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 we have two. 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. holland sees a 16% rise in confirmed cases of coronavirus. the death toll has gone up by 43 since yesterday. hello, and welcome to viewers in the uk and around the world. the british prime minister borisjohnson has warned that unless the public starts to practise "social distancing" more effectively, hospitals

here will soon be overwhelmed by the coronavirus. he urged people not to visit their parents on mothers‘ day because of the dangers to elderly relatives. nhs england is to contact one and a half million people at greatest risk to tell them they must self—isolate for 12 weeks. the number of people who've died in the uk from coronavirus has risen to 244, with three new deaths in scotland just reported. there are more than 5,000 confirmed cases. the world health organisation has told the bbc it will take at least a year to develop a vaccine against the virus. globally, more than 310,000 people are confirmed to have been infected with the virus, and over 13,500 have died. spain, one of the worst affected countries, has 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, richard galpin reports on the situation in the uk.

the streets across this country are now quieter. this followed increasingly urgent calls from the government for people to stay at home. even the churches are closed, and this is mothering sunday. and now the government is implementing even more stringent measures to protect 1.5 million people who are most at risk. effectively putting them into a 12 week lockdown. if you are one of these individuals, i understand you will be very worried and we would not have done this lightly. we are doing this because it is absolutely critical to save lives. at the same time, we will be setting out to them how we will help them, so they might be staying at home for a long time, but they should not feel alone. the 1.5 million people who will receive letters or text messages in the coming days include those who have organ transplants, or who have severe respiratory conditions, cystic fibrosis,

or specific cancers. the advice is for them not to go out for 12 weeks. also, not to have any gatherings of friends or families, nor shopping, leisure or travel. meanwhile, there is still concern about how seriously people who are healthy are taking advice to keep at least two metres apart from each other. what is described as social distancing. in london, the police are expected to be given extra powers. the emergency bill that will go through parliament next week will give additional powers to the police and others to enforce the law. i am not somebody who says these things lightly, but i am quite clear that, unless people stay at people stop using public transport, except if essential, unless people stop interacting with each other, more people will die. to add to the challenge now facing the country,

some nhs staff say they have still not received the protective equipment they need, such as masks, to stop their patients being infected. the way we work in the nhs is, i think, adding to the problem. it is notjust that we are infecting staff, those staff are leaving, they are taking public transport, the train, the tube trains are packed when they do run, there is no way to socially distance the health care workers, who are not rich enough to travel by taxi, and so we are spreading this virus more and more. the fear is that the rapid infection rate in italy, which has overwhelmed the health services there, leaving 800 people dead on saturday alone, could be replicated here. and, at the moment, there is nothing which can stop the virus spreading. i think we have to be realistic. vaccines take a long time

to develop, test, make them safe, prove they are effective, and then produce enough for everybody. it is 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 is absolutely safe, and that it does good, not harm. we are talking at least a year. the hope has to be that the increasingly stringent measures now being implemented will slow the spread of the disease. in the last few moments, scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon has announced that 416 people have so far tested positive for the virus in scotland and 10 people have now died from the disease. speaking during a press briefing, the first minister said she will not hesitate to implement emergency legislation to shut down pubs which are avoiding advice to shut.

it is with huge sadness that i must confirm ten people have now died in scotland, an increase of three since yesterday and my thoughts are with their loved ones. today we have had to call on military help to transport a patient from one of the 's islands to the mainland for treatment, and this underlines that i'io treatment, and this underlines that no part of scotland will not be affected by this virus. no part of this country will not have people who either have it or get it in the future, and unfortunately, no corner of scotland is not at risk of seeing some of the residents die from it. let me say a word now that pubs, clubs, restaurants and gyms, i am glad to say that the vast majority have complied with advice to close, andl have complied with advice to close, and i thank them for that. last night, a tiny minority of pubs stayed open. let me be blunt. in doing so, they put lives at risk. my

message to them is 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 we should not wait for that. you should do the right thing now, and help us to save lives. these are steps we all must take to protect scotland. alexander mackenzie is in glasgow. what was striking there is this real sense of frustration that some are not taking these measures seriously enough. explain the anecdotal evidence that the pubs were staying open last night. yes, most of this had come from social media. a couple of pubs were named on social media. police had gone along to a couple of those pubs, but at this stage, they do not have the power to close those pubs down. what the first minister has said, that emergency legislation will be brought through, and those pubs can then be closed by police

officers who turn up. but what she has said is that pub and restaurant owners should not wait for that. they should do the right thing and close their promises now. that will save lives. i was quite struck by something the chief medical officer of scotla nd something the chief medical officer of scotland said in a news briefing about how when they had seen the figures, the estimates of the number of potentially fatal infections that could come, she saw the figures on friday with the latest updates, and what was striking was at the coronavirus infections seemed to be spreading more quickly than the estimates that have been based on what had happened in china. is that pa rt what had happened in china. is that part of the reason why they seem to be ramping up this call for more social distancing, not, for example, going to some of the beautiful parts of the highlands to escape from home? they are trying to warn people that you are in danger of taking the virus to places that might be least well equipped to cope with it. yes, that's right. this press conference

was an appeal for people to do the right thing, to practice social distancing, to practice self isolation if that was what was being advised. as you said, the chief medical officer did make that very stark point, that this virus is now moving quicker than had been expected. we were not expecting this press c0 nfe re nce expected. we were not expecting this press conference today, but that is one of the main point is that they have made today. a warning to people that the virus is now spreading quicker than expected. you did mention the countryside. politicians yesterday took to social media and said that people should not be coming from other parts of the uk to their holiday homes, or to their camper vans to stay in the highlands and islands of scotland. you can see the appeal of that, getting away from the cities, but then they could possibly be bringing the virus into those smaller communities, and many of them have a very large elderly population. 0ne of them have a very large elderly population. one of the things that the first minister has done that was

new today, she has told the ferry companies that ferries are now only to be used for people who live on the islands, visitors will not now be allowed to go to the islands. she also made the point to a hotel and bed—and—brea kfast owners that also made the point to a hotel and bed—and—breakfast owners that they are not to take bookings from people from outside the area. alexandra, thank you. very striking, an interview in the sunday mail in scotland with the national clinical director of nhs scotland, saying basically that if people don't take this seriously, it could be the difference between tens of thousands of people dying and the number of deaths at around 2000. it could not be more stark, that morning. take this advice seriously, you are endangering the lives of other people. earlier our health correspondent hugh pym told me more about guidelines for the general public.

if you want to go for a walk this afternoon, that is fine, there is no rule that says you can't leave your home. it's important to say that. but, be sensible. the advice is go and have a walk, but don't get into and have a walk, but don't get into a large cluster of people, avoid gatherings in any public place. if you meet somebody who you know, have a chat, but observe that to me to rule. as well, of course, public places which have been closed anyway, and nonessential public transport, that is seen as something that should be avoided. so go out, but be careful about what you are going to do, and who you are going to talk to. we have got this 1.5 million people that the nhs will write to this week. who are they? these are people with serious health conditions —— cancers, leukaemia, those needing dialysis. the instruction is too stay—at—home for 12 weeks. the nhs will be in contact to advise on how that can be managed, and food will be delivered.

that is a very specific group of people. there is a wider group of people. there is a wider group of people who also have health conditions, that could be for example diabetes, respiratory issue, parkinson's, where the advice is go with the general population guidance, but to be particularly careful. don't stop for chats with people you don't know. get some fresh air, but stay—at—home. that also applies to people over 70. you touched on one practical thing, they are confused out there, this is a virus so we know there is no vaccine and no way of stopping it, but we are also being told we must rub surfaces with wipes. why? the virus is thought to survive on a hard surface, a hard plastic service, it could be a rail on public transport, ora could be a rail on public transport, or a door handle. that's why they have to be disinfected. if they are

disinfected, that is effective. but the advice is go and wash your hands, never mind what disinfectant has been applied. 0n hands, never mind what disinfectant has been applied. on a softer surface, or cardboard from a home delivery, is generally thought not to survive very long, so it is find you have food delivered to your house based on that guidance. part of the advice particular for people who might be potentially vulnerable is, presumably, about the capacity that the nhs has to treat people who already have coronavirus where they have to be hospitalised, and not to be overwhelmed by the numbers who might otherwise be coming in for that kind of treatment. how worried are officials in nhs england about the risk of being overwhelmed by the number of people, if we don't take this seriously? one of the reasons for the advice, for example particularly for the elderly, those who are maybe a bit over the age of 70, is to be especially vigilant with these social contacts, to avoid the risk of picking up the virus and then needing to go to hospital. much

older members of the population of more vulnerable and are more likely to need hospital treatment. yes, the nhs is worried about what is coming down the track will stop it could be a surge in patients in a matter of weeks. preparations are being made, more intensive care beds are being created at hospitals. all nonurgent surgery is being stopped. a deal is being done with the private sector, 8000 beds there. some doctors feel not enough is being done and they are worried about their own protective equipment. they say it did not arriving. the government is saying they are getting out of the front line, but it has not arrived in some places. so there is nervousness about what is to come. that was our health editor. 0ur political correspondent helen catt is here. the issue in the uk, which is partly alluded to by the first minister in scotland, is one of enforcement, the sense that people can be asked to do something, for example in richmond park in south—west london,

world—famous park in south—west london, world —famous park not park in south—west london, world—famous park not far from kew gardens, where people were all out on saturday, it was heaving with people, and now authorities are trying to close parts of the park. it is very difficult, critically at a time of year when the sun is out, people are desperate to get outside. of course the sun is not out that often in the uk at this time of the year. yes, there is that issue. actually, enforcement so far has not really been somewhere that the government has particularly wanted to go. we saw it started last monday with this request are people to start social distancing and the measures you just heard there from hue. but there was a sense that what the government wanted to do was to bring people along with them on side, they have been selling this as a national effort, this is how everybody can play their parts. they seemed reluctant to get to the point of enforcement, and it was on friday that they actually decide to enforce closures of pubs and restaurants. the government has said, this is because what they are doing is

taking steps at the most effective time as advised by the science. that is their explanation. but there are questions about why things are not being done sooner, and how long can you keep on saying to people, don't do this, these are the consequences. in ever blunter language. we heard today from the prime minister really blunt language, you know, saying that he could not sugar—coat the thread that older people were more likely to die from coronavirus. the language is getting starker and starker. are people paying attention? i suppose when the language is a start, and if people ignore the language, that is when people start to look to enforcement. there are additional emergency powers coming into force that would allow the police to actually, effectively, physically restrain people who they believe are infected, but who are ignoring the advice not to go out and not to mix. yes, you are referring to the emergency legislation that was put before parliament last week, and

thatis before parliament last week, and that is a whole suite of different changes to uk laws. some hand in quite a bit of power to the state, which would give, and one example would give police and immigration officers the power to detain and isolate someone who they believe is infected. this already happened on the isle of man. yes, there is a broader principle behind this. one of the more senior ministers in the uk was saying earlier, the government does not want to get to this stage because we are a free society in the uk. actually, they wa nt society in the uk. actually, they want people to be able to go out and exercise safely and sensibly. they don't really want to get to a point where they are having to say to people, you are not leaving your house. but he didn't rule out that other measures could be taken if it looks like people just are not really respecting what they are being asked to do. just one bit of

additional news we should bring you. for soap opera fans in the uk, itv has announced that it is suspending production from tomorrow on its weekly soap operas coronation street and emmerdale. it had hoped to carry on filming so that there would be episodes of both soaps airing until at least the early summer, but it can't afford to put people working on the show at risk. now, the headlines on bbc news. 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. three scots who were suffering from coronavirus have died. first minister nicola sturgeon said pubs that refuse to close are putting lives at risk. spain reports nearly 400 more deaths from coronavirus. that's up by a third in 24 hours. the country's state of emergency has been extended by 15 days. in sport, calls are continuing for a

postponement to this summer ‘s 0lympic postponement to this summer ‘s olympic and paralympic games in tokyo after the organisation global athlete has added their voice. the former real madrid president has died in hospital after contracting coronavirus. he was president at the clu b coronavirus. he was president at the club from 1995—2000. the dubai world cup, one of the richest horse races, has been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. the meeting had been set to ta ke pandemic. the meeting had been set to take place next saturday behind closed doors. i will have more on those stories a little later. spain has doubled the current 15—day state of emergency as its death toll rose by nearly 400 in the past 24 hours. and in italy, prime minister giueseppe conte has announced a new set of lockdown measures which edge closer to shutting down the entire country. more than 4,800 people have now died in italy. freya cole reports.

singing. 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. authorities in croatia say that around 1,000 people may need temporary accommodation following this morning's earthquake in zagreb. health officials say a 15—year—old boy was killed when a building collapsed on him. the quake caused several other buildings to collapse, burying vehicles in rubble. a witness says the earthquake lasted for more than ten seconds and was followed

by several aftershocks. croatia's prime minster told people to stay outside but reminded people to keep their distance, due to the coronavirus outbreak. now, as we're warned not to visit elderly relatives on mother's day, some businesess are preparing to miss out on their usual sales as more customers avoid going into shops. those businesses with an online presence are expected to fare better but a tough time ahead is expected for the retail and catering sectors. here's our business correspondent katy austin. sending their love from a locked down care home on this strangest of mother's stays, families are staying in touch online. and people have not been shopping for their usual gifts either. with no walk—in customers, this lady has pushed her mail order ca ke this lady has pushed her mail order cake hits instead, and took on staff who lost their jobs cake hits instead, and took on staff who lost theirjobs elsewhere to deliver them. i have sold more than double what i normally would, which is incredible because if i do have

to close for a couple of weeks, then iam0k to close for a couple of weeks, then i am ok with that. if i have to close for longer, i don't know what the situation is going to be. restau ra nts, the situation is going to be. restaurants, tea rooms and pubs are now shut, losing any mother's day bookings which had not cancelled. even some florists have had a desperate week. this year, out of the 34 years i have had my own business, this is the worst mother's day ever, ever. why is that? people are thinking about food more than flowers. everyone is panicking, people are panicking. for shops and businesses who sell all sorts of gifts and cards, mother's day is normally a boom time. because of the pandemic, there are fewer people out there shopping on the high streets this year, and there is a big shift to buying things online for delivery instead. but it is thought that still won't make up for an overall drop in the amount customers have spent. this chocolate chain has temporarily closed prior to shops

and shifted staff to online in the run—up to mother's day. and shifted staff to online in the run-up to mother's day. shops up and down the country are seeing a broad reduction in football, but we are seeing a marked big 100% plus increase in shopping on our online channel. does the online increase make upfor channel. does the online increase make up for the loss of physical sales ? make up for the loss of physical sales? not wholly, no. it offsets it. but right now, being online is a bigger advantage than ever. firms who were reliant on people coming into their shops face an unhappy mother's day. at 4:10pm gmt, we will get the latest from downing street on the government's efforts to combat coronavirus. you can watch the news conference live on bbc one, and on the bbc news channel, so do stay with us for that. now it's time for a look at the weather with helen. good afternoon. very little changing

with our weather through the rest of today, so more sunshine for many. still a chilly breeze for the east coast and the south, although not as strong as yesterday. it will feel less chilly out and about. more sunshine for northern ireland. through the night, cloud will close and once again, physically for the north and west, preventing a frost largely here as we switch our wind direction to the south. for most, with light winds under starry skies it will be cold with temperatures falling to —4 in some countryside areas. they could be some missed first thing, but otherwise an abundance of sunshine follows for england and wales tomorrow. more high cloud for the bulk of northern ireland, some hazy sunshine, with that weather front close by. the rain will probably hold off until after dark, but it will be with us for the north and west of scotland, where there is a met office warning out for sunday. there is, as ever, more detail online. for england and wales, the fine weather lasts into next week.

hello, 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 it's essential, unless people stop interacting with each other, more people will die. three scots 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 will have emergency powers within days to force you to close, and we will use these powers if we have to. 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 24 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 observer a 14 hour—long curfew to try to limit the epidemic. now on bbc news, the latest information and health advice on coronavirus, including what the symptoms are, and how to self—isolate. presented by victoria derbyshire. hello and welcome to this special programme. i'm victoria derbyshire.