hello and welcome to bbc news. i'm james reynolds. the coronavirus pandemic has now infected more than 300,000 around the world. in italy, nearly 800 people have died within the past 2a hours from the virus, by far the worst single—day total worldwide since the pandemic began, and it brings the total number of deaths in italy to 4,825. 0ur correspondent sima kotecha reports from rome. no children, just empty playgrounds, in rome's largest

park. even tougher rules that have come into force today say people can't go into them to try and curb the outbreak. here, for several weeks, schools have already been closed. the only noises that you can hear are the bells, you know, the church bells, which is nice. but the other noise is the ambulances. that's all, the only two noises that you hear. in lombardy, the worst—affected region, teachers say some children felt lost without social contact, but virtual lessons are helping. to begin with, they were scared, i think. of their reality being taken away from them. being able to actually deliver reality through a computer, even if it's on a completely different scale, has been particularly important. from tomorrow, people in lombardy will no longer be able to exercise, even on their own in open spaces, as part of the message aimed at slowing down the spread

of the virus. all vending machines will also be banned. 0relio, how do you feel about the coronavirus? thumbs down? yeah! thumbs down. one parent in rome tells us she is worried about the psychological impact the outbreak will have on the young. he's having nightmares, though. he's having nightmares? yeah, yeah. i don't know if it's connected, but he's having nightmares about spiders most nights. he said he's not worried because he's brave. you're brave? well, that's fantastic. you seem very brave, and you look very brave. nobody has lived through times like this before. the spaces may be smaller, but as ever, everybody is learning to adapt. sima kotecha, bbc news, rome. in spain, the number of deaths from the virus has jumped by a third in a day to more than 1,300, behind only iran, china and italy.

madrid has been particularly badly hit and hospitals there are struggling to cope. spain's prime minister, pedro sanchez, has praised the country's response to the crisis, one week into the state of emergency. but he underlined the importance of people continuing to stay at home, warning that the coming days would be extremely challenging. translation: unfortunately, the worst is yet to come. hard days are ahead of us. we're yet to suffer the impact of the worst wave, the most harmful, that will push our material and moral capacities to the limit, also our attitudes as a society. let's look at some other stories in brief: brazil's largest state, sao paulo, is closing down for two weeks from tuesday to help fight coronovirus. all non—essential businesses and services, including bars and restaurants, will shut. the state is home to around 46 million people, and is brazil's business, industrial and financial powerhouse. there are more than 1,000 cases of the virus in the country.

the french health minister has appealed to the public to hand over protective masks so they can be used by health workers, as hospitals in the country face more and more cases of coronavirus. he said there is no need to wear masks while shopping. health workers in france have criticised supply shortages. turkey has imposed a curfew for its senior citizens and banned restaurants from serving at tables as the death toll from coronavirus more than doubled, from nine to 21, injust21i hours. the number of confirmed cases is fast approching 1,000 there. well, elsewhere in the world, uganda has recorded its first case of coronavirus. all inbound passenger flights and cross—border travel have been suspended. eritrea and angola have also reported their first infections. bolivia is postponing may's presidential elections because of a countrywide quarantine beginning on sunday. the electoral authorities said they would suspend the vote for two weeks to match the quarantine, but did not set a new date. in peru, the government has ordered the main international

airport in lima to close on sunday, frustrating plans by the spanish government to repatriate hundreds of spanish travellers. social distancing measures mean limited attendance at funerals to only close family members, but one community in the west of ireland found another way to pay their respects to a grieving family. in west kerry, people came out to line the 2km stretch to the cemetery as the hearse passed by, observing social distancing rules. cases of coronavirus in ireland have climbed by more than 100 to 785, and three people have died of the illness. international hotelier sol kerzner has died at the age of 8a. the south african founder of sun international came to prominence when he established the controversial sun city resort in bophuthatswana. famous for his hotels in the bahamas, mauritius, south africa and dubai, kerzner organised the vip

function for president nelson mandela's inauguration “119911, and received a high honour from the queen in 2010. in the us, a number of states have ordered shutdowns, with one in five americans soon set to be under a stay—at—home order. the virus has claimed almost 280 lives there and infected more than 19,000 people. meanwhile, president trump says the us has agreed new measures with the leaders of canada and mexico to control non—essential travel across its northern and southern borders. we've also reached agreements with canada and mexico on new travel rules at our northern and southern borders, to halt the entry of the chinese virus, while continuing trade and commerce. and we've had very good talks,

i've — with prime minister trudeau, and today, this morning, with president lopez 0brador. we've talked aboutjoint measures that were taken to prevent the spread of the virus in our countries, and to temporarily suspend non—essential travel. we had a great conversation this morning with the president of mexico, and our close cooperation with mexico and canada will keep our people healthy, keep their people healthy, keep everybody safe. for more, i'm joined by our north america correspondent peter bowes, who is in los angeles. peter, first of all, let's look at the vice president, mike pence. he took a coronavirus test. what's going on? well, yes, mike pence really has become the face of america's response to coronavirus, leading the task force. you probably see more of mike pence on the television in the past couple of weeks than we have in the passed 3.5 years of the

trump presidency. so he is a key figure involved in this. it was revealed on friday that someone in his office had tested positive for the virus, and even though his doctor didn't believe it was necessary formike didn't believe it was necessary for mike pence to have the test, he went ahead anyway, along with his wife, and we have just heard on the last hour or so that he has tested negative. and of course, president trump a few days ago had the test as well, and he was also negative. you are in los angeles, where there is a stay—at—home order. does stay—at—home order. does stay—at—home actually mean stay—at—home, have you been able to tell? well, it means stay—at—home unless you are involved in one of the essential businesses, involved in healthcare, essential businesses, involved in healthca re, unless essential businesses, involved in healthcare, unless you have to go out and buy groceries, and clearly that means most people. you are allowed to go out and buy food. there have been queues outside a number of shops. i was out and about earlier today in los angeles, in some of the suburbs, and indeed, that is the situation, that people are being made to cue into stores not because of

the crowding, but actually to keep people a safe distance apart. and people are generally using a lot of common sense in that respect, and trying to stay apart, as they have been advised to do. but what i also noticed was that a number of businesses, and all businesses in california, unless they are essential, should have closed down. a number are still open. i passed a few garages today with people getting tires fitted on their cars, and that kind of thing, and those... it may be essential to get around, but there are certain aspects of work that is being done that i think falls out of the ban on people moving around. so i think most people are adhering to it, some are kind of bending the rules a little bit. peter bowes in los angeles, thank you very much. the government says that there is more than enough food to go round, and people have no need to stockpile. the environment and food secretary, george eustice, said people should think of others, especially health workers, who needed to shop at the end of their gruelling shifts. 0ur political correspondent

nick eardley has this report. an unprecedented crisis and challenge for the government. the prime minister continued to urge everyone to follow advice, warning of the consequences if people don't act together to try and stop the spread. ministers are trying to prevent things getting worse in other ways, too. in shops, long queues like this one in sidcup this morning have become a familiar sight. inside, too, empty shelves are common. so this afternoon, a plea from the government — don't buy more than you need. be responsible when you shop, and think of others. it is making life more difficult for those frontline workers, such as our daughters are nurses and nhs support staff, who are working so hard in such difficult circumstances. you just need to stop it! people like dawn, the critical care nurse who found shelves empty after a0 hours of work.

we should all be ashamed that that has to happen. it's unacceptable. these are the very people we will all need, to look after perhaps us or our loved ones in the weeks ahead. there is thought to be £1 billion more food in people's houses now, compared to three weeks ago. the reasons though, aren't always simple. my mum is 90, so obviously she can't come on her own. so how does that work? if i come in, i look like i'm the person who is taking stock from the old people, and my mum can't come out to get it. so i got her stuff. i've come here, but there is nothing available. although supermarket shelves may look empty, the message from industry chiefs is there is enough to go around. there is plenty of food in the supply chain. the issue is around people and lorries, so getting that food right into the front line onto our shelves, which is why we have seen

shortages in some areas. the government has relaxed some rules for supermarkets, but might have to go further. many pleas so far have fallen on deaf ears. will the government go further and introduce compulsory limits on what people can buy? i don't think it's necessary or appropriate for the government to dictate different stores or different items, when they're working together to identify what an appropriate limit is. for now, the pleas continue. the question — whether it will be enough. nick eardley, bbc news. as we have been hearing, borisjohnson has warned that the coronavirus outbreak is accelerating and urged people to follow the advice on social distancing. nick eardley has been telling us that ministers want people to take the warning seriously. the message from number ten tonight is still stark, the prime minister telling the country that the uk is just two or three weeks behind italy, urging

everyone to follow that advice, saying that without a huge national effort to stop the spread of this virus, the nhs here could well be overwhelmed. in the next few days, the government will urge 1.5 million people in england alone to stay at home for 12 weeks, to protect themselves from the virus. the list of who they think is the most vulnerable will be published soon. it is, as i say, been a really extraordinary period in british political history, the prime minister saying tonight people should stay home. it could help save literally thousands of lives. a number of high street firms, including topshop and john lewis, have announced they are temporarily shutting their stores, although they will still trade online. the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, has said the government should do more to provide economic security for those affected, while one minister has admitted it will be operationally difficult to help self—employed people, as our business correspondent katy austin explains. huge chunks of the economy have already felt the pain as customers stay away.

jobs have already been lost. this restaurant near catford has struggled on, with business down 90%. then came the call to close. i have tried to treat the staff the best i can, and if the government could help with that, that would be a fantastic help. the managers here want to use yesterday's new measures designed to prevent mass redundancies. under a grant scheme, the government will find 80% of wages for employees who now won't be able to work, up who now won't be able to work, up to £2500 a month. vat payments will be deferred. self—employed people are not covered by the wage subsidies programme, but benefits are being increased. the chancellor's words was welcomed by business groups

as something that will save hundreds of thousands of at risk jobs. but many self—employed people say they are facing a cliff edge, and they need more help. at the moment, one child a day. so my income has gone from £200 a day to about £40 a day, a massive decrease. the association representing self—employed people wants wage subsidies extended to them, too. match their income to a certain amount, so maybe 80% to make sure they can meet bills and pay for food. the chief executive to the treasury said the government was doing what is operationally deliverable in a short timescale. we're working with banks as to the forbearance, so they can get through the cashflow challenge. but we're looking at flexibility to support them, as well, so a range of measures have been set out.

many businesses are trying to adapt to see this out. more temporary store closures were announced this weekend. meanwhile, the wage grant scheme will not be available for a few weeks, and a cash flow crunch looms for the worst hit firms. this is bbc news, the headlines: the death toll in italy has seen another dramatic rise — nearly 800 people have died in a 24—hour period from coronavirus — the highest total anywhere in the world since the outbreak began. in spain there's also been a big rise in the death toll, an increase of more than 300 people, bringing the total number of deaths there to more than 1,300. as we've been hearing brazil's largest state, sao paulo, is closing down for two weeks from tuesday to help fight the virus. all non—essential businesses and services, including bars and restaurants, will shut. the state is home to around 46 million people and is brazil's business, industrial and financial powerhouse. there are more than a thousand cases of the virus in the country. we'rejoined from sao paulo by mauricio pisani a photographer whose business has been badly

affected by coronavirus. it is great to talk to you. how will be lockdown measures in sao paulo affect you and your business? well, we have been facing all events being cancelled since last week. we had festivals scheduled through these weeks. sao paulo is a business centre, so we had affairs, business affairs, all around the city every week, and everything was cancelled since march 15. and now there is no idea when activities will come back. in some countries the government have announced measures for people whose businesses are suffering. as the brazilian government on anything similar? well, there are several layers of workers

that are affected by this. brazil is a large, nonofficial employment country. so a lot of people will be without any income, and we had an announcement last week from the federal government that they will release a small amount for any worker who cannot get an income. but we have not received any practical information about how it is going to happen and when. how are you planning, both practically and psychologically? how are you planning to get through the next few weeks? well, it has been a challenge. we are trying to understand everything. we are trying to reduce the expenses as much as we can, and

we are trying to deal with social isolation, which isn't easy. the social networks are being really helpful with that. we are having meetings with friends and drinking together through cameras, and also a lot of people are providing free courses through instagram and what's up and live concerts. —— whatsapp. so we're trying to keep together the technology. morrissey, it is really great of you to speak to us. thank you so much. —— mauricio. authorities in the chinese city of wuhan have begun removing some of the checkpoints installed to enforce a strict lockdown since january in an effort to halt the spread of coronavirus. the checkpoints started coming down after no new cases of the virus were recorded for a third straight day.

other parts of china are also easing restrictions, as stephen mcdonnell reports from beijing. 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. so, with millions of people being told to stay at home and distance themselves socially, how is this affecting anxiety and stress levels. i've been speaking to andrea chronis—tuscano who is a clinical psychologist and professor at the university of maryland in washington. i asked her about how people cope with anxiety. these are uncertain

times, where everyone has all of these questions running through their heads, like, have i been exposed? how long is this going to go on? what is going to happen to the economy? so i think everybody is feeling a sense of anxiety right now. but i think individuals who are prone to depression and anxiety might be having an even more difficult time. they have a hard time controlling but worry that is running through their heads, and all these questions, people who are prone to depression are more likely to feel the mood affects of social distancing and staying inside. i think this is a time when everyone is feeling anxiety, but i think there are some people experiencing it even more strongly. what can parents to help their children who might be old enough to see that something strange is going on without frightening them? right, i think this is the real challenge. how do we get our kids to take this very seriously without causing a lot of anxiety? i think it is really important to consider that parents set the emotional tone

for the children. and when something stressful, like this pandemic, is happening, children look to their parents for cues about how to respond. so i think that at a time when there's so much we can't control, we need to look at what we can control. what can we do? how can we keep some semblance of structure, some semblance of a schedule? how can we make sure that we and our kids are sticking to their sleep routine? we know that sleep affects mood, et cetera. just one more question. in normal times it is really frustrating, looking at other people's perfect social media feeds, and we see the same thing starting now, but some parents are getting really frustrated seeing other parents putting up tent parties, showing how magical isolation is, when some parents are really struggling at home trying to work and juggle?

that is so true. facebook has been plastered with these homeschool schedules, but i take one look at them and think, wow, that is not realistic for me, i'm trying to work from home. i think when we set these unrealistic expectations for ourselves, based on social comparison with other people, we're going to look at that and say, wow, i'm so inferior. why is it that they can do this and i can't? i think we need to keep in mind that first of all, the traditional italian song, bella ciao, is being played around the world as a show of solidarity for everyone living in italy. 0ur reporter freya cole takes a look at some of the videos, which are being shared on social media to lift spirits in a time of need. the virtual curtains open, and guided by their conductor in the middle screen, the serbian national theatre performs for their virtual audience, from

their virtual audience, from the safety of their own homes. it is hoped the video will remind people of the great tragedy in italy and encourage people to stay indoors. the traditional italian folk song bella ciao is being played from rooftops across italy to boost morale. the tune dates back to the late 19th century and was sung to protest harsh working conditions and rice paddies in northern italy. today the hardships are of a different kind. # bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao... another rendition of bella ciao, but this time from a small community in germany. the group took to their balconies as a show of support for italians, knowing they too could be forced to live under more restrictions. it's the first time the neighbours have performed together, but given the amount of fun, perhaps not the last.

more and although stories our website. —— on all those stories on our website. now the weather with stav da naos. hello there. there is a lot of fine and settled weather in the forecast right across the country. but we will see subtle changes in the north—west. as high pressure hold on for most of us, this weather front will encroach in to bring more cloud, outbreaks of rain to the north—west and also fairly strong winds. the rainfall amounts really could mount up here as we move into next week. but for most of us it's going to be settled, thanks to that area of high pressure. so dry for most with a good deal of sunshine around. we'll continue to have a chilly wind, certainly over the next few days and nights will be cold, with some frost around. now, as we head into the early part of sunday, looks like we could see some low cloud just rolling in off the north sea into the north—east of england and into eastern scotland.

a bit more cloud for the west of scotland as well. further south, though, clear skies. it's going to be a chilly one and we will see a touch of frost in places, particularly through central northern areas. now, the cooler air mass is still with us as we head through sunday, being brought in on an east—south—easterly wind. so there will be a bit of a chill to the air again. it's going to be a chilly start generally across the board, but bright with lots of sunshine. we should see that low cloud across the east coast drift northwards and clear away. and then we should see more sunshine, in fact, through the day for northern ireland and for much of scotland. but by the afternoon, most of seeing some sunshine, with fewer clouds around. the winds still a feature, but not as strong as they were on saturday. so i think, with the sunshine, and slightly lighter winds then, it shouldn't feel too bad. if you are out of that breeze

the top temperatures 11—12 degrees. but cool across southern and eastern coasts. now, as we head through sunday night, there's another cold one under clear skies. that weather front starts to close in to the north—west of scotland. so here less cold that it will be further south. it could be quite a cold night, in fact, through sunday night. and for monday we start off with quite a bit of frost around, at least clear skies with plenty of sunshine too. so that will compensate for the cold starts. winds a little bit later as well, coming in from the south—east. for the north—west, though, it turns cloudy. outbreaks of rain for the hebrides and into the northern isles as that weather front loiters there. but elsewhere, in the sunshine, not feeling too bad, with light winds, 10—12 degrees.

this is bbc news. the headlines: the death toll in italy has seen another dramatic rise due to coronavirus. nearly 800 people died in a 24—hour period, by far the worst single—day total worldwide since the pandemic began. the covid—19 pandemic has now infected more than 300,000 around the world. in the uk, the prime minister has urged everyone to follow the guidance to stay at home, to protect the nhs and save lives. he also warned that the coronavirus outbreak is accelerating. the uk death toll has risen by 56, bringing the total number of dead to 233. there has been a steep rise in the number of deaths in spain too, an increase of more than 300, bringing the total to more than 1,300. spain's prime minister has underlined the importance of people