this is bbc news. i'm lewis vaughan jones. our top stories: empty streets from new york to california, but president trump says he doesn't expect to impose a national lockdown in the us you go out to the midwest, you go out to other locations and they are watching it on television but they do not have the same problems. a new way of life in the uk, as the prime minister orders pubs and restaurants closed to try to prevent the spread of the disease. italy moves to tighten its lockdown rules further, as more than 600 people with corona virus die in a single day.

hello and welcome to bbc news. stock markets in new york have closed down sharply again, ending their worst week in more than a decade over fears about the coronavirus. the us has yet to finalise an economic support programme in response to the coronavirus. soon more than 1 in 5 americans will be living under government orders to stay inside — instructed to only go outdoors when strictly necessary. california, new york, and illinois are among those to have declared what are called ‘shelter in place‘ orders in the last 2a hours. nada tawfik has this report. from california to new york, an eerie emptiness across america's normally bustling urban centres. in the age of social distancing, people are avoiding hotspots in hollywood and the big apple. after a week of tightening controls, officials announced even more measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus. in the golden state,

a stay—at—home order went into effect on friday for all a0 million residents. people were told they could live their homes only for essential business. having gone through several catastrophic situations in past years, just gives us more strength. we had earthquakes, we had two fires. we are used to dealing with situations over which we have no control. new york also took drastic measures, as cases topped 7,000. governor cuomo said the state was on pause, ordering all non—essential businesses to keep their workers home from sunday and warning it would be enforced. this is not voluntary, it is not helpful hints, we are going to monitor it. there will be civil fines and there can be mandatory closures for businesses that do not comply. i am not kidding about this. the numbers are going up at such a rate that, as i said, it has more than doubled the capacity of the hospital system. the changes are rapidly

impacting people's daily lives, leaving many to question what might be next. president trump, flanked by his coronavirus task force, said a national lockdown would not be necessary. i don't think so. essentially you have done that in california, you've done that in new york — those are really two hot beds, probably the two hottest of them all in terms of hotspots. i do not think so. you go out to the midwest, you go out to other locations, and they are watching it on television but they do not have the same problems, by any means the same problems. he did however announce that the united states was closing its borders to all but essential travel from saturday, after agreement with mexico and previously canada. with increased tension on officials‘ handling of the pandemic, two republican senators have faced calls to resign. it‘s alleged they deliberately sold a large amount of stock before concerns over the coronavirus sent the stock market plummeting.

senator richard burr, of north carolina, received private briefings on the outbreak as the senate intelligence committee chair. in a statement he said he relied solely on public news reports to guide his decision, and asked the senate ethics committee to review the stock transactions. georgia‘s republican senator, kelly loeffler, who is married to the new york stock exchange chairman, said advisers handled her transactions. as the us enters a new stage in the fight against the virus, nature‘s wonders have provided a much needed distraction. in the nation‘s capital, people ventured outside to see washington dc‘s famous cherry blossoms in peak bloom. a safe outing, just as long as they keep their distance. for more on the situation in the state of california, our correspondent sophie long is in los angeles. these are maybe the most restrictive measures in modern californian history. here in los angeles, life goes on. i am on sunset boulevard and echo park.

downtown just behind me. this is a city famous for its gridlock rushhour traffic and cars are moving freely past the palm trees. there were cyclists overtaking joggers and families are still out for a walk so life is going on. you have to remember, whilst people have been told to stay at home to stop the spread of this virus so rapidly, central businesses are still open. pharmacies, grocery shops and banks are still open and people who work in those businesses have been told to go to work. buses are still running. different orders in different places in california. in los angeles, all businesses should stop operations that require people in person. i have seen people cleaning. reports of gardeners working in gardeners and people working on houses as well so it does not feel that different to what it felt yesterday and the day before. restaurants and bars have

had their doors closed. the british government has announced unprecedented measures to tackle the economic impact of the coronavirus. the chancellor of the exchequer, rishi sunak, said the state would pay eighty percent of the wages of all those not able to work for the next three months. the uk prime minister, borisjohnson, said theatres, gyms, restaurants and pubs must close. 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 cannotjust 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.

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 only be allowed to exercise around their own homes. the death toll is the biggest daily rise since the virus first emerged in the country a month ago — and comesjust a 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. sima kotecha has more from rome some people here in italy are calling it the 9/11 of italy because of what has happened. the death toll has now surpassed china and, if you look at the population of china and the population of italy, that is incredibly alarming. china, 1.4 billion people. here in italy, 64 million. so questions being asked as to why that has happened here. most of those fatalities and cases were in the north of the country, where hospitals

are incredibly stretched. they are running out of key pieces of kit such as ventilators and face masks. and we know the chinese have bought nine tones of kit and we know the chinese have brought nine tones of kit with them, and chinese medics have come over with a lot of extra supplies for hospitals in milan, where they are struggling to cope. now, there‘s deep—rooted concern that the outbreak could move from the north to the south because, in recent weeks, tens of thousands of people have made thatjourney from north to south, as they have tried to flee the outbreak. hospitals in the south are not as well—equipped. it is a poorer 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 protective from this virus. and the stringent measures in place at the moment, that have been in place for around 11 days, restricting people‘s movement around the country, those could be made even more straight. we heard from the sports ministry yesterday saying that,

at the moment, people can go out for a job, they can walk their dog, they can go to the supermarket. there is a possibility that even of those things might not be allowed. italy very much aware that it is probably going to get worse before it gets better. those figures expected to continue rising but also the agitation among of some having to stay in their homes, 11 days already, and knowing that those measures might be in place for another month or so is hard for them to take. let‘s get some of the other coronavirus news from around the world. in switzerland — everyone has been told to stay off the streets, with experts suggesting that the outbreak is just four days behind the devastating situation in italy. the governmnent has banned groups of five or more, but they are yet to impose a full lockdown.

in a population of 8.57 million, switzerland has seen 4,840 cases and 43 deaths. in nigeria officials are asking people not to take the anti—malaria drug chloroquine to fight the coronavirus after hospitals in lagos said they were treating people with complications caused by overdoses. nigeria‘s health minister says there is no proof that the drug is effective against covid—19. meanwhile, tourists are rushing to try and leave the country before a travel ban kicks in on saturday. indonesia says a state of emergency will come into force in the capital, jakarta, from monday. bars, cinemas and businesses will be forced to shut down. the government has also stressed that people across the country should avoid all religious gatherings after large crowds were seen gathering at mosques. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: how britain‘s most famous wartime singer has shared a message for the world as she self isolates on her 103rd birthday.

today, we have closed the book on apartheid and that chapter. more than 3,000 subway passengers were affected. nausea, bleeding, headaches and a dimming of vision — all of this caused by an apparently organised attack. the trophy itself was on the pedestal in the middle of the cabinet here. now, this was an international trophy, and we understand now that the search for it has become an international search.

above all, this was a triumph for the christian democrats of the west, offering reunification as quickly as possible, and that's what the voters wanted. this is bbc news. i‘m lewis vaughan jones. the latest headlines: with empty streets from new york to california, president trump says he doesn‘t expect to impose a national lockdown in the us. in the uk, the government has announced unprecedented measures to tackle the economic impact of the coronavirus as the prime minister says restaurants and pubs must close. the british government‘s scientific advisors 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 24 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—19 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—19 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.

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. spain has 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. 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.

it‘s up to a £1,000. and i thought i will stick with rya nair and try and find my way back down to brighton. so you‘re ok, then? 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 cancelled. my daughter, yeah. in wales, 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, "0h, 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 dinner 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 4—5 days. because of her dogs, the only way allison thompson 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. 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 then, 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 have 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 gramaticas, bbc news, malaga. as we heard, a swathe of public places across the uk are being told to close in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. danny savage reports from harrogate in yorkshire. as the prime minister announced that all pubs, bars and restaurants should closed, people were surprised at that the immediacy of the order. "can i finish my pint?" 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. yeah, it will affect many

people's — 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 restaurants and bars had closed down before today. now, it‘s a blanket 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, 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, not giving

us an excuse to go out. danny savage, bbc news, harrogate. british wartime singer dame vera lynn has shared a message for the world on her 103rd birthday. she says keep smiling and keep singing while social distancing and in self—isolation because it will help pass the dark times. freya cole reports. # will meet again, don‘t know how, don‘t know when... # will meet again, don‘t know how, don't know when... 103 yea rs how, don't know when... 103 years old, dame vera lynn‘s spirit is as strong as ever. she is released a new video showing archive footage of her performing her signature tune. it's performing her signature tune. it‘s been more than 80 years since it was released, but the lyrics are as poignant as ever. # always do... till the blue skies drive the dark clouds far

away. dame vera lynn entertained british troops during world war ii with songs that captured the hearts and lifted spirits. during some of the world‘s darkest days she travelled as far afield as egypt and myanmar to boost morale on the front line. along with a new video, the singer released a statement saying we are facing very challenging times andi are facing very challenging times and i know people are worried about the future. music is so good for the soul injuring his hard times we must help each other to find moments of joy. at the help each other to find moments ofjoy. at the very end of her birthday video, the 103—year—old recorded a short message for everyone who is social distancing or in self isolation. keep smiling, and keep singing. they are called, bbc news. let‘s stick with the musical theme now. —— free a —— freya

cole, bbc news. 0rganisers of the eurovision song contest have announced they‘re investigating an "alternative" show after this year‘s event was cancelled due to coronavirus. quite how this year‘s eurovision will be staged is yet to be decided but it won‘t be a competition. the european broadcasting union which hosts the event said it wants to honour the songs and artists and hoped the alternative programming "would help to entertain and unite audiences in these challenging times". right. as always, there‘s plenty more information and advice on our website about the coronavirus. so much going on and to pick through. 0ne article here on how you can keep up a healthy outdoor exercise routine while making sure you are keeping a safe distance from each other. you can find that piece, as well as our live blog with all the latest coronavirus developments at bbc.com/news

or the bbc news app. you can reach me on twitter, i‘m @lvaughanjones. i‘m lewis vaughan jones, i‘m lewis vaughanjones, and this is bbc news. bye—bye. hello there. there was a little bit more in the way of sunshine to go around on friday and it really turned out to be quite a glorious day across many areas. this was the scene in cockermouth in cumbria. thanks to trevor for sending that beautiful weather watch picture in. you can see the extent of the sunshine we had. further south, we had this weather front with us again and it continued to bring some dull and damp weather into the very far south of england and even into the early afternoon, there was some light rain reported in hastings in east sussex. 0vernight tonight, many of us will have dry conditions. the breeze keeping the frost at bay across many south—eastern areas but the further north you go with those lighter winds, we‘ll see temperatures dip well below freezing. that said, there are just a few showers dotted around as well across the hills of southern england, across the hills of north—east england

too but for most of us it is a dry—looking picture. for the weekend, this area of high—pressure, this area of low pressure not really changing very much. just a shuffling of positions a little bit more and that means the winds are going to switch from a easterly to more or a south—easterly direction. but that is still a cold wind that will be blowing and making it feel pretty chilly out and about, particularly in the morning. some patchy cloud around as well, cloudy to start the day across western areas, quite high cloud and a nice sunrise for some of you. the winds will make it feel cold and those winds will be at the strongest across the hills and western coasts of wales and across the moors and coast of south—west england. gusts of 40, perhaps even 50 mph in one or two areas, which will make it feel quite chilly — certainly knocking the edge of the temperatures. i suspect we will have some areas of cloud in the north sea affecting eastern areas of scotland in particular. we might have some of that both in the morning and the afternoon.

it won‘t be nice and sunny everywhere. 0n into the night—time, saturday night: we could see some patchy cloud coming in from that north sea but when winds do manage to drop out, we could well see a slightly more widespread frost. a colder start to the day on sunday but then that said, the winds will be blowing a little bit less strongly on sunday so probably won‘t feel quite as chilly. there will be quite a lot of dry weather and sunshine to around. perhaps some slightly thicker cloud edging into the scottish highlands and threatening an odd light shower but for most of us another fine looking day. temperatures between eight and 12 degrees. a little bit cool with onshore winds on the eastern coasts of scotland and england. into next week: the area of high—pressure still holding on but we see this weather front starting to slip in across the far north—west. monday looks like being another dry day with sunshine. then we will start to see some rain approach the far north—west as we go from tuesday and wednesday. that is your latest weather, bye for now.

this is bbc news, the headlines:

the us is closing its borders to all but essential travel from saturday. the move has been agreed with canada and mexico as part of efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus. elsewhere, stock markets in new york have closed down sharply again. in the uk, the government has announced unprecedented measures to tackle the economic impact of the coronavirus — as the prime minister says restaurants and pubs must close. italian authorities have announced that the country‘s death toll from the virus has jumped by 627 in a single day. they‘re reported to be about to close public parks and limit the areas in which people can take exercise. in spain the virus has claimed another 235 lives. its worst number yet in a single day brought the country‘s total fatalities to above 1,000.