places from china and italy shows that on average, people will spend eight days in hospital. the prime minister says it will take 12 weeks to turn the tide on coronavirus in the uk, but that will only happen if the public takes government measures seriously. as the queen left london, she should solidarity to the nation, boris johnson said it was vital we all play our part. i know how difficult it may be, or it may seem it right now, but if we do this together, we will say, as i say, many, many thousands of lives. do your bit says the prime minister, and the worst could be over in three months‘ time. but this still is a dangerous time. interest rates are slashed to the

lowest ever level, just as they try to shore up the economy. almost 3,500 have died. we report from inside one of italy‘s hospitals battling to keep patients alive. exams are now cancelled in scotland, too — tomorrow, pupils in england and wales will be told how their gcses and a—levels will be awarded. football postpones its professional programme until the end of april but promises they will extend the current season indefinitely to make sure it gets finished. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six.

the prime minister says he‘s confident we can rid confident we can send coronavirus packing, as long as everyone takes seriously the government‘s restrictions and instructions on how to live our lives for the next few months. borisjohnson said he thought it would take 12 weeks to turn the tide on the virus in the uk. but he said that depended on the public following government advice — social distancing, working from home where possible, and washing our hands. he warned that stricter measures may be imposed in london because compliance in some parts of the capital has been very patchy. today, the bank of england slashed interest rates to an historic low to try to shore up the economy. the latest death toll in the uk rose to 137 overnight. the queen issued a message to the nation, praising the work of medical staff, scientists and the emergency services as the uk enters a period of great uncertainty. our political editor, laura kuenssberg, is at westminster.

sophie, the government is of course under acute pressure, the health service is under intense pressure and the economy may well be creaking, too, with concerns all around the country about what is happening to business and people is jobs. but tonight in downing street there was no new drastic action announced, no there was no new drastic action announced , no new there was no new drastic action announced, no new dramatic measures put forward, instead, a much more positive tone from the prime minister to the country, do your bit and the worst may soon pass, matched in the last hour by a message of solidarity from the monarch. the royal standard lowered, the queen, departing for windsor castle, urging the nation at a time of great uncertainty to come together as one. leaving the quiet capital where the government is frantically trying to manage an unknown future. what is now a regular routine, the prime minister talking to the public at five o‘clock. but no immediate sign of drastic new action today. we can

turn the tide within the next 12 weeks and i‘m absolutely confident that we can send coronavirus packing in this country. but only if we take the steps, we all take the steps that we have outlined. you told the country that we have outlined. you told the cou ntry yesterday that we have outlined. you told the country yesterday you wouldn‘t hesitate to take extra measures, people are worried about what that might mean. can you tell people what might mean. can you tell people what might be next, will you within days seek to shut pubs, cafes, clubs? as long as we think that people are actually staying away from places where they may transmit or pick up the disease in the way that we‘ve recommended, with recommended they should avoid those places, if we feel that is working, then we just wa nt to feel that is working, then we just want to say thank you to everybody for their extraordinary efforts and encourage everybody to do likewise. if we feel that it isn‘t working, as isaid if we feel that it isn‘t working, as i said yesterday, and we need to bring forward tougher measures, then

of course nothing is ruled out. there is no prospect of us wanting to stop public transport in london or stop the tube or the buses. we are not going to be telling people that under no circumstances, if they really need to go to work, can they go to work. i hope people understand that. more limitations on our lives would hit firms hard. but supermarkets say there is no need to worry about food, there is enough supply, worry about food, there is enough supply, and they are urging shoppers not just to supply, and they are urging shoppers notjust to think supply, and they are urging shoppers not just to think about filling their own shelves. mps on all sides are nervous. any business who needs cash to pay salaries will be able to access a government backed loan on attractive terms. you can hear the disquiet. what about jobs now? if the government does not act immediately, large numbers of people will be unemployed. can i urge the government to say something

today to give people assurances that their help will come? where can they get answers, because they are so worried? ministers are putting forward this afternoon a longest of emergency laws, from giving the home secretary the power to close the borders if needs be, forcing business to share information about food supply, making it easierfor retired doctors to get back to work. this, the coronavirus bill, is an encyclopaedia of emergency powers that ministers think they might need to manage the crisis in the coming months. powers for a mighty state it hopes it might never need but a disease the country is struggling to control is changing the face of this

place right now. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. our medical correspondent fergus walsh is with me. borisjohnson boris johnson talked borisjohnson talked this afternoon about an antibody test that could be available? yes, one of the things we need to know is whether a not we have had covid—i9. we think a lot of people are getting it without showing any symptoms, and if you could have a simple test that could show that, then nhs workers could go back to work and be fairly that they would be immune immune at least for some time, from the disease. the

prime minister said that they were working on something that would be as simple as a pregnancy test kit, it would be a blood test, but then the chief medical officer said, we are not there yet, and we are not sure that the ones in development are actually going to work, so it is some way down the track, but it was a much more optimistic message from the prime minister today. we heard that the first british patient has been enrolled in a clinical trial, trying out repurposed in existing drugs, and we are going to have the first human vaccine trials here next month. but in terms of an endgame here, his chief advisers are really saying we may have to wait for a vaccine to come on stream, and that could be 18 months. as we heard, the queen and prince phillip arrived at windsor castle. our royal correspondent nicholas witchelljoins me now. the queen issued a message of solidarity to the nation before she left buckingham palace? that's right. she has left a week earlier

than had been planned, they have gone to sandringham and they will be there until after easter. this afternoon this message from the queen, not a broadcast as many heads of state have done, but an exceptional message at an exceptional message at an exceptional time. she talks about the world entering a period of great concern and uncertainty in which we are all being advised to change our normal routines and patterns of life for the greater good of the communities that we live in. at times such as these, the queen goes on to say, i am reminded that our nation‘s history has been forged by people and communities coming together to work as one. she ex presses together to work as one. she expresses thanks to all those on the

frontline. we are enormously thankfulfor frontline. we are enormously thankful for the and thankful for the expertise and commitment of our scientists, medical practitioners and emergency and public services, she says, but now more than at any time in our recent past, we all have a vitally important part to play as individuals. and she finishes by saying... you can be assured that my family andi saying... you can be assured that my family and i stand ready to play our part. nick witchell, thank you. london is proving to be a hot spot — the number of cases and deaths is rising faster in the capital than anywhere else in the uk. and the prime minister says there‘s no prospect of the government wanting to stop public transport in london and urged everyone to take the advice and restrictions seriously because in some parts of the capital there‘s evidence it‘s very patchy. our home editor mark easton has been guaging the mood among londoners in a quieter city. the sirens are screaming, stay at home, stay well, protect the nhs. for the most part, london is empty. but not everyone is listening. if i need to go somewhere, i am going to go somewhere. what about other people, you might affect other

people? well then they should stay inside. it is hard to change your habits and routines. the instagram generation wants to show the world they were there. and the threat is invisible on deserted streets. just wanted to see how busy it was.|j invisible on deserted streets. just wanted to see how busy it was. i am doing the same, just taking a look at london and then heading back before totalisation isolation, which i think is coming next. the plea is not to go out to bars and cafes and restau ra nts not to go out to bars and cafes and restaurants but some people are clinging on to their normal lives, in an increasingly abnormal situation. i live on my own, i got no family or anything, it is just me there. you can have too much of tv or too much of anything. so, to get over the road and buy a paper and come in here and have a couple of points. at the regency cafe, the full english will soon be off. the owner is shutting up shop. there is very little reason to be open now, and the risk factor, and people also are frightened, aren't they? absolutely. i live on my own, i need a support system. if the prime minister stays i have got to stay indoors, it looks desperate. it is quite frightening. london's big shopping streets have been almost abandoned but neighbourhood supermarkets, hairdressers and market stalls were doing brisk business today. people can feel that life is about to change, they are searching for supplies, they‘re getting ready. i am out to get some

vital supplies, i've just filled up my car with petrol. i live on my own so my car with petrol. i live on my own so i've only got myself to rely upon. just around the corner from the shoppers, a temporary mortuary is being assembled, a blunt reminder of why some want the politicians to order us to close the door on our social life. so, interest rates are now at their lowest level ever, slashed to just 0.1% today. our economics editor faisal islam is here. emergency measures — will it be enough? well, this is the bank of england kind of on overdrive, maximum power, trying to create a kind of air bed for the whole economy by cutting interest rates, not all the way down to zero because it wants to keep the banking system able to do certain things, sojust to banking system able to do certain things, so just to zero. 1%, just above zero. and they hope that that will be passed on through the economy, obviously. but perhaps as important is this £200 billion of buying government debt. it is what was known as quantitative easing. we had it during the financial crisis, we had a bit morejust after had it during the financial crisis, we had a bit more just after the had it during the financial crisis, we had a bit morejust after the eu referendum. they have come back into day and done more of it than they

have ever done in a single decision. the point of that is to lower interest rates not just the point of that is to lower interest rates notjust over a night but over two years, five years, ten yea rs, but over two years, five years, ten years, long—term interest rates, also to help. but it also helps the government a little bit in terms of, we are likely to see a lot more government borrowing because taxes aren‘t coming in, spending needs to be higher. the governor also said that markets were borderline disorderly yesterday, a sharp fall in sterling, and he blamed some of that on the rumours of a lockdown. borisjohnson said, "we are going to look after the people who suffer the economic consequences" of the conronavirus. measures will be announced tomorrow. those on zero—hours contracts and those who work in the gig economy are particularly vulnerable. here‘s sarah corker. demand for rides has plummeted as britons self—isolate. uber drivers like steve from birmingham are worried they are at heightened risk of infection but say they cannot afford not to work. you can come out

and doa afford not to work. you can come out and do a eight hour shift and you would be lucky to take home £40 — £50 before deducting expenses. we are unsure of how we are going to pay our bills, howl are unsure of how we are going to pay our bills, how i am going to pay my rent this month. it'sjust very disturbing. companies like uber and deliveroo have hardship funds for those who need to self—isolate. workers need documentation to prove it before they get any cash. unions are calling for emergency measures from the government to help millions of workers in the gig economy and the self—employed. those who aren‘t entitled to sick pay have been told they can claim benefits quickly, but that money could still take weeks to come through and many don‘t have a safety net. this issue, the approach to it, sick pay, has been piecemeal. it shows us the close proxima to work to health and the importance of focusing on health as the ultimate

goal notjust for focusing on health as the ultimate goal not just for individuals focusing on health as the ultimate goal notjust for individuals but also for the economy. leanne is self—isolating, she works as a carer and is entitled to sick pay of £94 25 week. but as a renter on low pay, that won‘t go very far. 25 week. but as a renter on low pay, that won't go very far. i'm really stressed. i have gone from anger into fear, i think. people in my position, if you‘ve got no savings, you‘ve got no back up, what is going to us? and when it comes to businesses, some are confused about how to access new government grants. many how to access new government grants. ma ny cafes how to access new government grants. many cafes like this one in salford are trying to adapt. now we are looking at contingency plans, what can we get in place for deliveries or takeaway services? we as a business where an independent company and we cannot afford to close. for workers on the lowest pay and many small companies, this is fast becoming an economic and

emergency. pupils in wales, northern ireland and england will get more detail tomorrow about how their gcse and a level results will be awarded after this year‘s exams were cancelled. the education secretary in england, gavin williamson, said he said he would do everything he could to ensure that grades would be available in august. it was confirmed today that school exams won‘t take place in scotland either. instead qualifications will be awarded on the basis of course work, teacher assessments and mock exams. here‘s our education editor bra nwen jeffreys. injusta injust a day, their life has changed. yesterday, exams to win their a—level grades. now instead, coursework, predicted grades and teacher assessment are likely. today, wachter and ewan were struggling to take it in. it is definitely stressful. i have been in school for seven years and this might be my last day in the school, or tomorrow might be, so i might not

see any of these people and my teachers ever again, and that does make me sad. it was almost like a shock that i kind of expected to happen. i just felt shock that i kind of expected to happen. ijust felt like a lot of my ha rd happen. ijust felt like a lot of my hard work had been sort of like not put to waste, but it just feels like, it is so uncertain what's going to happen. after years of studying for exams, having them just cancelled has left many teenagers with a massive sense of anti—climax, and they are not just with a massive sense of anti—climax, and they are notjust missing exams, they are also missing out on saying goodbye to their school friends and goodbye to their school friends and goodbye to their school. head teachers are working out who they will let in. vulnerable children and those of key workers, sorting out exa m those of key workers, sorting out exam grades will have to wait.|j think there is an issue around examinations and we will deal with that but that is properly not the priority over the next two or three weeks. i think it is about the safety of young people, our fellow citizens of the nation, i think it isa

citizens of the nation, i think it is a national crisis and we will have to step up and do what we can. round the uk, families are adjusting. we will have to make do, we have got parents who can help out because they are both elderly. months without the back—up of schools. my work has let me work from home, so i'm going to work from home some days and going to work on other days and set up a school in the house. she is setting up a school. children saying goodbye to friends, for now. a bit sad, honestly, because, you know, it may be the last time i am here, so... sally is a primary teacher. she intends to go on working as best she can knowing it will help others doing life—saving work. can knowing it will help others doing life-saving work. obviously, my mum is in the very at—risk category, and i want all the nhs workers to still keep going to work. how much has changed for them? no

exams, no proms, no celebration of results. branwen exams, no proms, no celebration of results. bra nwen jeffreys, exams, no proms, no celebration of results. branwenjeffreys, bbc news. we‘ve been inunadated with questions about schools closing and exams being cancelled. sophie hutchinson has been trying to answer some of them for you. hello. i‘m a young and healthy primary school teacher and i‘m happy to come into school, but what about older staff, and staff who have children at home, as well as staff who have families that might be at risk? what is the advice for them? well, that is something to be worked out by each school and each individual teacher — can they stay on in the classroom? and how many pupils do they need to accommodate from vulnerable families or with key worker parents? i am a single parent who works full—time and both my parents work full—time. i have got absolutely no childcare in place for my child at the moment, because in the holidays he would normally go to a holiday camp, which subsequently are now closed, too. if i have to take six weeks off work, where do i get the money to pay my bills from?

well, it is a very tough situation, and one that many people are facing. if you have any paid holiday that you could use, that might help. otherwise, the local council might have a hardship fund, and you could ask for some bills to be paused, but they will have to be paid eventually. well, children who are entitled to free school meals will be given food vouchers that they can spend in local shops and supermarkets, or some schools may continue to provide meals. well, some schools may have clever technology that allows them to create virtual classrooms, but the vast majority are expected to put more learning activities on the website and information for carers, and also give pupils

books and print tops to take home. sophie hutchinson reporting there. young people are being warned not to be complacent about the coronavirus. england‘s chief medical officer professor chris whitty said the vast majority of people in all age groups would recover but it was a mistake for young people who are healthy to think they would all just "breeze through" the pandemic. meanwhile, doctors and nurses working on the front line are calling for nhs staff who have symptoms to be tested quickly so they can return to work. our health editor hugh pym reports. coughing. a patient who‘s coughing sees the gp at the bridgwater surgery in watford. it‘s a specially organised service for patients with respiratory problems, on a different floor to the rest of the practice.

this may or may not be coronavirus, you know, we can‘t say for certain, because you‘ve got underlying asthma... the gp sends her onto hospital to decide whether a test is needed. many doctors and nurses themselves say they want virus testing for nhs staff, so if they develop symptoms and they don‘t test positive, they can return to work more quickly. we are very much on a war footing at the moment. alan is an emergency care doctor, who was frustrated that testing isn‘t readily available. for lots of people, not being tested means they are getting hit by a compulsory time off work, and that, you know, leaves a lot of stress for them, and a lot of stress for the workforce still in work. it is an issue i put to the government‘s chief medical adviser. how quickly can you roll out more testing for nhs staff who feel they want to be reassured that they might be able to come back to work, or be at work? for the nhs, the ability to test their staff, our staff, i am an nhs worker myself, when people are actually

unwell and self isolating, particularly if they've got mild symptoms that mean they could normally go back to work is absolutely critical. the welsh government has started testing for nhs staff. in england, the nhs has announced an increase to 25,000 tests a day for hospital patients. there was this message, meanwhile, for younger people who might be continuing their social lives as normal, although less badly affected on average by the virus than those who are older, they must follow the new guidelines. the mixing, in pubs and restaurants and so on that we have said is really a part of allowing the disease to spread, needs to stop, and it needs to stop amongst young people, as well as older people. a large majority of people who get the virus won‘t feel many symptoms, but the worry still is for those who are most vulnerable and may become the sickest. hugh pym, bbc news.

more people have now died from the virus in italy than anywhere else in the world. 427 more people have died in the past 24 hours alone — bringing the death toll to more than 3,400 — that‘s more than china‘s total. and more than 5,000 new cases have been confirmed just since yesterday. mark lowen is in rome. this country of 60 million people has now seen this country of 60 million people has now seen more this country of 60 million people has now seen more deaths from coronavirus than china with a population of 1.5 billion. it feels like a hole that italy cannot plug, the daily loss of hundreds of lives, as italians wait for the outbreak to peak. the lockdown look set to be extended and the system here is on its knees. in this theatre of war, the heroes hardly rest. brescia in northern

italy is seeing one of the highest rises in daily cases. the hospital is overwhelmed but resilient. translation: there is a strong commitment from all doctors and nurses. sometimes they come in even when they are not on shift, or after they are on at night they come in they are on at night they come in the morning after to help us out. some of them have cried but i have never seen anyone some of them have cried but i have never seen anyone complain. more than 8% of cases in italy are medical staff, almost double that of china. the 13th dr died today. one of the patients here is a doctor, she says, born in 1982. he was in the emergency room, fell ill and tested positive. now he has been incubated. thousands of medics have been recalled from retirement and rushed in from university to help, but still they are desperate. translation: i think our hospital is reaching breaking point. we don‘t just need more birds, but we need workers. we need equipment to

protect our staff. we need ventilators. the spread of the virus is too fast for us to keep up. in this outbreak, not even the dead can rest. overnight, the military moved coffins from nearby bergamo to ease pressure on bursting crematoria. from one town that has cut cases to zero through mass testing and quarantine, a warning to britain over its lower response.|j quarantine, a warning to britain over its lower response. i feel very, very sorry, because i have been living in england for over 25 yea rs, been living in england for over 25 years, andi been living in england for over 25 years, and i left my wife and my son there, so for me it is very sad to see they are doing exactly the same mistake as they did in italy. it will lead to an outbreak which will be the same size or even worse than the one we are seeing in lombardi. restrictions on movement here are now set to be extended, with most venues remaining closed and schools shut well into april. italy‘s lockdown is the model being adopted elsewhere. public transport and traffic are still running but people are only going out in urgent need,

and it is orderly, with measured cu res and it is orderly, with measured cures for the supermarket as people are allowed in one by one. the fruit and vegetables are stocked as normal. there is very little sense of panic buying here. and with the loo rolls, well, some brands are down, but with this level of outbreak, italians are behaving on the whole rationally. the virus has left this wounded, ageing population isolated, from each other and from the outside world. the book she reads is called fear. mark lowen, bbc news, rome. while we have been on air, the latest death toll in the uk has risen to 144. 3269 people have now tested positive for the virus. in other news — a report into the windrush scandal says the home office showed "institutional ignorance and thoughtlessness" on the issue of race. the independent review was set up to examine why people from commonwealth caribbean countries who‘d arrived in the uk

legally, were wrongly told they had no right to be here, with some being detained or deported, in many cases despite living here for years. adina campbell reports. how do you feel, michael? sharing their stories, three members of the windrush generation seriously affected by a scandal now described as a profound institutionalfailure. ijust feel like i'm not even living. i feel like i've died, i'm looking down at myself. every time i talk about it, it hurts me so deeply. and michael braithwaite‘s career as a teaching assistant for children with special educational needs was also cut short. it's dragged on too long. it's caused a lot of stress. our lives have been turned upside down. but, anthony, you were detained, wrongfully detained? yeah, twice. i decided to go to jamaica just to get out of that place.

today‘s delayed independent report, looking at the causes of the windrush scandal, has revealed that race clearly played a part, and some failings by the home office where potential indicators of indirect discrimination, dating back to the 19605. discrimination, dating back to the 1960s. speaking in the commons earlier, the home secretary apologised. there is nothing that i can say today which will undo the pain, the suffering and the misery inflicted upon the windrush generation. what i can do is say that on behalf of this and successive governments, i am truly sorry. but campaigners say the injustice is unforgivable. the scandal is still ongoing, we still have deportation flights, the compensation scheme is not working and also there are tens of thousands of people out there in the country who have not come forward to set out their status, which means there is a lack of trust in the home office. today‘s report has made 30

recommendations, calling for the home office to do a full review of the hostile environment policy, and also set up a race advisory board. this has been a painful and long drawn out experience for the many people caught up in the windrush scandal. jobs lost, eye watering levels of debt, and families torn apart because of mistakes made by the home office. for some, today‘s independence review is welcome, but the profound mistreatment will never be forgotten. someone needs to tell me why this happened, how on earth we re me why this happened, how on earth were so many me why this happened, how on earth were so many lives made miserable? dealer campbell, bbc news. from next week millions of children will be at home until further notice. the big question for a lot of parents — how do you keep them occupied? jo black has been trying to find out. so, what do you know about coronavirus?