the government considers further emergency powers to slow the spread of coronavirus. after scenes like this on the london tube this morning, the prime minister is expected to give a statement later this evening. to give a statement boris to give a statementjohnson will address the nation borisjohnson will address the nation at 8:30pm tonight and the direction of travel seems clear, much tighter limits on our lives are on the way. the uk death toll has risen to 335, that's a six—fold increase on this time last week. the health secretary admits challenges in supplying enough protective equipment for nhs staff. a new type of schooling begins as children try to follow lessons from home. the government tells people stay away from second homes or campsites to self—isolate. and the former first minister of scotland alex salmond

is cleared of all sexual assault charges. and later in the hour, we will have sport on the bbc news channel with the latest reports, results, interviews and features from the bbc sport centre. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. the government is considering further restrctions as coronavirus continues to spread in the uk. the usual afternoon briefing from the prime minister was cancelled as mrjohnson is chairing a cobra meeting. he's expected to give a statement later this evening. among a number of potential measures, the government is considering closing all nonessential retail stores and introducing fines for people

who ignore the current coronavirus advice. the uk now has more than 6000 confirmed cases , though as only a fraction of the population is being tested, the true number is likely to be much, much higher. and 335 people have died so far from coronavirus. that's six times more than this time last week. 0ur political editor laura kuenssberg has the latest. life is not as we know it. the same spring sun, the same part of the coast, almost deserted this morning. but this was yesterday. when the government's plea did not persuade enough of us to stay at home. and these london tubes still packed this morning. leaders are poised to crackdown. if you are going out and socialising when you don't need to and taking unnecessary journeys, then you are putting people in the nhs, you are putting them at risk as well. so stop and if you don't stop, then we are going to have

to take more measures. with others out and about this morning, how much attention has been paid to the request stay in or stay two metres away from others? north, south, east and west, it may soon be more than advice. this is not to be seen as optional. what i am about to set out should be considered rules we are expecting people to comply with. if you are not providing essential items like food or medicine, then please also close now. but with new limits come new constraints on the economy. the government stepping in, today moving to sustain the railways for at least six months. with empty platforms, far fewer passengers and fewer services. emergency moves, expanding the state in a way that could change the country for years, decided in a matter of days. but there are still urgent appeals for help, especially from the self—employed. i am finding myself in financial difficulty in which i have never been before.

i have my car on a car loan, so when this is finished, i won't have a business left. my plea is simply to treat us in the same admirable way that salaried workers have been treated and look to provide the support that we need because we too have families that we need to keep safe and well and fed. mps are still gathering on the green benches, even though not crowding together. with senior labour politicians demanding tougher talk. we as her majesty's loyal opposition actually do now call on the government to move to enforce social distancing and greater social perception as a matter of urgency, because, i am sorry and disappointed, but i am afraid that many people are not adhering to the social distancing that we expect. a demand that may soon be met. playgrounds silent in sussex. a deserted city centre in birmingham. car parks with hardly a vehicle in sheffield. ministers grappling with

the decision to force our public spaces to empty in the hope of managing a time full of risk. laura joins us from westminster now. we're expecting a statement from the prime minister later this evening, what more can you tell us about it? we do not have the details. the prime minister will speak to the country at 8:30pm in his own words but i think we can expect that it has become increasingly clear when ministers in scotland and northern ireland gave heavy hints about the fa ct ireland gave heavy hints about the fact our leaders are willing to take further steps to enforce the so—called social distancing, that simple instruction that staying at home saves lives and if you must go out, you must literally keep your distance from people. we know politicians and members of the public were dismayed when they saw at the weekend lots of people were not seriously taking that advice to heart and carrying on their lives in

ways they thought was ok. it is clear now politicians think they have to do more to enforce these rules rather than just put them forward to the public as advice. what can we expect? i think it likely the government will tell any shops not selling foods or supplies people vitally need to close. it is likely we might see some kind of enforcement mechanism, because saying this, pleading with people is one thing, but using a system to force people to comply is something else so it is possible we might see the police being asked to fine people if they do not heed the advice. i will stress in a couple of hours we will know precisely what is offered. this is a fast moving situation. the government has been clear they might have to take these draconian actions but very clearly this has accelerated in a way they did not expect a few weeks ago. some advice from the foreign office for

british people abroad ? advice from the foreign office for british people abroad? a stark message, a plea to those around the world saying if you can, come home now. because it seems with travel becoming more difficult and more restrictive, the window for getting people home soon might be closing quite fast. for some time, british people have been urged not to go anywhere around the world but travel and transportation is one of the things most subject to limits as leaders around the globe tried to grapple with this. of course putting that message out is easier than making it happen. some british people are stranded abroad even though the government says they are doing all they can to bring them home. the health secretary has acknowledged there have been "challenges" with the supply of personal protective equipment to nhs staff in england — but added he is determined to rise to them. last week, nhs staff said the lack of protective gear was putting them at risk during the coronavirus outbreak. matt hancock said a million face masks had been bought over

the weekend and he was taking the issue "very seriously". here's our health editor hugh pym. it we are not ready. we are running out of masks already. we haven't even started into the crisis, really. there is not enough equipment to last us all and we don't feel the government have been transparent with how many masks they have. we have had doctors tell us they feel like lambs to the slaughter, that they feel like cannon fodder. for the past week, doctors have told us their concerns about the lack of personal protective equipment known as ppe. now the health secretary is keen that things are seem to be that things are seen to be happening, with more boxes of clothing and masks going out to the nhs front line. though he admitted there had been problems with distribution. i am determined to ensure the right kit gets to the right hospital, the right ambulance service, the right doctor's surgery right across the country. there have been challenges and i can

see that and we are on it and trying to solve all the problems. at this vast warehouse on merseyside, boxes of equipment are stored and then sent to hospitals, gp surgeries and other areas where staff may come into contact with infected patients. the army is helping with logistics. some nhs staff say while consignments are getting through, it is not always the right equipment for the right people. at another large and sprawling site, the nhs is looking at creating a giant field hospital. the excel conference centre in london's docklands. it is an option being discussed with military planners advising health chiefs. we are currently trying to organise remote working. some gps, like dr lucy andrews, are having to adapt to self isolation measures. she is working at home, speaking to patients via video link or phone. she is facing up to some challenging times ahead.

a storm, the next six weeks quite daunting. for now, she can't leave the house because her 14—year—old son sam had coronavirus symptoms, including a fever. her husband, also a doctor, has had to move out to a hotel. and in another illustration of how quickly the virus can spread, at this nursing home in hove, more than half the 20 residents have developed symptoms, but they will have to wait five days for test results. seven of the staff also have symptoms. headteachers say parents have heeded calls not to send their children to school unless it's a last resort. schools, colleges and nurseries across the uk closed their door on friday until further notice in an effort to halt the spread of the virus. so how have parents and pupils been coping with homeschooling? frankie mccamley reports. i'm a man with a mission. i've been doing this forfour years now, visiting schools all over the uk,

trying to inspire young people to exercise. and that he did. with more than 800,000 households across the uk taking part this morning. including eight—year—old safina and five—year—old may. after their new daily work—out, the new way of learning begins. with mum anita as teacher. i think, at the minute, the girls are in a stage of novelty, so for them it is fun to be at home. as time goes on, i'm not quite so sure where that is going to leave me. for those key workers dropping children off today, it was not an easy decision. i'm really conflicted. i would like to keep 0llie at home. but, also, i need to go to work. i feel like we should not be doing this. we should all stay at home. but, then again, we have no choice. it's only day one of this new teaching regime and this primary school is already

feeling the effects. the head teacher has gone into self—isolation. but the school day must continue, so the teachers are inside right now, making a new plan for the day ahead. the staff are quite stressed about how it is all supposed to run. some parents have definitely wanted to use the childcare. we have had to turn them away explaining that all children who can be safely looked after at home, need to be at home. at the local secondary school, only eight of the 760 pupils are here today, taking part in creative activities. vulnerable pupils and the children of key workers under the age of 14 are being prioritised. a 15—year—old was turned away today. but despite the empty classrooms, new challenges are arising hourly. i have had some more staff who have self—isolated, but i do know that some staff today have gone to try to log on to our online learning platform and i think the system has really crashed.

some teaching unions say information is still not clear enough and want virus tests made available for all staff at schools. for those at home, parents are the new teachers. living rooms are the new classrooms. this is what education will look like in the days and weeks to come. frankie mccamley, bbc news. over 1.8 million people across all four uk nations, most at risk of needing hospital treatment if they catch coronavirus, are being asked to stay at home for at least 12 weeks. the strategy is called "shielding" and the aim is to protect lives. so how will people know if they fall into this catagory and how will they be helped? danny savage has more. the order has been given. from today, more than 1.5 million people who are most at risk should they catch the virus have been told to stay at home for at least 12 weeks.

we, as a society, must shield them from the pandemic. that is my morning and evening tablets every day, for a week. simone is one of them. she has cystic fibrosis and primary immune deficiency, meaning that she needs regular treatment. it is scary. it is isolating. and it isjust tearing me up inside. i'm anxious all the time. i'm not eating very well. i'm not sleeping very well. and i'm very tired. there is quite a list of those who must stay at home. it includes solid organ transplant recipients. many cancer patients. people with severe respiratory conditions, including all cystic fibrosis, severe asthma, and severe copd. and people on immunosuppression therapies, sufficient to significantly increase the risk of infection. many of the people who are in this group would already know that,

from now on, they have to stay at home. the government is pledging to deliver food and medicine to them for as long as it takes if they need it, but that operation is onlyjust gearing up, and it's still not clear when exactly it will begin. here in north yorkshire, the county council is part of the plan. this is a massive logistical operation. the scale of making sure that we hit everybody, and understand their needs, and there will be all sorts of follow—ups in terms of issues that we didn't get quite right first time round, so, sourcing the food, understanding demand, matching demand with supply, so lots of moving parts to try and get right. this is the text message that some of the most vulnerable got today, telling them to open a window, but not to leave home, and to keep away from others, indoors. so, that makes it vital that friends, family, neighbours and communities look out for and look after those who are housebound. it is a state of affairs

that will be part of our everyday lives for months. danny savage, bbc news, north yorkshire. in other news... alex salmond has been cleared of all the sexual assault charges against him. the former first minister of scotland has walked free after being cleared by a jury following a trial at the high court in edinburgh. the jury returned a not proven verdict on one charge of assault with intent to rape, but found him not guilty of all the other 12 charges, including an attempted rape. here's our scotland editor, sarah smith. faced with shocking allegations alex salmond always maintained he had never attempted a nonconsensual sexual encounter in his entire life. throughout the trial he argued that people were making up claims against them for political reasons. he didn't go into details. there was certain evidence i would have liked to have seen led in this trial but for a variety of reasons we were not

able to do so. at some point, that information, those facts and that evidence will see the light of day, but it will not be this day and for a very good reason. there will be a scottish parliamentary investigation into this whole process with question surrounding nicola sturgeon's role. i will absolutely be happy in the fullness of time to set out my role and set out and explain the actions i took. all along, my most important consideration has been ensuring that complaints of this nature that are brought forward are not swept under the carpet, that they are properly investigated. the court heard evidence from nine women who claim they had been sexually assaulted by alex salmond. they continue to have the right to remain anonymous. several of the women who claimed they had been sexually assaulted by alex salmond said it happened here at the first minister's official residence. they said he had touched or grabbed them, or kissed or try

to, without their consent. mr mcadoo said that whilst on occasion his behaviour had been inappropriate, he had never done anything against the law. he described two consensual encounters in his bedroom at bute house and said other incidents were misremembered or made up. he said... i think we have won the election. alex salmond was one of the most powerful and influential politician scotla nd powerful and influential politician scotland had ever seen. massively increasing support for scottish independence during the 2014 referendum. 0nce very close to the current first minister nicola sturgeon, this court case has caused bitter personal and political rifts. the snp are now design —— divided over policy and personalities like never before. alex salmond has now

cleared his name, but there may be seismic political consequences to come. sarah smith, bbc news. countries across europe continue to be engulfed by the coronavirus pandemic — despite restrictions being ramped up. thousands of army reservists have been called up in switzerland to relieve hospitals under pressure as the number of people testing positive for coronavirus jumped by 15% in 24 hours. it is now more than 8500. spain has again registered its highest daily death toll of people from the virus, 462 have died in the past day. the deputy prime minister, carmen calvo, is being tested in hospital. in italy — there is some good news, the rate of infection has dropped for the second day in a row but it's still europe's worst affected country. 6077 people have now died,

with 601 deaths in the last day. in a moment we'll hear from damian grammaticas in madrid, but first — mark lowen sent this report from italy. tightening the screw on people and the virus. two weeks into a nationwide lockdown, the measures are toughening again. italians now banned from leaving their town and travelling across the country. not since wartime curfews have these scenes played out. the limits on movement are being stepped up, with ever more police spot checks to see if people can justify why they are out. and yet, polls suggest that most italians would support even tighter restrictions. there is virtually no sense of rebellion or complacency here. with streets deserted, all nonessential companies will now be shut down too. italy is running out of things to close. still open is this laboratory where they are working on a coronavirus vaccine. dna injections to produce an immune system response. they're aiming for clinical trials by the end of the year.

we are going to use a vaccination that is a fragment of the dna, which we inject into the muscle. we are really confident this technology will work, because we have been using this technology to generate anti—cancer vaccines. it can't come fast enough for hospitals in the worst—hit region of lombardy, where all 800 intensive care beds are now taken. 24 doctors have died. latest figures show a slowdown in new cases, but experts warn caution. we have to wait more days to evaluate if this decrease is continuing or, if it is just the good news of a day. but i trust in these containment orders. at one crematorium, the backlog is piling up. among the companies allowed to stay open are manufacturers of coffins. coughing

restrictions listen to the coughing from virus patients sprawled in the corridors of a madrid hospital. it's a health service starting to be swamped. inside another hospital. spain's capital is the epicentre of this country's outbreak. medical staff say this isjust the beginning. cases are expected to keep rising for days yet. so they are making desperate appeals. translation: we don't have beds, ventilators, staff, protective equipment. i am just finishing a ten hour shift. look at me. look at my tears. please, stay at home. we watched today a constant flow of new arrivals. ambulance after ambulance. every time, it means hospital staff are being exposed themselves. and healthcare professionals really are making extraordinary sacrifices here. more than one in ten

of all confirmed infections here in spain are amongst doctors, nurses and other health workers. maria is an anaesthetist in isolation after testing positive. her symptoms have been mild, but also infected have been her boyfriend and baby. things are so dire, maria is waiting for a new test and the all clear as her hospital needs her. i will want to work, yes. so, straight back into the hospital? straight back to the war, because now, it is so dramatic here in madrid. so dramatic, she says, doctors are now having to prioritise. the young get ventilators before the old. first you need to take care of the young people, of course. very old people who are not going to recover from this case of disease, well, you help them not to suffer, but probably, they won't go to the critical care unit. in one of those units,

doctors removed a breathing tube and the patient recovering takes their first breath unaided. applause a moment of triumph. the reward for all the risks the medics have taken. damien grammaticas, bbc news, madrid. well, let's put some of this in context now in terms of where the uk stands relative to spain and italy with the spread of coronavirus. 0ur medical correspondent fergus walsh is here. those pictures are horrifying. how farare we those pictures are horrifying. how far are we behind italy? there are some striking similarities between how italy was doing a couple of weeks ago, compared to where the uk is now. now, italy reached 233 deaths on the 7th of march. that was 15 days after the first death, there. if we look at the uk and superimpose the uk on top of that, the uk reached the same total 14

days afterwards, on the 21st of march. you can see that, since then, italy has gone on to have over 6000 deaths, and the uk, 335. every country will have its own unique epidemic, but it is a stark warning of what may be coming here. how does social—distancing affect the spread of infection? very dramatically. this is the positive news everybody needs to take seriously. 0n this is the positive news everybody needs to take seriously. on average, each infected person will infect about 2.5 others and the chain of transmission takes about five days. if you have no curbs whatsoever, that one infected person will, after 30 days, become 406 people infected. but, if you just cut the exposure by half, sir, one person infects 1.25

people, a 50% reduction then, after 30 days, instead of 406 people infected, you have just 15. 30 days, instead of 406 people infected, you havejust15. so a difference between 406, and 15. it really is dramatic. a90 5% reduction. so it is a message to all of us, to obey the social—distancing criteria and not to have any unnecessary social contact. because it really will save lives. fergus, we hear you. thank you. the government's issued new guidance, urging people not to travel to their second homes, caravan parks or camp sites to isolate themselves — or for holidays. the welsh government has said it will force caravan parks to close if necessary. the move comes as there are concerns that additional pressure is being put on local communities and services which may not be able to cope. jon kay reports. cornwall, quieter today. but locals are still worried.

in some parts of this county, half of the properties are second homes and some owners are fleeing their primary residences in places like london and coming down here. stay where you are, stay away. haley is a blogger who normally promotes cornish tourism but not at the moment. what would you say to somebody who owns a caravan or property in cornwall and thinks "i own it, i want to take my family there to be safe." stay away. all you are doing is spreading the risk of infection. you are also placing your family in a location where there is fewer medical resources to help them should they get sick. this county is not immune. in cornwall, seven people have already died with coronavirus and there is only one hospital with an a&e department. those responsible for health care in the county are worried about how they will cope.

if we are inundated with holiday makers and second—home owners coming down to cornwall to escape what is going on elsewhere in the country, we are just going to break the system and that will have a massive impact on everybody. not just the local people but the holiday makers and second—home owners as well. there have been similar calls from snowdonia and the highlands, from yorkshire to east anglia, not least because many of the uk's most popular tourist areas have large elderly populations. a lot of people who live up here are fearful of people from london, where obviously the risk is higher, all coming up here and taking on the places and mixing with everyone and bringing the coronavirus into our area. the government says the uk's 5 million second—home owners should now stay in their primary residence. and places like this should not be seen as a destination

for self isolation. john kay, bbc news. once again you've been inundating us with your questions about coronavirus. one subject keeps coming up — social distancing — what it means exactly, and how you can best do it. 0ur health correspondent, sophie hutchinson, has been getting some answers for you. there is no specific advice for children have more than one home. the rule of thumb is that there should be no travel except where essential but it seems reasonable to argue that it is essential that children see their parents. if you are going out, though, think about taking a car if possible or walking. it is tricky. inevitably

supermarkets are places where large numbers of people congregate. if you 90, numbers of people congregate. if you go, maybe go on your own and don't ta ke go, maybe go on your own and don't take anyone else from the family. and some supermarkets have set up marks on the floor near the pill is people at a safe distance from each other. the big one is, when you get home, wash your hands. well, it is hard if you live with someone who is in an at—risk group, but perhaps when you get home, think about putting your coats and bags away somewhere separately and wash your hands thoroughly. try to keep a good distance from them, and you could consider, if it is possible, doing separate cooking. and don't let them touch anything that has been near your mouth, so cups, glasses, knives and forks or even toothbrushes.