good afternoon. a government minister has admitted it is operationally difficult to help the self—employed through the coronavirus epidemic. they are not eligible for the scheme which will see the government pay 80% of wages of retained staff up to £2,500 per month. the financial measures were introduced at the same time as the announcement that businesses — including all restaurants, cafes and pubs — could close. our business correspondent katy austin reports. huge chunks of the economy have

already felt the pain as customers stay away. jobs had been lost in industries like hospitality and tourism and now all restaurants, pubs and other leisure venues are having to close their doors. measures were announced yesterday aimed at preventing mass lay—offs. through a grant scheme, the government will fund 80% of wages for employees who now won't be able to work, up to £2500 a month initially for up to three months. vat payments will also be deferred but self—employed people aren't covered by the wage subsidy programme. however, benefits are being increased. things look very bleak for this industry at the moment. yesterday, the db essay e—mailed hundreds of thousands of learner drivers saying they were cancelling driving tests and there would be no more driving test for three months because it is not possible for a driving test examine it to practice social distancing in a car. but also, in the same breath,

they said it was ok to go out on driving lessons with their instructors, so basically driving instructors, so basically driving instructors don't know what we should be doing. the organisation which represents the uk's 5 million self—employed people and freelancers says their incomes have fallen off a cliff and they need the same help as eve ryo ne cliff and they need the same help as everyone else. most of it was geared towards protecting the jobs and incomes of employees and that is, of course, incredibly important but what we are saying is self—employed people are just as important and we we re very people are just as important and we were very disappointed that the package that was geared towards them was nowhere near as generous as it was nowhere near as generous as it was to employees. the chief secretary to the treasury said the government was looking at ways to protect the income of the self—employed affected by the virus. in terms of the self—employed, there are other things we can be doing and i touched on a few of those but also strengthening the safety net as well, because that is one of the fundamental issues of concern, and making that safety net stronger. the chancellor has said he will do whatever it takes to keep the

economy going and has shown willing to put vast amounts of money and borrowing into that effort. businesses have welcomed that but say speed is now essential, with the cash flow crunch facing many retail and leisure firms and the new wages relief scheme unlikely to be ready for a few weeks yet. katy austin, bbc news. our correspondent leigh milner is in central london. iam i am currently standing in central london, just off 0xford i am currently standing in central london, just off oxford street, surrounded by plenty of bars, restau ra nts, surrounded by plenty of bars, restaurants, cafes, usually places which are jam packed full of tourists but, instead, well, it is a really quiet. i can only see two or three people are bad and some cafes over here putting signs on the front of their gates saying they will be closed for the foreseeable future following that announcement by boris johnson. and it has even affected well—known takeaway chains. look at that, they have closed their doors today. however, they have told me they are still having an online delivery service. this is going to

affect businesses right across the country. it is notjust here in london but, hopefully, they will do whatever they can to survive. leigh milner in central london, thank you. ministers are facing growing pressure to give front line nhs staff the protective equipment they need as they tackle the cononavirus crisis. some are warning doctors have lost faith in what's going on. the former conservative health secretary, jeremy hunt, hasjoined calls for the government to "sort this out". and concerns have been raised over the unintended consequences of supermarkets allowing the elderly and health workers to shop together at the same time, over fears of cross—contamination. 0ur correspondent katharine da costa joins me now. there's clearly worries on several fronts. yes, that's right, a consultant from st george's hospital in london has told the bbc the government is no longer complying with world health 0rganisation recommendations for medics to wear a full gan advisor. she said since monday, nhs staff only had to wear a simple face mask,

short gloves and a pinafore apron. she said staff were being put at risk, and patience, because the staff are wearing their uniforms around the rest of the hospital and then travelling home on tubes and buses and she made the point that if supermarket chains like sainsbury‘s write and tell their customers the can shop alongside health workers at a special priority sessions, this risk to cross infection for the most vulnerable. a former health secretaryjeremy vulnerable. a former health secretary jeremy hunt vulnerable. a former health secretaryjeremy hunt has said that, this week, a lot has been done by the government to free up supply chains but that there would need to bea chains but that there would need to be a large national effort to make sure that the right equipment got to the right places. yesterday, the prime minister did say there had been... that a massive effort was under way to make sure the nhs is well—equipped and public health england has said that high—level ppe, that is the protective equipment, is available when health ca re equipment, is available when health care workers equipment, is available when health ca re workers are equipment, is available when health care workers are performing high—risk procedures and said it would continue to give staff

everything they need. katharine, thank very much. the husband of a british woman who died after testing positive for the coronavirus in bali has spoken for the first time. ken finlayson, from hertfordshire, said his 52—year—old wife, kimberley, underwent two emergency operations in an indonesian government hospital before losing her life. mr finlayson has warned that the phrase "underlying health conditions" could apply to many who would consider themselves to be in good health. this 0ur correspondent jeremy cooke reports. myself and my four children are absolutely devastated to lose the most beautiful wife and mother. she's so generous, she's so full of life, she's so powerful and courageous, supportive of all of us. i've lost half of myself. in the holiday hotel room in bali he should be sharing with his wife, ken finlayson is alone, grieving. she actually booked this hotel, but she never managed to get here.

52—year—old kimberley fell ill soon after arriving from the uk. she had diabetes, but had been in good health. this phrase "underlying health issues" has come into our language over the past, the really difficult past ten days or so. the irony of that phrase, to me, is that i don't know that many people in their 50s that haven't received medication, haven't had some health issues. ken is warning other british travellers that health care in less—developed countries is not the same as back home. he watched kimberley die in a government hospital, during surgery. she said that she loved me... and... you know, we... ..exchanged that for a few minutes. and, you know, looked

into one another‘s eyes. you know, so we had that time to do that and i'm at peace, in that sense, and hopefully kimberley is. even in his grief, ken's thoughts are with other british families who may also lose loved ones to covid—i9. you need to be strong for yourfamily and the memory of your loved one who died in such tragic circumstances. ken has tested negative for the virus but is still unable to get back to the uk. his strength comes from his family and from the memory of the wife whose life he shared for 32 years. my wife was the most incredibly generous, loving... ..mum. ken finlayson ending that report from our correspondent, jeremy cooke. let's take a look at some

of today's other news. 400 british tourists are now at serious risk of being stranded indefinitely in peru after its government said its borders would be definitively sealed tomorrow, with no more planes allowed in or out. foreign secretary dominic raab has said he is asking the peruvian authorities to lift restrictions so rescue flights could start bringing people home. one of australia's most famous tourist spots — bondi beach in sydney — has been shut because large crowds have been flouting a ban on non—essential outdoor gatherings of more than 500 people. pictures ta ken yesterday showed people packed onto the sand, attracted by hot autumn weather. and you can keep up with the latest developments about the coronavirus outbreak, the symptoms to watch out for, how to guard against the virus and what it means for you, on the bbc news app and on our website. tributes have been paid to the country singer kenny rogers, who has died aged 81.

best known for hits such as coward of the county and the gambler, he had 20 number ones in the us country charts. david silltoe has more. # baby when i met you, there was peace unknown. # i set out to get you with a fine tooth comb. # i was soft inside. # there was something... my mom said it very well one day. she said, "that boy never worked a day in his life. "all he ever did was sing." he'd grown up in houston, one of eight children in a poor family in the city's housing projects. # there are people leading people... he'd started out singing close harmony and then turned to jazz. this is him playing bass. after that came folk... # i found my mind in a brown paper bag... but his breakthrough was ‘60s psychedelia in the band the first edition. # i tripped on a cloud... but the future was a country—tinged song of theirs about a korean veteran.

when the band folded... ..kenny rogers went solo. # don't take your love to town... # you've got to know when to hold them... ruby, lucille, coward of the county, the gambler — few country stars have crossed over with such success. # there will be time enough for counting. # when the dealing's done... there were always those who doubted his country credentials, but who needs the purists when you got the mansion? 0ffstage, he'd had five marriages, a serious tennis habit, an interior design firm... ..and a chain of chicken restaurants. # islands in the stream. # that is what we are. # no one in between. # how can we be wrong? but, really, it was all about the music.

from jazz and folk to the country duet that topped them all. # from one lover to another, ah—ha. # kenny rogers, who has died, aged 81. there'll be a coronavirus special on this channel in the next hour, including today's uk government news conference. bye for now. you're watching the bbc news. the spanish government has just announced a 25% surge in confirmed coronavirus cases there. almost 25,000 people in spain are now known to have the virus. the death toll has risen by more than 300, with around 1300 people being killed so far. in germany, the number of confirmed cases is just below 20,000, including 70 deaths.

bavaria has become the first state there to impose severe restrictions on personal movement. but italy is still the worst—hit country in europe. it has 10,000 confirmed cases including more than 4000 deaths. freya cole has more. green, white and red. the italian tricolour has been projected proudly onto the roman town hall in the nation's capital. it shines bright as a patriotic symbol, as the country battles one of its darkest periods in modern history. italy has again recorded its largest daily increase in its death toll since the outbreak began. in the northern town of bergamo, the army is being called upon to transport bodies from local hospitals to crematoriums in nearby towns. across the country, more than 4000 people have succumbed to the virus. hospitals and funeral

homes are being overrun. take one look at what is happening in some health systems around the world. look at the intensive care unit completely overwhelmed, doctors and nurses utterly exhausted. this is not normal. this isn'tjust a bad flu season. these are health systems that are collapsing under the pressure of too many cases. italian authorities are extending the lockdown. all parks will close and from next weekend, anyone driving in rome will be questioned by the police. the rest of europe is also scrambling to beat the rapid spread of disease. more than 1000 people have died in spain. authorities are in a race to construct field hospitals, fearing beds will soon run out in major cities. a two—week lockdown is now under way in the german state of bavaria. people have been told to stay at home as the number of confirmed cases spirals out of control.

more than 20,000 people have now caught the virus. cheering. every night in many european cities and towns, residents take to their balconies to applaud health care workers on the front line of this fight which sadly is far from over. to update the numbers coming in from a couple of countries. confirmed coronavirus infections in the netherlands have risen to 3631 according to the dutch health authorities. we have also heard that the swiss health authorities say 6100 infections and have been 56 deaths in switzerland. the enamel is banning entry to foreigners from sunday, a government statement which

is just sunday, a government statement which isjust coming to sunday, a government statement which is just coming to us. countries updating measures constantly. in hong kong, which recorded 48 confirmed new coronavirus cases on friday, chief executive carrie lam has warned that a secondary wave of infections could result from an influx of overseas arrivals — many of whom are residents returning to the territory. translation: the number of cases from people flying in from overseas, compared to the last two months of hong kong's fight against the epidemic, is even more serious and difficult to handle and could lead to a large—scale and delayed outbreak in society. chinese officials say there have been no locally transmitted cases of covid—19 in the country for three consecutive days. there is a feeling there that the coronavirus emergency appears to be under control. people in beijing are finally heading outdoors, as our china correspondent stephen mcdonell reports.

countries around the world are going through a coronavirus emergency but in china, people have been living it for months. now, with the weather turning good and a feeling that the situation is pretty much under control, more and more of them are busting out of their houses.

when you talk to people here, one thing that strikes you is that, for many of them, despite the early bungles, despite the early cover—ups, there seems to be a belief that once the national government got involved, that the authorities would find a way through this crisis.

some breaking news coming in from public health wales who have updated their figures. public health wales who have updated theirfigures. they public health wales who have updated their figures. they say 89 new cases have tested positive for covid—19 in wales, bringing the total to 280 although the true number of cases likely to be higher. they say the

virus is circulating in every part of wales and three people who tested positive have now died. the new number of cases in wales seems to bring the uk overall total to above 4000 to have tested positive. we will get uk numbers a little later today. health officials in india have asked hospitals across the country to carry out coronavirus tests for all those admitted with acute respiratory illnesses. the indian council of medical research said those who had come into contact with a person tested positive would also be diagnosed. india so far has reported more than 200 cases with four deaths. the change in india's health strategy came after the number of those infected with the virus more than doubled in the past week. in australia, the authorities have closed sydney's famous bondi beach. police took action after beach—goers exceeded the newly—imposed limit on outdoor mass gatherings. australia has just recorded its biggest daily jump in confirmed coronavirus cases,

with the total now above 1,000. shaun hassett has more. this was bondi beach on friday. it's the most popular strip of sand in sydney. too popular, in fact, for the current crisis. on saturday, the authorities closed it down. it's with a significant level of disappointment that we have to move, today, to not only remove people from bondi beach, but use this as an opportunity to remind everybody that the health act must be complied with. large crowds of people flouted the restrictions brought in earlier this week. the australian government has banned outdoor gatherings of more than 500 people. it has also requested people to keep at least four square metres apart when out in public. what we saw this morning here at bondi beach was the most irresponsible behaviour of individuals that we have seen so far.

some beach—goers admitted they were trying to squeeze in one last swim. i think this is the last hurrah, to be quite honest. i think from tomorrow, this will definitely... i mean, we shouldn't be doing it now. officials say this closure will be temporary. when the beach reopens, police and life—savers will work to make sure the 500 person limit is respected. but he government has warned of long—term closures if people don't practice sensible social distancing. and that applies to more than just beaches. the prime minister has flagged the possibility of locking down virus hotspots as early as next week. more now on the emergency package of measures announced by the british chancellor rishi sunak, including grants covering 80% of the salaries of workers at risk of losing theirjobs. but there's concern that freelance, self—employed and contract workers aren't included and will have to rely on benefits. andy chamberlain from

the association of independent professionals and the self employed, known as ipse gave me his reaction reaction to the measures. we are disappointed in the package of measures introduced yesterday. it is great news for employees, it is very generous from the government, but if you are self—employed you are going to get nowhere near as generous a package is if you are employed. we think that is an imbalance that needs to change. so what specifically needs to come now? we have actually been calling for a temporary income protection fund for the self—employed. we had mooted the idea of covering 80% of what a self—employed person can reasonably expect to earn if it weren't for this crisis, so match 80% of that and the government give it to them. instead, what they have done is they have deferred some tax, which is helpful, but it isjust a deferral, they are not giving it away. they will still have to pay it. and they have made some changes to the welfare system around universal credit, which they should have done anyway.

so this really... what it amounts to is nothing like as generous. for self—employed people as it is for employees. and what are you hearing from your members? what are they going through right now? there is pandemonium. people have seen their incomes falling off a cliff. it has just gone overnight from having some income, to not. projects are being cancelled, contracts are being cancelled and because they are self—employed, they don't have the same protection of income that employees enjoy. that is the thing about the self—employed, they are a flexible resource for businesses. it has always been possible for businesses to pick them up and drop them, but overnight wholescale, self—employed people have been dropped and their incomes stopped. may i plug, we have done a petition on this. if people go to our website we have already got over 20,000 signatures for the temporary income protection fund for the self—employed, so please do go on there. we will keep trying to pressurise the government. in terms of the temporary income

protection fund, how would the government identify people? would people apply for it? i think you would have to apply. if you are registered as a self employed with hmrc, then you would be eligible. via your previous tax returns would show what you can reasonably expect to earn in any given month. if you have not yet registered, if you are new to self—employment, we will have to come up with something else. i am not saying that this won't be a bit challenging. but what they have done for employees is quite challenging, there are lots of questions over how that payroll system will work. but we must try a bit harder. there will be a way to make it work. we need to work out how to get the money to self—employed people. the first step is the government committing to putting the money there, and then we work out how to get it to the people that need it. coming up at1.30,

we'll be answering your questions on coronavirus here on the bbc news channel. we'll be speaking to kalpana sabapathy, who's an nhs gp and clinician and epidemiologist at london school of hygiene and tropical medicine. get in touch with the hashtag #bbcyourquestions, or you can text 61124, or you email yourquestions@bbc.co.uk or you ema yourquestions@bbc. co. uk. now it's time for a look at the weather with nick miller. hello. a lot of fine, settled weather out there, this weekend, with high pressure in control. most m ost pla ces most places look dry and settled though there is a brisk entry easterly wind. this is what is in store as the weekend goes on and also gardeners take note. some frosty nights for the next several nights. high pressure and control, centred toward scandinavia. the flow ofairaround centred toward scandinavia. the flow of air around that coming in from east and the isobars quite close together so that indicates quite a brisk wind out there and of course

it is coming from the east, quite a cold wind. temperatures cold start rich wanted full school because of the wind. we have a weather system not too far away from the western side of the uk, it means the further west you are the more high cloned around with hazy brightness. it is quite windy, average speeds and gusts around the coast, especially south—west england, 50 mph. temperatures anywhere from 8—13dc in cardiff but remember full school because of the wind. into tonight, abbot of low cloud edging towards the north sea coast, perhaps a bit nested, some rain. that keeps the temperature up. for many others, a degree either side of freezing so that means a frost for many. high pressure trying to move for the ride but still bulging out towards the uk. again that means a lot of fine weather for part two of the weekend, even the patchy rain in the western

isles begins to ease away. for sunday afternoon, for most places, there will be abundant sunshine around. brisk easterly wind eased a little bit so temperature is fairly similar but because that wind isn't as strong if you're going out for a safe distance so, it may feel a bit more pleasant. expect another frost going into monday morning. for england and wales, it looks to be staying fine. high pressure in control. the north and west of scotland, at least the cloud increases and you could well see some rain moving in. that is an atla ntic some rain moving in. that is an atlantic weather system, trying to ta ke atlantic weather system, trying to take the rain across more of scotla nd take the rain across more of scotland and ireland. some uncertainty about how far—sighted gets a cross uncertainty about how far—sighted gets across the uk. the driest weather holding it for england and wales.

hello this is bbc news. the headlines... the uk is coming to terms with the closure of pubs, cafes and restaurants — for an indefinite period — to help slow the spread of coronavirus. ministers are urged to extend wage protection to millions of self—employed workers who face losing their livelihoods. supermarkets in the uk hire thousands more staff to keep shelves stacked in the face of panic buying. 324 more people have died in spain from coronavirus in the last 24 hours. 1,326 people have now lost their lives in the country to the virus. america orders people in more states to stay home. anyone flouting the restrictions in new york faces fines. australia's bondi beach is closed after large crowds ignore a ban on outdoor gatherings of more than 500 people. china says there has been no domestic transmission