this is bbc news. the headlines. the uk prime minister warns of tougher measures if social distancing advice isn't followed — he says people who are acting irresponsibly — are putting lives at risk. we will keep the implementation of these measures under constant review and yes, of course, we will bring forward further measures if we think thatis forward further measures if we think that is necessary. nhs england writes to one and half million of the most high risk people, who are told to not leave home for 12 weeks — to shield them from the coronavirus. spain's state of emergency is extended for another two weeks — while in italy the death toll from the virus rises again. primark is the latest uk high street chain to close its doors until further notice.

and new ways of reaching parishioners — on a sunday without church services as usual. good evening and welcome to viewers in the uk and around the world. the british prime minister today urged the public again to follow the rules for social distancing to slow the spread of coronavirus. speaking in downing st in the past few minutes he said the government would bring forward further measures if necessary if the 2 metre rules isn't observed. it comes as one and a half million people at greatest risk are being told they must self—isolate for 12 weeks. the government says it's drawing up plans to deliver food parcels to those without friends, family or neighbours to help them.

the number of people who have died in the uk with coronavirus has risen to 281. there have been 5,683 confirmed cases. here's our health editor hugh pym. at his daily press conference, the prime minister first had thanks for nhs staff and those who followed official advice to limit social contact, cancelling mother's day visits for example or sacrificing businesses by closing pubs, restaurants and gems. but he hinted there could be more measures to come. we will keep the implementation of these measures under constant review and yes of course we will bring forward further measures if we think that is necessary. so, always remember in following this advice, i know how difficult it is, but always remember that each and every one of us, you are doing your bit

in following this advice. so, how much social distancing has there been today? in brighton, they they were out and about, it was may be quiet for a sunny spring sunday, this meanwhile was richmond park in south—west london. this early morning train was crowded, some perhaps heading into work. but at the supermarket, isles were full as people with their trolleys focused on shopping. malham in the yorkshire dales, families were out walking as usual enjoying the sunshine. almost all of us, there are no new rules saying we should stay at home, it is ok to go for a walk or have a run, especially on a day like this. but, there are clear new guidelines on what we should and shouldn't be doing if we do go out. the advice to the general public is to stay at least two metres apart to avoid all gatherings, such as groups of friends, and to avoid all nonessential travel. the over 70s and those with underlying conditions

should be extra careful, for example people with asthma and diabetes or who are pregnant. they are advised to significantly limit face—to—face interaction, including friends and family. there is different guidance for up to one and a half million people with serious health conditions, including cystic fibrosis, specific cancers and those who need dialysis. they have been told not to go out for 12 weeks. we will be setting out to them how we are going to help, so they might be staying at home for a long time, but they shouldn't feel alone and we are going to do this in a number of ways, medicines will be delivered through community pharmacies and food and supplies are going to be delivered through local councils with the support of supermarkets and the armed forces. as for the front line of the nhs, ministers say specialist protective equipment has been dispatched to doctors and nurses who could be treating patients with coronavirus. but, some say it hasn't yet arrived. we have been hearing over the last few days and weeks from doctors

across the country who are really particularly worried about the lack of personal protective equipment that they have been seeing on the front line. we have had doctors tell us that they feel like lambs to the slaughter, they feel like cannon fodder. doctors and public health experts were out on the streets of bradford today, stressing the key messages designed to help protect the most vulnerable. the aim is to look after them and do everything possible to reduce future pressure on the nhs. hugh pym, bbc news. and hugh pym joins me now within the last few hours, we had a new press conference. what was the tone? well, he was going out of his way to thank people for sacrificing, the sacrifices they had made, for not going out and cancelling plans and businesses who couldn't open, but there was a pretty strong hint

that if this social distancing policy wasn't having the effect of reducing the rate of growth of cases, that further measures will follow. the government has never ruled out in the uk further measures being a bit tougher, closing bits of public transport or moving towards people being really told to stay—at—home and some sort of measure like that as in france. but, it has not got to that point at the moment. there was a hint that if people didn't go along with the official advice to limit social contact when they left home, that more might follow. but, there has still been an increase in cases and fatalities. yes, a news today of fatality in the uk, someone who was just 18. thought to be the youngest person so far, that being said, it was someone with an underlying health condition and this is sadly the case with vulnerable people with underlying health conditions that

they are more likely if they get the virus to suffer quite serious consequences but certainly, very tragic news that somebody of that age has died. which is why we want to stop the transmission, stop the spread and do the sensible thing and heed that advice. how is the nhs coping at the moment? well, we are hearing anecdotal reports that it is very stretched in parts of london, london is a couple of weeks ahead of the rest of the uk in terms of case numbers, we had a london hospital late on friday saying that it had a critical incident, that it had to pass on coronavirus patients to other hospitals. equally, we are hearing from doctors that a lot of work is being done to create intensive care beds to free up space, the uk government has done a deal with the private sector to bring in 8000 beds in private hospitals for use by the national health service but we are also hearing from doctors that protective

equipment has not been made properly available, they are frustrated, worries, some are scared, ministers say that equipment is going out as fast as possible to try to get to the front line of ambulance workers and doctors and nurses, mental health workers and others across the service. the other concern was the number of ventilators that it is likely that the uk will need. yes, the call had gone out from the government for manufacturing industries to do more to help create ventilators to supply them. simon stephens who runs the nhs in england has said the number of ventilators will go up from 7000 to 12,000, so effo rts will go up from 7000 to 12,000, so efforts are being made to create that capacity but what is likely to bea that capacity but what is likely to be a surge of intensive care cases. but the message from the nhs and the government is that a lot depends on people going along with the guidance, with social distancing, staying at home, reducing risk to themselves and others. that is very important if the nhs ultimately is

going to be able to cope. the only conversation that you have with anybody is about coronavirus and a lot of people are saying to me, how can we trust these figures about confirmed cases when we are not widespread testing? when is that supposed to happen and on what scale? it has been controversial in the uk with the level of testing, the uk with the level of testing, the world health organization has dropped strong hints that the uk ought to be doing a lot more testing, capacity wasn't really there at one stage, it has now been ramped up, the government announced last week that it would go up to 25,000 test per day but they will be focused on hospital patients. the key thing is to ascertain whether somebody who comes in with a serious respiratory condition, with pneumonia symptoms, did they have this virus or not? did they need to be isolated? this virus or not? did they need to be isolated ? but, this virus or not? did they need to be isolated? but, there are nhs worker saying that they want to be tested because if they develop symptoms and it is not the virus and if they knew about it, they could get back to work. well, the

government says it wants to do more nhs testing but there are no firm plans nhs testing but there are no firm pla ns yet nhs testing but there are no firm plans yet that had been made clear to everybody. thank you very much. the main coronavirus developments around the world. the rate of new infections in italy has fallen for the first time. the country experienced 651 new virus deaths in the last 2a hours in comparison with almost 800 yesterday. the current death toll nears 5,500. spain is to impose 30—day entry restrictions on most foreigners from midnight at ports and airports. spanish nationals, foreign residents, air crew, cargo workers, health workers and diplomats will be exempt. the country had already closed its land borders a few days ago. new york's governor andrew cuomo says the state has 4,800 new cases of the coronavirus bringing their total to over 15 thousand. the deaths have risen to a total of 114 state—wide. and elsewhere in the world, greece has imposed a countrywide curfew that will begin from monday

to stem the coronavirus spread after confirmed cases rise to over 600. the country saw the largest single—dayjump in confirmed cases so far with fatalities increasing to 15. mozambique has announced its first case of covid—19. the country's health minister confirmed that a 75—year—old man who had returned from britain in mid—march had contracted the virus. german chancellor angela merkel has announced new restrictions on social contact that will apply across the whole of germany.from now on people will only be allowed outside on their own, with members of their household or with one other person not in the same household. they will monitor and punish anyone infringing these new rules. more on that in a moment but first to italy where another 651 people have died since yesterday. in the worst hit region — lombardy — all outside sport and physical activity has been banned. and in spain — the state of emerency

has been extended for two weeks and they‘ re restricting entry to foreigners. we'll hear from damian grammaticas in madrid shortly but first sima kotecha reports from rome. every day, it gets quieter here. now, even hotels are closing after the government ordered all nonessential businesses to shut down. another move that turns this tourist city into something like a ghost town. hotel proprietors are anxious about what lies ahead. on a financial level, let us hope that the state helps in some way. if they don't, it will definitely be very worrying. but, on the other hand, she is keen to isolate. we don't know who is positive with coronavirus, even we could be infecting people who come to stay with us. thousands of doctors from across italy have applied to be part of a task force working in the worst affected areas.

here in rome, a moving tribute to all those working in hospitals and trying to save lives. it says, we stand with you. planes with extra medical supplies have arrived from russia to help hospitals here cope with the rising death toll. in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus, in some regions, people are no longer allowed to go more than a few hundred metres from their homes. it seems as if europe has stopped and each day with new death figures, it feels that little bit more still. streets drained of life, but out of sight, spain's fight against the virus is ceaseless. here in a hotel, the first of many that are being requisitioned to serve as an overflow for ha rd—pressed hospitals, this is how spain is trying to contain the infection. the prime minister has been forced

to govern by teleconference. he announced that the current state of emergency will last till mid april, restrictions on daily life getting even tougher. and this is what we found when we ventured beyond madrid. empty motorways. miles and miles of them. with virtually no traffic. this is one of spain's main north—south highway is, the only things moving our trucks. filled with food. so, apart from the bare essentials to keep this country functioning, spain really has come to a standstill, but despite these measures, there is no sign of the spread of the virus is being brought under control. the shutdown has left this entire country eerily empty. public places abandon. and this is the ancient city of cordoba, usually filled with tourists,

but not now. nothing. if the virus is a natural disaster, it is one that has left everything intact. just the people had vanished from view. manuela's family have run their gift shop here for 100 years. it is like a nightmare, my main worry is that nobody in my family get the virus. back in madrid, lorry—loads of oxygen for a new thousand bed treatment centre that the army has built in the city's convention centre. as all of spain's efforts are now directed in trying to save lives. the german chancellor has announced that she will be going into quarantine after coming into contact with a doctor who's infected with coronavirus. angela merkel also announced a ban on gatherings of more than two people in public outside work. the ban will be in force for at least two weeks, but it will not apply to people

from the same household. the number of cases in germany has been climbing rapidly, although the number of deaths remains low. announcing the ban, angela merkel made an emotional appeal for citizens to stick to the rules. translation: i am very moved by how many people are adhering to these social distancing rules. it is how we show care for the older people and people with underlying health issues for whom this virus is most dangerous. in short, this is how we save lives. please all go along with this. do the right thing for our country, show reason and empathy. in india, hundreds of millions of people stayed at home for a 1k hour national curfew. the capital delhi and several other states have been put under lockdown until the end of this month. experts warn that the containing the spread of the virus in a country of over 1.3 billion people is a formidable task. zubair ahmed reports from delhi.

the usually crowded streets of india's biggest cities looks like ghost towns. the country came to a standstill as hundreds of thousands of people observed a 1k hour curfew, requested by the prime minister. we shall neither leave our homes and go onto the streets or roam about our localities. the nationwide shutdown was aimed at encouraging people to stay—at—home as the country tackles the coronavirus pandemic. most domestic flights were grounded and shops shut their doors during the lockdown. police cars patrolled the streets, urging people to stay indoors. on normal days, this area is bustling and heavily crowded. but everyone has understood the importance of this. the crowd listened and as the clock struck

five, indians across the country came out onto their balconies, ringing the bell in honour of the medics working to contain the coronavirus. india has recorded more than 350 cases and six deaths from covid-19. it has started to put in several measures to control the pandemic. the indian railways, one of the world's biggest networks that carries more than 25 million commuters each day, cancelled all passenger trains until the end of march. with a population of over 1.3 billion people, containing the outbreak in the country is a huge challenge. the ioc has given itself a four week deadline to decide whether this year's olympic games can go ahead as planned. the olympic flame is just beginning a tour of japan. alternative dates are now

being considered for the games in tokyo which are due to start injuly. there's been calls from athletes for an immediate postponement. the headlines on bbc news. the uk prime minister warns of tougher measures if social distancing advice isn't followed — he says people who are acting irresponsibly — are putting lives at risk. nhs england writes to one and half million of the most high risk people, who are told to not leave home for 12 weeks — to shield them from the coronavirus. spain's state of emergency has been extended for another two weeks — while in italy the death toll from the virus has risen again. the fashion chain primark is the latest in a string of high street retailers to temporarily shut up shop. it's cancelling all future orders and is expected to close all of it's its 189 uk stores from tonight. here's our business

correspondent katy austin. there have been queues at wholesalers and a spike in online shopping. amazon has struggled to keep up demand for household staples and medical supplies. but non—food shops, which rely on walk—in customers, have suffered badly. timpson is is closing its 2000 sites after a 60% fall in sales. timpson is is closing its 2000 sites after a 6096 fall in sales. we based our assumptions on the fact that we will be closing our shops for at least three months. we have to cut costs as quickly as we can, but make sure we look after colleagues who have been with us for a long time, to make sure that it is viable for as well. shops don't have to close, but health concerns and lack of trade me more and more are, from river island to john trade me more and more are, from river island tojohn lewis were shut will fall across the country on monday night, although its online operation will remain open. now, primer is expected to close all 189 of its stores and it doesn't have an

online offering to fall back on. primark has weeks and weeks of stock on the way and more in warehouses, so it is cancelled all future orders. many struggling stores are asking already under pressure landlords to defer rents. then there is the impact of cancelled orders on the vast retail supply chain. they may be planning two or three years ahead with manufacturers all over the world, this isn'tjust about ahead with manufacturers all over the world, this isn't just about the uk, retailers all over the world are having to withdraw from manufacturing commitments so the knock—on effects on the global economy are going to be quite significant and will last for quite some time. emergency government measures such as scrapping business rates are designed to protect firms and jobs stop shops hope when they are out of hibernation, will return. tens of thousands of pubs, bars, theatres and restaurants across britain have already

shut their doors since friday. the government says the closures will be reviewed on a monthly basis. i'm joined now by paul berry, who owns a pub and a restaurant in bampton, devon. his restaurant has only been open for six months. paul, what is the decision you have made? well, we followed the government guidelines, and trade has been dropping off at the last fortnight and quite drastically. so, i was quite pleased that the government had made this decision and asked us to shut the doors, which is what we did. we then decided that we would look at doing a takeaway menu, we fulfilled our commitments today which, with it being mother's day, ifelt we had to, i had a conversation with my wife this morning and i decided that in the interest of my staff and public health, it was best to shut up public health, it was best to shut up shop. that leaves you and them

immensely uncertain about the future, do they have a lot of questions? they understand, i am talking to the monitor daily basis, setting whatsapp groups up, we do have questions, obviously we have some government help that will come along, there were some very good measures in there, i have been talking to the landlords, going through my business as it is to see what things i can cancel of my business without, the hard thing i have now is breaking contracts. but, iam in have now is breaking contracts. but, i am in for the fight, we tend to get to the end of it, ijust think everybody has to try and stay alive, thatis everybody has to try and stay alive, that is the important thing about it. because it isn't just that is the important thing about it. because it isn'tjust you, it is the supply chains, all those people who you buy from to keep your business going, they will also be affected. it is massive, down to the

fishermen in devon and cornwall, even smaller companies who do things like check you have no mice on the premises and things like that, give you a clean bill of health, it is just absolutely massive, . .. you a clean bill of health, it is just absolutely massive,... i have seen them trying to adapt this week and say that they will deliver to areas, house—to—house, which is a good thing in if they can do it safely. i was talking to a friend on monday when they said that they were going to do this and he has one of the biggest drinks distributors in the biggest drinks distributors in the country and he was in tears. ten yea rs of ha rd the country and he was in tears. ten years of hard work he said, just gone. nobody is going to be buying anything from him. you have an eye on the future though, what are you

doing to try and keep people in mind for when you can reopen? obviously, now is going to be a good time because we are not going anywhere, to evaluate my business and see how ican make to evaluate my business and see how i can make it strongerfor the future and come back bouncing and from the customer point of view, stronger as well. i don't know my plans yet, i haven't had time yet to ta ke plans yet, i haven't had time yet to take it all in, since friday. but, we will make a plan of action, we will come back bigger and stronger and that is the only way i can see things at the moment, but over the course of the next couple of weeks, i have plenty of time on my hands to figure out what we are going to do really. at the moment, the most important thing is that i can look after the welfare of my staff and customers and make sure that they get paid because they have

commitments as well. i am sure they will be very relieved to hear that andi will be very relieved to hear that and i will just will be very relieved to hear that and i willjust do a quick advert for you, there is a £50 loyalty card that you are offering. charities are warning that some homeless shelters are having to close because of a lack of volunteers. more money is being made available to offer accomodation , in wales, the government is planning to fund the block—booking of rooms at hotels and b&bs. here's our wales correspondent, hywel griffith. the virus may be emptying our streets, but what happens to the people left behind? for cardiff's rough sleepers, covid—19 is pushing down even further to the margins. nathan has been homeless for three years. if he needs to self—isolate, all he has is a tent. his health is poor and he is scared. if the shelters are closing and this has only started off...

where are we going to be in six months? you know, where are we going to be in six weeks? where are we going to be in six days? i don't know. it's tough. i don't know what to do, mate. this church—run shelter had planned to stay open but the virus means they won't have enough volunteers and so it will close this week. places like this offer a hot meal, a bed at night but also, much—needed stability. they can link to health services, to rehabilitation. if they have to close, that safety net can be taken away, too. this is all i have to my name. anthony does not know where he will sleep next week or what support there will be if people keep their distance. we have to go back onto the streets come into the cold. obviously, in danger, worrying about where you are going to sleep, where you are going to get your next, you know, hot mealfrom. we are taking the temperatures of all the staff when they come into the service. charities are under pressure, too. huggard runs a day centre and hostel. they can't afford to lose any staff to sickness. we have to keep going because

the alternative is that people are. sleep on the streets and if you are sleeping on the street at a time when coronavirus is pandemic, um, you are putting lives at risk. as everyone searches for ways to cope and plan for the future, some of our most vulnerable fear they will be forgotten. hywel griffith, bbc news, cardiff. for many of us — aspects of daily life have changed in ways we might not have anticipated even a couple of weeks ago. mother's day get togethers were advised against — church of england services didn't take place today. but some churches did find ways to reach their congregations — as phillip norton reports. on this mothering sunday when many are farfrom on this mothering sunday when many are far from family, friends and loved ones... church services like never before, on facebook, youtube and this broadcast to local radio

stations. the temptation is to pull up stations. the temptation is to pull up the drawbridge and just look after ourselves. that is the kind of thing that leads to panic buying, to growing fear and to spiritual and emotional as well as physical isolation. old face finding new ways to celebrate and support. this 13—year—old broadcast his bar m itzva h 13—year—old broadcast his bar mitzvah to his family. here in east london, this was friday prayers. a scene repeated all across the country. just weeks ago, in flooded yorkshire, the church was a focal point. but there were no services for the vicar in snaith today. point. but there were no services for the vicar in snaith todaym almost feels like, what else can you throw it is, everybody is really fatigued from the flooding and just to move straight into this is exhausting but we have the advantage of the community spirit that was built up then has just continued.

unsold mother's day flowers as the nation are told to keep away from mum. the many, this is how mother's day gratings have had to be made. i'm sorry i can't be their mum. it's 0k philipl i'm sorry i can't be their mum. it's 0k philip i understand. i'm sorry i can't be their mum. it's ok philip i understand. and for these mothers in lockdown in a care home, a message to their families. the point is to take each day as it comes, carry on regardless, be happy. it is a weekend when we have distanced ourselves from the ones we love but it is seen people come together in new ways. this about the this coronavirus outbreak on the bbc news app and on our website. now it's time for a look at the weather with helen willets. good evening. under the clear skies this evening and overnight, temperatures will fall away

and we'll have a widespread