this is bbc news, broadcasting to audiences in the uk and around the world, i'm james reynolds. we'll be covering all the latest developments in the coronavirus pandemic, both here in britain and across the globe, where the total number of confirmed cases has now passed half a million. in the united states, more than 100,000 people now have the virus, that's more than any other country in the world. president trump has signed into law a $2 trillion emergency spending package to relieve the impact of the coronavirus on the us economy. nick bryant reports now from new york state, where half of the us cases

have been confirmed. new york, new york, the worst infected city in what's now the worst infected country. there was always a sense this planetary pandemic would end up ravaging this global hub and, while there's a deceptive calm on its now quiet streets, behind the doors of its inundated hospitals the crisis is getting worse. emergency calls have hit their highest levels since the attacks of september 11th. hospital staff are describing a tsunami of patients flooding their emergency rooms. we're thought to be three weeks away from the peak here and already they're exhausted. it's been like a war zone. a medical war zone. working with limited resources, with the constant disparities of pain and suffering we see, not only with those who are afflicted with the coronavirus, but also those coming in for trauma. so it gets very physically and mentally exhausting. the very things that make new york so great have now made

it vulnerable, is vibrancy, the fact that it such a melting pot. we're so dense, we're so together, which is what makes us special, gives us that new york energy, gives us that new york mojo, it also, that density becomes the enemy in a situation like this. in midtown manhattan, something we haven't seen since 9/11 — refrigerated trucks ready to store the corpses of the dead, each one is capable of holding up to 44 bodies. and these workmen were constructing a makeshift morgue. america is paying the price for not being prepared, for not taking the coronavirus seriously enough when it was ripping through china, for not ramping up testing quickly enough when it first came to these shores — for losing precious time. like the rest of the world, america is not just facing a public health crisis but an economic emergency.

category five—style devastation to the businesses forced to shutter their doors. at least congress has now passed a $2 trillion stimulus package, a lifeline to an economy that this week saw its biggest unemployment spike in history. i've never signed anything with a t on it. i don't know if i can handle this one, mitch. this bipartisan legislation was signed into law tonight by america's billionaire president. republican lawmakers at his side, but the democrats cold shouldered. election—year, political distancing. and then one day that we get hit with this thing that nobody ever heard of before. nobody ever even heard of before. and now we're fighting a different battle. but i really think, in a fairly short period of because of what they've done, and what everyone‘s done, i really think we're going to be stronger than ever. america is on a war footing, led by a commander in chief desperate but unable to declare victory. nick bryant, bbc news, new york.

italy has suffered its largest one—day rise in deaths since the outbreak began. 919 people have died in the past 2a hours, but the infection rate has slowed again. almost everything has been closed and people told to stay at home. brazil has closed its air borders to all foreigners for 30 days as the number of coronavirus cases there rises. there are now 3,a19 confirmed cases in brazil and 92 people have died. this new ban brings brazil into line with many of its neighbours. the irish government has tightened restrictions on movement to try to fight the spread of covid—19. for the next two weeks, people in the republic of ireland will have to stay at home with limited exceptions. these include travelling to work which is deemed essential. and, you can keep up to date with the latest coronavirus developments, on our website. you'll find in—depth analysis and features, including on how to shop or get takeaway food safely.

that's all at the bbc news website and on the bbc news app. the prime minister, borisjohnson says he'll continue to lead the government's handling of the coronavirus crisis, despite contracting the infection himself. the health secretary, matt hancock, has also tested positive. both have said they have mild symptoms and are isolating themselves. here's our chief political correspondent vicki young. keeping their distance. like many neighbours, the prime minister and chancellor stepped outside to pay tribute to nhs staff last night, but four hours later, borisjohnson tested positive for coronavirus. i've taken a test, that has come out positive. so i am working from home, i'm self isolating and that's entirely the right thing to do. but, be in no doubt that i can continue, thanks to the wizardry of modern

technology, to communicate with all my top team to lead the national fight back against coronavirus. that top team has been spending less time in the same room this week. cabinet was held remotely. the chief medical and scientific advisers where keeping further apart at online press conferences, but today chris whitty said he had symptoms and was self isolating. mrjohnson had his weekly audience with the queen on the phone. in the commons on wednesday there were fewer mps at prime minister's questions, but ministers sat together on the front bench, including the health secretary. he developed coronavirus symptoms that night and is also in self isolation. i will be continuing to do everything i can to get our carers the support they need and i will be doing that from here, but with no less gusto. with the prime minister unavailable, it fell to michael gove to take questions at the daily press conference.

the prime minister has coronavirus, the health secretary does as well, the chief medical officer is in isolation. people will be looking at this and may be wondering whether you haven't been taking your own advice, or you may have acted too slowly when it came to stopping the spread of the coronavirus? the virus does not discriminate. we are all at risk and that is why it is so important that we practice social distancing measures. those are in place in government. ministers are working remotely and from home using video conferencing in order to make sure that we can follow the strict advice that all of us should be following in order to help to protect the nhs. like any other workplace, downing street has been affected by staff absence. the prime minister's chief adviser dominic cummings is still up and running. mrjohnson‘s girlfriend, who is pregnant, posted this photo of her and dog, dylan, saying self isolating wasn't so bad. downing street is emphasising that, like most people who get

the virus, borisjohnson has mild symptoms and is continuing to work. there has been speculation about who would take over if he can't take decisions — that would fall to the foreign secretary, dominic raab. but the message is clear tonight, the prime minister might not be out and about, but is firmly in charge. for the next seven days he'll stay in the office and flat in number 11 downing street. meals will be left outside the door. vicki young, bbc news, westminster. the head of the nhs says staff would start being tested for coronavirus from next week, including critical care nurses, intensive care staff, ambulance workers and gps. there's concern about the number of nhs staff, currently off work, because they're self—isolating with possible symptoms. meanwhile more preparations are being made to care for the thousands of patients expected over the next weeks, the principality stadium in cardiff will be turned into a temporary hospital, providing 2,000 extra beds, as will conference centres in london, birmingham and manchester. our medical correspondent

fergus walsh reports. this is what nhs frontline staff have been calling out for. swab test for coronavirus. several drive—through centres are being set up so that those isolating at home can find out if they or family members are infected. this will be antigen testing, testing with people currently have the disease so that our social care and health workers can have security in the knowledge that they are safe to return to work if their testis safe to return to work if their test is negative. these tests will be trialed for people on the front line starting immediately with hundreds to ta ke immediately with hundreds to take place by the end of the weekend, dramatically scaling up weekend, dramatically scaling up next week. another key concern for nhs staff has been shortages of personal protective equipment. huge stocks are being sent out from this warehouse near glasgow but many say they are still being left at risk, among them, gps.

people are really, really scared for themselves, their teams and for patients, because theyjust don't know when they go into see a patient whether or not, even though they are not displaying symptoms, they may still have the virus. the rate of coronavirus infections is now doubling every 3— four days copy london is hardest hit. the mayor has warned that temporary mortuaries like this one in westminster will need to be set up across the city.” don't want to align many of your viewers but it is important that everybody is ready for this, but also i'm really sorry to say this, we are having to prepare for huge numbers of deaths and that is why we are talking about working on the mortuary. all non—urgent surgery is being suspended for three months as operating theatres are converted to makeshift intensive care unit. i have got what they call locally advanced... chris romney was due to have his prostate

removed on monday but has cancer surgery has removed on monday but has cancer surgery has been cancelled. i think it is morally and ethically wrong to sacrifice cancer patients in favour of covered 19 patients and it is so important that cancer patients don't become the forgotten victims of all this chaos that is taking place. the hospital and derby issued a statement saying, we are continuing to prioritise emergency cancer treatment, and full services will resume as soon full services will resume as soon as full services will resume as soon as it is safe to do so. cancer specialist should have the opportunity with their patients to decide whether it is more risky for somebody to embark on treatment at this particular time, given that you are more vulnerable to infection. if you want a sense of the scale of what is coming, look at the huge temporary hospitals being created for coronavirus patients. this one in london's docklands will eventually have 4000 bed. another at the nec in birmingham will have 5000. 1000

birmingham will have 5000.1000 more beds will be created at this centre in manchester. the nhs is bracing itself. let's get more now on the situation in italy, our correspondent, mark lowen is in rome. i think this was a bit of a shock to some extent that the death toll rose so significantly. over 200 more than the previous one day rise. shocking figures. 919 people dead in the last 24 hours. it's like italy is losing the equivalent of a village every day. in lombardy, the northern region hardest hit by the virus, 541 people there died just in that region in the last day. now, the lockdown has been in place for more than two weeks here and it is flattening the curve, the infection rate is beginning to fall here. but it is slow, it is uneven progress. and just awful news keeps coming out every day. 46 doctors have now died here since the outbreak began. the national health institute says italy's yet to reach the peak of this outbreak and that the nationwide restrictions may now have to be

extended for several months. meanwhile, the pope gave an address on st peter's square, a very empty st peter's square behind me tonight, he gave his urbi et 0rbi blessing to the city and the world, which he usually only gives that easter and christmas — another sign of the historic times we are in. he said that this is a thick darkness that has enveloped cities. he said we find ourselves afraid and lost. and he called doctors, nurses, and caregivers exemplary companions on this difficult journey. this is bbc news, the headlines: borisjohnson and the health secretary, matt hancock, have both tested positive for covid—19, but say their symptoms are mild and they're working from home. president trump has signed into law a $2 trillion emergency spending package to relieve the impact of the coronavirus on the us economy. let's stay with that story: gus faucher is the chief economist at the pnc financial services group. he was also senior economist

at moody's analytics, where he was responsible for running computer models of the us economy. hejoins us now from pittsburgh. great to have you with us. $2.2 trillion is a number that most of us find really difficult to conceive of or get into. i wonder if i canjust break it down. imagine family of two adults, two younger children. if the adults both lose their jobs, would this package when they could make it through the crisis? it remains to be seen and it depends how long the crisis last. they would be eligible for unemployment benefits and with other stimulus that would account for thousands of dollars. that should get them through a couple of months. if the economy gets into recession we would have to revisit that but

this could make up for some lost income to allow families to pay the bills. this bill will provide loans to small businesses. if those small businesses. if those small businesses meet certain conditions and terms of keeping on their workers and continuing to pay them and pay rent and so forth, those lies will turn into grants so they will not have to repay them. this could make the difference between closing and staying open when we get through all of this. the golf is to keep those small business open and keep workers on staff. the goal. 0nce business open and keep workers on staff. the goal. once we get through the immediate crisis, people will have jobs and be able to spend on small businesses will be able to reopen. is there a chance of permanent damage to the us economy? absolutely. i think the longer this crisis lasts, the longer this crisis lasts, the greater the possibility of permanent damage. in spite of

the government providing this, we will see small businesses close and many are on the margin to start with so if this is an extended crisis and lasts 3- is an extended crisis and lasts 3— four months, many of the small businesses will be unable to make it and that means people will not have jobs once in the crisis is over and that means in the crisis is over and that m ea ns lost in the crisis is over and that means lost income, reduced consumer spending. the longer it lasted greater than a potential for long lasting damage to the us economy. what longer measures could be needed? one thing in the bill is that local governments tax reve nu es is that local governments tax revenues are going down as at the same time they're spending more. they are going to have budgetary problems that will require under spending cuts. we may have to revisit income support of all households that have lost wage earners. the good news is, if the crisis

doesn't last longer, there is the ability for the federal government to come back and revisit this issue. hopefully this will be enough and hopefully will get this in the next month or two but if the crisis persists, congress can legislate more aid. is there any parallel for this in us history? this is pretty unprecedented. this is more than double the size of the package that the us had coming out of the great recession under president 0bama in 2009. the economic contraction is likely to be worse than that. progress we had in the 1930s in response to the great depression help put a lot of people to work. that is not as practical at this time around. this will be an immediate hit. by this will be an immediate hit. by the time we have those large—scale projects, that was hit from the recession is over soi hit from the recession is over so i think it is important to

get eight out there now to consumers, households, small businesses, state governments so we can get through this immediate crisis and hopefully not with too much long—term economic damage. great to have you with us. thank you. in spain, the number of coronavirus cases continues to increase, with 769 deaths in 24 hours. more and more patients are dying alone, because their families aren't allowed in. it's putting an enormous emotional strain on families and medical staff, as our correspondent, damian grammaticas, reports from madrid. cheering and applause. from his bed he waves, a moment of triumph in a spanish hospital. he's their first patient well enough to leave intensive care, but the medical staff are the only people there to see it. that's because every new virus patient brought in is immediately isolated from the outside world. not even families are allowed to enter hospitals here,

and spain registered another 8500 cases today. it is the awful reality esther garcia is facing. she has covid—19 and is trying to isolate herself, but she thinks she may have infected both her parents, mariapaz and constantino, both now positive, both in hospital and beyond her reach. you cannot hug, you cannot kiss, you cannot see the other, and it's the situation of so many old people here. esther‘s parents are being treated here in this hospital. it is one of the cruellest aspects of this outbreak, the rigorous separation that has to be enforced between the sick and everyone else, it's so contagious. this is where her parents were admitted. many hospitals are at double their capacity. staff don't have time to answer phones or update families. it's what happens when the health service is swamped. spain didn't bring in its lockdown quickly enough and test enough people to track

the virus‘s progress. so now people are dying in spain's hospitals, hundreds and hundreds every day, not surrounded by loved ones, but isolated and alone. to be so isolated, people get sick alone and they die alone and they are buried alone. you cannot do anything, you cannot be with them. esther has found a way to reach her parents. a nurse has got a phone in. her father is improving, but her mother's condition is serious. and night and day as the virus advances, more families are being separated. silvia, who works in one of the hospitals worst affected, posted this notice this week, saying she'll pass messages to those inside. these are the ones she is delivering tonight. the family tell me, "say i love you so much, i'm here with you, we can't see you but i'm here." something like this.

silvia is a nurse assistant, just 24 years old, delivering comfort to the dying. spain's medics now shouldering the emotional burden of this crisis too. damian grammaticas, bbc news, madrid. fines have already been issued by the police to some people who have breached the government's stay at home rules after new police powers came into force yesterday. officers are also trying to discourage people from going out in their cars to picturesque locations to exercise, even if no one else is there. here's our home editor mark easton. stay back! these police recruits in surrey are being trained to fight crime in a pandemic — note the gloves. good afternoon, team. inside headquarters, the chief constable is joined by a military planner,

as agencies consider how to use new, far—reaching powers to keep the public at home. we are interpreting the new powers in the style of british policing, in that we police by consent, but of course some colleagues are having to take steps to really explain to people that treating this as a bit of a holiday is not what this is about. footage has emerged of officers in perth confronting a man who claims to have tested positive for the virus. although this individual did eventually comply, other forces have already used the new health protection regulations, issuing a number of £60 fines to people who refused to go home when ordered. two—week training sessions are planned to get special co nsta bles, volu nteers and recently retired officers to help the public adjust to this strange new world in which we live. i think the vast majority of people are complying. the businesses that should

be closed are closed. and people are adjusting their lifestyles to the new, what was first advice, and now of course is regulations. tannoy: you must stay home. in south wales, police and a local council are planning to use a drone to encourage people to comply with public health rules. please follow the rules at this time. after controversy over whether derbyshire police were right to shame people who drove to the peak district to exercise, the government today issued new guidance, saying people should only use open spaces near their home. in cumbria, visitors are being told they're not welcome this weekend. it's the tourist and holidaymaker traffic that we need to reduce to protect our nhs staff and protect the vulnerable in this community. police chiefs are demanding what they call common sense, adding this is a national emergency, not a national holiday. mark easton, bbc news. some nursing homes and residential care homes have told the bbc that they are still finding it difficult

to get enough personal protective equipment to help them look after elderly and disabled people. they are also worried about the number of staff who are self—isolating and want testing. it comes as a nursing home in east sussex says three quarters of its residents now either have the virus or are showing signs of it. here's our social affairs correspondent, alison holt. at 0aklands nursing home in hove, they care for 20 vulnerable residents aged between 80 and 101. many of them are now fighting the coronavirus. keeping her distance, the home's manager says two residents have tested positive and another 13 are showing symptoms. one day they have a normal temperature, the following day it is over 37. you never know where we are. more than a third of her staff are off sick or self—isolating and she expects she and others will have to move into the home to care for the residents. she wants better protective equipment, but has been told they don't need full

masks or gowns. i appeal to the government, the guidelines need to change if they want us to look after these residents to the end, because they don't want them sent to hospital, yeah? so we need protection, yeah? 0therwise, who is going to look after them? one of the residents who has the virus is giuseppe casciello. it is his 95th birthday tomorrow and normally his family would spend the day with him. the last eight days have been incredibly tough. i have been pretty much sitting by the phone waiting for the inevitable news. i feel slightly calmer now as the days go on and he has battled on and he is getting there. concerns raised at 0aklands nursing home about equipment and the lack of testing available are echoed by others. we have been in contact with nearly 40 care providers supporting thousands of people.

many are finding it difficult to get enough personal protective equipment and there are concerns about the number of staff they have self—isolating. none of these services were very well provided in terms of staff in the first place. they are all dependent on overtime and colleagues working long shifts, so that is all now getting stretched even further. there is a fantastic group of 1.2 million nhs heroes but 1.7 million of social care workers who deserve every bit as much recognition and praise. some councils have bought their own protective equipment to distribute and the government says it is working round the clock to get more supplies to care staff. alison holt, bbc news. more than 715,000 people have signed up to help the nhs in england by delivering medicines and supporting the vulnerable. but there are many more who want to help. northern ireland, wales and scotland aren't included

in that scheme. some charities say they're also desperate for more volunteers, as judith moritz reports. the nhs called, thousands rushed to respond, and the volunteer workforce continues to multiply. from her kitchen in huddersfield, vicky is one of those who logged on to offer her help. i volunteered to move medicines around. i don't know whether that's out of the hospital or within the hospital, and i haven't heard anything back as yet but i'm raring to go. i've got nothing else to do at the moment, so anything that helps. those applying receive this email, warning them that it may take a little time to get the scheme up and running. those coordinating the nhs project say they are staggered at the volume of volunteers who have come forward. they are now going through all the applications to check everyone's id and those offering to transport patients will have extra safeguarding checks, but next week they say they will begin starting to match volunteers with those needing help.

the nhs scheme only covers england. in northern ireland, there are lots of grassroots efforts — like this one — where volunteers are delivering food within the community. welsh and scottish conservatives are asking for the nhs project to be extended there. there is also a clamour for support from charities which will not benefit from nhs volunteering. fairshare redistributes surplus supplies from the food industry to people who are vulnerable and living in poverty. they say they are crying out for help. we desperately need volunteers who are fit and well, those who are able to get in safely, not supporting vulnerable people, who are able to muck in and help with our operation, whether that be driving the van or maybe helping in the warehouse sorting stock out, making up orders. fantastic. i have managed to get everything you needed. in ilfracombe in north devon they have taken support down to the most local levels.

150 helpers are leafleting everyone in the community. every street will be covered by a volunteer. the idea is that no one should be left without help during this crisis. judith moritz, bbc news. a reminder, you can keep up with all the developments on the coronavirus on our website. to the weather. the cloudy skies look to move further south. a touch of frost through the heart of wales and midlands to start the new day on saturday so some brightness around but i think the cloud feels in around england and wales more than of late. the last of the double—figure

temperatures, western wales, southern counties of england, elsewhere mike oldfield to proceeding and, as soon as the sun is down, my word, there will be quite a chill about things stop overnight, where we change the clocks into british summertime, it is a cold start to british summertime and it stays that way on sunday across the piece stop again mcleod, not so much in the way of shower activity but a really role feel to the day. it could feel like one or two.