schools across the uk will close, as the death toll from coronavirus reaches 104. the prime minister says all children — except those of key workers and the most vulnerable — will stay at home from next week, and exams won't take place. after schools shut their gates from friday afternoon, they will remain closed for most pupils, for the vast majority of pupils, until further notice. it poses a huge challenge to parents, who are still trying to earn a living. the government says children shouldn't be left with grandparents who are the most vulnerable. i think it's good for the children, right, but i think it's going to be hard for the parents that have

still got to go to work. the prime minister wanted to avoid this step and put it off for as long as possible, but millions of children may now be at home for months. there is no end in sight. the bank of england hasn't ruled out handing money directly to businesses and households stuggling to cope, and urges firms to seek support before laying off staff. this is a message from the government's chief medical officer about coronavirus. a new government advert to ensure people know the symptoms as the government says it wants to increase testing to 25,000 people a day. eastenders theme music. the bbc halts filming on eastenders, holby city and other big dramas as broadcasters are hit — but lessons for children stuck at home are among new programme being brought in. and going virtual — the online choirs springing up around the country to try to cheer people up.

later in the hour, we will have all of the sport on the bbc news channel, with all the latest reports, results, interviews and features from the bbc sports centre. good evening. all schools in the uk are to close as the death toll from coronavirus climbed from 71 to 104 in the past 2a hours. but the prime minister said he hoped to keep the closures to a minimum. borisjohnson said schools will close their doors by friday. from next week, most children will be at home until further notice — except for children of key workers, like nhs staff, police and delivery workers, as well as the most vulnerable. exams which were due to be taken in may and june will not now take place. the prime minister said pupils would get the qualifications they deserved, but didn't say how.

the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the uk hasjumped by almost 700 to 2,626. 104 people have now died. the nhs said those who died in england were aged between 59 and 94 and had underlying health conditions. 0ur underlying health conditions. political editor, laure kuenssberg, 0ur political editor, laura kuenssberg, is in downing street with the latest. there has been a building sense of urgency in westminster today as the government has been rushing to try and keep up with the pace of this disease. in the last few minutes, the government announced a lot of concern about people who rent, that there would be a three—month ban on any evictions from homes, but today the biggest step that will cause massive concern around the country is the government's decision to close schools apart from children of key workers around the country. this isa key workers around the country. this is a massive step which the government never wanted to have to

take, but in the end they have bowed to what was perhaps inevitable. home time notjust until tomorrow but may be for many months. the school bell on friday will signal the end of normal life for millions of children for the foreseeable future. it's perhaps not the last resort for the government, but certainly closing school gates was one of the measures ministers were desperate to avoid stop after schools shut the gates from friday afternoon, they will remain closed for most pupils, the vast majority of pupils, until further notice. now, i know that these steps will not be easy for parents or teachers, and for many parents of this will frustrating, and it will make it harderfor frustrating, and it will make it harder for them frustrating, and it will make it harderfor them to go frustrating, and it will make it harder for them to go out to work, and of course that is one of the reasons we haven't wanted to go ahead. that is why we are now working on further measures to

ensure that we support notjust businesses but also individuals and theirfamilies to businesses but also individuals and their families to keep our economy going. families will wonder may be more than anything else tonight how long these closures might last. can you give us any indication? our judgment right now is that this is the moment to provide further downward pressure. i wish i could give an answer about how long it might be, laura, but we have to do it right now. school closures could make business even trickier for firms trying to stay afloat. sally field, a florist in bristol, has plenty of orders for mother's day. despite the government's promised to pf°p up despite the government's promised to prop up the economy with hundreds of billions of pounds of loans, she is uncertain, deeply uncertain, about what might come next. if the staff we re what might come next. if the staff were to have to not come in, looking after their children, if you don't get the orders in, i won't be able to pay the rent of the shop. it's a

massive worry. it isn'tjust business that has to pay the bills, millions of families too. the government has promised to help renters but details are in short supply. partner and i are both on zero—hours contracts that means that we have had our hours cut to the point where we are really struggling to stop on top of that, my plan is seven months pregnant. if we were to pay our rent and bills we would be left with £5 a week, which has left us left with £5 a week, which has left us in left with £5 a week, which has left usina left with £5 a week, which has left us in a state of financial panic. with over 2500 cases, misters and officials keep are vowing to what it ta kes. officials keep are vowing to what it takes. what hope is struggling to keep up with the demands of this crisis, for the government to explain quickly precisely exactly how they plan to keep the many promises that have been made. there isa promises that have been made. there is a sense there could be more interventions and more restrictions on the way. the national safety net expanding but there are still holes, like the gaps on the commons green

benches today. mps deliberately keeping their distance. coronavirus might bea keeping their distance. coronavirus might be a mild illness for the majority, but the effects on the country could be grave. laura kuenssberg, bbc news. the closure of schools poses a huge challenge to parents who are still trying to work from home. the government also says children shouldn't be left with grandparents who are the most vulnerable to the coronavirus. 0ur education editor, branwenjeffreys, looks at how far—reaching the effects of closing schools will be. you need to take home your books and anything else you need in order to be able to work successfully at home... a los clips of normal school life, already too few teachers to keep going. —— a last glimpse. a whole year group were at home today and now the rest are set to follow. earlier, the head told me the government needed to get real. we have some children who might be at risk of things like domestic abuse, they might not be safe in their own

homes, they might not be fed because they come from disadvantaged backgrounds. we want to know that that must be our priority, above things like learning and gcses, which are important. this is their gcse year, an anxious few months at the best of times. some people work better in class, and if they are at home they might get more distracted. we could get ill, we could miss lessons and that could hold back our work and also, for our families, it's a lot of stress, and it can be difficult to cope with. so schools are closed for the foreseeable future. they will still have a strict back role providing somewhere safe for the children of key workers, like those working in the nhs, and looking out for vulnerable children. and they will be vouchers for children on free school meals. as classroom is empty, what do pa rents as classroom is empty, what do parents think? i work from home and so does my husband, so it won't

affect us, but it will have a significant impact on lots of others. knowing it will go round school and come home to every grandparent, other person in your life, everybody could get it, so the sooner life, everybody could get it, so the sooner they shut it down, the better. schools will help in different ways. as doors shut on routine lessons. branwen jeffreys, bbc news. another focus is to protect tenants who are at risk of addiction. there are also concerns about a lack of support for people who work for themselves. 0ur political correspondent, alex forsyth, has been speaking to people to find out how are small businesses and those who are self—employed are coping. simply staying open is the priority for many small businesses now. this woman spent years building up her ca ke woman spent years building up her cake supplier but demand has slumped. she is offering brownies by

mail order to stay afloat. the feeling is a fear of losing everything, but i am trying to stay positive as best i can. she says new government measures, grants to help with sick pay, are hugely welcome, but reluctant to take out a loan her biggest fear is how to keep paying her six members of staff. biggest fear is how to keep paying her six members of stafflj biggest fear is how to keep paying her six members of staff. i don't wa nt to her six members of staff. i don't want to lose them. if i could put them on some kind of subsidised, paid temporary redundancy, that would be ideal, and then they can cover their costs and we can still afford to keep running perhaps in a lower capacity. the government has offered billions to stop businesses closing, but some want more support for those who face losing their jobs, or those self employed or not in line for sick pay. john is a freelance lighting designer. his work has completely dried up. he is thinking of selling his car to help with rent and bills, saying he has no other safety net. i think the

government could be doing more to provide things like interest—free loa ns provide things like interest—free loans or maybe to suppress credit ca rd interest. loans or maybe to suppress credit card interest. it's distressing not just for me to see all of my friends and colleagues in the same boat strip it's all happened in the same week. the government says the m essa 9 es week. the government says the messages “— week. the government says the messages —— measures and apps for business is so far are the start and it says there will be more support for those struggling, and today a promise from the prime minister that nobody would be evicted if they can't pay their rent because of coronavirus. that's been welcomed by this local letting agent, who has been contacted by worried tenants. he says getting the help to those who need it is now key. it is brilliant we have support for te na nts brilliant we have support for tenants and they know they will not be evicted during this time, but we now need to make sure that the te na nts now need to make sure that the tenants know where to go for the help, and also that landlords know where they can go for help, if the te na nt where they can go for help, if the tenant can't pay. with the next few

days and weeks so uncertain, so many will be relying on support to simply keep going. alex forsyth, bbc news. the new governor of the bank of england, andrew bailey, says he'll consider radical moves to keep people financially afloat if necessary, including handing money directly to households and businesses to help them cope. he has urged firms to seek support before laying off staff. stop, look at what is available, look at what the government's doing, look at what the bank of england's doing. we are working in close coordination. look at what's available, come and talk to us, talk to the government, talk to us before you take that decision because supporting companies and enabling companies to support their workforce is critical now. 0ur economics editor, faisal islam, is here with me. this is all a really difficult balancing act for everyone, especially when you look at the markets, and sterling is tumbling. yes, the governor is trying to get into the heads of businesses. we have already had stories ofjobs

being lost, and he is trying to get people to acknowledge that the bank of england and the treasury have put together a package of hundreds of billions of subsidised loans and the money will get where it needs to eventually, either through the banking system or the markets, so to just hold off on making early, quick, hasty decisions on staffing levels. that is what he is trying to communicate. but there is pressure on the international markets right now, and we have seen sterling four to eight 95 year low, and the cost of borrowing starting to go up. mr bailey also said to me that financial markets are very volatile and they should stay open, but he warned speculators not to exploit the situation. at the moment, around 5,000 people are being tested every day in the uk for the virus, but the government says it wants to increase that to up to 25,000 a day within the next few weeks, with the focus being on those who are already in hospital.

meanwhile, some front—line staff say they're worried and scared about the lack of protective equipment available when they're treating patients. but the prime minister told mps that there was a "massive effort" ongoing to ensure that staff have enough equipment to deal with the outbreak. here's our health editor, hugh pym. this is a message from the government's chief medical officer about coronavirus. .. it's important we all protect older people and those with existing health conditions from coronavirus. starring in a new tv advert, the chief medical officer for england getting his message straight into people's homes. you should all stay at home. chris whitty, hardly known a few weeks ago, is now a household name at the forefront of plans to tackle the coronavirus threat. one of the problems they're facing up to is protection for nhs staff. some say they haven't got masks and other personal protective equipment — ppe — so they're at risk of infection at work. we don't feel that the government

have been transparent with how many masks they have, how many advanced masks they have and how much protective equipment is available for front line staff over the coming weeks, days and months. we fear that it may be already too late. if i've already been exposed, then it's too late. in the commons, the prime minister wanted to reassure staff it was a priority. there is a massive effort going on, comparable to the effort to build enough ventilators, to ensure that we have adequate supplies and pp equipment notjust now but throughout the outbreak. the government says virus testing will be more than doubled to 25,000 a day, focusing first on hospitals, then on extra tests for staff and in the community. the nhs is clearing the decks for a likely surge in patient numbers. at the whittington hospital in north london, they've prepared this ward for covid—i9 patients with piped oxygen. the beds are normally used for those who have had nonurgent operations.

they've now been stopped for the next few months. ok, so this is my tiny attic room. it's our kind of spare room — two beds, one small window to the garden, and that's about it, really. and i've been here since friday. dr maria goddard told me what it's like to be isolated and unwell with coronavirus symptoms. just complete exhaustion. cough, fever, slightly short of breath. so how well—prepared does she think the nhs is? i've worked at the nhs for more than 30 years. it's an unprecedented response and it's really impressive. i am very, very impressed, and i think the public will be very well looked after. i just hope that the resource is enough. and that's the big question — will the nhs preparations be enough? in the meantime, a temporary mortuary has been set up in central

london. train services will soon be significantly reduced across the country, as rail operators grapple with staff shortages and empty trains. but plans are being worked out so that vitaljourneys will still be possible over the coming weeks. 0ur transport correspondent, tom burridge, is at king's cross station. you can hear the trains are still running but the has become the norm around the country. this time, this place, normally absolutely heaving. the empty trains mean we will see a reduction to the timetable in the coming days, possibly a sundae like service on every single day of the week, certain lines might be prioritised that emergency workers can get to work. and, also, freight can get to work. and, also, freight can be prioritised in places, too. the most pressing problem for the ra i lwa ys the most pressing problem for the railways is staff shortages at the moment because people are self

isolating but the broader problem is ticket revenue has evaporated so negotiations between the department for transport and train companies are ongoing. ultimately the government will have to stump up yet another large amount of cash to keep the railways going at an important time and you can't rule out the idea certain rail franchises will be nationalised if talks fail. finally the rules around refunds for your train tickets are changing, too, and the passenger watchdog has said it cannot be right on season tickets people are paying to get to get to work when the advice is they should stay—at—home. tom, thank you. older and disabled people who are cared for at home are particularly vulnerable, as we know. and the care companies who look after them say they're having problems getting protective equipment. the government says it will be made available. they're also calling for virus testing for their staff, and financial help to meet the pressures. here's our social affairs correspondent, alison holt. i've had a couple of issues, is there any chance you can pick up a couple this evening? in the control room of trinity home care in surrey, care coordinators are busy managing the increasing pressures on their staff caused by the coronavirus and reassuring the older and disabled

people they look after. we ain't going to let you completely run out of food. we will grab some bits. he is quite high risk so i don't want too many carers going in there at the moment. 0n the prescription, usually, there is the date of when it was prescribed. they are training new care workers to try to meet the growing need but in a sector which has faced years of underfunding and staff shortages, many care companies say they are already struggling. frustrating for senior care worker shona, who has a lung condition so is now office—based to keep her safe. i will miss my clients because they are so used to me calling in and seeing them. and i've had to explain... not tell them what is wrong with me butjust that i will not be physically visiting them but i will make sure they are well looked after. care providers are also desperate for protective equipment, like gloves and face masks, needed to care for people with covid—i9, and they want testing. so those without the virus can work. company bosses say, to cope,

firms need councils to start paying for services upfront. the role of the care sector's been understated at all times in recent years. we have seen a decimation of funding to the sector, we are the fourth emergency sector, and we need to be recognised as that. the government says companies will get more financial support and personal protection equipment is on its way. alison holt, bbc news. major supermarkets are taking new measures to try and stop panic buyers emptying the shelves. leading grocery brands are keen to stress that the food supply chain is still functioning and there is enough for everyone, as long as shoppers behave responsibly. emma simpson reports. they are open, butjust for elderly and vulnerable customers. at this iceland branch in glasgow, today, a two hour window to shop before the masses. and it's gone down well. it's brilliant, honest to god.

i don't know how long it will last. i've got quite a few neighbours who are quite elderly and they might need help as well, so that's why i've got two. you're allowed to take two. sainsbury‘s is saving the first hour at all its 600 supermarkets tomorrow for those most in need — not easy when demand's still growing. this was the scene at 6:30am this morning in southwest london, shoppers queuing for the doors of the supermarket to open. we are asking everyone to do the right thing as they show up tomorrow morning. we are seeing more food coming into her supermarkets every day, more than any other time of the year, and we are continuing to be able to enable that supply. if everybody bought what they needed for themselves and for their family, there will be enough food. 0ur supermarkets are now on a crisis footing, putting in place unprecedented measures to keep food on the shelves. everyone to some extent is limiting the amount of products customers can buy.

for our biggest grocers, it's now three items on all products. at sainsbury‘s, for the most popular essentials, it's down to two. supermarkets are also streamlining their operations. for instance, sainsbury‘s, asda and tesco are closing specialist counters to free up staff. 0cado, the online grocer, is shutting down its entire website until saturday for changes to free up more delivery slots. right now, it can no longer meet demand. at morrison's, they're getting ready to produce basic food parcels which can be ordered by phone and will be dispatched direct from their distribution centres starting next week. another example of how are supermarkets are working to keep everyone fed. emma simpson, bbc news. broadcasters and tv production companies are being forced to scale back or abandon filming because of the virus.

the bbc is suspending filming of dramas including eastenders and casualty. but there will be older—age exercise routines as well as educational resources and programmes for millions of children who'll be staying at home. 0ur media editor, amol rajan, is here. soa so a lot of changes to what we will be able to watch. eurovision and glastonbury have both been postponed or cancelled this year, itv have cancelled the live final and semifinal of the voice uk. coronation street is going down to three episodes a week, and emmerdale from six to five. eastenders has suspended filming, only going to be on twice a week on monday and tuesday but the corporation has announced a raft of programming for the coming week. exercise routines of which the details will be finalised but aimed at older viewers. a huge educational effort because of the school closures so there is a daily educational programme for every year group, a pod cast for primary school kids, but because of a secondary school kids, and a iplayer service. there

will be a virtual church service led by the archbishop of canterbury, and lots of older shows coming back to the iplayer inbox said forms are a movable feast at a time when tv and radio really need to bring the nation together. amol rajan, thank you. the foreign office has urged british holiday—makers to contact their airline ortour holiday—makers to contact their airline or tour operators to arrange to return home from spain because all hotels have been ordered to close by next tuesday. as our europe correspondent reports from madrid, the virus has begun spreading now through old peoples homes. inside this madrid care home, a 120 frail residents, and also now the virus. injust a frail residents, and also now the virus. in just a week, frail residents, and also now the virus. injust a week, it has frail residents, and also now the virus. in just a week, it has taken a terrible toll here. every day, hearses called a terrible toll here. every day, hea rses called every a terrible toll here. every day, hearses called every time a resident succumbs. from his home across the street, this man says he has watched

the vans come and go, 17 of them now. translation: from my windowl have seen them, they put the body bags inside and go directly to the crematorium. they are trying to avoid any risk of contamination. study care home has been sealed off, relatives not allowed inside, even as their parents or grandparents have been dying. what is happening now in spain is the scenario many fear, covid—19 spreading among the most vulnerable. today we watched as carlos tried to get into see his mother. it last he heard she has no symptoms. this is her, 89 years old, celebrating last christmas with a staff member. i couldn't get inside, he says. i don't know what's going on in there, ijust want news about my mother. when he tries to phone, it is constantly engaged. volunteers at the care home say there has been

little assistance for the staff trying to fight the virus. translation: we are worried because no one has come to sanitise this place. in the surrounding streets, people are hunkered down, part of a nationwide confinement. so, this is what you find now, all across spain, people shuttered inside the houses community fallen silent because eve ryo ne community fallen silent because everyone is acutely aware of the dangers posed by the virus and venturing out only when absolutely necessary. spain only impose these measures from last weekend but given the virus incubation can be two weeks, cases can rise fast. another 2500 confirmed today. police are now enforcing the lockdown more vigorously. in madrid they've begun handing out fines to people who are outside without a valid reason. it all means a strange quite has fallen

over the capital, a city stilled by the outbreak. damian grammaticas, madrid, bbc news. italy's death toll has surged by 475, almost 3000 people have now died there. the one—day death toll is the largest anywhere in the world since the virus started spreading two ago. —2 months ago. well, here we've been inundated with thousands of questions from you about the virus and particularly about what the government is doing to help people whose livelihoods are being hit so hard by the new restrictions. our consumer affairs correspondent, sarah corker, has been finding some of the answers. a lot of you have got in touch asking what happens to people on zero—hours contracts. unions have raised concerns there are few measures to help those on zero—hours contracts, the self—employed and the people working in the gig economy. the government has said those who can't get statutory sick pay, they

will make it easier and quickerfor them to access benefits if they can't work. if tenants can't afford to pay their rent because of coronavirus, are there any protections for landlords? landlords have been asked to be as flexible as possible with tenants. the two biggest landlord groups are urging lenders to look sympathetically on their requests for mortgage payment holidays if renters are struggling to pay. some landlords will have insurance cover if no rent is paid at all. you said i understand the need for rationing but what about people like me who will be doing shopping for several elderly relatives? how will we prove it? most supermarkets are dedicating the first hour of shopping to the over 70s and the vulnerable and while retailers will not be doing age checks or asking for id, they will

be using their discretion and they say they will do all they can to support family members who are doing their shopping on behalf of elderly relatives who cannot get out to the shops. you also asked, can you still drive a car with a recently expired mot? my nearest supermarket is two miles away and garages that mod vehicles are closed due to the virus. the aa put this very question to the government today and one solution might be a cover note system that was recently used in northern ireland when their mot centres were temporarily closed. it meant people could still tax their vehicles until they got their mots done. plenty more answers your questions tonight in a bbc news special on bbc one, which is at 7:30pm. the national trust says it is opening its parks and gardens for free from friday to help people deal with the current virus outbreak. the park

plans will be free of charge to encourage people to enjoy open space during this period of social distancing. well, social distancing, self—isolation and working from home is forcing all of us to think very differently about how we lead our lives. thankfully, the internet is allowing people to stay very much connected. and it's also bringing more and more people together in the form of online choirs like the sofa singers. last night was the first rehearsal for the 500 virtual choristers. our arts correspondent, david sillito logged on to listen in. 0k, ok, everyone, great to see you all joining us, hello there... meet the sofa singers. an online musical solution to corona isolation. across the uk, europe, america to

africa, a new global chorus. and this is just africa, a new global chorus. and this isjust a africa, a new global chorus. and this is just a fraction of them, there is page after page, 500 sofa singers all at home, all in isolation, and all singing together. # so, darling, darling...” isolation, and all singing together. # so, darling, darling... i beamed from ear to ear, it was a thing of beauty, eye—opening. from ear to ear, it was a thing of beauty, eye-opening. as someone who cannot sing, i love it, even though it fills me with fear. and the inspiration for this new collective choir? the balcony singers of italy. we saw in italy there was a spontaneous singing in the street and music making and someone messaged me and said, james, you run singing but your choirs have stopped, is there anything you can do online? 72 hours later, i was there online with 500 people. here we go!

# fee where you are... # fee where you are... #we # fee where you are... # we were all waving our hands and clapping and singing along, just the i°y clapping and singing along, just the joy of that, itjust made me super happy. so, we might not be able to be together but we can still sing together. david sillitoe, bbc news. let's have a look at the latest weather. today has been pretty cloudy across most of england and wales again with the cloud thick enough to bring rain particularly wales and the midlands. from this same weather front, which separates the cold air we have filtering and across the northern half of the country from the milder conditions we have further south. overnight, the rain pushes southwards across southern wales into parts of the midlands, perhaps threatening southern england, murky in the south—west with hill fog patches. further north, cloud sky is

developing z and elder in the south, further north patches of frost and, indeed, some showers coming in across the far north—west. it will be wind in the northern isles. winds will slowly fade away and we are left with some showers across northern and western areas, a weather front brings rain across parts of wales and the midlands with cloudy skies in the south with the odd spit around as well. temperatures on the northern edge of his band of rain could be disappointing with highs of 5—6. for most of us, highs of 8—10. friday, the front is there, still some patchy rain on it but easing and fizzling with time, most of the uk having a dry day with bright or sunny spells coming through as pressure begins to rise and that trend of rising pressure continues into the weekend so for most of us it isa into the weekend so for most of us it is a fine weekend, quite cloudy for some but bright or sunny spells coming through. temperatures disappointing for the time of year, highs of 8—11. that's the latest

weather! that's all from the bbc news at six, i will see you at 10pm. time for the news where you are.