chilly. this is bbc news. he had ninth at eight p:m.. the devasting effects of coronavirus — pubs, restaurants, and gyms are among the places ordered to close, as an unprecedented rescue package is unveiled for workers and businesses. the government will pay all employees 80% of their salary — up to £2,500 a month — the chancellor said it was one of the most comprehensive set of measures in the world. life as we know it is changing dramatically — with the prime minister urging people to stay at home. it comes as scientists warn it could be almost 12 months before social distancing measures are lifted in order not to overload the nhs. a major london hospital becomes the first in the uk to temporarily run out of critical care capacity for

coronavirus patients. and the government suspends driving tests for up to three months — with the exception of key workers who will still be able to take their tests. music. and as the pubs are ordered to shut, we see how revellers have come up with a novel solution by taking their club night online. good evening and welcome to bbc news.

in an unprecedented move the government has ordered the shutting down of bars, pubs and leisure centres, many of the places we visit regularly. it came as the chancellor rishi sunak announced a dramatic package of measures to help protect businesses, jobs and the vulnerable. saying we've never had state intervention like this in this country before. rishi sunak said the government would pay up to 80% of people's wages, up to a maximum of £2,500 a month — to those who's jobs are at risk. and across the uk, the prime minister demanded the immediate shutting down of the vast majority of places where we socialise and exercise. it came as government advisers issued a sobering warning that social distancing measures would need to be in place for the best part of a year to prevent nhs intensive care units from being overwhelmed. the latest figures show that there have now been 3,983 confirmed coronavirus cases in the uk, although experts think the total number is considerably higher. and there have been 177 deaths.

here's our political correspondent alex forsyth. this will become a familiar sight gci’oss this will become a familiar sight across the country soon. restau ra nts, across the country soon. restaurants, cafes, pubs shut as a result of this virus. for businesses, the key question, how to stay afloat with the doors closed and crucially, what happens with all the workers with nowhere to go. today the prime minister acknowledge the impact of this decision, but claimed there was no choice. we are collectively telling cafes, bars and restau ra nts collectively telling cafes, bars and restaurants to close tonight, as soon as they reasonably can and not to open tomorrow. though, to be clear, they can continue to provide ta ke clear, they can continue to provide take out services. from the

chancellor, a promise to help thousands inevitably now facing an enormous economic struggle. we are setting up a new coronavirus job retention scheme. any employer in the country, small or large, charitable or nonprofit will be eligible for the scheme. employers will be able to contact hmrc for a grant to cover most of the wages of people who are not working but are furloughed and kept on the payroll rather than being laid off. government grants will cover 80% of the salary of retained workers up to a total of £2500 a month. how long, if you can do you see these measures lasting and how do you plan to enforce them? everybody can see the imperative of doing what is necessary , imperative of doing what is necessary, of protecting our nhs and

saving lives. some businesses have already shut up shop. this salon in east london didn't want to spread the virus, despite rate relief, gra nts the virus, despite rate relief, grants and access to loans already on offer, one big worry was still how to play the staff. we are trying to keep them on the books are now, that was the last conversation we had with them. we have just said we will keep in contact with them, you know, while this all unfolds. we don't have loads of money in the bank. we have a little cushion, but not much. the government is putting in place, significant measures to try and counter the impact of this virus injust try and counter the impact of this virus in just days and weeks, policies which would usually take months, if not years to implement. with the knowledge it takes now, will have crucial consequences for all of us, as the way we live our lives profoundly changes. not doing enough means that workers, unwittingly but the whole community at risk. if you feel the need to go out and work because you have no alternative as a means of feeding

yourself and your family, then you are going to go out. in scotland, and acknowledgement people will have to make sacrifices, but a message there is little option. doing everything we can to slow down the spread of this virus now means we will save lives and we will protect our nhs. we cannotjust carry on as normal, life, right now, is not normal. london, at lunchtime today. it may look very different tomorrow. the government is promising to help all of those who will feel the impact of this announcement as the struggle to manage this virus reaches a whole new stage. alex forsyth, bbc news, westminster. 0ur political correspondent nick eardley is at westminster. what a day, a dramatic day. many people were waiting on today's announcements. take us through it. these extraordinary days are coming pretty much every day at the moment. so many times this week we have seen

the prime minister and others stand at those lecterns in downing street and deliver the news that has a huge impact on all of our daily lives. i think what today was about was trying to assure people that as those changes come in, the government is ready to take extraordinary action to match the extraordinary action to match the extraordinary changes that are happening. the announcement that came from the chancellor today is one of the most remarkable from a government in peacetime that anybody has ever seen in this country. the fa ct has ever seen in this country. the fact that the government is now basically preparing to take lots of private workers onto the state's books to try to protect the economy, try to protect businesses and crucially, try to protect individuals as well, is a really remarkable moment. such is the gravity of the coronavirus crisis, that the government felt it had no option. there were a lot of questions, particularly for

self—employed people on 0—hours. do you think those questions were a nswered you think those questions were answered today, what sort of reaction have you been gauging?” think there will always be outstanding questions. we have seen some already, particularly as you see on self—employed people and the protection they will have. although we have seen some protections brought in for sick pay, are those questions over what people on zero—hours contracts will do and the gig economy, the ramifications for the gig economy could still be highly significant. i suspect those questions will continue to be asked. political parties are saying they are doing it in good faith and holding the government to account to make sure everything is done correctly. labour were suggesting that perhaps some of the measures today didn't go as far as maybe they could have. i have got is a overwhelming reaction has been of welcoming what the chancellor has put on the table. really significant that the unions came out quickly and

said these were bold, historic and necessary steps. i think it shows you the talks with the unions have gone well. politics, to a large extent, has been chucked out of the window, as, by the way, the economic rule book. this is a tory government bringing in the most remarkable state intervention we have ever seen in this country. to return to the point, it is because they think this crisis is so significant that they cannot just crisis is so significant that they cannotjust sit crisis is so significant that they cannot just sit back, crisis is so significant that they cannotjust sit back, they have to ta ke cannotjust sit back, they have to take drastic action, no matter how much it cost. 0k, thank you very much. today's announcement from the chancellor amounts to an unprecedented intervention by the state into the private sector. our business editor, simonjack, has been looking at the scale of the problem facing the government. one of east london's popular social hotspots on a typical saturday. this is what it will look like this weekend. the government has just ordered the closure of venues like this,

but its advice on monday to avoid them has already been catastrophic for the hospitality industry. after the prime minister's announcement on monday evening that everyone should avoid bars, restaurants and public spaces, we've decided the next day, tuesday morning, we had to lose 85% of our people. a millionjobs have been lost in hospitality in 36 hours at the beginning of this week following that announcement. we're now focused on trying to save the jobs of the next million. in the last hour, the government promised businesses a rebate worth 80% of their staffs wages. despite that, businesses are still expected to shed hundreds of thousands ofjobs to cut costs as income dries up. on a normal saturday night, 2,500 people would come through this food hall, but it's now shut for the foreseeable future. and although the government has announced hundreds of billions of potential support, it's not size that matters, it's the speed with which businesses can get that support. for many, it's already too late. like workers at this hotel

in scotland who live on—site and were told to leave theirjob and their home immediately. i got this letter telling me i have to leave and i get fired. they didn't give me any reasons. i have been working here for two years. in the middle of a pandemic, it's notjust a normal loss ofjob, it's a pandemic. and what about the millions of self—employed people, like theatre director cat robey and her colleagues who are trying to work out what the future holds for them? all of us are self—employed and we have no idea what that means in terms of our income, anyjob security, whether we can pay our rent next month, and we have no idea when any shows or any work will start again for any of us. the government has just announced the self—employed will be able to defer tax payments and get greater access to benefits, which will be increased.

many businesses are also desperate for a guarantee they won't forfeit their lease if they don't pay the rent — another new front in a health—turned—economic emergency which has seen the greatest government intervention in private business in living memory. our business editor simon jack reporting there. so as we heard, pubs, restaurants, gyms, leisure centres and cinemas across the uk are being told to close — in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. so how are people responding? in a moment we'll hear from our correspondent danny savage, who's been in harrogate, but first, helena wilkinson provided this update from leicester square, in central london. on a normal friday night here in leicester square in the heart of london, this area would be packed with londoners and tourists. these are not normal times though, of course, it is deserted here. there's about 20 people in the square. a lot of the bars and restaurants

are already shut here, the cinema behind as being one of them. there are still some venues still open, still people drinking in some of those venues as well, but the owners of these cafes, pubs and restaurants tonight are digesting the news that from tonight, they are being told by the government that they are going to have to shut for the foreseeable future. the restrictions announced by the government tonight, another sign of the extraordinary impact this virus is having on all of our lives. helena wilkinson in central london there. and now danny savage, who's been in harrogate tonight. behind me is betty's tea rooms. that restaurant has been closed for a few days now. next door, the ivy restaurant, closed yesterday. but go along the main drag here in harrogate and there are at least four bars tonight which are still open and have always been open. that's not to say drinkers in them are not socially aware, we talk to people sitting outside that said by sitting outside its socially distancing themselves, they thought they were doing the right thing by still

going out for a drink. 0n the other hand, we talked to another couple outside of a pub who refused to be filmed because if their family saw them drinking outside a pub, they'd be in trouble. they'd get a lot of criticism from their own families. people are slowly dawning, this is closing down around us tonight. a part of our lifestyle, part of our culture is closing down this evening and we just don't know when it will reopen again. another impact of the coronavirus outbreak has been announced this evening — the news that all driving tests have been suspended for three months. making the announcement, the transport secretary said key workers will still be able to take their tests. those who have tests cancelled will have priority on resumption. the headlines on bbc news... the devasting effects of coronavirus — pubs, restaurants, and gyms are among

the places ordered to close as an unprecedented rescue package is unveiled for workers and businesses. the government will pay all employees 80% of their salary — up to £2,500 a month — the chancellor said it was one of the most comprehensive set of measures in the world. life as we know it is changing dramatically with the prime minister urging people to stay at home. a major london hospital has become the first in the uk to announce that it had, for a time, run out of critical care capacity to treat coronavirus patients. northwick park hospital declared a "critical incident" for 2h hours and contacted neighbouring hospitals about transferring patients. it comes as more than 65,000 former nurses and doctors in england, wales and scotland are being contacted about returning to work to help deal with coronavirus.

the critical incident was declared at northwick park hospital yesterday because all specialist bed for coronavirus ca re were because all specialist bed for coronavirus care were full. that incident alert was stood down this afternoon, but it highlights the strain across the nhs in london as one doctor at another hospital explained. i guess if things get really bad, then there is the worry that intensive care beds will get com pletely that intensive care beds will get completely full and further patients won't be able to be admitted or they will have to make horrible decisions about who gets an intensive care bed and he doesn't, even though in normal circumstances we want to give them to everyone. those can be really harrowing times. pressure on nhs staff is showing in different ways. finding empty supermarket shelves at the end of a long and tiring ship was the last straw for

dawn. people arejust tiring ship was the last straw for dawn. people are just stripping the shelves of basic foods. you just need to stop it. because there's people like me who are going to be looking after you when you are at your lowest. just stop it. please! england's chief nursing officer tell me how sad she was to hear dawn's story. it is heartbreaking when you see nurses across the country working 48—hour shifts and they are working 48—hour shifts and they are working so hard. they will be working so hard. they will be working even harder, i am absolutely sure. i working even harder, i am absolutely sure. lam working even harder, i am absolutely sure. i am asking all supermarkets to open their doors for those working in health and social care, providing this expert care to our patients. this taxi firm in the east midlands is offering free delivery of food to nhs staff, as well as those who are vulnerable. they say they made 300 deliveries in the last few days. a call has gone out to retired staff to come back to the

nhs front line. bridget worked for 38 years in the health service, mostly as a senior nurse and is ready to return. it is a scary prospect, because we don't know enough about this disease at the moment. and, you know, there is a lot to be learned but i think it is really important for me to go back in. ithink really important for me to go back in. i think ijust have to take it as it comes. it is clear that nhs leaders are expecting immense pressure as case number search. that is why they want to bring back retired staff, but many doctors and nurses are very concerned about what they are facing up to right now. the work of staff was seen first hand by the duke and duchess of cambridge, visiting an nhs 11! call centre. 0ne pa rt visiting an nhs 11! call centre. 0ne part of the huge effort being made across the service. hugh pym, bbc news.

let's speak now to the labour mp for harrow west gareth thomas. northwick park hospital is in your constituency? it is right on the border. what did you make of this 24—hour critical incident?” border. what did you make of this 24-hour critical incident? i was very concerned. it is a worry, as it indicates the pressure the staff are under. i know some members of staff there and i know they are doing an incredibly important job but there and i know they are doing an incredibly importantjob but they are worried about the situation in the hospital more generally. 0bviously, one thinks of the patients who are needing the treatment and the fact that the hospital had to declare a critical incident. it obviously means there area incident. it obviously means there are a lot of people needing treatment. 0ne are a lot of people needing treatment. one is worried for the future of those constituents. treatment. one is worried for the future of those constituentslj future of those constituents.” presume you have been talking to some of the staff, what have they been telling you about the pressures

they are under and what they need? what was clear, they need more capacity, more beds to be available. there has been an issue at northwick park in terms of concerns about whether the hospital had enough intensive treatment unit beds before this epidemic hit is. but now it is about, obviously, getting as many additional staff, ventilators and beds to make sure all the staff have got proper protection. then, to make sure that london as a whole can manage across the nhs as the pam bennett develops. how are they with achieving those aims you have just listed there. clearly, there is concern across london about the rising number of people needing intensive treatment. it is ensuring

the critical incident has come to an end at northwick park and we need to put in place plans, scaler plans for more staff and ventilators more generally across the nhs. i am hoping to find out soon just how much additional support the hospital needs and we will be seeking to raise that with ministers next week. where will they get this extra capacity from an star from and how long before they actually have access to all that? there was a question that i want to ask ministers next week. both the prime minister and the secretary of state for health, i give them credit for what they are doing now, but obviously my constituents are starting to ask a series of additional questions are now the news of northwick park has broken

and they want reassurance that this is understood and dealt with. how did the hospital manage those extra pressures ? did the hospital manage those extra pressures? i presume they did not have enough beds for the coronavirus patients, how did they manage?” have enough beds for the coronavirus patients, how did they manage? i am assuming they work very closely with other hospitals. across both north west london and probably across the whole of north london and into hertfordshire, to manage those pressures . hertfordshire, to manage those pressures. but it is a concern that they were put in that position and it is reassuring on one level, to hear there is a nationwide effort to bring staff back into the national health service and i hope some of that support can be brought in at northwick park. 0k, gareth thomas, thank you very much for your time. thank you.

the government's scientific advisors have warned that social distancing policies will need to be in place for the best part of a year alternating between strict and less strict measures to help intensive care units cope. it's in marked contrast to the prime minister's assessment yesterday — that the uk could turn the tide of the disease in 12 weeks. intensive care units are overwhelmed in italy. there have been more than 600 deaths there in the past 2a hours alone. the only way to avoid that here, say government scientists, is to keep our strict social distancing controls in place for at least six of the next 12 months. that includes school closures, general social distancing and household isolation. the scientists are trying to prevent one huge peak of cases of covid—i9 which would overwhelm nhs intensive care units.

instead, there would be a series of smaller peaks spread out throughout a year. to achieve this, they would suppress and then release the virus, by turning the social distancing measures on and off like a tap to control the flow of patients into intensive care. they predict a two—to—three—week delay between measures being put into place and their impact being felt in intensive care. the scientists estimate that 2% of those aged under 50 who get infected will need to be admitted to hospital, rising to 44% among the over—80s. warmer weather reduces flu cases, but the science is unclear whether the coronavirus outbreak will subside in summer. the fatality rate for covid—i9 is very age dependent, varying from 0.01% — or one in10,000 — among the under—20s, rising to 8% — or one in 12 — among the over—80s. warmer weather increases cases, but it is not understood if it will disappear in summer. it is age—dependent, one in 10,000 among

the under 20s, rising to 8% over one in12 among the under 20s, rising to 8% over one in 12 among the over 80s. a vaccine could save millions of lives globally. scientists at porton down in wiltshire are playing a key role, but it's unlikely to be ready for at least a year. fergus walsh, bbc news. as supermarkets struggle to keep shelves full amid panic—buying and stockpiling, downing street has repeated its call for people to be considerate when shopping forfood. the health secretary, matt hancock has appealed to supermarkets to make sure that key workers in particular can get what they need. our business correspondent, emma simpson, gave her analysis from a supermarket in south london it has been absolutely manic across all of our supermarkets this week, with every government announcement shoppers have been reacting and stocking up on everything and it has

put a lot of strain on to the system. with people not staying away from pubs, cafes and restaurants we will all be eating in a lot more at home, instead of going out. one a nalyst home, instead of going out. one analyst reckons up to 25% of the nation's calorific intake will be transferred from food and beverage companies to the supermarkets. so we will see a sustained demand for food but the industry are stepping up. there is a huge amount of work already being done to get more volume through the food supply system. but it does mean we are going to have to shop a bit differently over the next few months. retailers are streamlining their ranges, so for instance instead of 20 types of pasta, you may just be down instead of 20 types of pasta, you mayjust be down to six. it is not running out, just be less choice, more quantity to really focus on the co re more quantity to really focus on the core products. the other interesting thing this week, is this huge recruitment drive that's been under way to help retailers cope. if you add it allup,

way to help retailers cope. if you add it all up, the supermarkets are trying to take on more than 25,010 temporary and full—time workers, starting immediately. a small army. the final message from the industry is, if there's enough food in the system, we just have shop responsibly. well, it may have been a strange working week for many of us, but nevertheless tonight is still friday night. and while the pubs, bars and clubs of britain have been ordered to closed — plans were already in place to provide parties for those self—isolating. there are even specialst apps for online house parties! one person who has been instrumental in galvanising a huge online community is samuel farleigh. a week ago he started a facebook group with about a0 friends called "i'm stuck at home but still want to have fun". it now has nearly 6,500 members. tonight he's hosting a party online that even has different rooms... let's take a quick look at how it's been going so far...

music cannot beat the gypsy kings for a bit of fun. you have got your glad rags on, tell us about your facebook group? a couple of weeks ago, i was seeing a lot of events were being cancelled. for me, my social life, i love to go out to see people, i am having a second wind in my 30s. i have a lot of amazing friends i met

through different communities in the uk and allaround through different communities in the uk and all around the country. so i thought why not do something for my friends, we can get together. i made this group, just randomly one day and people started to comment. this amazing technical guy, christian he helps. people created events and it built up by more people came and created events. there have been dance parties, people love it. it has been an incredible focal point for people's fears of isolation and they come together and it is a beautiful community gathering online. a lot of hope for the future. when you have been talking to your party animals, what have they been struggling with whilst they've been in isolation? people aren't used to being alone. not

having the opportunity to just go out. people have never experienced that before so all the difficult emotionsjust that before so all the difficult emotions just raises up and becomes really difficult to deal with. how long do these parties last, when does everybody log out, you cannot say chucked out, you log out? we have a party going for two hours and then we have an after party. we have live musicians, djs and then we will go on till about 12. if people are still dancing, the music will go on. you cannot beat a good boogie, can you? what i realised is dancing makes me happy. just allowing the music to let him move is a wonderful way to express yourself. you cannot do better than that. what happens once a period of isolation comes to an end? i don't know. at the moment

we are followed by 7000 people. i would like to connect everyone together and give them the decision of how they want to use the space. it is about offering stuff that people do, people do workshops, therapies. we will try and use the online space more. it has been awhile since i went into a disco, i don't think you call them discos, is a club is now? what are the top hits eve ryo ne a club is now? what are the top hits everyone is dancing to?” a club is now? what are the top hits everyone is dancing to? i do like some oldie music. there is a lot of clu b some oldie music. there is a lot of club dance music. he would have to speak to the djs but if the music makes me move, i go with it.” speak to the djs but if the music makes me move, i go with it. i was moving before i came to you to gypsy kings. so thank you very much. as we say goodbye to samuel, lets listen in quickly to the disco. this is

live. music: gypsy kings. enough never that cover too much front on a friday night. here the weather with helen. the temperatures are already falling away. some frost in the coming night but in the south are having to clear the clouds slowly away. that will hold the temperatures above freezing. not such a hard frost for parts of scotland and northern ireland but nevertheless, a noticeable chill on saturday, almost two seasons in noticeable chill on saturday, almost two seasons in one noticeable chill on saturday, almost two seasons in one day. by the time we get into the afternoon with the strengthening much sunshine on the east coast, with the keen wind we

will appreciate the ten and 11. perhaps more cloud in the southwest and later on towards the west of northern ireland. with the approach of this very week by the approach of this very weak weather front, but for most the high pressure is clinging on throughout the weekend and infact clinging on throughout the weekend and in fact it hangs on into next week. perhaps more cloud for eastern scotland, eastern england on sunday. 0therwise, scotland, eastern england on sunday. otherwise, a little less wind so feeling a little less chilly. hello this is bbc news. the headlines. the devasting effects of coronavirus. pubs, restaurants, and gyms are among the places ordered to close — as an unprecedented rescue package is unveiled for workers and businesses. the government will pay all employees 80% of their salary — up to £2,500 a month — the chancellor said it was one of the most comprehensive set of measures in the world. life as we know it is changing dramatically — with the prime minister urging

people to stay at home. it comes as scientists warn it could be almost 12 months before social distancing measures are lifted — in order not to overload the nhs. a major london hospital becomes the first in the uk to temporarily run out of critical care capacity for coronavirus patients. the government suspends driving tests for up to three months for all bar key workers — but lessons can continue. as we've been hearing cafes, pubs, night clu bs, restau ra nts and gyms across the uk have been told to close from tonight to slow down the spread of the virus. 0nly establishments selling take—away food can carry on working. the announcement was made by the prime minister in downing street. shortly after scotland's first

minister nicola sturgeon spoke in edinburgh. in recent days, we have been asked to make changes to our lives that would have been unimaginable a few weeks ago. coronavirus is the biggest challenge of our lifetimes. the number of cases is set to rise sharply. we must do all we can to slow it down and save lives. so i wa nt to slow it down and save lives. so i want to talk to you directly about what we can all do to help, and offer some words of reassurance and what i know is an anxious time. all of us must act now to slow the spread of the virus. wash your hands regularly is important, but we must reduce the number of people we come into co nta ct reduce the number of people we come into contact with. to be staying at home if anyone in you or your house asa home if anyone in you or your house as a height or persistent cough. that means working from home if

possible, of what he public transport, and not socialising in groups. we also asked people to stay away from crowded places like pubs, restau ra nts a nd away from crowded places like pubs, restaurants and cinemas. but i can confirm that in light of advice this afternoon from our scientists and the chief medical officer that there must be strict compliance for that to be effective. i'm not asking restau ra nts, to be effective. i'm not asking restaurants, cafes, pubs, and cinemas to close. i know how difficult this is but it's vital to reduce our risk of getting the virus. and to reduce the risk of infecting those who are most vulnerable of becoming seriously ill or dying. in short, it will save lives. it also gives our nhs the best chance of coping. we put the nhs on an emergency footing, we are taking steps to increase the capacity of our hospitals and intensive care wards. but those who work in our health and social care services will be tested like never before. most of us have friends and

family working in the nhs. my own sister and sister—in—law are among them. a debt of gratitude we owe all of them is enormous. covid—19 is a health emergency. at the steps we ta ke to health emergency. at the steps we take to deal with it are causing disruption in our economy too. alongside your concern about the virus, many of you are deeply worried about your jobs virus, many of you are deeply worried about yourjobs and income. the scottish government will do all we can to support you. we ask you to ta ke we can to support you. we ask you to take unprecedented steps. the level of support we provide to you must be unprecedented in turn. a crisis like this will hurt our well—being and mental health. two older people, we are asking you to stay with your grandkids, from the people you love it. that's hard, but it is for your protection. so you can stay around to see them grow up. two children, i know this is a strange time, you are away from school, and won't be able

to spend as much time with friends. the adults around you are probably feeling a bit anxious too. so help them, follow their advice, study and do your homework. but don't forget to have fun and wash her hands. and let's all look out for each other. at times of crisis we need each other more yet we are being told to stay apart. but we can still communicate and offer comfort. modern technology is sometimes a curse, it can now be a lifeline. phone or skype loved ones. text neighbours or drop a note through the door to see if they need help. maybe even write a letter to your grandparents. support your local business if you can, but please do not panic by. there's plenty to go around if we all act responsibly. we are entering stormy waters and i cannot tell you yet when we will reach dry land. i can promise you that as your first minister i will

do my utmost to lead us safely through. i need your help. i need you to follow health advice, and i need you to look out for those around you. is no doubt that difficult days lie ahead, but i enclose on a note of hope and belief. this crisis is reminding us just how fragile our world is. but it's also reminding us what really matters, health, love, solidarity. with compassion and kindness and with the dedication and expertise as our nhs we can, and we will get through this. thank you for all you are doing to help. schools across the uk have closed their doors this afternoon — with no clear idea of when they'll reopen. they'll be shut to all but vulnerable pupils, and the children of key workers. there's also been more detail on how grades will be calculated for pupils whose exams have been cancelled, as judith moritz reports.

it's not even easter and this could be the last school drop—off of the year. for the children, it's bizarre. for their parents — facing weeks of home teaching — it's daunting. have a great day! it can bring tears to your eyes if you think too much, so you kind ofjust roll with the punches and just do what you can, really. it's going to be hard. you're going to crack on with the jobs that you always wanted to do and never had time with, like gardening, cleaning and all that, but you have to combine this now with schooling. we've already looked through my five—year—old's folder and it's lots of phonics and i'm thinking, oh, my god, phonics! what's phonics?! for children in year 6, it's extra emotional. this could be their last day of primary school. what will happen if we don't come back to school before we leave to year 7? we're not sure what's going to happen but, obviously, here at stjohn's, we're a community. some children will now learn at home. others, whose parents are key workers like nurses or police officers will still go to school.

both my parents have to work from home because they work in universities and all the universities are shut down. my dad's in the army and my mum's in charge of all the trucks that deliver food and that to shops. so, you're going to come to school, do you think? just over 10% of the children here will be in school from next week. we are providing a childcare service to make sure that our children are safe while their parents go about their really, really important and critical work to help the nation. and they'll be doing activities that look a little bit like school but, mainly, it'll be things like board games, making sure that they're doing some of the work that they're set by their teachers. school playgrounds will be a lot quieter and pupils at home will face restrictions. though the advice is to allow children to play outside — even go to the park for a kickabout — the instruction is also to stop them from playing too close to other people and to prevent them

from crowding together with lots of friends for long periods. for students in exam years, like these sixth—formers in bolton, there was news today that their grades will be awarded based on data including mock exams and teacher assessment. it's not as big of a deal when you're doing your mocks as, like, the real things and i think that'sjust, like, everyone thinks that way. so, i think it'sjust the uncertainty of what's going to happen. these year 11s should have their leavers‘ assembly in july, but their teacher's brought it forwards. a small chance to celebrate, amongst so much upheaval. judith moritz, bbc news, greater manchester. as the pandemic continues, pressure on the health service is naturally mounting, but it's notjust our doctors and nurses feeling the heat. front line community pharmacists say they're also struggling. edward sault spent the day at one pharmacy in totton in hampshire

it's probably the biggest most stressful moment ever. demand at pharmacies has soared. i am coming to pick up forfour different people within the family. we have medical conditions so my mother is currently being in hospitalfor nine weeks, we are trying to isolate her at home as much as possible. what you see today in the pharmacy here is typical across the hall of the country. here, they had seen 60% increase on a day—to—day basis, in the amount of work they are having to do. it absolutely is not necessary. it is that play that role situation all over again. there is no problem with the supply of medication. we have got eight pellets full of prescription waiting to be picked up. in an unprecedented move, like many other chemists around the uk, he had to shut up shop during the middle of the base

and peter catch up. we have got a massive backlog of prescriptions where the doctors have dispense prescriptions normally we get them down into dispense and patients will come in and a couple of days what's happening now is because you're getting a background and patients are coming and asking for their prescription and it has not been dispensed and be happy to it urgently. i would like the public to be aware of what we do and the pressure we are under and understand that not trying to be difficult to help you. and a body that represents gps in the south is asking doctors and patients not to increase the length of number prescriptions for fear they will damage the supply chain. meanwhile, the section of the pharmacy is being turned over to help sort out delivering vital medication to the most vulnerable. as soon as you put the phone down to pick it up again because people are worried about what is going to happen and how can we help them and are they going to go without but people just panic and they want the reassurance that we are going to be

there and we will help them. the message from pharmacists around the country as to bear with them, they insist they will not run out of crucial drugs, but our ageing is all not to panic. —— urging us not to panic. italy is set to tighten its coronavirus lockdown, after the number of deaths jumped by more than 600 in a single day. reports suggest that from saturday, parks and public gardens will be shut down and people will be allowed to take exercise only around their own homes. it's the biggest daily rise since the virus first emerged in the country one month ago and comes one day after italy overtook china as the country with the most deaths recorded from the virus. the hardest—hit region of italy remains lombardy in the north. for comparison, china — where the contagion has slowed sharply — never reported more than 150 deaths from the virus in a single day, even at the height of the epidemic. sima kotecha has more from rome. some people here in italy

are calling it the 9/11 of italy. incredibly alarming figures. and as you say, we've now surpassed china. if you look at the population of the two countries, china having a population of 1.4 billion, italy having a population of 64 million, there are questions to be asked, why this has happened, in a smaller country with fewer people. most of those fatalities are in the north of the country where hospitals are incredibly stressed. running out of key pieces of kit such as ventilators and facemasks. we know that the chinese have bought nine tonnes of kit with them. chinese medics have come over with a lot of extra supplies for hospitals in milan where they are struggling to cope. this concern of the outbreak and moved to the south. the people have made that journey and moved to the south. the people have made thatjourney south that they tried to flee the outbreak. it

is not as well—equipped, it's a poor pa rt is not as well—equipped, it's a poor part of the country and the government is worried that if the outbreak does move down there how will those hospitals cope? a priority for the government is to make sure doctors and nurses remain protected from this virus. in the stringent measurements that are in place at the moment restricting people's movement around the country with the stringent measurements can be made even more strict. we heard from the sports ministry yesterday saying that at the moment people can go out for a jog, they can walk their dog, they can go to the supermarket, there's a possibility that even those things might not be allowed to. it'll be very much aware that it's probably going to get worse before it gets better. this figure is expected to continue rising, but also the agitation of some having to stay in their homes 11 days already and knowing that those measurements might be in place for another month or so is hard for

them to take. spain marked a grim milestone today. it's the fourth country hardest hit by coronavirus in the world behind china, italy and iran — and now the virus has claimed more than 1000 lives — climbing by 235 deaths in the past day. the latest statistics from the country's health ministry showed 19 thousand 980 confirmed cases of coronavirus. many british nationals are stuck in malaga in southern spain, from where our europe correspondent damian grammaticas reports. due to exceptional circumstances... 0n the loudspeaker, warnings that hardly seem necessary in a half—empty airport. the queue is for the flight to london. it's sold out. people scrambling to get back while they can. the last tickets going dear. up to about £1,000.

ithought, oh, i'll stick with ryanair and try and find my way back down to brighton. so, you're ok, then? you're getting back? who knows? in the middle of it all, we found jean and phyllida. jean's almost 90. here for the winter sun, she's already had three flights back cancelled. my daughter, yeah. in wales, you know, she's getting upset. ijust want you home, mum! you should have come home before! phyllida is 86. her family have been begging her to come home,. i've got 20 grandchildren, 16 great, six great—great. i'm five generations. and they're all, oh, why don't you come home, you know? why don't you come home? and there is one thing she's looking forward to. hopefully, now, i;ll come home to a lovely roast dinner. a big slice of beef, with all the lovely cabbage from the garden. so, today, flights to the uk were still running. but next week, there may be even fewer, leaving tough choices for those still here.

we have enough food for maybe another four or five days. because of her dogs, the only way alison thomson can get home is by ferry. she worries about being on a ship with up to 2,000 other people. would that be safe? and she'd have to cross spain to get to it. so, i have been quite anxious this week. we haven't left the house since last friday. and getting back to the uk poses real problems for you? well, it's a 12—hour drive. we normally stop in madrid on the way and stay in a hotel, but now we've heard the hotels are closing. for those who do stay, even the beaches are now closed. these are difficult dilemmas thousands are facing. is it better to leave, before travel restrictions tighten even further, or stay put? where is the best place to ride out the difficult times approaching? damian grammaticas, bbc news, malaga. it's meant to be the happiest day of your life, but thousands of couples are facing

uncertainty as to whether their nuptials can go ahead as planned in the coming weeks. the church of england says church weddings should now be limited to the legal minimum of five, whilst the official advice is to avoid non essential social gatherings entirely. jon kay has the story of dani and charlie, who were due to get married today. nails painted, her hair done, cake baked. but debbie and charlie are not getting married after all. by now we would have been eating cheese nibbles with our parents but not to be. they have been planning and saving since they are engagement 18 months ago but even though they are well, coronavirus has relenting their big day. we were having guests e—mailing and calling and messaging saying we are really sorry, we are either sick or had

numerous comments ‘ family members who are saying we are at risk and we can't come and risk it. so that she was will go back in the boxes, waiting off, to minimise travel and contact and keep everyone safe. i felt so numb and then finally i called that amy and i cried i'm not ashamed to say i cried. i am so sorry. you must be guided. it is a sad situation cannot be doing this celebration. we realise it was the right thing. their insurance will not cover the cancellation but their venue has promised they can rearrange for free next year. they say it just would not feel right now. it would be a rating without kissing and hugging each other which you know, friends and family we have not seen for a while. it's like oh hello, we have to stay away and maybe take boots or knock elbows and that would be the extent of it which will be

a disastrous situation. 0n the wall, table decorations they made for the reception. this would have been our place name holders, a reminder of how things were meant to change this weekend. is that your name on there? yes. we still have each other, it's not like the and it'sjust a pause. so, instead of thinking of their own disappointment, they say they are spending their nonleading day thinking of others. hello. many of us had a dry day on friday, and the dry weather is likely to last through the weekend. notjust for the week likely to last through the weekend. not just for the week and likely to last through the weekend. notjust for the week and come into next week as well. and with that, over the weekend, plenty of sunshine and the reason is because we are tapping into pretty dry air coming

across scandinavia around the baltic states, and into western russia, but it's not just dry, states, and into western russia, but it's notjust dry, it's pretty cold here as well. bearing in mind the sum of year, the north sea is about as cold as it gets for that keen easterly wind blowing over that cold see i think we will all notice the chill. it's only been around across southern areas during the day on friday, ray with us as you can see that throughout the weekend. we will not see temperatures quite reaching where they should do normally this time of year. saturday starts on a frosty note for most of us away from the south and lingering cloud from the south and lingering cloud from the week weather front we've had during the day. damp across the far south and west. but if ascension elsewhere. might be a little bit more high cloud filtering in later. there's a week weather front approaching as he got through saturday night into sunday and a bit of low cloud can be picked up off the north sea, but actually it's still going to be largely clear and

cold. with a widespread frost as we go into sunday morning culture in the south were notable. this low cloud should lift and break so the sunshine should come out across eastern areas of scotland and england eventually. just a teeny bit of cloud we hope lingering in the south but a bit more cloud into the far west and for most it dried it with 20 of sunshine and slightly lighter winds on sunday, because we are switching the directions somewhat from the east and we have these dominant low—pressure close to iceland and feel the effects of the weather fronts the far north and west. although most of dry not dry for all. is it with the front desk manager southwards into the area of high—pressure it's rainbow tent to fizzle out and will begin. more southerly as we go to monday morning, the risk of this stagnating isa morning, the risk of this stagnating is a conceit mist and fog around. whence for the southerly temperatures will a bit more but from monday night we've got some rain to come. mostly the great

client over the highlands and islands but for many others it's still dry and settled. temperatures are lifting to the average as we get through tuesday as because we've got later when it's coming up in the south rather than the east or south east. the were different still with us to the north on wednesday, and we will have to watch rainfall amounts but gradually speaking and succumbing to that area and make their way to mean the parts of scotla nd their way to mean the parts of scotland and northern ireland they tend to peter out. just more cloud around and so we do have some rain but, as i say, largely for the north in the west. itjust weakens a little bit midweek but the time that we get to next weekend it's reestablishing itself and again we got dragged weather potentially as we head into next weekend. nine or ten days of largely dry and settled weather. stuff that we have not had

for a long time, as i say about autumn and wet winter as well. of course it will be cooled by night under the clear skies and will be a rain particularly for the north and west. staging for details. goodbye. —— stay tuned.

this is bbc news. the headlines at 9pm: the devasting effects of coronavirus pubs, restaurants, and gyms are among the places ordered to close as an unprecedented rescue package is unveiled for workers and businesses. the government will pay all employees 80% of their salary up to 2,500 pounds a month the chancellor said it was one of the most comprehensive set of measures in the world. life as we know it is changing dramatically with the prime minister urging people to stay at home. it comes as scientists warn it could be almost 12 months before social distancing measures are lifted in order not to overload the nhs.