this is bbc news. i'm ben brown. our top stories: britain enters lockdown. now people can only leave their homes for very limited reasons. without limited reasons. a huge national efforts to without a huge national efforts to halt the growth of this virus, there will come a moment where no health service in the world could possibly cope, because there will not be enough ventilators, enough intensive care beds, enough doctors and nurses. no national lockdown for the us. president trump says he wants to open up the country "fairly soon." meanwhile the virus death toll in spain rises above 2,000, and the health system appears close to breaking.

and we'll have the lastest from australia, where the premier of new south wales says the state is at a critical moment in its fight against the virus. hello, and welcome to bbc news. the prime minister has announced the most drastic limits to our lives that the uk has ever seen. the aim, he says, is to save lives in this time of national emergency. without a huge national effort, mrjohnson has made it clear there will come a moment when the nhs will not be able to cope and more people will die. 0ur political editor laura kuenssberg has more details. the clock starts on a new phase, big ben keeping time on any rat none of us

could have imagined. —— an era. inside, at a desk in downing street, and admission to every one of us outside. without a huge national effort to halt the growth of this virus, there will come a moment when no health service in the world could possibly cope because there won't be enough ventilators, enough intensive care beds, enough doctors and nurses. and as we have seen elsewhere in other countries that also have fantastic health care systems, that is the moment of real danger. to put it simply, if too many people become seriously unwell at one time, the nhs will be unable to handle it. meaning more people are likely to die notjust from coronavirus, but from other illnesses as well. so it's vital to slow the spread of the disease. no longerjust advice on how to battle the virus, but a demand from number 10. from this evening, i must give

the british people a very simple instruction — you must stay at home. because the critical thing we must do to stop the disease spreading between households. that is why people will only be allowed to leave their home for the following very limited purposes — shopping for basic necessities as infrequently as possible. one form of exercise a day. for example, a run, a walk or a cycle, alone or with members of your household. any medical need to provide care or to help a vulnerable person. and travelling to and from work, but only where this is absolutely necessary and cannot be done from home. that's all. these are the only reasons you should leave your home. if you don't follow the rules, the police will have the powers to enforce them, including through fines and dispensing gatherings.

this isn't only an emergency for our hospital wards, but for the country, so all shops must shut unless they sell necessities. all gatherings of more than two people are banned. the measures will be reviewed in three weeks, but... no prime minister wants to enact measures like this but, at present, there are just no easy options. the way ahead is hard and it is still true that many lives will sadly be lost. yet it is also true that there is a clear way through. in this fight, we can be in no doubt that each and every one of us is directly enlisted. each and every one of us is now obliged tojoin together to halt the spread of this disease, to protect our nhs and to save many, many thousands of lives. and i know that, as they have in the past so many times, the people of this country

will rise to that challenge and we will come through it stronger than ever. we will beat the coronavirus, and we will beat it together. and therefore, i urge you at this moment of national emergency, to stay at home, protect our nhs and save lives. labour had been calling from today for a firmer hand. we do need to understand how they'll be enforced, we do need to understand the details of who can actually travel to work and who can't travel to work. people are frightened, people are concerned, people just want certainty and clarity. so we welcome what the prime minister has said tonight, it's what we were calling for, but we hope the government can quickly follow it up with the details that families tonight deserve to hear. the demand in every corner of the uk tonight,

close the doors. let me be blunt, the stringent restrictions on our normal day—to—day lives that i'm about to set out are difficult and they are unprecedented. they amount, effectively, to what has been described as a lockdown. i know how difficult all of that is and i am not going to seek to sugarcoat it in any way. but these measures are essential for the protection of all of us. 0ur politicians can't hide from the scale of this. now, neither can we. after effort and pain, this will pass, but the country may look different on the other side. that was laura kuenssberg reporting from westminster. you can find out more about the new plans from the government and more about the symptoms of coronavirus and how to protect yourself on our bbc news app and on our website. in the

united states, president trump has called on republicans and democrats in the senate to pass a new stimulus bill to fight the economic impact of the coronavirus. speaking at a white house briefing, mr trump said congress was getting closer to passing the bill. he said both parties should avoid playing political games at a time when thousands of american lives were at risk. now congress must demonstrate the same bipartisanship again andjoin the same bipartisanship again and join together to pass the senate bill as written and avoid playing anymore parts and games. we have to get together and just stop with the part of some politics. —— partisan politics. i think that is happening, i got call a little while ago, i guess they are getting closer. it should go quickly and it must go quickly. it is not really a choice, we don't a choice, we have to make the deal. this should not be a time for political agendas but rather one for focusing solely

on squarely on the needs of the american people. that was president trump. 0ur north america correspondent peter bowes joins me now. so, stop with the political games, that is the message from president trump. do you think the republicans and democrats on capitol hill are going to abide by that? well, there has been no sign of that so far. in fa ct, been no sign of that so far. in fact, the senate and the senators on friday set themselves a deadline of midnight day—to—day to reach an agreement, and here we are now late on monday and there is still no agreement. the dispute seems to be in the fine print, the emphasis on corporate america as opposed to help for every man and woman in the street was suffering because of the coronavirus. so it is, the devil is in the detail, and it seems to be a major hurdle, with the democrats particularly upset that this republican bill doesn't seem to go far enough to help people that are really suffering. a lot of people, of

course, have lost theirjobs because of what is happening. what is the picture across america with the outbreak? because different states are taking different measures to combat it. yes, and more and more states every day are bringing in measures very similarto bringing in measures very similar to those measures we have been hearing about in the uk. california started at the end of last week asking eve ryo ne end of last week asking everyone quite simply to stay at home, closing businesses, you can only go out if it is absolutely necessary, to buy groceries or to seek medical attention, or if you work on any of those essential services. and there are some key hotspots, then, california, new york and washington state are the worst affected stop and around the country it has been the worst 2a hours in terms of deaths in america. 100 over the last day, bringing the total number of deaths to 500, but exponential rise, that curve we keep on hearing about, still going straight up. there is no sign of those numbers slowing down or indeed coming down yet.

in some countries, we have seen evidence of stock piling and hoarding of supplies. are we seeing that in the us? yes, lots has been said about that. some of the state politicians have been complaining about the prices they have been asked for facemasks and that kind of thing. the department of justice, the attorney general bill barr announcing in the last few hours but they are indeed clamping down on those organisations that might be hoarding some of those essential supplies or indeed price gouging stop we have heard reports of these facemasks being sold for nearly seven 01’ facemasks being sold for nearly seven or eight times their face value. so that is something that the government is clamping down on. they also have said that they have closed down a website that was offering an entirely fake vaccine. peter, thank you very much. that was peter bowes with the latest from the us. meanwhile in australia, in the state of new south wales, it says it is

going to use harsh penalties to enforce self isolation against the coronavirus. the number of cases in the state has jumped to 880. 0ur correspondent, shaimaa khalil, joins us from sydney. i suppose this is a country that has been dealing with the nightmare of the bushfires you we re nightmare of the bushfires you were reporting on not long ago, and now it is dealing with the nightmare of coronavirus? that's right. many people that i have spoken to make that very point, especially in the worst affected areas, communities who are saying that we have suffered for the summer months, well into january and february, trying to get over the disaster that was the bushfires, trying to maybe just take a breath, only to be told that we have to stay at home, close down businesses, because of coronavirus. it is really a double hit for many of the communities here, especially with the federal government putting in new restrictions of closing all unnecessary

services. pubs, clubs, places of worship, restaurants are only down to take away. and thatis only down to take away. and that is really because the ramping up of these measures has gone up since last week. but it has been slow in catching up with many people. many people are still outdoors, if you go out you can see people out and about at reduced numbers, but certainly not as empty as the government would wa nt empty as the government would want it. new south wales has recorded its largest spike in the last 2a hours, nearly 150 cases. with the new south wales premier, as you say, there will be new measures. the victorian premier also announcing there will be a 500 police task force to ensure that social distancing is in place. i would say the most immediate effect of those measures so far has been the very long queues, unprecedented, that we have seen unprecedented, that we have seen here, people lining up outside jobcentres, wanting

seen here, people lining up outsidejobcentres, wanting to know what has happened now, they have lost theirjobs, or they have lost theirjobs, or they are about to lose their jobs, they want to know what they are entitled to under the stimulus package. the difficulty of course is that one, people don't know what to do. this hasn't happened in a very long time. but also, the time you're telling people to stay home and stay put, many people are gathering outside the centres because they feel they have to do. thank you very much indeed. let's focus on europe now. when italy first quarantined in 11 northern towns over fears of a potential coronavirus outbreak in mid—february, it was a small pa rt mid—february, it was a small part of a global story but still largely centred on china. today, one month on, europe finds itself at the heart of the world plasma coronavirus pandemic, ramping up restrictions on its citizens while straining to cope with the explosion in infections. now, thousands of army reservists have been called up in switzerland to relieve hospitals there you are under pressure, as the number of

people testing positive for coronavirus jumped by 15% in people testing positive for coronavirusjumped by 15% in 2a hours. it is now more than 8500. spain has once again registered its highest daily death toll of people from the virus. a62 have died in the last day. the deputy prime minister there is being tested in hospital. and in italy, there is some good news, at least. the rate of infection has dropped for the second day ina row, has dropped for the second day in a row, but it is still europe's worst affected country. 6077 people have now died, with 601 deaths in the last day. in a moment we will hear from damian green atticus in madrid with the latest there. first, mark lowen has this report from italy. coughing. this is 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're 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 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 — her hospital needs her. if i'm negative, i will want to work, yeah. so, straight back into the hospital? straight back to the war, because now, things are 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 breaths unaided. applause a moment of triumph. the reward for all the risks the medics are taking.

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. well, the limits on movement are being stepped up, with ever—more police spot checks to see if people can justify why they're 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're 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 genetic vaccination that is a fragment of dna that is injected into the muscle. we are really confident this technology will work, since 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. 2a 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 it isjust the good news of a day? but i trust in these containment providers. at crematoria, the backlogs are piling up. needless to say, manufacturers of coffins are allowed to stay open. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: the dutch orchestra performing from their homes to yours, beaming beethoven to

those in self isolation. two main symptoms of coronavirus to look out for a continuous dry cough or sneeze and fever. if you have a runny nose and a headache, you're probably ill but don't have coronavirus. so how higher fever is a coronavirus one and what is the dry cough? it is when you cough and there is no mucus 01’ when you cough and there is no mucus or phlegm, no green substance in your tissue. and it is not the odd cough here and there. you have to be coughing regularly for no other reason, like clearing your throat after smoking. so how

higherfever is throat after smoking. so how higher fever is a coronavirus fever? if you have one, you will know about it. technically, it's a body temperature of more than 37.8dc, or 100 fahrenheit but if you've not got a thermometer, basically you will feel hot and your chest and back would be hot. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: the british prime minister, borisjohnson, has imposed a national lockdown with immediate effect to try to suppress the coronavirus pandemic. president trump has said he's considering how to reopen the us economy despite a rise in the number of coronavirus infections. the economic impact of the coronavirus is unprecedented and the markets in asia have often been the first to react. they're opening for a new week. our business reporter

mariko 0i is in singapore. japan and south korea have opened fire. let's see why. there are a couple of reasons. firstly, america's central bank is ramping up efforts and it's promised to do something that it's never done or, even during the financial crisis of 2008. it's promised to buy as much government debt as possible. so that news is being welcomed by investors. they are hoping the us stimulus package will get him proved since the date lay on the weekend and that's why we are seeing asian markets higher. it looks like wall street will open higher this

evening. that doesn't mean volatility is over. we are starting to get really dire warnings. that the gloomy recession we are about to face is going to be as bad if not worse. if you look at various sectors from aviation, auto, filmmaking. we are seeing a lot of impact on those sectors and some dire figures of how many jobs may get lost during this outbreak. the south african president says he would impose a nationwide lockdown as part of efforts to contain the upgrade. they will be allowed

to collect medical care and social grants. the country now has more than a00 cases after seeing ajump of has more than a00 cases after seeing a jump of 10a on monday. the ugandan health minister has announced eight new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed infections they are to nine. all the ugandans who recently travelled to dubai. the authorities are also trying to trace dozens of passengers who are on the same. soldiers in bangladesh will monitor thousands of people who been quarantined since returning to the country. as part of a ten—day partial lockdown, the government has also declared public holidays from thursday to the fourth of april. the iranian government is strongly advising people not to travel within the country, as people are still celebrating the persian new year or noruz. iran is struggling to contain one of the biggest outbreaks outside china, with one person dying from the disease

every 10 minutes. more than 1,800 people are confirmed to have died. rana rahimpour reports. ignoring the warnings — over the last four days, more than eight million iranians have been travelling to visit family members and to celebrate the persian new year. that's according to iran's red crescent, who've been screening people for the virus at checkpoints across the country. many thousands showed symptoms. translation: we will come back very soon. we won't stay long. we are not travelling, we are just going to visit our parents. the iranian authorities are taking measures. shrines have finally been closed and new hospitals are being built, but maybe too late. with more than 20,000 confirmed cases, the country's health service is struggling to cope.

and it's the nurses and doctors who are paying the highest price. translation: hey, guys, are you all well? unfortunately, i'm not well. i still have a fever. i'm taking multiple medications. god willing, they will work. two days after posting this video online, dr mehdi variji was dead. dozens of medics have lost their lives battling covid—19 in iran. translation: our staff are risking their lives here and we don't have the equipment. just look at how unsafe my clothes are. just plastic bags tied around her feet. with iran's medical staff completely stretched and millions of people refusing to stay in, officials are warning of a second wave coming in a few weeks, possibly killing far more people. rana rahimpour, bbc news.

good morning. very little weather change to the next 2a—36 hours and that means for england and wales, many of you, blue skies will continue to dominate, a bit of warmth from that spring sunshine, the rest of scotla nd that spring sunshine, the rest of scotland and northern ireland, cloudy skies. some, particularly wet. especially close to this weather front, throughout, and it will take a while but to gradually shift. further south, high pressure remains dominant and to take this into the start of today, the chilli ‘s conditions sprinkle frost across england and wales and temperatures close to freezing. sunshine dominating here once again. further north, we can't rule

out sunshine to the east and north of higher ground but rain will come and go, particularly across the highlands and the hebrides, later into skye, 0rkney and wind and it's across the far north—west. gale force winds. there is the chance of some minorflooding. the odd splash of rain elsewhere. a bit more cloud to the far west fringes of england and wales but for blue skies overhead once again that it will be an even warmer day than we saw on monday. temperature is around 17 degrees in north—east wales and merseyside. a great day to get those windows open. temperatures in scotland, northern ireland, 10— 12 degrees. the cloud, the breeze will be in place. away from that, a bit more cloud, northern england and north wales, temperatures not dropping as much. it's across the midlands, southern england, where we like to see foster start wednesday. lots of sunshine again. barely cloudy

for scotland and northern ireland. the rain will of east. there will still be splashes of rain elsewhere. temperatures close to 60, 70 degrees. take us close to 60, 70 degrees. take us thursday, a bit more mist and fog around. plenty of sunshine for most across england and wales. most places will be dry by this stage. it will be dry by this stage. it will change towards the end of the week. as owner cloud that's when we start to see the wind switch around to a northerly direction. it will be offset by the strength of the march sunshine for the but either way, flavour, damages drop back into single figures. i wanted to flurries of snow are possible.

this is bbc news. the headlines: the british prime minister, boris johnson, has imposed a national lockdown with immediate effect to try suppress coronavirus. everyone in the uk will have to stay at home, only leaving it to shop for basic needs or take exercise. mrjohnson said the rules would be reviewed in three weeks. president trump has called on republicans and democrats in the senate to pass a new stimulus bill to fight the economic impact of the coronavirus. speaking at a white house briefing, mr trump said both parties should avoid "playing political games" at a time when american lives were at risk. and south africa's president says he will impose a nationwide lockdown for three weeks from midnight on thursday as part of its efforts to contain the outbreak.