package to help businesses and workers hit by the coronavirus

crisis as the death toll reaches 71. empty restaurants, empty bars — the chancellor promises £330 billion of support including government—backed loans and a business rate holiday for those hardest hit. empty streets too as millions of britons stay at home for what could now be months — there's a new mortgage payment holiday for those struggling. the coronavirus pandemic is a public health emergency, but it is also an economic emergency. we have never in peacetime faced an economic fight like this one. support has been promised on a vast scale in a situation that could be worse than the financial crash but there are questions tonight about whether everyone who needs help now will really get it. all non—essential surgery is cancelled in england untiljune to free up 30,000 beds. the foreign office tells britons they shouldn't travel abroad now — unless absolutely necessary.

but schools and nurseries remain open — the prime minister said he was keeping it under continuous review. as britain undergoes sudden and dramatic changes, we'll be looking at how communites are pulling together. and in sport on bbc news... euro 2021 — the european championship is postponed until next year to allow domestic leagues to finish their seasons this summer. good evening. the chancellor of the exchequer, rishi sunak, has announced a multi—billion pound support package to help businesses through the coronavirus crisis. he said the country is in an economic emergency, now is "the time to be bold" and vowed that the government would do whatever it takes to support the economy as many

businesses reel from the effects of the latest coronavirus restrictions. he announced a wide ranging package of loans and guarantees worth £330 billion. there'll be a 12—month business rates holiday and those with mortgages will be offered a three—month break in mortgage payments — but there was no mention yet of those paying rent. it comes as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the uk rose to nearly 2,000 and the number of deaths reached 71. here's our political editor, laura kuenssberg. as you said the chancellor said we are not just as you said the chancellor said we are notjust in a health emergency but an economic emergency and in a package of measures that would have been unimaginable just a few days ago he outlined an enormous set of expensive promises designed to help keep the economy afloat through this crisis. there are already

questions tonight from the labour party about whether the support will reach those who need it now urgently and immediately. people on sick pay stuck at home, those who rent rather than have a mortgage but be no doubt what we have just heard from downing street is an enormous and unprecedented list of interventions ata of unprecedented list of interventions at a of real emergency. everything seems different now. you can be on your own, seems different now. you can be on yourown, in seems different now. you can be on your own, in the busiest parts of oui’ your own, in the busiest parts of our biggest city but the client does not mask the worry and millions are concerned about their health and loved ones. instead of shut down, behind closed doors the centre of government is in overdrive. grappling with the biggestjob in generations, to save lives first but to protect how we make a living as well. we must act like any wartime government and do whatever it takes to support our economy. that means

right now vast financial promises from the chancellor to help keep business and families afloat. this national effort will be underpinned by government intervention in the economy on a scale by government intervention in the economy on a scale unimaginable only a few weeks ago. this is not the time for ideology and orthodoxy this isa time time for ideology and orthodoxy this is a time to be billed. today i'm making available an initial £230 billion of guarantees equivalent to 1596 billion of guarantees equivalent to 15% of our gdp. that means any business who needs access to cash to pay the rent, their salaries, suppliers or purchase stock will be able to access a government backed loa n able to access a government backed loan or credit on attractive terms. can you guarantee to those firms who need to pay wages now and families who worry about paying the rent now that they will not lose out while you work through the details of what comes next? be in no doubt the state

is asking people to do something to make considerable changes to their lives and it is only right therefore the state should stand behind people as they make those changes. are you doing enough to stop the virus? number ten is changing the way it does business, and you coronavirus meeting every day to make the decisions and for new committees to make things happen. business big and small may not have the luxury of time. the office of this brighton travel company is already practically empty. i do not think borisjohnson practically empty. i do not think boris johnson realises practically empty. i do not think borisjohnson realises people are losing theirjobs borisjohnson realises people are losing their jobs right borisjohnson realises people are losing theirjobs right now, we have had to put staff on unpaid sabbatical. the travel industry is even more precarious, this technical sounding announcement slamming the bra kes sounding announcement slamming the brakes on anyone leaving the country. with immediate effect i've advised british nationals against

nonessential travel globally for 30 days. but the scale of this and the reality of how many lives may be lost is heading home. every year with the seasonal flu the number of deaths is thought to be 8000 excess deaths is thought to be 8000 excess deaths so if we can get this down to numbers, 20000 and below, that is a good outcome in terms of where we would hope to get to with this outbreak but it is still horrible. by outbreak but it is still horrible. by their own admission the government says this is now an economic emergency and have promised to ta ke economic emergency and have promised to take vast steps to try to stop that turning into individual hardship for millions in the coming months. taking on long—term cost for the country to try to stop a heavy and painful cost being paid by families in the coming months. the need for help for the country's

health and wealth is acute, reassurance is not a currency in itself. so the government says it will do whatever it takes to protect the economy. so how has this package gone down with shops, bars, restaurants and venues which have been hit hard by the restrictions? 0ur consumer affairs correspondent, sarah corker, reports from manchester. this bar in manchester is trying to carry on, setting up for what would have been one of their busiest nights of the year. for ownerjohn, the stress is starting to show. what could the impact be financially on your business? this is the worst case scenario. telling people not to go to bars and restaurants and not giving us any support at this point of the day is a real noose round our necks. i've got 67 staff. what are they doing? i'm sorry, but it's that point of, just tell us.

and as the economic impact of the coronavirus deepens, the hospitality sector has warned that thousands of businesses are now at risk of collapse. some pubs and clubs here in manchester have criticised the prime minister for telling the public to stay away, but not forcing them to close, which they believe could have given them some financial protection. but the reality is most standard insurance policies don't cover forced closure by the authorities. one of manchester's largest arts venues took the decision today, like many others across the uk, to shut their doors. staff were told not to come into work from tomorrow. warren is a chef here. it's scary. you know. people in there, they don't know what to do. they've got mortgages, they've got kids to think about, rent. i've got about maybe a month before i run out of money. the boss told me he will keep

paying his 200 staff until the money runs out. but the future looks precarious. i'd be surprised if the theatre sector, the cinema sector or indeed the visual arts sector survives in its current form. we've had tight times before, but nothing like this. this is possibly the greatest challenge our industry has ever faced. and so a new package of financial support including a business rates holiday for all firms, every single shop, barand holiday for all firms, every single shop, bar and restaurant, holiday for all firms, every single shop, barand restaurant, is a huge relief. amazing, where over £50,000 in rates so that is good for us. life here is continuing and if these measures shall anything come at the months ahead will be extremely challenging for businesses and their staff. sarah caulker, bbc news in

manchester. faisal islam is with me now. how will what the chancellor has announced work? these are massive sums and it is not a bailout but a breach committed of your sense of the size of it, just under 16 of the entire economy if you consider these loans so a fraction of the entire economy and not a fraction of a percent of the economy which is what we normally would say is a big economic move. it is a bridge because getting to some of the details of these loans, it is for a type of financial instrument that is basically a loan of a one year. so the government thinks that this is a very sharp crisis but we should be able to get through to the other side ina able to get through to the other side in a year and lots of viable businesses should at that point be able to pick up but they are in trouble right now as we can see in terms of cash flow and being able to pay people and pay suppliers. so you offer this massively, there is

massive facility to fund these businesses and just provide them with that extra life jacket essentially to get to the other side and that is what this is about. we've seen similar things around the world, huge sums, we've seen that in the us as well announce today and it is also like an exercise in mass psychology to basically tell the people do not make decisions now based on this being a permanent situation as it will go away and there is a future. thank you. all non—urgent operations are being postponed from the middle of april for 3 months to free up 30 thousand beds for the nhs in england. scotland has ta ken a similar decision. 0ur health editor, hugh pym, looks at how prepared the nhs is for a growing number of severe cases. preparing for the new realities. this gp‘s surgery in bolton is urging all patients to stay away if they possibly can. consultations will now be carried out on the phone and on video link.

we are being very proactive. so we are keeping patients informed this morning. we are triaging everybody. they are queueing up outside to access the surgery. please try and phone up, don't come to the surgery. some medical students are volunteering to move to the front line. final year medical students will hopefully be working in the medical ward areas. this is to free up staff that can go onto the front line in places like intensive care. some medical staff are frustrated that they are not getting tested for the virus. sandra, who is a nurse, had a sore throat and today was asked to stay off work. they could do a swab that would take five minutes, two days for the results and confirm whether i actually have coronavirus or whether i don't. and i could just go back to work if i didn't. but as it is, what is happening? i am going to have to stay at home for whatever it is, seven or

14 days. nhs england is ramping up preparations for virus cases, cancelling all nonurgent operations from next month, freeing up 30,000 beds. some staff have said there are not enough ventilators for intensive care and inadequate supplies of protective equipment. the head of nhs england told mps that those concerns were being addressed. he was asked whether the government's measures would be enough to prevent massive pressure on the nhs. those measures will certainly make a big difference and in our view were necessary. but we will have to keep this under review and if it turns out that further measures are required in order to reduce the number of people who get this virus, then that will be something that policymakers and the government will have to consider. thousands of patients will now have to wait many more months for operations and appointments. this plan that has been published for the nhs today is a pretty drastic plan. but then we are in exceptional times. this is the biggest challenge

that the health service has faced since its creation and the biggest challenge we have faced worldwide. some operations have already been postponed, including an eight—year—old girl in bristol needing reconstructive surgery after cancer. this is devastating. we got some good news that the surgeon has removed all the cancer, but we were hoping the treatment would come to an end, and it has been kept open—ended. he has now been given a new date for his daughter's operation, but many more will not be so lucky, as the nhs has to focus above all else on the coronavirus threat. hugh pym, bbc news. 0ur medical correspondent fergus walsh is here. freeing up 30,000 beds — gives you a sense of what they're expecting. absolutely. the nhs has been put on a war footing, absolutely. the nhs has been put on a warfooting, 30,000 of 100,000 nhs beds in england set aside

for an influx of coronavirus patients and operating theatres and recovery rooms that normally would do routine surgery will be transformed into intensive care units. we are hoping the restrictions that are being imposed will see a reduction in cases in about two or three weeks' time. but the restrictions will need to carry on according to the government chief scientific adviser not for weeks but for months. nine in ten people will get a mild illness but it is the minority who will be critically ill, they hope to keep the number of deaths to around 20,000 which is a shocking figure but around 8000 people a year die due to seasonalflu. but around 8000 people a year die due to seasonal flu. and should the over 70s be isolating from the weekend? if you have symptoms of covid—19, stay at home for seven days. if you are in a household with others, everyone should stay at home

for 1h days. all of us should avoid all social mixing. that means not having friends and family around for mother's day, for example. that advice applies particularly to three group— over 70s, pregnant women and those those with underlying health problems. by the weekend, there will be special advice for 1.4 million people with particular health problems, things like patients on chemotherapy, patients with cystic fibrosis who have a weakened immune system. fergus walsh, thank you. we've been getting thousands of questions from you over the past few days about coronavirus and what all the changes mean. we'll be answering some of them later in the programme. but one question that many have been asking is about travel abroad — particularly with the school holidays looming. well, today the foreign office advised against all essential travel to anywhere in the world — for an intial period of 30 days. 0ur transport correspondent, tom burridge, looks at what the latest advice means. confusion and a very long wait

at marrakesh airport. we've just been in a five hour long queue. as people like amir try to get home. i've got to the front of the queue and they have said there are no flights. they will not tell us any more details. they do not know any more details. they do not know when they are going to get us to the uk. they do not know when the flights are going to be. they've told us to just wait in the airport. all flights scheduled to leave morocco have been suspended. so it is a scramble to get on rescue flights back to britain. my name is beth, i am a uk citizen currently stuck here in morocco. beth is unclear when she will get back to herjob in the nhs. we have been told we will get a rescheduled flight for

april, that is no good, we do not know how this pandemic is going to pan out and we need to get home and they have a duty of care to get us home. we will do everything in our power. the government says repatriating most people is down to airlines. fco teams around the world are working urgently to ensure that governments have sensible plans to enable the return of british and other travellers and crucially, to keep borders open for sufficient periods to enable returns to take place on commercial flights whatever that is possible. in cusco, and other parts of peru, british tourists like lauren are stuck. i cannot get out of peru, they've cancelled all flights to get out of peru. the country is in lockdown. it is very scary, mainly for

the fact that it isn'tjust a 14 day lockdown, it is not pleasant but we can get over it but then it's not knowing what is going to happen and the fact we cannot leave the hostel. stephen is in the capital, lima. we are waiting for potential social unrest, we do not have any food, we are going to go to a supermarket shortly. we are young and healthy but of course we are also worried about what would happen if we get sick. tom burridge, bbc news. despite all the turmoil — schools and nurseries remain open — but for how much longer? the prime minister said he was keeping it under continous review. the largest education union is urging the government to close all schools "at least for some time". here's our education editor, branwen jeffreys. trying to make it fun, but schools are struggling to keep safe and teachers are anxious too. it does seem that everyone has been asked to socially distance except for children at school, and also the teachers and the staff. at this school, they are three teachers down already. by tomorrow, classes may merge and staying open looks increasingly doubtful. the government says that for now, keeping schools open is the right approach. but with everyone else being told to avoid crowded places,

it has left many teachers and pa rents it has left many teachers and parents confused and some families are simply keeping their children off school. it is down by about 3096 and still falling, and i can understand why parents are concerned. while they keep lessons going, head teachers want advice that keeps up with reality. some schools are already partially closing. so what would a school closure mean for parents here? at the moment i am able to work from home. my partner isn't yet at that stage where he can with his job, home. my partner isn't yet at that stage where he can with hisjob, so it will be tricky. i have already started stocking up on activities so that they have got things to do. but iam that they have got things to do. but i am lucky, there are lots of people in the school who are friends of mine who are working and it will be harderfor mine who are working and it will be harder for them. closing schools would be a massive step, one that the government says it is not yet ready to take. branwen jeffreys, the government says it is not yet ready to take. branwenjeffreys, bbc news. let's take a look at some of today's other news. nissan has suspended vehicle production at its

plant in sunderland. it said it wanted to assess the disruption to the supply chain and the drop in demand caused by the coronavirus. the retailer laura ashley has filed for administration, putting up to 2,700 jobs at risk. the firm, which had been in talks with its lenders about a rescue package, said the coronavirus outbreak had had a significant impact on trading. nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe — the dual nationaljailed in iran after being convicted of spying — has been temporarily released from prison for two weeks because of an outbreak of coronavirus. she will be required to wear an ankle tag and remain within 300 metres of her parents' home in iran. many were surprised by the dramatic escalation in restrictions on our lives that were announced yesterday. it was partly prompted by research from a team at imperial college london, who said this was the worst respiratory virus since the flu pandemic in 1918. their scientific modelling warned that britain was on course for a "catastrophic epidemic"

and the number of deaths in the uk could reach a quarter of a million — unless there was a new approach to the pandemic. here's our science editor, david shukman. from the start of the outbreak in wuhan, there has been a huge research effort behind the scenes, scientists using every detail to develop a computer simulation of the disease. it is called a model and it is what the british government's initial response was based on. but then came northern italy, where more people need intensive care than anyone expected. so the forecasts have had to be adjusted. what the scientists realised was that as many as 250,000 people could die of the virus in the uk unless policies here changed. they now hope that will fall to 20,000 with the new measures announced yesterday. there's new data emerging from italy and now from our intensive care units here in london to suggest that the level of

treatment that is required for a small fraction of these cases is more intense than we thought. we keep hearing about the modelling of the outbreak, but what does that actually mean? it is basically maths, calculations about different factors that influence the disease. this model was for wuhan, to work out the rate of infection. it is how scientists quickly found out that on average, every person who gets the virus can pass it on to at least two others. so over a month, one case can lead to more than 200. china has responded by closing off entire cities. other countries have done the same. but until now, the uk has kept the most drastic measures in reserve. so critics have questioned the modelling of the outbreak in britain. but the scientists doing the work say it is better than nothing. models are not crystal balls. they are better than just guessing, which is what you would otherwise have to do. but they are reliant on the data we feed into them and

there is lots that we do not know about this virus and also lots we don't know about what the effectiveness of these interventions really will be. so how effective are these computer models of the outbreak? they have to rely on a lot of assumptions about things that aren't known. such as if people have the virus but do not show symptoms, how easily can they pass it on? and then a really critical question — if someone has been infected with the virus and then gets better with a full recovery, is it then possible for them to get it again? chinese television, reporting on research into a possible vaccine. that won't come soon, but it is part of a frantic search around the world to understand the virus and to minimise its impact. david shukman, bbc news. tough new restrictions have come into force this morning in france. no one can now leave home without a government form that they print out that justifies their reason for doing so. for the next two weeks, they're only allowed out

to go to work, to buy essential food or medical supplies, for a family emergency, or to exercise or walk a dog — but they must be on their own. if they're caught outside for another reason, they get fined. 0ur paris correspondent, lucy williamson reports. before the quarantine, the fever. as france inched towards lockdown, supermarkets became barometers of the nation's fear. the government had complained that people were ignoring the threat of coronavirus. but attitudes here are changing. translation: i'm scared. i've got three kids, i'm here to buy the basics. i'm afraid for myself and for my children. last night, president macron announced a general confinement of france's population, from midday today. translation: for at least the next 15 days, our movements

will be seriously reduced. it means that outside gatherings or meeting friends and family won't be permitted. going for a walk, meeting friends in the park or in the street, won't be possible. all infractions to these rules will be punished. it's just gone midday here, the new rules have come into force and there are still a few people out on the champs—elysees. 48 hours ago, the government was telling people to come out to vote. now it's saying, stay in your homes unless it's essential, or face a fine. within minutes of the deadline, extra police were out questioning people still on the streets. 100,000 officers have been deployed to enforce the new rules. today's deadline sparked a last—minute rush to leave the capital. polls suggest a sudden jump in anxiety here. normality, no longer a barrier to this crisis, is disappearing. and france instead is learning to manage its fear. lucy williamson, bbc news,

paris. in other news today, the brother of the suicide bomber who killed 22 people at an ariana grande concert in manchester has been found guilty in the biggest murder trial ever seen in england. hashem abedi, who's now 22, worked with his brother salman to make the explosives for the bomb. daniel sandford reports. salman abedi, his bomb on his back, setting off to commit mass murder. carrying the visibly heavy device in a large backpack. joining parents waiting to pick up their children at the ariana grande concert. detonating his device once the foyer was full. this bomb was a very big bomb. we are talking about five kilograms of high explosive and over 2,000 very large metal nuts which were sent with enormous kinetic energy all round that room in manchester arena. 22 people were killed by the

explosion. the youngest was eight—year—old saffie roussos. among those who died wasjune tron's son, philip. the shoes he wore show the violent impact of the flying shrapnel. his family still mourn him every day. just something inside us died, like a little bit, it's like there's portions of you. and each portion is one of your children. i just felt like his portion had died. salman abedi planned the murderous attack with his younger brother, hashem abedi. both left fingerprints in the flat where they made the explosive. they drove together around manchester as they bought 46 litres of hydrogen peroxide and sulphuric acid using friends' amazon accounts and their mother's benefits. their e—mail address, "bedabjeana", means, "we have come to slaughter". the abedis grew up in manchester after their father, an islamist radical, fled from libya. their old friend ahmed

told me they were petty criminals from a young age. they wanted to do fights, jump people, they wanted to be the best. they were exposed to weapons after the 2011 revolution and became more political. salman abedi visited this man, abdul rab abdullah, a convicted iss salman abedi visited this man, abdul rab abdullah, a convicted is supporter, in prison. ahmed saw salman abedi again in libya just two weeks before the attack. what did you notice? a change. 360, like it was religious salman, not gangster salman. five days before the bomb, salman abedi slipped back into britain without his brother to make and detonate the device. hashem abedi was arrested in libya and brought to britain to stand trial, as guilty as his brother of murdering 22 people. daniel sandford, bbc news, at the old bailey. carphone warehouse is to close

all of its 500 shops — meaning 3,000 jobs will be lost. the company said the decision was not related to the virus, but to changes in the way people buy their phones. alex salmond has claimed that sexual assault allegations against him are either "deliberate fabrications for a political purpose" or "exaggerations". the former first minister of scotland was giving evidence in the witness box at the high court in edinburgh. he denies 13 charges of sexual assault against nine women. the alleged offences are all said to have happened during his time in office. 0ur scotland editor, sarah smith was in court. alex salmond began his defence today by giving evidence himself. telling the court that many of the sexual assaults he is accused of never happened. one woman has said during a political campaign he kissed her and touched her buttocks. today he said that could not have happened because as first minister people were always watching him in public places. saying, "i would never under any

circumstances be touching her.