hello this is bbc news with shaun ley. the headlines... the national health service could soon be "overwhelmed" if people don't practice social

distancing to tackle coronavirus. that's the warning from the british prime minister. london's mayor urges people to act responsibly. unless people stay at home, unless people stop using public transport, u nless 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 reports nearly 400 more deaths from coronavirus. that's up by a third in 2a hours. the country's state of emergency has been extended by 15 days. the netherlands sees a 16% rise in confirmed cases of coronavirus. the death toll has gone up by 43 since yesterday. in india, more than a billion people

have been asked to observe a 14—hour—long curfew to try to limit the epidemic. and in the united states one in five people are ordered to "stay at home" as state authorities struggle to control the pandemic. injusta injust a few in just a few minutes we hope to be hearing from scotland's minister nicola sturgeon who will be appearing at these lecterns in edinburgh. we expect in the next few minutes. we will keep our eyes across to that and bringing nicola sturgeon to you as soon as she begins her news conference. her latest update on the situation in scotland. volunteers up and down the uk are pulling together to try to help vulnerable people in your communities cope with coronavirus. 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 my, 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 now that 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 people had tested positive for the coronavirus in scotland. that is an

increase of 43 cents yesterday. i wa nt to increase of 43 cents yesterday. i want to stress, though, as i have done before that this figure is an underestimate of the true numbers of people who are likely to be infected. it is also with huge sadness that i must confirm that ten people have now died in scotland. an increase of 3 cents yesterday and my thoughts are very much with their loved ones. today, we have also had to call on their this underlines the fact that no pa rt this underlines the fact that no part of scotland will not be affected a re part of scotland will not be affected are the spiders. no part of oui’ affected are the spiders. no part of our country will not have people who either have it it in future —— affected by this virus. however, this is my central and most important point, if we all do the right things now, we will be just that impact and save lives. if we do not, we face many more people than would otherwise be the case becoming

ill and dying and we risk our nhs being overwhelmed. i am not saying this to scare people. i am saying it to leave you in no doubt about the seriousness of the situation we face andi seriousness of the situation we face and i am saying it to stress the importance of all of us are following the advice that has been issued. it has for their own protection and for the protection of those most at risk of becoming seriously ill. let me be clear, the advice should not be considered optional. it should be seen, and said, isa optional. it should be seen, and said, is a set of rules to be followed. to protect scotland, we must all do the right thing. life should not feel normal right now. if your life skills feels entirely normal, ask yourself if you're doing the right things. —— if your life feels entirely normal. instead you might be putting others and yourself at unnecessary risk. every time you think about meeting up with and coming into physical contact with other people, ask yourself if it is

really necessary and if it is not, please do not do it. do not go shopping except by essentials like food and medicine and keep a safe distance from others, two metres. do not gather for a at peoples houses. 0rdering groups for, and sorry to say, wedding receptions and other celebrations. if you do a good side, it is ok to be outside, do not crowd together in the park or on the beach because that can be almost as dangerous as going to the pot. if you go into the sunshine, although the social distancing guidance —— go with one or two others and a small family group, do not gather together in bigger crowds. beaches should not be petty, parks should not be full. if you're over 70 or any vulnerable group, i know this is hard. they advised to stay home is for your own protection. businesses, please

support your employees to follow the rules and to do so too. you should not be asking people to come to work if they have symptoms or if they are any household with some timid symptoms. you should be supporting people to work at home cup whenever possible. —— who are showing symptoms. i'm glad to say the vast majority have complied with the advice to close. last night a tiny minority of pubs stayed open. let me be blunt, in doing so, they put a at risk. my message to them is to close now. we will have emergency powers within days to force you to close and we will use these powers if we have to. but you should not wait for that. you should do the right thing now and help us save lives. these are now and help us save lives. these a re steps now and help us save lives. these are steps that we all must take to protect scotland. i want to turn to report to people flocking to

scotland's remote communities. it may well be an understandable human instinct to think that we can out runa virus, instinct to think that we can out run a virus, but the fact is that we can't. what we risk is taking it to the places we go and that means extra pressure on our essential services and health services that are more distant from people in a rural communities. we have advisor ferry companies, who have already suspended bookings, to no longer ta ke suspended bookings, to no longer take nonessential travellers. those who do not normally live on the islands and have travelled there any last few days will be able to leave to reduce pressure, but from now on, ferries will be for those who live on islands, who have an essential need to travel to or from the mainland and four essential supplies our business, nothing else. to our hotels, b&bs and self—catering accommodation, you should not be accepting visitors. provide accommodation for your staff and make yourself available to help essential workers and support essential workers and support essential services. that is all.

scotla nd essential services. that is all. scotland has a warm and welcoming country and i fervently hope it is not too long before we are opening our arms not too long before we are opening ourarms and our not too long before we are opening our arms and our countryside to visitors again, but right now our priority must be to protect people from the spiders, protect our nhs and to protect scotland. this message applies —— to protect people from this virus. we are asking is that the employees of schools become key workers. experts say that closing the skills will help us stop the spread of this virus and save lives. —— close the schools. priority must be given to children of the most critical key workers and the most vulnerable children in our society. the higher the number of children in child care settings, the higher the health risks for all of us. this is about saving lives. let

me be crystal clear, we have introduced categories so that the ico nurse gets a place or the a&e doctor gets a place if they needed first. if there are places left after, we had done that. others, in order priority, will be considered, but there are only so many places to go around and that is not going to change. 0therwise, go around and that is not going to change. otherwise, we risk undermining and compromising the health benefits of schools are being closed. and asking companies to think about how people work and where they work. i appeal to the chief executives of organisations who may have staff that they consider to be key workers to breathlessly prioritise those providing absolutely essential services to the public in these emergency times. we cannot dedicate whole workforces or entire groups of staff. there simply is not the space to do that and we will not compromise public health. to the vast majority of employers, i say this, the solution to the challenges that i know that you're facing right now is not key worker status, it is

a new shift patterns, working from home, dropping nonessential tasks. that is what you can do to help all of us save lives. we simply cannot have too many people in our schools and nurseries and because of that, i also want to announce a further change to the advice at the deputy first minister set out last thursday on the completion of coursework for young people taking sqa national qualifications. this change comes about because of the escalation of the public health advisor on social distancing that i set out on friday. with immediate effect, no young person with coursework to complete should attend a school to do so. where cuts can be completed remotely, these arrangements will be put in place by skills —— coursework can be completed remotely. we will set out as soon as possible how the sq will take account of that. the

neck dish i wanted a dress is shielding, how we were protect and shielding, how we were protect and shield are the most clinically vulnerable in our society. people have specific forms of cancer, we are disease, respiratory conditions, have received organ transplant, who are on immunosuppressants, who are pregnant, will be contacted and had a range of support. for this group, the guidance of isolation will be straight. it will include notjust help with their conditions, access to medicines and services, but also help with food and supplies. the extraordinary measures that there is will have to go there to protect themselves demonstrates why each and every one of us has to take this seriously. it is only by following the rules of that we can save lives, protect scotland and make sure nhs is not overwhelmed. i want to stress

again, in closing, that this is an extremely serious situation, but all of us had a part to play in determining just how serious it becomes. if we do the right things, we can slow down the spread, rejoice at the peak impact and protect the ability of our national health service —— reduce the peak impact. i'm going to ask the chief medical 0fficer i'm going to ask the chief medical officer to say a few words and then we are happy to take questions. thank you, first minister. i want to emphasise that our priority at the moment is to keep people healthy. and to say. but predominately, also to save lives. all of the measures that we have put in in the last few days are hard, they change people's lives completely. but they all have a scientific basis them. it is not that we have an option, it is that we must pay attention to change your

behaviours in order to save lives. at the moment, our best estimates of the death rate from coronavirus is around 1%. higher in those older people and more vulnerable people, but that is with the daily best medical care. what we want to do is to reduce those avoidable deaths. the death that will occur if our nhs is upper bound. the deaths that if we we re is upper bound. the deaths that if we were to really have stopped the transmission of the spiders with the measures that we have introduced, there was a deaths do not need to have —— the transmission of the virus. everyone should be examining their own behaviour and thinking, what is it i can do to protect myself, wash my hands, do not touch myself, wash my hands, do not touch my face, but what also can i do that ifido my face, but what also can i do that if i do have this virus, how can i

stop giving it to other people? because the people that you will give it to others that you're close family, friends, some of those may be vulnerable older people. what is it that i can do to stop the spread of this virus? and at those gatherings that we had talked about, it is very, very difficult to talk to people about not socialising, to talk to people about not having wedding receptions, but the science tells us that those groupings are where people come together who know each other are the most risky spread. people are touching each other, touching surfaces, mingling together. one person at one of these events may actually have the opportunity to pass the virus to many, many others. that is why the society changing measures are

absolutely crucial. and vital. because we want to prevent those avoidable deaths. if we did not take these measures seriously, i am afraid that those a deaths will become unavoidable. thank you. we will open the questions. on this question about schools not allowing children into coursework, you quitted the world health organising same that children —— quoted saying... but 15, same that children —— quoted saying... but15, 16, same that children —— quoted saying... but 15, 16, 17—year—olds going into the cuts. why has it taken until today to make clear that letting these children was a bad idea? we have made clear all along that we are closing skills very health reason. in terms of schools,

the pub point of the debate was making about young people generally is actually more geared towards younger adults who may think that they can still gather in such like. it applies to all groups. we are closing schools for a health reason. we have made clear that there is still a requirement to look after children, we considered, on the basis of the advice that we had last week, that that could accommodate young people completing coursework. 0n young people completing coursework. on friday we had advice around the acceleration of the spread, which led us to the decision about closing pubs, led us to the decision about closing pu bs, restau ra nts led us to the decision about closing pubs, restaurants and cafe is and that has now confirmed a change in this advice. i have said all along that we are making decisions based on the best advice, in good faith and based on the bestjudgment and that advice is subject to change as we go along. we will be open with people as and when we make changes, which is what i'm doing today. people can understand from the different advice that has been given over the last few days that that is the situation we are in. that is why iam standing

the situation we are in. that is why i am standing here today, on sunday afternoon, making clear that we are in the situation where we consider that piece of advice has to change. has the advice as far as teenagers are change in the last 48 hours? 0r is it the same as it was on friday, but now you realise there's this nipple that needs to be closed? i would not — — nipple that needs to be closed? i would not —— that there is this loophole. what led to the advice of the closure in certain premises was, and the chief medical officer can go into a bit more detail, she did a debriefing we did on friday evening, that the speed at which the virus is spreading has quickened and we need to do even more to reduce the risks of the places that this can spread and this is the reason for this aspect of the schools advice are changing. it is also the reason why, although i understand lots of

businesses and individuals want to be designated as key worker so that their children can be looked after any formal setting, we must keep the numbers on those formal settings to a minimum and that is why we are being so rigorous in terms of the definition of key workers. catton, do you want to recap a little bit on the change of advice in freddie? and imagine groups which are meeting several times a week met earlier on friday to discuss the cases in england. many of whom had been admitted to intensive care. it became clear interrogating the state that actually, we were underestimating the doubling time of the virus, so actually, the number of cases was spreading more rapidly than the estimates which had come from china. that means that each individual is infecting more people so we individual is infecting more people so we had estimates of one person infecting two to three people but they are actually infecting more

people are not so actually that exhilaration, that explosion of cases, is likely to be accelerating more rapidly than we realise —— that acceleration. and hence the measures that we discussed which included closing skills. why do you not shut down now, had a complete lockdown now? and to stop the confusion? a lot of people are not understanding, two metres apart, we are not even doing this and assume? we will keep under review all of the different powers that be can use a different step that we will firmly take. there has been, when i thinkjust back seven days, the advice that we have given to people based on the expert opinion about when is the right time to ta ke opinion about when is the right time to take this advice to have the maximum impact, we will continue to keep all of that under review, but i see very clearly, i know how difficult this is for people. i do not underestimate that very second, but there is, in my view, no need for people to be less than clear

about what we are asking them to do. everybody should consider every time they are planning to come into contact with other people whether that contact is necessary. if it is not necessary, do it. going shopping, you should not be going shopping, you should not be going shopping other than for essential items and then when you're any shop, try and keep a safe distance from people and if the shop cried, my advice would be not to go on it and my plea to companies is that to have some social distancing policies in place. we are trying to be as clear as possible on the advice were getting people. my feeling, although we are of course monitoring this, is that the vast majority of people are complying with this advice, but if we are to have the biggest possible impact in terms of reducing the spread of this virus, we need

everybody to follow this advice. that is why i am taking the steps today to set out very clearly for people and we will continue to reiterate and get this message is clearly to people in every way we possibly can. over the weekend, a consultant at the queen elizabeth university hospital based concerns about hand hygiene and infection control and she said that her experience was in some cases are supermarkets were doing better than the nhs at this. is that a concern and what is being done to address that? if it is the person that i think it is, i have had a personal e—mail exchange that medic this morning assuring her that the concern that has been raised will be properly looked at and followed up and we will discuss with hospitals. i'm going to hand over to kathleen in terms of the best way in which to ensure good hand hygiene in

hospitals —— it is not necessarily at the front door of hospitals, but first i can say that more. i want is in anyfrom first i can say that more. i want is in any from a professional who is raising concerns with the government about different ways in which we can do more to protect them and protect the public is being properly considered and probably followed up andi considered and probably followed up and i want to give that very clear assurance. “— and i want to give that very clear assurance. —— properly followed up. we are advising people to really have some sort of hand hygiene at transition times, whether that is entering a building, entering your own home, leaving your own home, arriving in where you're going to and that would include hospitals. either wash your hands with soap water, soap and water are very, very good and will get rid of this virus. it has a greasy coat around it, so plain old soap will dissolve the virus and remove it completely. soap and water, if they are not available, use hand sanitiser is. it is that arriving somewhere new, and then arriving home again when you

have been out. all of those transitions, if you have touched surfaces, wash your hands and you will get rid of the virus. just to repeat the specific concern that you raise there. it is been properly followed up. to suggest this morning that emergency powers actually did too could give government the power too could give government the power to seal off areas of clusters as they emerge questioning if not something you would consider? we will consider all steps that we think are necessary to protect public health. i set it openly and candidly. if we consider that powers are needed to be used then we will set out to the public why we consider it necessary to use them, but i do not want to get into a situation... what we're asking people to do is for everyone's protection and as far as possible we should not have to be any situation where statutory powers are being used to force people to do the right thing. people should be doing the right thing because it is for their protection and the protection of loved ones. in my experience, some

of it anecdotal, some of it more for more than that, the vast majority of people are doing the right thing and i would encourage an appeal to the public to follow the advice that has been given. any other questions? do you want to just say a word or two about ongoing plans to scale up and it questioning share. about ongoing plans to scale up and it questioning sharelj about ongoing plans to scale up and it questioning share. i think the la st it questioning share. i think the last time i spoke at a briefing i spoke about the mobilisation plans dozen of those are well in hand. that is to do two things in particular. the first of all, to double the number of intensive care bed that we have and to increase our bed that we have and to increase our bed capacity by 3000. we now have all the individual board mobilisation plans with us and we are going through those line by line to make sure that individual boards are doing everything that we believe they can do to maximise the capacity in the hospital setting at the same time, i have met with community

pharmacy colleagues and to ensure they have everything they need and they have everything they need and they are looking to extend their hours for many areas of health care. we can deliver that. we have now extended the work that was under way in inverclyde, across scotland, so that community pharmacies have access to health later that they need. this is all designed to ensure that health care continues to be provided, but that we take some of the additional pressure of our gps and practices so they can continue to do the work that they need to do as well. and there will be more steps ta ken as well. and there will be more steps taken in that way that we can give more detailed out in the coming days. final questions? on the appeal to get retired nurses back into the workforce , to get retired nurses back into the workforce, but are a bit?|j to get retired nurses back into the workforce, but are a bit? i cannot give you the final numbers today, but within 24 hours we had had 300

contacts from people either by telephone or by e—mail offering. they were in the categories that we needed, in terms of medics, nurses, some ah peas, retired physios, occupational therapist, who will be very important in the community. we had 300 contacts from people coming forward and saying they will help with this. we will be able to get the up—to—date numbers at the start of the week and be clear on the process that people goes through in order to offer us that believe valuable help. the authors of help that are flooding in... you also heard from nicola sturgeon. a couple of important things coming out during the course of the sapphire. the first of all, confirmation of the northern ireland executive of a further death in northern ireland in the last 24 hours. we have now three additional deaths in scotland, seven additional deaths in scotland, seven

additional deaths in england and one in wales. we have not —— seven additional deaths, one in wales. we have not had the england fatality figures yet. 0ne have not had the england fatality figures yet. one from the statement, they have had to employ the military to bring out one patient from the islands. and the ferry services will be stopped for nonessential travel. we will bring you more from the rest of the uk at the top of the air. this is bbc news.

the headlines: the national health service could soon be overwhelmed if people don't practice social distancing to tackle coronavirus. that's the warning from the british prime minister. london's mayor urges people to act responsibly. unless people stay at home, unless people stop using public transport, unless people stop interacting with each other, more people will die. three scottish people who were suffering from coronavirus have died. first minister nicola sturgeon said pubs that refuse to close are putting lives at risk. my message to them is close now. we have emergency powers within days to

force you to close, and we will use these powers if