this is bbc world news with me,. a quarter of the role‘s population is now in lockdown as the death toll from coronavirus goes past 20,000. another dramatic rise in the number of coronavirus deaths in spain has now overtaken china, second only to italy. in the uk, a warning that front—line doctors need more masks, visors, and surgical gowns to protect them from coronavirus. prince charles tests positive, saying he has mild symptoms. india shuts down as a three week lockdown begins. 1.3 billion people are told to stay at home. plus, how a couple whose dream wedding was thrown into

doubt by coronavirus, and how they found a creative way to celebrate with friends and family. a warm welcome to viewers here in the uk and around the world. this is bbc world news. a quarter of the world's population is now living under some form of lockdown. the global death toll has now passed 20,000. let's recap today's main developments in this pandemic. spain's death toll has risen by 738 in just 2a hours, going past the official figure from china and becoming the second—highest in the world. italy reported another 683 deaths in the same period. that is slightly lower than yesterday, but takes the total death toll in that country to over 7000. india is spending its first day in the world's biggest lockdown,

1.3 billion people have been told to stay at home. new york state reports more than 30,000 cases, but the governor says social distancing appears to be working to reduce the spread of the illness. russian president vladimir putin has postponed a vote on constitutional change that would allow him to stay in power because of coronavirus concerns. meanwhile, here in the uk, doctors could soon be facing a shortage of the protective equipment that they need to treat patients with coronavirus, joining a growing number of front—line workers round the world facing a similar situation. the british medical association says it could mean medics becoming very ill and even dying. hugh pym has this report. the shape of things to come. this london docklands conference centre will become a giant, temporary hospital with 4000 patients. urgent work to get it ready is under way.

0ne work to get it ready is under way. one part of nhs plans to prepare for a surge in coronavirus patients. one worker posted this video of the inside of the building. we've got 4000 beds to go in, two morgues. this hall is one kilometre long. manufacturing of scrubs for health workers is being stepped up. the sportswear firm in workers is being stepped up. the sportswearfirm in northern ireland template of staff last week, but now it has a major deal to produce clothing for the nhs. but the british medical association, representing doctors, says there isn't enough specialist equipment to protect staff from the virus in hospitals and gp surgeries, even after commitments by the government. 0ur message to the government is to not talk about increasing supplies oi’ not talk about increasing supplies or doing something, just please let's have the equipment now so that

doctors can feel safe, feel protected and not be in this fear of becoming infected with this virus, which would cause catastrophe for the health service. the government said on monday, millions of more items of personal protective equipment had been delivered, with more than 200 health organisations receiving fresh supplies. this hospital in essex said it was a priority to protect staff and there was enough specialist equipment. some health workers are worried about pressure building with covid—19 patients, though. about pressure building with covid—19 patients, thoughlj about pressure building with covid-19 patients, though. i am petrified of going to work, i'm petrified, but i have to go to work. you have to stay indoors. there is nothing so special out there for you to be going out. yeah, the sian's shining, you might be dead in his few weeks because she wanted to go out and get some fresh air. at

another hospital, doctors are more confident there have been adequate preparations. the feeling in hospital, while one of apprehension, ido hospital, while one of apprehension, i do feel from the mostjunior of trainees to the most senior co nsulta nts trainees to the most senior consultants and managers as well, everyone's really been pulling in the same direction as i have to say i have been a proud about what our hospital, our trust in the nhs has been doing. five-year-old alfie has been doing. five-year-old alfie has been seriously ill with suspected covid—19. after several days in hospital, he is now recovering at home, but his mother said at one stage, he was so ill, she thought she might lose him. i thought he was going to die. i thought i was going to lose my child because i had seen it all on the news where everyone has got coronavirus and then the next thing, people are dying from it. and to see him so poorly, i didn't think it was going to be able to come back from it. chloe was 21

and has died after testing positive for coronavirus. it's not clear she had an underlying health condition. her mother said on facebook, to all the people out there who think it's just a virus, please think again. let's check in with our political correspondent helen catt, who joins us now from westminster. that was a very powerful piece there, with health workers so open about their concerns. so address that in terms of what we heard from the british prime minister and also the british prime minister and also the confusion still around which workers can go to work and which can't. is a two france the government it's been really pushed on. the first is that idea about the medical issues, testing, particularly testing, and the fact that, in the uk, people will blunter systems at home and not been tested currently to see if they have had

coronavirus, so the government singh todayit coronavirus, so the government singh today it is trying to up the number of tests significantly, explaining there is a strategy and that is, at there is a strategy and that is, at the moment, they say they have enough test to test people who are ill in hospital. the next phase is to roll that out to nhs staff and then to others beyond that. it'll also bought a 3.5 million antibody tests which would tell you if you to democrats coronavirus, but there is currently being tested to see if they work, because if you want to check they are accurate before they are put onto a wider release. there are put onto a wider release. there are questions about why the uk appears to be slower than this, perhaps, than other countries. today, the chief medical officer, chris whitty, said there was a global shortage of the components needed for these tests. there are questions being asked about why more was not done earlier to try and ramp up was not done earlier to try and ramp up testing. 0n the other front, there are a lot of questions being asked about the government's strategy and the clarity or lack of

over who can and can't go to work. the government has said that they can i'm not restricted this to key workers, they have said that anybody —— they haven't restrict this to key workers, to say that anyone who can should go to work, but there are questions over this is the correct approach and there is confusion in the construction industry, for example, in that you have construction workers being told they can go to work if you can keep that safe distance of two metres, a lot of sites i think that is not possible. so it is confusion about who can and can't go to work. on it supports, all around the world as different governments lay out the support to different sectors and industry and their economies, the self employed as a category, we heard from the prime minister they are going to bring forward an announcement tomorrow on that? your fence out there has been pressure on

the government to do something for self—employment, after an announcement last week that the employer took it 80% of their wages, but the self—employed only have access to benefits. we are told next week there will be another package of m essa g es week there will be another package of messages brought forward by the government, we don't know what will be in that. there have been calls from other parties to make it equal to what is on offer to those employed by firms big mic at the government have said there are logistical difficulties as far as they're concerned, they say it is ha rd to they're concerned, they say it is hard to work at someone% wages, because they got up and down as you are self—employed and you file your tax returns in arrears. they say they are working on a system that would be fair and targeted. they say they also do not want to put in a blanket system, because some self—employed people are really suffering, but others may actually see their incomes go up. thank you. the other major development in the uk today, the prince of wales prince charles has contracted coronavirus.

in a statement, clarence house said that the first in line to the throne had devleoped mild symptons and is now self—isolating in scotand. 0ur royal correspondent nicholas witchell has this report. birkhall today, the prince of wales' home in the scottish highlands. it's here that the heir to the british throne is self—isolating, as is his wife. they'd arrived here on sunday night, he was already showing mild symptoms. he was tested on monday, the results came through late last night. in a statement, clarence house said... scotland's chief medical officer stressed that the prince had been tested in line with normal procedures. he was tested for clinical reasons and i'm very pleased to say that he is very well, and, as with many people

who have had this virus, has had a mild illness. the prince has met hundreds of people over recent weeks. 0n the 6th of march, in newquay, he was still shaking hands quite freely. 0n the 9th of march, he was at westminster abbey with the queen. handshaking was out, charles adopted the indian namaste greeting instead. but two days after that, on the 11th of march, he was evidently having difficulty remembering the no—handshaking rule. at that stage, it was still something to laugh about. 0n the 12th of march, the prince was at buckingham palace for an investiture, he also briefly met the queen. buckingham palace is usually pretty sparing when it comes to information about the health of senior members of the royal family. on this occasion, though, the palace was quick to say that the queen remains in good health. the queen left buckingham palace last week for windsor, where she's been joined by the duke of edinburgh. according to the palace, all appropriate advice is being followed to shield them

from the virus. spain has now recorded more coronavirus deaths than china. 738 people have died in the past day, taking the total to more than 3400. close to 50,000 people have fallen ill. more than 2500 of them are in a serious or critical state. damian grammaticas has this report from madrid. on a dark day for spain, a sobering sight — van after van carrying bodies of virus victims. this is madrid's biggest ice rink, it's been requisitioned to hold the dead. they need it, there are so many now. arriving at spainish hospitals are more and more cases, infections here leaping every day. more than 5000 medical staff have fallen sick too. so part of spain's urgent efforts are these new rapid testing centres,

specifically for those in the front line. a nurse fears she has the virus, a colleague has it. the swabs are invasive, unpleasant, handled with extreme care in case they have catched up the pathogen. translation: i'm very worried especially for my family and my patients. at home, i stay in one room, isolated, treating myself for my symptoms alone. so the whole of spain has now mobilised to fight the virus. a tanker load of chemicals arrives at an army base on the edge of madrid. inside, they're now making hand sanitiser, gallons and gallons of it, to supply hospitals, so great is the demand. translation: what we are doing is very important. we do what we can to try to solve the crisis. so, in this battle, it's not bullets this military

production line is making, but medicines to replenish stocks that are being used up fast. this is it coming off the production line, packs of paracetamol. spain's military have put down their guns and their weapon of choice in this fight now, packs of pills. and across spain, people everywhere are getting involved too, designing and producing the goggles doctors are so short of. those stuck at home, sewing face masks for the elderly. here, a nurse posts a thank you for the vital protection visor, handmade by people living near to her hospital. applause. that thanks is returned. every night, in every city, town and village across spain, acknowledgment of the bravery and sacrifice the medics are making. the sound of a grateful nation.

let's speak now to melissa kitson, a reporterfor el pais, who joins us from madrid. thank you for your time. give me an idea of what it is like living there we re idea of what it is like living there were such horrifying figures around the death toll? there is a very similar situation when you go down to the street, now is the time when it is green, the weather is lovely, you would expect people to be out and about, but now it is like a ghost town. almost everyone has face masks and gloves, everyone's keeping very much the one metre distance apart from one another. there is a lot of fear and nervousness on the streets, no—one really wants to spend too much outside. wary looks are being given, it's a difficult

time to be in madrid is. at it's particular about in the capital? yes, madrid has been the hardest hit by this crisis, as we heard from the reports of the more that i had to be transformed from the ice rink. as well as the senior centres here have been particularly ha rd—hit well as the senior centres here have been particularly hard—hit by the crisis, there have been a lot of families complaining and really in deep distress about their loved ones being left to die in these centres because they are not getting the help they need and how do people feel the government is handling the crisis? there has been a mixed response. i think there is a lot of debate about whether or not the government should have taken action sooner government should have taken action sooner and what of the restrictions they implemented should have been stricter. and the government has also come under criticism for going ahead with the international women's march on march the 8th. that day,

three government ministers and the prime minister's wife attentively march in madrid, and all women were subsequently contracted the virus. so there is an investigation opened into the government's handling of that particular situation. final thoughts, we saw that in the peace we played, but on screen again, reception that health workers have been getting every single night in madrid. which i'm just gone past the timejust now where, madrid. which i'm just gone past the time just now where, yet again, people go out, open their windows and upload the health workers. i just want to put that back on—screen. applause imean, applause i mean, that appears to be every night, melissa. give me an idea of what that is like, because such a bleak picture, you are just describing, but then also this. bleak picture, you are just describing, but then also thism really is heart—warming, every night, without fail, sometimes a

little earlier than hbm, you start hearing applause. my neighbours put on the spanish version of i will survive. not only dedicated to the health workers, but also the bus drivers, everyone who was working in this crisis. for the first time, you see my neighbours via the window, because of this nightly tradition, which shows no sign of stopping. it really is a moment in the day when eve ryo ne really is a moment in the day when everyone comes together and is thankful and is grateful for all the work everyone is doing to try to resolve this crisis. thank you so much for taking time to speak to us. india is in its first full day of a three—week lockdown. the prime minister, narendra modi, told the country's 1.3 billion people that the only way to save themselves from coronavirus is for no—one to leave their home. arunoday mukharji sent this report.

the message for all indian citizens, stay indoors and stay safe or else face not only health but legal consequences. 0nce bustling cities turned into ghost towns overnight as the country observes a complete lockdown. only those doing the most essential jobs allowed on the streets. we came across this family of four who failed to get home before the lockdown. translation: no one is helping us, people are scared to give us a ride because of the virus, the police are also asking for identity cards. desperate and worried for their children, they are having to cycle almost 15 miles to get home. these were the scenes in old delhi as hundreds of homeless gathered demanding food from authorities. some fear hunger will kill

them before coronavirus. others who were out to buy medicines and groceries told us the situation was challenging but agreed a complete lockdown was needed to beat the virus. there's no vegetables, nothing a baby needs, i didn't find milk or bread for the people at home. translation: this is good that the prime minister has enforced a lockdown, this is the only way forward. translation: this is good that the prime minister has these are unprecedented scenes in a country of 1.3 billion people, unimaginable before the crisis. many observers say that only a politician like narendra modi could take and implement such a drastic step. while the lockdown comes at a massive cost, that alone cannot help battle the virus. translation: we need a good sanitary system with testing, testing will be the backbone

of a good response strategy. without knowing where the fire is you cannot tackle the fire. the reality is that india has tested fewer people than most other countries. the virus is already likely to spread in far greater number than officially recognised. for the second most populous country in the world, disaster could still be ahead. elsewhere, the worst—hit country in south east asia, malaysia, is extending its two—week lockdown, as the number of infections continues to grow. last week, it closed its borders and shut down all schools and nonessential businesses until the end of march. that will now be extended to the 14th of april. the country reported 172 new cases on wednesday taking the total tojust under 1,800.

we go live to paris, because emanuel mccrone is talking to the press there. in the last little while, francis its latest updated death toll, 1331 now, with a further 2800 people on life support. city french presidentjust giving some of the latest details. that's going on and we will keep it across that and bring any significant detail in the next little while. around the world, families are having to cancel their plans and come up with creative ways to carry on with their lives. that extends to weddings, which the british government has banned until further notice. well, on saturday, kirsten and richard groom managed to get married, but instead of taking their vows in a crowded church they live—streamed their wedding via facebook, to make sure their friends and family could still share the moment with them.

kirsten and richard groom are waiting to talk to me now. welcome to the show, congratulations, first of all, and getting married to. that happens a quick, tell me a little more about having it to a whiz at the date forward , having it to a whiz at the date forward, and how you did it? we were planning to get married on the 14th of april, which are still three weeks away, but last monday, when restrictions started to be put into place, we decided it would be best to get married sooner. the next available day that neither of us was working would be last saturday, so on tuesday, got confirmation that could go ahead, and then in four days, plans a wedding! i'm sure you had in your mind very different plans, perhaps a bigger waiting, had in your mind very different plans, perhaps a biggerwaiting, but tell me more about the streaming i

am ina tell me more about the streaming i am in a family of technical done to heads, i would have never tried to do this, tell me how you manage it? i think we initially said we were going to graduate and try and share it afterwards, then richard had the idea of facebook live, and then we looked at how that could work, potentially. and it did, there were some hiccups, the sound quality was not always great, but most of the people we talked to were able to tune in like they were still part of our day, and that was our main wish and hope. by burchett richard, tell me what it was like, the files, for example. and social distancing with the minister, did he do thatjust one — the vows. we do not have a wedding rehearsal, so i was really worried i was going to mess up! it was good,

he stood quite far away and it was good. i don't like you really know what to say. well, we have the pictures from afterwards, tell me, both of you, what did you do about the reception, what will you do about the honeymoon? we have a lovely reception, i live in a house full of people who had to self—isolate together last week, and there were many gifts and some sort of chinese takeaway reception. honeymoon it can wait for a while. but now we get to be at home and start working on our dining room table tomorrow! richard, kirsten, we are out of time, but thank you so much for talking to us and taking us through how you pulled off this wedding. like you forjoining us on a bbc news. is a map of moby back

with more of the headlines, looking at what is happening in the out states in a moment, don't go away. hello there. good evening. it's been a day of split weather fortunes across the uk. sunny skies for some but very grey skies for others. this is the satellite picture. you can see that stark difference. england and wales with sunny skies, but across a good part of scotland and northern ireland, this cloud has just been sitting in place and will continue to do so, really, over the next couple days. still producing the odd spot of rain here as we go through this evening and tonight, but where you are underneath this band of cloud, temperatures aren't going to drop too far. so the likes of aberdeen and glasgow and belfast holding up around 6—7 celsius, but colder than that across the far north of scotland, the skies clearing here, and certainly cold further south across england and wales. some spots in the midlands, southern england, east wales could get down to —4—5 celsius. so, a chilly start to tomorrow but a bright one.

another sunny day in prospect for england and wales. still, though, a stripe of cloud affecting northern ireland and a good part of scotland, although northern scotland is likely to have quite a bright day — if a rather cold one — with 1—2 showers. and temperatures generally, actually, across the board just a little bit lower than they have been over the last couple days. also a noticeable breeze for some of these north sea coasts. for friday, light winds for many. again, a little bit breezy for some eastern coasts. lots of sunshine for england and wales. again, though, a stripe of cloud affecting northern ireland and scotland. the far north will see some sunshine and those temperatures, again, just a little bit lower than they have been. now, that band of cloud will finally start to move southwards. this frontal system associated with the cloud will be pushing its way southwards into the start of the weekend. and as it clears, it opens the door to some cold air which is going to plunge its way down from the north. a really chilly feel to things this weekend, particularly when you consider the strength of the wind. that will just accentuate that cold feel. saturday, a largely dry day

with some sunny spells. 1—2 wintry showers perhaps blowing into northern and eastern coastal districts. temperatures of 6—11 celsius. colder still, i think, on sunday. again, patchy cloud and sunny spells, but a slightly greater chance of seeing some wintry showers just spilling in from the north east later in the day. now, on the thermometer, temperatures will read between 6—9 celsius. that is below par for the time of year. and when we factor in the strength of the wind, this is what it's going to feel like. for some, it'll feel not much better than freezing.

you're watching bbc world news. our main headlines on coronavirus: with a quarter of the roads population in some form of lockdown. new york state has now recorded over 30,000 cases of coronavirus. the governor announces new restrictions and makes a plea to the rest of the us. we need help from the entire country now. we need resources from the entire country right now. because our apex is first and our numbers are highest. after days of panic—buying, south africans prepare for strict lockdown measures later tonight. we'll speak to the people behind a new app that tracks the symptoms of covid—19, hoping to get a million downloads in 24 hours. plus, should i stay or should i go?

that's the question couples across the world are asking, as self—isolation rules take effect. we'll speak to the uk's premier love expert. a warm welcome to viewers here in the uk and around the world. a stimulus package worth more than $1.8 trillion has been agreed by us senate leaders and the white house to ease the impact of coronavirus. it reportedly includes a payment of $1,200 to most american adults and aid to help small businesses pay workers. my colleague katty kay joins us now from washington. finally, this appears to have got over the line. may be. i wish i

could tell you this had been signed and sealed and then delivered to the american people. i bet they wish they could tell you that too. there does seem to be a small last—minute hitch, is what we are hearing from capitol hill, or some republican senators have concerns about the bill because they say that it makes it almost too attractive to be... they are concern some low—wage workers may be laid off to get more generous unemployed benefits in this bill. i imagine that will get worked out because people on both sides know that they need to get this passed. they wanted a senate vote on this today and then they were hoping they could get the house to vote on it tomorrow, so thatjust last—minute hitch coming into us from capitol hill. as you say, it is nearly $2 trillion. if you thing about that, the similar spill back into thousand nine after the crash was $800 billion, so this is more than double the size of that —— in

2009. the biggest rescue package. just give a little more detail on where the money is going to go. where roughly is this money going to be distributed? it goes, $1200, as you said, it's directly to people in the united states. i'm not sure if that's a final figure because we have not seen the final bill yet but the other saying there was anyone under earning $75,000. there are provisions for people unemployed. they would get more money for someone they would get more money for someone wrinkled that did get worked out, people in the gig economy, people who are self—employed, they will now get provisions. they did not in the initial bill. any democrat very keen to put in a counter —— accountability to make sure the 500 billion did not go to shareholders, to ceos in big profits and pay bonuses, and so those

provisions have been put in place and an inspector general to make sure the money is spent wisely. and turning to coronavirus, the cases there in the united states, the warnings from the world health organisation others it is likely to be the next big epicentre. the news coming out of new york is catastrophic. he heard the governor. they're just desperate for more medical supplies, and it seems it is hitting new york faster than the government there and the state of new york had expected full so there isa graph new york had expected full so there is a graph doing the rounds, we can put it up now, which shows the concerns that america is going to be the next epicentre. look right there on the left side of the graft and you can see how far growing in terms of the number of people infected, getting close to doubling every 24 hours, the number of people are being infected will stub and then if you look at the other side the graph, you see this asian countries,

they have managed to do this thing of flattening the curve, so they seemed more or less out of the woods wall the united states are ramping up wall the united states are ramping up the number of cases. what is it about asia, people are asking? people acting in the community's best interest... to protect old people. people defying those orders, going out in groups, going out on the speeches as long as the speeches as long going out in groups, going out on the speeches as long as they could... just the previous words on the politics. the next three weeks, thatis the politics. the next three weeks, that is what they expect the cases to spike. he talks about, president trump, his beatable timeline of easter. that's a collision. it's definitely a collision with what medical threes are saying here. even those in the white house are on the medical side. dr fauci say it has to

be flexible. let's see if the whole country really opens up on easter because given those numbers, as you say, does not of that is medical possible. —— does not like that is possible. —— does not like that is possible. katie hey kin k in washington. new york governor andrew cuomo has said that there are early signs that the virus‘s spread could be slowing down in the state — thanks to strict measures clamping down on social gatherings. the state has now confirmed over 30,000 cases of the virus. mr cuomo today pled for more resources from elsewhere in the country to help new york city. let's have a listen. we need help from the entire country right now. we need resources from the entire country right now. because our apex is first and our numbers are highest. but the apex, high point, will be

sequential across the country. joining me now is dr leana wen, a public health professor at george washington university who previously served as baltimore's health commissioner. when you hear warnings like that from the governor that the rest of the united states is two or three days away from what they are actually experiencing, what do you think -- actually experiencing, what do you think —— two or three weeks away.|j think —— two or three weeks away.|j think he is right. that's what the data shows. it's also a really sobering reality. i hear... i hear the stories, i cv stories. we see that new york is already running out of hospital beds and we are not even close to the peak of the epidemic. this is what

is going to happen to the rest of the country on this we can strengthen our health care system and very critically, we need the federal government in the us to step in. we cannot just leave federal government in the us to step in. we cannotjust leave it to local and state officials, as much of a good job they are doing in leading this effort. this is a national problem and we need national coordinated efforts to get the supplies to get the supplies where they are needed the most. supplies to get the supplies where they are needed the mostlj supplies to get the supplies where they are needed the most. i will come to preparedness and readiness ina come to preparedness and readiness in a moment or two but you talked about front line health workers. i was reading a piece on the last night, an account from a doctor, an american doctor, who dealt with ebola. and he said this was markedly worse in terms of what they were physically having to deal with with the patient‘s. physically having to deal with with the patient's. that is right. i've never seen the patient's. that is right. i've never seen anything like it or thought it would be possible here in the us, and we saw the images coming from china of nurses who had to reuse their masks for days and doctors who are making their downs out of garbage bags. we never thought that it would get to this point in the us, where this level of

rationing is happening. me and my collies are terrified of bringing coronavirus and bringing coronavirus back to their families —— me and my collea g u es back to their families —— me and my colleagues also we cannot to our health care workers who are on the front lines, or try to save our lives. that is really something that the us needs to ramp up production of immediately, something in their control, and also the messaging of social distancing, of continuing those efforts, needs to be front and centre. a twin final thought. how would you categorise the united states ? would you categorise the united states? you touched on equipment and

tests, hospital beds and ventilators. in terms of the response you seen so far, ventilators. in terms of the response you seen so far, from the president, is it in any way adequate interlock you actually... china but as time and i hope we use that time wisely. listening to the advice and the guidance and the pleas of those who are on the front lines. dr wen, we have to leave it there. thanks so much forjoining us. let's turn to russia. russia has been stepping up its response to coronavirus. from tomorrow, anyone over the age of 65 in moscow must stay at home — although that won't apply to 67—year—old president putin. gyms, swimming pools, and nightclubs have been closed, and international flights are restricted, as steve rosenberg reports. well, in russia, according to officialfigures, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases is relatively low. it's in the hundreds, compared with tens of thousands in italy, which is really surprising when you consider that russia is a massive country. but they are preparing for an influx of patients,

including here at the city's main emergency hospital, where they've converted a whole section to the battle against covid—19. well, this is the green zone, the safe zone to be in. it's actually the cardiological department of the hospital but, because of the pandemic, what they've done here is to repurpose one of the units for coronavirus patients. what they say here is that they have all the facilities, all the equipment they need to treat people. so if we look over here, this is where the patients who have suspected covid—19 are brought in. as you can see, everyone is in protective gear. it took them three days to set up this area, and they've put in 80 beds here. you can see some of the beds here, and they're all full. this situation is serious, but it is not a catastrophic situation. why do you think the official figures are quite low in russia

for people with coronavirus? if all people who have mild signs of infection, cough maybe or runny nose, would make tests the number of people with the coronavirus would be much more. so the message from this hospital, at least, is everything's under control. but russia is the largest country in the world with a health care system which for years has been underfunded and under enormous pressure. coronavirus is a huge challenge for everyone, including russia. that was steve rosenberg. one of the biggest challenges facing health authorities straining under the pressure of this pandemic is how little we actually know about the new coronavirus. researchers at king's college london are trying to change that —

with a free new app that lets users log their coronavirus symptoms every day. the developers behind the covid symptom tracker app hope it will improve our understanding of the virus‘s symptoms as well as providing real—time geographical data on its spread across the uk. i'm joined now by tim spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at king's college london — who's leading the project. it is absolutely fascinating and thanks for being with us. tell me more about how people will likely use this app. the idea is everyone can download the app on the mobile phone, either with apple or android, in the normal way. and really once you've got it on there, even if you have no symptoms, you are fine, you click on it, you register and then every day, you just click a button that says i am fine. if you are having some symptoms, you click a

button that says i am not fine and thenit button that says i am not fine and then it goes into a whole list of symptoms, some of which are the official governmental ones about it just being a persistent cough and fever, but we are fighting many people are reporting lots of minor symptoms that have not been classified as strict lee as being pa rt classified as strict lee as being part of the disease and so we are picking up lots of milder diseases as well. and the idea is that people would then track their symptoms over time, so we see work some of these rather weird symptoms develop into something serious, so we can reassure people that this is a minor form of the disease. and once you have got all of that data, what do you hope that will tell you? really, a number of things. it is like a map of initially the uk and northern ireland, but then other countries globally, and we are rolling this out in the us and a couple of days,

to give us a radar symptom, and early tracking device what is happening, because no country has done so much testing that they know what the population prevalence is stuck most countries are having to wait for dead bodies to pilot before they can have an idea of how bad it really is —— most countries are having to wait for dead bodies to pile up. the ideas for health services in the countries to start preparing and realising which areas need it most, which ones you don't have to worry about, how you can divert resources. so that's the first thing. any second is really how we can learn about these clusters of symptoms, learn what is really important, how that might affect the elderly or other at—risk groups. and once you've got huge amounts of data, you can start to really play around and see how these patterns of infection work and did a much better handle of it. by having these millions of citizen scientists initially in the uk but hopefully in many other countries, if they adopt

the same system, i think we can, it's a real powerful school for all of us as individuals working as a community and fighting the disease. just final thoughts, how do you separate erroneous data, people who think they might have it, but actually they don't? they record symptoms and once you get the data, you should be able to see clusters, whether it makes sense or not. if it's just an allergy, or they are bit anxious or neurotic, you would not see the same pattern you would do in genuine symptoms with other people with the disease. 0nce do in genuine symptoms with other people with the disease. once you have big data, you can pick out these findings with one doctor on their own cannot do. that is why it is so important we can millions of people signing up. we are nil and million in the uk alreadyjust in about 36 hours. it's one of the fastest downloaded, the faster download a health app at the moment,

and the momentum is still going, and so we and the momentum is still going, and so we think it has got a great potential not only here but all around the world, particularly in some other countries that are poured that cannot afford to do widespread testing —— that are poor were. fascinating idea. we will keep an eye on how it progresses. tim spectre, thank you so much for taking time to speak to us. stay with us on bbc world news. still to come: how social distancing can play havoc with your relationship. we'll get some top tips from dating expert and first dates star fred sireix. thousands of britons are still stranded abroad unable to get home as borders close and flights are cancelled. simon browning has been speaking to some of the people stuck

in countries from australia to pakistan — who still don't know how they'll get home. we have been stuck in brisbane, australia, and we want to come home, please. like hundreds and thousands of brits around the world, dream trips to dream destinations have now become a search for escape. the trip of a lifetime that we planned following our retirement. we can't come home because there aren't any flights. so it doesn't feel like we are getting the support that we need. hundreds of thousands of other brits face the same plight and it has been made more difficult as 80 countries around the world have now closed their borders and international transit hubs have shut. flights — extortionate prices, they are profiteering. this man is from rochdale, but is in pakistan visiting his elderly grandmother. the airlines, when they suddenly said, six hours, we are closing. saudi airlines shut, emirates, they closed. all we're asking, people need to get

back to their loved ones. yesterday, foreign secretary dominic raab told parliament staff in 168 countries are working around the clock, but it still isn't enough. we doubled our capacity, we are doubling it again to deal with the search and demand. in peru alone, 1,000 brits are stranded. tonight, good news. a government backed british airways flight will leave this evening. 200 passengers paid £250 a seat, with priority given to the most vulnerable. if they couldn't pay, they have signed an iou with the government. now, as airports are full of grounded planes, questions are being asked if more of these flights should happen? but as london city becomes the first uk airport to suspend flights, the race is on to get home. simon browning, bbc news. you're watching bbc world news. in just a few hours' time, south africa will enter a strict

lockdown in an attempt to slow the spread of coronavirus. in the last day, the number of confirmed cases in the country has risen from 554 to 709. south africa now has the highest number of infections on the continent. the bbc‘s nomsa maseko has more. it's just a few hours to go before south africa goes on a 21—day lockdown. the security cluster of ministers have been holding a press conference, basically explaining how this 21—day lockdown is going to work. and chief amongst those things are that only essential workers are going to be allowed and permitted to be out on the streets, but they will be needing a permit because the military will be all over the place. there will be roadblocks in virtually many parts of south africa to restrict the movement of people. the health minister says this has to be done to ensure that the spread of coronavirus is curbed, with south africa currently having just over 700 cases confirmed of the deadly coronavirus.

so the lockdown does start tomorrow evening at midnight. there will be the military on the streets along with the police. the people of south africa have been told that they will be allowed to go to the shops and buy food, and also if they need medical attention, but there will not be any sale of alcohol that will be allowed to happen. but elsewhere, in neighbouring zimbabwe, there seems to be chaos there because junior doctors have now downed tools and they've now beenjoined by nurses, who say that they will not go back to work because the government has not ensured that there will be productive gear for them to make sure that there are no cases of local transmission. nomsa maseko there in south africa. let's turn to, again, the issue of how we are coping with all of this.

for many couples, social distancing has forced them to become part time lovers, having to prove they're still crazy about each other via video messaging, long—distance phone calls and perhaps even by post. well, here in the uk — in the multitude of things they're grappling with — the government have been asked to play ‘agony aunt‘ and give some much needed relationship advice, to couples across the nation. have a listen. so if your two individuals, two halves of the couple, are currently in separate households, ideally, they should stay in those households. the alternative might be that, for quite a significant period going forward, they should just test the strength of their relationship and decide whether one wishes to be permanently resident in another household. there it is, that was the downing street briefing yesterday. either stay apart, or take the plunge and move in together. that's what the government says.

let's talk to fred sirieix, the uk's very own cupid and star of the hit series first dates. thank you so much for being here on the programme. the basic question, should couples move in together? first of all, i think any to assess each person has to assess, what is in their heart, and whether they can move into somebody else's house. and assess the other person as well to make sure they can actually be meeting in the middle and they want the same things. as long as her heart and your soul is in the right place, i think that it might well be a very good thing to do, because they are living together, it will really show them they are made for each other. in life, and knows anyone until you know them, and that would be a very good proof for them to find out. you say there, do it for the right reasons, and in the long list of reasons we all have for cohabiting, coronavirus, it's not on

any list, is it? no. we are a young couple, living together, there were some form of practicality. it is important all these things are discussed very openly and that both parties keep the communication open, and thus the most important, because if you're able to talk, able to listen, that would be a import for those couples. they have to relook inside their heart and look inside their soul, and if it is what they want to come i think the strength of their union will be even stronger because it is a period of great difficulties and they will know that they can really count on one another. in that sense, the advice is no difference to your show, which is be realistic and communicate properly? you need to be realistic. you need to can indicate properly. being a couple is not a fairy tale. it is not like a disney movie. fairy tales only exist in cartoons. this is real life, this is

reality. people are going to have to deal with who is going to do the washing and who is going to pick up the dirty socks, and these are very important, very small details in a couple's life, but it's also about how they are going to get on every single day because they are going to live together in the same household. and if both of them are to work from home, who is going to work from the kitchen table and who is going to work from the living room? all these little things. and how are they going to keep the romance alive? if you are young couple, you have certain expectations, but as shakespeare was saying, expectation is the root of all heartache, so i think we have to really be realistic and talk about how things about how they are instead of how they are wanted. fred, thanks. we have to leave it there. just some images coming into us here at bbc news.

in the last few minutes, downing street have released these picture of borisjohnson and the queen. it's traditional for the queen and her prime mininster to meet every wednesday to discuss the state of the nation. given the circumstances, it had to happen over the phone. the headlines are next. hello there. good evening. it's been a day of split weather fortunes across the uk. sunny skies for some but very grey skies for others. this is the satellite picture. you can see that stark difference. england and wales with sunny skies, but across a good part of scotland and northern ireland, this cloud has just been sitting in place and will continue to do so, really, over the next couple days. still producing the odd spot of rain here as we go through this evening and tonight, but where you are underneath this band of cloud, temperatures aren't going to drop too far. so the likes of aberdeen and glasgow and belfast holding up around 6—7 celsius, but colder than that across the far north of scotland, the skies clearing here, and certainly cold further south across england and wales. some spots in the midlands, southern england, east wales could get down to —4—5 celsius.

so, a chilly start to tomorrow but a bright one. another sunny day in prospect for england and wales. still, though, a stripe of cloud affecting northern ireland and a good part of scotland, although northern scotland is likely to have quite a bright day — if a rather cold one — with 1—2 showers. and temperatures generally, actually, across the board just a little bit lower than they have been over the last couple days. also a noticeable breeze for some of these north sea coasts. for friday, light winds for many. again, a little bit breezy for some eastern coasts. lots of sunshine for england and wales. again, though, a stripe of cloud affecting northern ireland and scotland. the far north will see some sunshine and those temperatures, again, just a little bit lower than they have been. now, that band of cloud will finally start to move southwards. this frontal system associated with the cloud will be pushing its way southwards into the start of the weekend. and as it clears, it opens the door to some cold air which is going to plunge its way down from the north. a really chilly feel to things this weekend, particularly when you consider the strength of the wind. that will just accentuate that cold feel.

saturday, a largely dry day with some sunny spells. 1—2 wintry showers perhaps blowing into northern and eastern coastal districts. temperatures of 6—11 celsius. colder still, i think, on sunday. again, patchy cloud and sunny spells, but a slightly greater chance of seeing some wintry showers just spilling in from the north east later in the day. now, on the thermometer, temperatures will read between 6—9 celsius. that is below par for the time of year. and when we factor in the strength of the wind, this is what it's going to feel like. for some, it'll feel not much better than freezing.

hello, i'm kasia madera, this is 0utside source. a quarter of the world's population is now in lockdown — as the death toll from coronavirus goes over 20,000. another dramatic rise in the number of corona virus deaths in spain. it's now overtaken china, and is second only to italy. india shuts down as a three—week lockdown begins. 1.3 billion people are told to stay at home. "testing is vital" says borisjohnson. we ask why frontline doctors and nurses are finding it so hard to establish if they have the disease, or have recovered from it. and the heir to the british throne — prince charles has had a test — and its positive for coronavirus.