this is bbc news i'm james reynolds. our top stories: president trump says america is gaining ground against coronavirus but new york fears the worst. an ice rink in madrid becomes a temporary mortuary as spain's death toll overtakes china's. in britain — the rush to get protective equipment to an overstretched health service — amid warnings that some london hospitals are running out of capacity and in other news, an australian man accused of killing 51 people in attacks on two mosques in new zealand last year enters a surprise plea of guilty.

hello and welcome to bbc news. another grim milestone has been reached as countries around the world continue to step—up efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus. more than 20,000 people have now died. the united nations secretary general says the pandemic is a threat to all humanity. the number of those infected globally is nearing half a million. more than 113,000 people are known to have recovered. italy remains the worst hit country, with more than 7,500 deaths but spain's death toll has now also surpassed that of china. us president donald trump says america is gaining ground in its war against covid—19. the death toll there now stands at more than 900 and there are 60,000 confirmed cases. half of these are in new york, which the president says is by far the biggest problem. we've been spending a lot of time with new york officials because that is by far the hottest spot. they've got a number of very tough weeks ahead of them. the governor is

doing a very good job. i spoke to the governor, governor cuomo last night and this morning. new york's governer has again appealed for more help from the federal government but says there are early signs that stringent restrictions on social gatherings and other measures could be slowing the virus‘s spread. nick bryant reports. new york is paying a price for being the world's most global city. the very thing that makes it great also makes it vulnerable during this planetary pandemic. it saw the tourists and visitors who normally throng places like times square partly explains why this has become the epicentre of america's coronavirus outbreak. bets social distancing is having an effect by slowing the amount of patients needing urgent care. this is everything. slowing the hospitalisation rates, coming into the hospitals are everything, so the hospitals can deal with the rate of people coming in. and they're notjust building makeshift hospitals here,

they're erecting makeshift morgues. new york is still thought to be three weeks away from the peak of its coronavirus outbreak and it is facing a chronic shortage of medical equipment. it estimates it will need 33,000 ventilators and right now it only has about a third of that number. washington may be deserted but its lawmakers are working overtime to pass a $2 trillion stimulus package to throw a lifeline to american businesses. but there are political tensions here over how to deal simultaneously with an economic crisis and a public health crisis. donald trump's aim of opening up america by easter has been slammed by the democrat hoping to succeed him. i'd like to be able to say we're going to be back to normal next friday. that would be wonderful. but it can't be arbitrary. we've got to look at the history of what's happened, the recent history of what's happened in other countries. donald trump is a wartime president who wants this

to end soon. who suggested easter? ijust think it's a beautiful time. it's a beautiful timeline. coronavirus testing near hollywood in california. scenes from what looked like a movie set a viral not virtual reality. will be coronavirus spring become the coronavirus summerand autumn? nobody knows the timeline. nobody can be sure how this ends. nick bryant, bbc news, new york. with a desperate search under way for potential coronavirus treatments and vaccine trials already under way, reports suggest scientists studing the virus have been buoyed by its low mutation rate. for more, i'mjoined now by professor stanley perlman from the university of iowa. professor, why does mutation rate matter? the mutation rate matters because if the virus mutates too rapidly than any

vaccine that may lose efficiency after a few months oi’ efficiency after a few months or weeks or whatever depending on how fast it is mutating. this virus has not mutated much since it began stop there been changes in the sequence but they have not been incorporated into the virus and there is no evidence it is making the virus transmit better or be more virulent. this is good news of vaccine development. locker through the kind of steps that sciences be taking order to understand virusin terms of this sequence differences, what we re this sequence differences, what were doing is obtaining viruses from all over the world and different times and we sequence them to see if there is changes in the virus‘s sequence, and if there are, we try to figure out if they going to be a problem for human transmission or vaccine development. so that's the best way of doing it. of course, doing a lot of other studies to try and understand the virus better but that is the virus better but that is the main things that we doing right now. festival, delighted to hear that you're still getting e—mails coming in. we

are hearing some good waves which show your very busy man. winding back a it, could we have predicted the arrival of this kind of virus? i think that some people did predict it because if you look at bats in south—east china, they can write two contain coronavirus is, a whole group of them. some of them seem to be able to enter human cells. a lot of people thought that this was inevitable that eventually what of these viruses would cross from a bat to a human and adapt to infecting humans. this virus has been amazing because it hopped right over to humans without requiring further adaptation. that is why it is not changing which is good for vaccine development but on the other side it is unfortunate because it already means that it's well adapted to infect humans. i would imagine almost every day when you tell people what yourjob is, the question you get asked is, when will they be a vaccine? is that a useful question for us to be

asking every day at the moment oi’ asking every day at the moment or might sciences want to tell the rest of us, we'll work and it will be ready when it is ready? yes, i know what you have to deal with is what people are thinking about or worrying about. they want to get therapies or vaccines. these are the kinds of things that they getting asked and thinking about. i don't mean being asked that every day. it is just important. everyone wa nts to is just important. everyone wants to know. even if the a nswer wants to know. even if the answer doesn't change from now in ten days or four weeks from now, people still want to know. professor sta nley now, people still want to know. professor stanley perlman, you have a very busy inbox, thank you very much for speaking to us. you very much for speaking to us. my pleasure. spain has now recorded more coronavirus deaths than china. 738 people with the virus have died in the past day alone, taking the total over 3,000. more than 2,500 are in a serious or critical state. 0ur correspondent, damian grammaticas, reports 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 has been requisitioned to hold the dead. they need it, there are so many now. arriving at spanish hospitals are more and more cases, infection is here leaping every day. more than 5,000 medical staff have fallen sick also. so part of spain's urgent efforts are these new rapid testing centres, specifically for those on the front line. this nurse feared she has the virus. a colleague has it. the swabs are invasive and unpleasant. handled with extreme care in case they have picked up the pathogen. toni's worried because she has a family she might have infected too. translation: i am very worried, especially for my family and my patients. at home i stay in one room, isolated, treating myself or 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 are 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. and 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 these. across spain, people everywhere are getting involved. designing and producing the goggles doctors are so short of.

those stuck at home sewing face masks for the elderly. here, and nurse posts a thank you for the vital protective visor hand made by people living near to her hospital. and that thanks is returned. every night, in every city, town and village across spain, acknowledgement of the bravery and sacrifice the medics are making. the sound of a grateful nation. damian grammaticas, bbc news, madrid. a month—long state of emergency has begun in thailand. the government has been criticised for failing to take strong action since the outbreak began. for more, i'm joined byjonathan head in bangkok. talk us through the measures. it sounds very dramatic, a state of emergency and in effect, it concentrates all power in the hands of the prime minister who is completely

sidelining his somewhat cumbersome cabinet, just answering to a few senior bureaucrats. disempowers now to controlled movements, stop people from travelling from town to town and confine people indoors. very strong powers, including the power to censor the media. he has been given very strict warnings what he calls distorted information. some people are being prosecuted even now for criticising what is seen as quite a lacklustre response. he uses these powers or not, we don't know much about. bangkok here is very quiet now, but is already is shut down. without this for the last ten hours, in effect anything but food shops and other essential services. the cases in thailand, this was the first country to get a coronavirus infection after china. right back on the 13th of january but in china. right back on the 13th ofjanuary but in fact, china. right back on the 13th of january but in fact, the infections rose very slowly, not just here but infections rose very slowly, notjust here but in neighbouring countries too. some people hoped that the much warmer weather he would be a factor but in the last ten days, we have seen cases

search. to give you an idea, it went from one on the 13th of january two 42 cases on the very first day of the month. there are now 934 and neighbouring malaysia is at 1700. they are very worried about trajectory. what the government hasn't done yet, despite powers the prime minister might have, and he is effectively a coup leader, it is that these powers buckles that these powers back for some hasn't actually use them because in this country there is very little social safety net, huge informal economy, and shutting down all life will have an deciding factor millions of people. mary saw a huge exodus of people from bangkok going out to the provinces back to their families because theirjobs have collapsed and that is spreading the virus. all of the countries in the region and thailand is eight leading country have this dilemma. how tough do we have to get? the medical experts say you have to get tough because you will end up get tough because you will end up like italy. the doctors here are predicting 7000 deaths in this country within 30 days

stop have to get much tougher and to do that, have to shut down every avenue of economic life without a lifeline for the lower economic people. all governors are in a dilemma and an is emergency rule but we don't know how strict the para meters don't know how strict the parameters those going to be it yet. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: what to do when your choir can't meet in the pub because of the virus crisis? this group in australia now sings from home. the two main symptoms of coronavirus to look out for are a continuous dry cough and/or a fever. if you're sneezing a lot, got a runny nose or a headache, you may be ill but you've probably not got coronavirus. so, how high a fever is a coronavirus one, and what exactly is a continuous dry cough? well, it's when you cough and there's no mucus or phlegm — basically no gooey substance in your tissue.

and this is not the odd cough here and there, it has to be coughing regularly for no other reason, such as clearing your throat or smoking. so how high a fever is a coronavirus fever? well, if you have one, you will know about it. technically, it's a body temperature of more than 37.8 degrees celsius, or 100 degrees 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: there are now more than 60,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the united states, half of them are in new york. spain has now recorded more coronavirus deaths than china, the cradle of the pandemic. the total is now more than 3,600. we'll return to the virus

pandemic in a moment. first this: the australian man accused of killing 51 worshippers at two mosques in christchurch new zealand last year has pleaded guilty. brenton harrison tarrant admitted 51 charges of murder, 40 of attempted murder and a terrorism charge. the 29—year—old from new south wales had originally pleaded not guilty, and a trial had been due to start injune. shaimaa khalil has this from sydney. we were expecting a trial for june, so later this year it is scheduled forjune because families had asked authorities to hold that trail after roma done, which is expected in may. we also were expecting him to stand trail because initially he pleaded not guilty for all these charges and now, only a few minutes ago we have learned that brenton tarrant has pleaded guilty for all charges including the terrorism charge

which was the first to be brought to new zealand. new zealand is currently in lockdown to try to contain the spread of covid—19 so this was a scaled down court in the christchurch high court, he appeared by video link. to representatives of the mosques that were attacked, the al noor mosque and the linwood mosque we re mosque and the linwood mosque were allowed to attend this small appearance. here in the uk, frontline medics have told the bbc about their concerns over a lack of personal protection as they fight coronavirus. the government says 15 million masks have been delivered to nhs trusts across the country since monday. 41 more people have died in the uk from coronavirus. all had underlying health problems, except the 47—year—old. it brings the total number of deaths to 465. hugh pym reports. i am 39 years old and i am... karen is 26 weeks pregnant.

she wants everyone to knowjust what it's like to have coronavirus. i've just been told that i have covid—19. and i've been ill for two weeks. i've been in hospital now since saturday and today is wednesday. i have pneumonia in both lungs and i'm fighting for me and my baby. the virus can infect all ages. five—year—old alfie has been seriously ill with symptoms. he's back now from hospital and recovering at home but his mother lauren thought at one stage she might lose him. obviously i'd seen it all on the news, where everybody's got coronavirus and then the next thing, people are dying from it. and to see him so poorly, i didn't think that he was going to be able

to come back from it. for doctors and nurses treating patients, supplies are urgently needed. this sportswear firm in northern ireland has a major deal to produce scrubs for nhs staff. but there are reports there still isn't enough personal protective equipment in some hospitals and gp surgeries, even after recent government commitments. and the british medical association, representing doctors, says its members are being let down. the message to the government is to 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 a catastrophe for the health service. the department of health said over the last two days, more than 15 million facemasks had been delivered to the front line, as well as millions of gloves and eye protectors, and the full weight

of the government was behind the effort. this hospital in essex said it was a priority to protect staff and there was enough specialist equipment. some local health workers, though, are worried about the pressure building with covid—19 patients. i'm petrified of going to work. i'm petrified, buti 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 sun is shining. yeah? you might be dead in a few weeks because you wanted to go out and go and get some fresh air. converting this east london conference centre into a giant temporary hospital is under way. nhs and military staff are working together to get it ready. 0ne worker posted this video of the inside of the building. we've got 4000 beds to go in. two morgues.

this hall is a kilometre long. because of social distancing, the queen's weekly audience with the prime minister was held on the phone. these pictures were posted on the royal family twitter account. at some hospitals, doctors do feel there have been adequate preparations. the feeling in the hospital, while there is one of apprehension, i think from the most junior trainee to the most senior consultant and that management as well, everybody is pulling in the same direction. chloe middleton was 21 and has died after testing positive for coronavirus. it is thought she had no underlying health condition. her mother said on facebook... hugh pym, bbc news. australia, like many other countries, is in lockdown,

putting a stop to all community activities. 0ne affected group is the pub choir, which usually meets, you guessed it, at a local watering hole to belt out some tunes. stuck at home, the organisers decided to start a couch choir and asked people to film themselves singing ‘close to you' by the carpenters. they expected a few dozen replies but the response was overwhelming, 1,000 people from 18 countries took part in this virtual choir performance. take a look. # just like #just like me... # just like me... # they long to be...# # just like me... # they long to be... # close to you. i'm trying not to sway too much

when i hear that. i'm nowjoined from brisbane by event organiser, astrid jorgensen. how did you make this work? very long nights around the clock but they had one editor who manually put 1000 submissions into the biggest ila have ever seen and now she is sleeping and hibernation. it was a manic effort but it was s0 was a manic effort but it was so worth it. we do people send their submissions from? we had 18 countries, the bulk of them is from australia because that is from australia because that is where a fan base is but it is where a fan base is but it is pretty exciting to think that in this really uncertain time people are learning about oui’ time people are learning about our work and learning that you can sing from anywhere in the world so we had some submissions from the uk, some from denmark, germany, bolivia. just really unexpected places andi just really unexpected places and i guess itjust drives home the message that we can still be connected even though we are distancing from each other.

where they all in tune or did you have to use auto tune on anyone? no way, to both! i think the best thing about the choir is that every voice makes a difference. it sounded very weird when you only added the really clea n weird when you only added the really clean vocals, so every single voice are added in, no matter the quality made it sound more human, more real, and honestly it was like a gift, every single video was special and intimate and personal. it is a big ask to send yourself and singing along toa send yourself and singing along to a stranger but am so glad so many people trusted me. the song close to you takes on a different meaning when we are all part. yes, that was kind of the point, and i think the title is misleading. the lyrics actually say, my long to be close to you. for 30 years they have been mishearing the song!

well, now you know. and i think it is really special for people to look down to their cameras and sing, i long to be close to you. even though we can't copy i'm desperate to ask you, what songs are you going to do next? they have some suggestions, pink floyd's wish you were here and monty python's always look on the bright side of life. both really great suggestions! we are recovering from our next attempt and we suspect we will get a lot more submissions the second time. there will be a second time. there will be a second carriage choir, if you look up pub choir anywhere online you can follow us and get the details first, but i will put those both on my list. iam very will put those both on my list. i am very pleased you will astrid, thank you so much for joining us. self isolation, just like social distancing has become something everyone is talking about. and how do you keep your mental well being, when you're minimising contact with other people.

the astronaut chris hadfield, who has spent more than 160 days in space, gave us some guidance number one, there is this threat, this omnipresent danger thatis threat, this omnipresent danger that is always around you, and that is always around you, and that weighs on your mind and you need to find their way cope with it. and the other is that you are now unusually physically isolated from everybody else. 0n physically isolated from everybody else. on a spaceship, it couldn't be more exaggerated, the world is in your window and there is no way that you can go and visit everybody else, so we as astronauts need to find a way to stay, not just astronauts need to find a way to stay, notjust coping but to actually stay productive and motivated and content to live in those environments so we worked really ha rd in those environments so we worked really hard at it. understanding the danger but also finding a way to make the most of where you are and the

people that you are there with. tell me how you are getting through everything. you can reach me on twitter, i'm @jamesbbcnews. please do stay with us. hello there. for the next few daysin hello there. for the next few days in england and wales are going to stay dry but this weather front lying across scotla nd weather front lying across scotland and northern ireland is going continue to bring quite a bit of cloud like what we saw on wednesday and it really won't be moving far and also thursday and friday look pretty similar, rather grey skies for scotland and northern ireland with some spots of rain. to the north of it, it is brighter with some sunshine, perhaps one or two showers, and to the south of it again after a cold start it is another sunny day, those temperatures reaching 13, 14 degrees. a little bit cooler further south, maybe not quite as warm as what we have had over the

last few days. it stays cloudy across much of scotland, with a few spots of rain at times. elsewhere clear skies. is going to be another cold night with some frost around, less cold under those cloudy skies further north. friday is a repeat performance again, rather cloudy skies, scotland and northern ireland, perhaps brighterfor the and northern ireland, perhaps brighter for the northern nails in the western isles, wanted to showers around and for much of england and wales it is another dry and sunny day after that cold start stopping temperatures coming down a touch, height of 11 or 12 degrees. that band of cloud across scotland and northern ireland with the cold front here and we open the floodgates toa here and we open the floodgates to a much colder northerly for saturday and sunday and it is really going to feel noticeably cold, particularly when you factor in the wind, and yes there will be even a few wintry showers, so this is the picture for saturday. variable cloud, some sunshine to, northern and eastern scotland, perhaps eastern scotland, perhaps eastern england and it will

feel quite raw with that exposure to that wind. images ranging from 6— 11 degrees. sunday, similar story. you will feel even colder, variable cloud, some sunshine and chance ofa cloud, some sunshine and chance of a few wintry showers across northern and eastern coast and those temperatures struggling to get into double figures. these other values that will be showing on the thermometer. and on the strength of the wind and there will be significant chill factor. a few places feeling like they are not getting much above freezing stopping there will be a noticeable chill to the air this weekend. as we head into next week, we are holding onto the cold air. could see something a little bit less cold for a time before more cold air moved down from the north and you can see that flood recovery of temperatures into double figures for many. the chance of attorney colder again towards the end of the week particularly into the north.

this is bbc news, the headlines: there are now more than 60,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the united states. half are in new york — but the state's governor says there are signs that social restrictions could be slowing its spread. spain has now recorded more coronavirus deaths than china. health authorities says 738 people with the virus had died in the past day, taking the total to more than 3,600. the british medical association has warned that doctors and patients in the uk will die unnecessarily unless there is a rapid increase in the supply of adequate personal protective equipment. it said medics are currently risking serious illness. and in other news, the australian who murdered 51 muslim worshippers in the new zealand city of christchurch last year, has entersed a surprise plea of guilty. the 29—year—old had previously denied the charges. now on bbc news — hardtalk.