this is bbc news. the headlines: the national health service could soon be "overwhelmed" with coronavirus patients — warns the british prime minister. london's mayor urges people to act responsibly. unless people stay at home, unless people stop using public transport unless it is essential, unless people stop interacting with each other, more people will die. borisjohnson urges people to "make the heroic and collective national effort" to slow the spread of the virus. he cautions against visiting loved ones on mother's day. nhs england writes to 1.5 million people, who are most at risk — strongly advising them not to go out for 12 weeks, to protect themselves. spain has reported nearly 400 more

deaths from coronavirus overnight. that's up a third in 2a hours. the country's state of emergency has been extended by 15 days. more than a billion people in india are under a m hour—long curfew to try to limit the epidemic. and in america one in five people are ordered to "stay at home" — as state authorities struggle to control the pandemic. hello and welcome to viewers

in the uk and around the world. the british prime minister boris johnson has warned the coronavirus outbreak is accelerating and could overwhelm the national health service if people don't do more to slow its spread. he's urging people not to visit parents on mother's day, and says everyone should join what he's called a "heroic and collective national effort" to follow social distancing advice. the number of people who've died in the uk from coronavirus has risen to 240, with 7 new deaths in wales reported this morning. there are more than 5,000 confirmed cases. the world health organization has told the bbc it will take at least a year to develop a vaccine against the virus. globally, more than 300,000 people are confirmed to have been infected with the virus, and more than 13,000 have died. spain, one of the worst affected countries, has just extended its state of emergency for another two weeks as their death toll rises by nearly 400 in a day.

we'll have reports from around the world over the next half an hour, but first, simonjones reports on the situation in the uk. borisjohnson says he's been forced to take measures never seen before either in peace or war. he warns that the uk is no more than three weeks behind italy when it comes to the spread of the disease, writing about the need for social distancing, he says: if you do it, if you follow the advice, you are saving someone‘s life. this is the time in your lifetime, whereby your action will save somebody‘s life. it's as simple and stark as that. to try to convince people to stay at home, bars and restaurants are being closed. on a typical mothering sunday, places like these would have been expected to be full of people, but now some have been boarded up.

borisjohnson says he understands people's strongest instinct is to visit their mother on mothering sunday but he's telling people to stay away. he says statistics show that if your mother is elderly or vulnerable, she is much more likely to die from coronavirus. in an effort to prevent the nhs from being overwhelmed, letters are being sent to the 1.5 million people most at—risk in england, advising them not to go out for 12 weeks from tomorrow, to protect themselves. they include people who've had organ transplants, have respiratory conditions such as cystic fibrosis and some cancer patients. 4,000 nurses and 500 doctors who've recently left the profession have answered a government call to return to work. but there's concern about whether some people are taking the need for social distancing seriously enough. many parks on saturday were busy. the national trust has now decided to close all its gardens. but in scotland, many flocked to glencoe to ski. i don't know what people

are thinking but i think a realisation has to sink in that there's a different way of being at the moment and we're just going to have to get used to it. it makes me really angry that people have travelled into our community unnecessarily. in italy, where almost 5,000 people have died, residents in the worst—affected region, lombardy, have been banned from taking part in any sport and physical activity outside. all companies and factories across the country have been told to close immediately if their work isn't essential to combating coronavirus. and the warning in the uk is that it too may need to introduce tougher measures in the coming weeks. simon jones, bbc news. there have been lots of questions about a vaccine and how quickly can one be developed. speaking to the andrew marr programme, dr michael ryan, executive director of the world health organization, urged caution, warning that the process could be a long one. i think we have to be realistic,

taxis take a long time to, —— vaccines take a long time to develop, test, prove they are effective and then you have to produce a vaccine for everybody, that's a very long process. we have to be very careful. this vaccine will be given to potentially billions of people and we have to make sure that it's absolutely safe and it does good, not harm. we are talking at least a year. that doesn't mean that we are helpless. we can do a lot to stop this disease right now, and we can save a lot of lives right now. we will work out vaccines, they will come, but we need to getdown. so with no vaccine on the immediate horizon, the focus is on stopping the disease spreading. in the uk, measures to promote social distancing and self—isolation have been ramped up. here's helen catt, our political correspondent, with the latest on what the prime minister boris johnson has been saying. he has used the occasion of this

being uk mother's day, when traditionally there is an emotionally strong pull for families to get together to make it very clear that that is the worst thing that you can do, and he does it in very dramatic language. he talks about the possible impact on the nhs, the idea that the country could be just two to three weeks behind what we are seeing in italy. he also does it on a very personal level, saying to people that he cannot sugar—coat the threat, that if you have an elderly relative, they are more likely to die from coronavirus. that is pretty stark, coming from a prime minister. it shows the importance of this advice, and it is being echoed by the mayor of london, sadiq khan. life has changed. we have got to do things differently for a while now. social interaction leads to the disease spreading and people dying. don't leave your home unless you really have to, work from home. don't use public transport unless it is genuinely essential. look out for your neighbours who are elderly and vulnerable, do some shopping for them,

leave it on their doorstep, only buy what you need, there is plenty to get around. don't just do it for yourself, do it to stop the disease spreading, do it for your vulnerable loved ones who will die if you don't, do it for the heroic nhs who need our help. these are extraordinary times which need and demand extraordinary measures. so, you might be thinking, if it is so important that we do this and we stay away from each other, well, then why is the government not bringing in more inforcement of that? they've already closed pubs and nightclubs and restaurants, but why aren't they bringing in any more enforcement? well, they are saying, well, it's not something they want to do at this stage, they are a free country, they like being able to get out and about, it's very important for your exercise to be able to get out and about, so they don't really want to bring in measures like that at this stage, they may look at other options if people flout them, but, of course, things are about to change for a large and significant part of the population.

people who are considered to be the at the highest risk of developing a serious illness from coronavirus, those are people with very specific medical conditions, things like cystic fibrosis or blood cancer. they are going to be notified this week by the nhs that they should self—isolate, as it is known, for 12 weeks, which means staying at home, not going outside your house and garden, getting people to bring things to you. now, robertjenrick, the communities secretary, told andrew marr earlier what would happen this week with them. today we are contacting the 1.5 million people who will need to stay at home. many of those people will be looked after by friends, family and neighbours but where they will not be able to do that, and there are some people who are isolated and lonely who do not have that support network around them, we will create a big national effort to help those individuals with the armed forces, councils and volunteers, and they will receive parcels of food from us starting from the end of this coming week. for the rest of us, we need to act

responsibly and be thoughtful and considerate when we go shopping. we have a food sector which is resilient. it should be able to provide enough food for all of us. that was the communities secretary in the uk. the british government is urging everyone to do their bit but some people are saying the government has not done its bit in adequately equipping the nhs. it's a two strand strategy, isn't it? there's the stuff we can all do to try and limit the spread of the virus, but there is also trying to get the nhs to get its capacity boosted as far as possible to cope with the predicted upsurge in demand. there have been questions raised about whether enough has been done to provide protective equipment and the general readiness of the nhs. that is something that the labour leaderjeremy corbyn has questioned this morning. the world health organization have said, test, test, test. we are increasing the amount of testing but it's still not enough. even all nhs staff haven't been tested, never mind all care staff

haven't been tested yet. and so how can we accurately know how many cases of coronavirus there actually are? what we do know, sadly, accurately, is the number of deaths from coronavirus at the moment. but we have to be better at testing, and provision of protective equipment. nhs staff have not all got full protective equipment at the moment, or protective clothing. care staff have almost none at all. and care workers, some of whom work in care homes, are obviously at risk. now, the government says it is getting more protective equipment out, it will get more to hospitals by later today. it has also been taking steps to boost the overall capacity of the nhs, so, yesterday we saw a first of its kind deal where the nhs in england. bought up almost all of the capacity of the private hospitals. that is 8000 extra beds,

20,000 extra staff. the government has been talking to manufacturing companies here to try to get them to make ventilators that are needed. they have also freed up space within nhs hospitals by cancelling all nonurgent operations, and the government red tape is trying to do its bit to boost capacity in the nhs as far as possible. spain has doubled the current 15 day state of emergency as its death toll rose by nearly 400 in the past 24 hours. italy's prime minister giueseppe conte has announced a new set of lockdown measures which edge closer to shutting down the entire country. spain has doubled the current 15 day state of emergency as its death they are the delivery drivers working in lombardy, italy's worst hit region. rallying his colleagues, the worker belts out a tune,

encouraging them to keep going. day by day, italy's lockdown is growing more severe. in the lombardy region alone, exercising outside has been banned. the use of vending machines, forbidden. and for the rest of the country, the prime minister has ordered all nonessential factories and businesses to close. translation: we are slowing down the country's productive engine, but we're not stopping it. it's not an easy decision, but a decision that allows us to face the most acute phase of the contagion. it's not yet clear what factories will close but supermarkets, pharmacies, post offices and banks will remain open. public transport will continue to run. but the strict new measures will span across all of the country, as a desperate attempt to slow the spread of the disease. on saturday alone, italy recorded

nearly 800 coronavirus deaths. translation: i believe we have now taken all measures we are able to take before effectively shutting down the entire country. but i ask myself, how will we live? and how will we be able to sustain ourselves if we are no longer able to shop for food, and if supplies are not able to make it to our supermarkets? spain is also in a race to save lives. authorities in madrid are working frantically to build a makeshift hospital inside a large exhibition centre. already, intensive care units are struggling to cope. more beds are needed, and they're needed fast. around the world, more than 300,000 people have tested positive for the virus. scientists are developing and testing possible vaccines, but,

as it stands, there is no cure and it's putting every health system under immense strain. freya cole, bbc news. just a live shot from rome. you can see an empty bus crossing the picture there, but it really is very empty there. italy the worst affected country in europe, of course. italy recorded a jump on the death toll from coronavirus of almost 800 yesterday, taking the toll in italy to almost 5000. so, empty scene, there, in rome, as the death toll rises very considerably. police on the streets, obviously, making sure people do stay in their homes. so let's take a look at what's happening in other countries around the world. in a moment, we'll hear from our correspondents

in paris and los angeles, but first here's laura bicker in seoul, in south korea, where they seem to have dramatically slowed down the spread of the virus. here in south korea, despite having the worst outbreak in asia outside mainland china, there have been no restrictions on movement, there has been no lockdown. but today the government has set out an urgent message, saying that people should stop gathering in places like churches and karaoke halls. places like nightclubs, where we have seen people in gangnam gathering in large groups, they are worried about one thing. complacency. this year, now that the outbreak appears to be under control, people will stop isolating themselves, stop the social distancing, and that could potentially spread the virus. so, how has south korea managed to see a decrease in the number of cases? well, they accredit it to two things. first, this aggressive use of technology.

you get these alerts on your phone, which tell you exactly where the virus has been, so, if it has been a nearby shop, or a nearby building, then you know that perhaps you have been near an infected person and you need to get tested. then, of course, there is the mass testing. drive throughs, phone booth—type testing. they have tested over 300,000 people people in the last few weeks. now, the government is warning that this will be a prolonged, in their words, war against the virus, but they are urging action for the next 15 days in the hope that they can get schools open and try to get life back to normal as much as possible. sunday morning in a provincial town about 100 miles south of paris, and it is slightly surprising to see the sunday market in operation as usual, with people coming in to buy their when you look closely, it is rather

different from the norm, because there is a police checkpoint is becoming, some people are wearing masks, and they are certainly keeping distance run from the other, and, in general, it is much quieter. the rules here in the countryside are the rules here in the countryside a re exactly the rules here in the countryside are exactly the same as in french cities. confinement at home is compulsory. enforced here by the gendarme, and in general people seem to be accepting it. excursions are allowed for food and medicines, and here in the countryside, because of the distances involved, that generally means by car. indeed, the big difference between the city in the countryside is just that, it is space. here there are gardens, there are fields, farming life is going on as usual, and, in general, the psychological pressure from compulsory confinement is much, much lower. this is los angeles, where shopping malls like this one are virtually deserted. almost every

store here is in darkness. this is america's most populous state, and people have been told to stay at home. businesses have been boarded by the government to shut down. the roads are actually still quite busy, and that is because a lot of people are still getting out over the weekend to do grocery shopping, they are queueing outside some shops, maintaining that social distancing. inside, they are finding that the food stores are still reasonably well stocked. the farmers markets in particular seem to be full of fresh fruit and vegetables, which people are making the most. the big concern here is, like everywhere, how long is this going to go on for? and so many people now are living without a wage. a lot of people abiding by the new movement regulations. i think, in big part, because of what is of the governor of california said the other day. he said more than 50% of

people living in california could be infected over the next six weeks by coronavirus. here in the uk, people in north norfolk warn the prime minister that second home owners and holiday—makers are ignoring the government's advice on self—isolation. locals are concerned about the number of people visiting the area over the last few days and the strain that could put on local supermarkets and emergency services. local mp duncan baker has made an urgent plea not to travel to the coast amid the coronavirus outbreak. janelle sanders works in a local shop — shejoins me now from north norfolk. thank you so much for being with us. what would you say to people who are thinking of coming down to get away from london and spending a bit of time in north norfolk? north norfolk isa time in north norfolk? north norfolk is a beautiful place to come, but please stay home. there is no need to come here. our beach is crowded,

oui’ to come here. our beach is crowded, our shops are crowded, our food supply is a stretch enough as it is, and more people shopping, it is really tough. tesco in our local store had a slot this morning specifically for nhs workers to go and get supplies, but it is tough. we just and get supplies, but it is tough. wejust don't and get supplies, but it is tough. we just don't need it. as you said, the beaches are pretty full of people. what would you say the authorities, the government, should be doing? should be close the beaches? i would love for them to closing time. i was on my social media last night, and the amount of pictures that some of my friends we re pictures that some of my friends were posting, i live very close to a burner market, and the amount of traffic of people saying oh, we will

go for a walk on the beach, honestly, it's nice to come and visit, but this is obviously not the time, and there has been advised to stay away, practice safe distancing from people, and it isjust not being followed, and, for me, i work one day a week, i'm a carer, i have disabled children, but for me to go out and work, which isjust disabled children, but for me to go out and work, which is just a disabled children, but for me to go out and work, which isjust a day for me to be me and be outside the house,is for me to be me and be outside the house, is a real bonus. but if i come home and i give something to my children, that is going to be a really big issue. i suppose the other big issue is people coming in from london, which we know is quite a kronos virus —— coronavirus hotspot at the moment, they want to get out of the capital, but they are coming to places like north norfolk. 60% of our homes here i believe are

owned by londoners, as their second homes, and as nice as it is to have their tourism when it is wanted, i would really like to see boris johnson close beaches. i know our local prime minister has put out a letter saying, please stay home, please don't go to our beaches, don't go to the area, because we have a lot of vulnerable people, a lot of retired elderly people along the coast. i just lot of retired elderly people along the coast. ijust think lot of retired elderly people along the coast. i just think that lot of retired elderly people along the coast. ijust think that it's... i want to say selfish, it's thoughtless, but it is risky, and you're putting other pupils lives at risk, and i want them to stay home and come when the time is better. just not now. ok, we've got the message! many thanks indeed. it's mother's day in many parts of the world — but people are being warned not to visit elderly mothers, and that's caused a huge fall

in demand for flowers that would otherwise have been destined to become a mother's day gift. in the netherlands, growers are having to destroy millions of flowers a day. anna holligan reports from the hague. inside the world's largest flower auction, the demand forfresh blossoms has been decimated by the pandemic, leaving horticulturalists with the undesirable job of wrecking the source of their own livelihoods. at the moment, the growers are destroying the flowers at their own nurseries. maybe 70%, 80% of the total production is being demolished. the combination of rock bottom prices and high quality roses and tulips left on the shelf is, they say, unrivalled in the last century.

the dutch auction already exists for more than 100 years and this is the first time that we are in such a crisis. the growers are now asking the dutch government to rescue them with an emergency financial package, or face ruin within weeks. a lot of companies, growers and trade companies, will go bankrupt and that will be devastating. for some, it's already too late. this mother's day, the best way for most of us to show our love is by keeping our distance, to protect those and their 60s, 70s and beyond who appear to be more likely to die if they catch the coronavirus. anna holligan, bbc news, in the hague. a musician from dublin has found

a way to spread a little cheer for those in isolation because of the coronavirus outbreak. mickey smyth — a regular performer at care homes and on hospital wards — has been serenading his regular audiences from a distance, keeping them entertained with his energetic versions of golden oldies and some irish classics. volunteers up and down the uk are pulling together to help vulnerable people cope with the coronavirus crisis. a small village shop in wiltshire is organising an army of helpers who will deliver groceries across the community. fiona lamdin reports. 26—year—old alex is a busy mum of four, but is determined

to help her community in wiltshire. this is one where someone is asking for some baby milk, and this person said, i've got this, unopened, it's free, you can have it if you like. she set up a facebook group and within hours, 1000 people had joined it. somebody was self isolating and they had no pasta so i took it to them. show me your pasta, did you have some? yes, i took it from mine, i had some spare pasta. this is a bag of pasta that i took out yesterday so that her family could then have a warm meal with pasta. and alex has also volunteered to deliver food from her local shop out to those in isolation. hello, i've come to get a delivery. the phones haven't stopped ringing, no more and more people are self isolating locally or are in the age range that are advised to stay at home, the phone hasn't stopped ringing. so it's really, really busy for us. three streets away, we meet tony, who is self isolating. i'm 85, my wife is 82. we've both got mobility problems, my wife, far more serious than mine.

so we really can't take part in fighting for stuff on the shelves and things like that. so we're just ordering what we actually need, as we go on. and it's notjust alex looking out for others. can we have some essentials in about five bags, bread, milk, toilet roll, etc for some of these that can't get out? we can, toilet roll might be a problem but we will try. this supermarket and this care agency, neighbours on the high street. but this is the first time they've worked together. they support 90 elderly people who are now stuck at home. they think that you're going to walk in with it and contract it as you're going in, that you can go into a supermarket and they think that you've got it. they're just very, very frightened. we're not going to let them down, they will still get everything that they need, they're not on their own, they've got us. we have become, because

we're community based, the fifth emergency service. as the days and weeks go by, many will be leaning on their communities in ways they've never needed to do before. fiona lamdin, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather. hello, it is a dry sunday out there across much of the uk. a good deal of sunshine around, just a bit of patchy cloud here and there, and this is how it looks as we go through the afternoon. just 7 or 8 degrees along these north sea coasts. elsewhere, some of us are creeping into double figures. still a bit of patchy rain towards the western isles of scotland, and elsewhere it is dry. abundant afternoon sunshine. still breezy, but the wind is not as strong as yesterday. it does still feel a bit chilly in the breeze. overnight, the winds ease a bit further in england and wales, allowing a widespread frost to take hold. a patchy frost in southern and eastern scotland. towards the north—west of scotland, a chance of rain. increasing cloud into northern ireland. for most of us,

temperatures are holding up. turning very wet for monday across the far north—west of scotland, especially into the western isles. increasing cloud and breeze for northern ireland. the best of the sunshine will again be across england and wales, and temperatures will be a little higher tomorrow.