sweeping and extraordinary measures to deal with coronavirus — the forced closure of pubs, restaurants, and gyms, and an unprecedented rescue package for workers and businesses. life in our public places is shrinking out of all recognition, as the prime minister pleaded with people to stay at home. you may think that you're invincible, but there is no guarantee that you will get mild symptoms and you can still be a carrier of the disease and pass it on to others. it came as the government promised to pay all employees 80% of their salary, up to £2,500 a month — an unprecedented move, said the chancellor. today, i can announce that for the first time in our history the government is going to step

in and help to pay people's wages. but for businesses across the country, there's huge anxiety. i'm going to be honest, i'm struggling to hold it together at the moment, and it's not going tojust be me. it's going to be all of us. and we'll have reaction from our correspondents across the uk. a major london hospital becomes the first in the uk to temporarily run out of critical care capacity for coronavirus patients. and the derbyshire village which sealed itself off three centuries ago because of the plague — and its response to the coronavirus. and in sport, the england and wales cricket board confirm a seven—week delay to the start of the 2020 season because of the coronavirus pandemic. professional cricket now won't be played before may the 28th.

good evening. the coronavirus crisis is changing life as we know it dramatically tonight, after the government ordered the immediate closure of almost all the places we go to for leisure — with bars, pubs, restaurants and gyms among them. the radical move came with an equally radical package of financial help from the chancellor rishi sunak — to try to protect businesses, jobs and the vulnerable. rishi sunak declared that never before had there been state intervention on this scale in this country. he announced that the government would pay up to 80% of people's wages — up to a maximum of £2,500 a month — to those whose jobs are at risk. and the prime minister borisjohnson demanded the immediate shutting down across the uk of the vast majority of places where we socialise and exercise. the measures, unprecedented in their scale and scope, came as government advisers issued a sobering warning. they said unnecessary social contact will have to be avoided for the best part of a year —

to prevent nhs intensive care units from being overwhelmed. the latest figures show that there have been 3,983 confirmed coronavirus cases in the uk, although experts think the total number is considerably higher. and there have been 177 deaths. with our first report this evening, here's our political correspondent alex forsyth. this will be a familiar sight across the country from tomorrow. restaurants, cafes, pubs, clubs, all shut down. no longer by choice, now by command. the impact enormous for business, having to cope with the doors closed, and for workers, who'll have nowhere to go. the prime minister said these were the next necessary steps to try and slow the spread of this virus. we are collectively telling — telling — cafes, pubs, 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 take—out services. we're also telling night clubs, theatres, cinemas, gyms and leisure centres to close on the same timescale. a serious moment matched by a significant intervention from the chancellor. a package worth billions, not just for employers, but those losing work and wages too. we're paying people's wages up to 80%, so someone can be furloughed rather than laid off to protect theirjobs. we're deferring over £30 billion of taxes until the end of the financial year. we're lending unlimited sums of money interest—free for 12 months. we're abolishing business rates altogether this year if you're in hospitality, retail and leisure. we're providing cash grants of £25,000 for small business properties. these closures come with a price.

how long, if you can, do you see these measures lasting, and how do you plan to enforce them? i think everybody can see the imperative of doing what is necessary, of protecting our nhs and saving lives. as the signs go up and shutters come down, many will be working out what the help on offer means for them, whether it's enough. claire's just taken on a five—year lease of this pub in norwich. we'd like to believe that we'll come through the other side of this. we really, really, really do. and i'm going to be honest, i'm struggling to hold it together at the moment. and it's not going tojust be me, it's going to be all of us. the government is putting in place significant measures to try and counter the impact of this virus in just days and weeks, policies that would usually take months if not years to implement, and all with the knowledge the decisions it takes now will have crucial consequences for all of us as the way we live our lives

profoundly changes. this is a state intervention on a new level. some want more from the chancellor. i'd like him to increase the level of statutory sick pay. i'd like him to make sure that employers pay their way in making sure people get their wages. and i'd like to see that he improves benefits for those people who are unemployed and carers, and those with disabilities. in scotland, an acknowledgement people will have to make sacrifices. doing everything we can to slow down the spread of this virus now means that we will save lives and we will protect our nhs. we cannot just carry on as normal. life right now is not normal. it will certainly feel very different very soon. now the struggle to manage this virus has reached a whole new level. alex forsyth, bbc news, westminster.

as we heard, a swathes of public places across the uk are being told to close in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. we'll hear from our correspondents in glasgow, belfast and london in a moment, but first let's go to danny savage, who's in harrogate. its just over five hours since the prime minister called last orders at the bar across the nation. what little trade there was soon leaked away and now this town centre is dead. it's like it's four o'clock in the morning here, that's how it feels. this has been replicated in towns and cities and villages across the nation. the latest far—reaching but necessary change to our lives. as the prime minister announced that all pubs, bars and restaurants should closed, people were surprised that the immediacy of the order. can ifinish my paint, that's that the immediacy of the order. can i finish my paint, that's what i said. i thought you were kicking us out. drink up and go home was the gist of the announcement. it's the

sensible thing to do, having them shut down and after this you will see it from today, people, the public not being outside as much. pretty annoyed. on your birthday. on my birthday as well. mental, crazy. you don't really believe it's happening. obviously it needs to happen. it will affect many people, just general routine as well so yeah, quite shocking. the bar manager here now has to shut up shop but was putting on a brave face at. we've kind of modelled our business plan around sort of a three month to six month closure, should that be the case, and we think we can get through it with the help of the government and the loans. harrogate was a town of disparities. some restau ra nts a nd bars was a town of disparities. some restaurants and bars had closed down before today. now, it's a blanket order. on a friday night bars and restau ra nts order. on a friday night bars and restaurants should be busy and crowded, but look at the street here. it's virtually deserted. friday the 20th of march, 2020, will be remembered as the night that part

of our culture, part of our lifestyle, a bru ptly stopped. of our culture, part of our lifestyle, abruptly stopped. and for how long? at the local theatre they reckon at least until the start of may. a few stragglers were making use of last orders, some pubs were virtually giving away beer tonight. shutting them is just another sign of how serious the government is about wanting us to stay in the not giving us an excuse to go out. danny savage, bbc news, harrogate. that's the view from harrogate. let's speak now to our correspondents around the uk. lorna gordon is in glasgow, emma vardy is in belfast and helena wilkinson is in central london. first, to lorna. on 0na on a friday night this street in glasgow would normally be packed with people enjoying a drink or having a meal with family and friends, but not tonight and not for the foreseeable future. in a televised address, scotland's first

minister reiterating that message, asking pubs, clubs, bars, cafe is, to close. in comments she made earlier she also made clear that she was worried that younger people in particular were not heeding the message to socially distance. well, it is quiet here tonight, but it's not completely deserted and there is a range of opinions from those we've been speaking to. some people saying the measures being brought in are a good idea, others not so keen. all of them saying that tonight is a last hurrah. emma vardy is in belfast for us. belfast saw its quietest st patrick's day this week in memory, when many of the pubs then on that night decided to voluntarily close. some of those in the city centre did decide to remain open. they came in for a bit of criticism for that as people became increasingly anxious

about people gathering. tonight there are a few people left in the remaining pubs that are still open, making the most of the final few hours here in belfast. wetherspoon is down the road was kicking people out early tonight, closing early as a result of the earlier announcement, they told us, but here in northern ireland there has been increasing pressure all this week for pubs to close simply because in the republic of ireland, well, the pubs were asked to close much earlier. the order was given there from sunday and more than 7000 of them closed their doors, pubs in dublin we have seen getting boarded up, but that moment has now come for northern ireland, for pubs to call time, something that would have seemed almost unthinkable a couple of weeks ago in what is usually a very lively city, but another step that i think willjust bring the reality home to people once again. and helena wilkinson, in central london. this is the heart of london,

leicester square, on a normal friday night the bars of the restaurants, the pubs around here would be packed full of people. the streets would be full of people. the streets would be full of people. not tonight. it's deserted apart from a few people wandering around. these are far from normal times. now, some of the venues here had closed before the prime minister made that announcement on the new restrictions. there are still a couple of them open. there are still people in some of the pubs and restau ra nts people in some of the pubs and restaurants around here, but there is evidence that these restrictions are taking effect. you walk around and you can see signs that have been put up in windows of restaurants, telling customers that they are shutting and as the closing time inches closer the owners of these venues are trying to die just the news that they will be shutting tonight with no idea at all as to when they will next reopen. these new restrictions another example of the enormous impact that this virus is having on all of our lives.

helena wilkinson, emma vardy and lorna gordon, thank you. back now to those sweeping measures announced by the chancellor, rishi sunak, who said there'll be "no limit" to the funds he'll make available to get the uk economy and its workers through the coronavirus crisis. in a move never seen before, the government will help pay the wages of millions of workers in the private sector. they'll pay 80% of their salaries, up to £2,500 a month, backdated to ist march. it will ensure people retain theirjobs, even if their employers can't afford to pay them. alongside that, companies will have their vat payments deferred until the end ofjune, and for the next 12 months universal credit will be increased by £1,000 for the year. mr sunak said he was introducing "unprecedented measures for unprecedented times". our business editor simonjack reports. one of east london's popular social hotspots on a typical saturday. this is what it will look like this weekend. the government tonight ordered

the closure of the venues like this, but the effect has already been catastrophic for the hospitality industry. 85% of workers here have already been let go, and the owner insists the government rebates for up to 80% of workers' wages won't prevent further redundancies. every business is now going to have to work out following the announcement of the government's contribution how many employees they can save. because even with ioo%, businesses aren't going to be able to save everyone that's still on the payroll. i think with the 30 people we've got left, we're going to sit down and work out with our cash flow now and see how many of those we can save. it won't be everybody. on a normal saturday night, two and a half thousand people would come through this food hall, but it's now shut for the foreseeable future. although the government has announced hundreds of billions of potential support, it is not size that matters, it's the speed with which businesses can get at that support, and for many, it's already too late. like workers at this hotel

near aviemore in scotland, who live on site and were told to leave theirjob and their home immediately. i gotjust let out, they say to me i have to leave and i get fired, they didn't even give me any reasons. i have been working here for two years. so, throw people like that 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 kat roby 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. today it was announced that the self—employed would 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. companies and business groups are grateful for the biggest government intervention in the private sector in living memory, but say it's evidence ofjust how big a health turned economic crisis the uk and the world is facing. simon jack, bbc news. our economics editor faisal islam joins me now. put all of this into some sort of perspective for us. it's a huge intervention and the government essentially, there are risks here because we don't know how long the situation is going to last, we don't know how effective it will be, but however much it costs and its billions at least, may be tens of billions, it will be cheap at half the price if it achieves what it's meant to achieve which is to stop what is now a coronavirus recession, to stop that becoming some sort of depression —like situation and you can do that, because although there isa can do that, because although there is a sharp downward turn in the

economy, because we've seen is a sharp downward turn in the economy, because we've seen those pictures of all those cities, the buildings are still there, the network you still kellett there, the infrastructure is still there and when this pandemic passes through, whether it six or nine months, the economy should be able to pick back up economy should be able to pick back up as long as people still have theirjobs. this is designed as a kind of sleep mode, like a laptop, hibernation for the workforce, while the economy has turned down so they can pick things back up and it could be quite costly, but that is the theory behind it and stop it will pay for itself eventually if it works. but for it to work you have to get employers noticing something and believing that the government will do something that they've never done before and keeping thosejobs in place. waiting for the subsidy which will be there at the end of the month and even as we had a night for people that have fired workers already that they can pick that back—up, re—employ them, give them a

leave of absence and get this money from the state. extraordinary stuff at difficult times. ok, faisal islam, our economics editor, thank you. the government's scientific advisers have warned that people will need to avoid unnecessary social contact 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. here's our medical correspondent, fergus walsh. 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, household isolation and stopping all unnecessary social contact.

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 ini0,000 — among the under—205, rising to 8% — or one in 12 — among the over—80s. a vaccine could save millions of lives globally. public health england 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. 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. here's our health editor, hugh pym.

the critical incident was declared at northwick park hospital late yesterday. patients were diverted to other local hospitals. the reason given was increasing numbers of patients with coronavirus. in a message to staff, the trust which runs northwick park said: 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's the worry that intensive care beds will get completely full and further patients won't be able to be admitted, or we'll have to make horrible decisions about who gets an intensive care bed and who doesn't, even though, in normal circumstances, we want to give them to everyone, and those can be really harrowing times. the pressure was clear when a nurse, after a long shift, couldn't buy food and pleaded with shoppers not

to empty the shelves, in a widely watched social media clip. it's people like me that are going to be looking after you when you're at your lowest. just stop it, please! england's chief nursing officer told me how sad she was to hear dawn's story. oh, it's heartbreaking when you see nurses across the country working 48—hour shifts, week shifts. they're working so hard and they will be working even harder, i'm absolutely sure. but i'm asking for all supermarkets to open their doors for those that are working in health and social care, providing this expert care to our patients. this cab 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‘s 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's a scary prospect because we don't know enough about this disease at the moment, and, you know, ithink there's a lot to be learnt, but i think it's really important for me to go back in, and i think ijust have to take it as it comes. it's clear that nhs leaders are expecting immense pressure as case numbers surge. that's why they want to bring back retired staff. but many doctors and nurses are very concerned about what they're facing up to right now. and the work of staff was seen at first hand by the duke and duchess of cambridge, visiting an nhs 111 call centre — one part of the huge effort being made across the service. hugh pym, bbc news. schools across the uk 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 our north of england correspondentjudith 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. 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. 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 kick about, 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 115 should have their leavers‘ assembly in july, but their teachers brought it forward. a small chance to celebrate, amongst so much upheaval. judith moritz, bbc news, greater manchester. let's get more with our education editor, bra nwen jeffreys. first, what more do we know about exam grades? teachers are going to be asked to provide suggested grades on the basis of either a marked coursework or mock exams. they'll put those into the exam boards for a—levels,

gcses, other qualifications like btecs. the exam boards will add any other information they have, and they hope to come up with grades by they hope to come up with grades by the end ofjuly. if people aren't happy with those grades, they will have a chance to appeal, or they can sitan have a chance to appeal, or they can sit an actual exam when the schools reopen, or even next summer. and we know that scotland is doing something very similar for nationals and highers, and for university stu d e nts and highers, and for university students there is a similar process going on. there won't be any graduation ceremonies this summer, but there will be awarded as awarded as best as universities can using online assessment. and this monday they will be big changes for pupils across the country. the message is very simple and stark. children should be at home, but not with their grandparents who are in at high—risk category. schools,

colleges, nurseries and childminders will be closed across the uk. they are there as a child care facility of last resort for just three types of last resort for just three types of children. children who are vulnerable, so in touch with the social worker for some kind of reason. children with special needs, that means children who have an education and health care plan or a statement, so the more serious end of special needs. and the children of special needs. and the children of key workers. now, that is a very long list, as we've seen today. on monday morning, head teachers are going to have to take a view about how many children they can safely have in their school and how they prioritise, and not everyone may get a place, even for the people on that list. and over the next few weeks, i expect that schools are going to have tojoin together, expect that schools are going to have to join together, and there might bejust have to join together, and there might be just one school open in each area. branwen, thank you very

much. spain today became the fourth country to register over 1,000 deaths from the coronavirus, after china, italy and iran. there are now almost 20,000 confirmed cases in spain, with 1,002 deaths — almost a quarter of those in the past day. many british nationals are stuck in malaga in southern spain, from where our europe correspondent damian grammaticas reports. on 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. it's up to a £1000. i thought i will stick with ryanair and try and find my way back down to brighton. so you're 0k, you're getting back? who knows, who knows. in the middle of it all, we found jean and philida.

jean's almost 90. here for the winter sun, she's already had three fights back canceled. my daughter, yeah. you know, she's getting upset. "i just want you home, mum." "you should've come home." phillida is 86, herfamily have been begging her to come home too. i've got 20 grandchildren, 16 great, six great great great, five generation, and they are all, "oh, why don't you come home?" you know, "how long until you come home? so, here we are, coming home. but there's one thing she's looking forward to. hopefully, now, i get to go home to a lovely roast and a big slice of beef, with all the lovely cabbage from the garden and everything like that, you know, whatever. so, today, fights 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 11—5 days. because of her dogs, the only way allison thompson can