this is bbc news. i'm james reynolds with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. president trump signs the largest—ever us financial stimulus package, worth $2 trillion as the country grapples with the coronavirus pandemic. in italy, more than 900 people have died in the past day — the biggest daily rise so far in a country that's been locked down for almost two weeks. britain's prime minister and the health secretary, the men in charge of britain's fight against coronavirus, both test positive for the disease as the uk's death toll climbs again. i developed mild symptoms of the coronavirus. that is to say a temperature and a persistent cough and on the advice of the chief medical officer i have

taken a test. that has come out positive. and police in britain start cracking down on people who're leaving their homes when they shouldn't. 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. here in the uk there have been nearly 3000 new confirmed cases, including the prime minister borisjohnson, bringing the total to 14,500. and a further 181 people with the virus have died in the last 2a hours — that means there have now been 759 coronavirus deaths in the uk. moving to italy, which has recorded another enormous surge

in daily deaths from coronavirus — 919 — to take the total number of deaths to 913k. and 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. the bbc‘s nick bryant reports now from the state of new york. 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 they 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. let's talk more about the $2 trillion stimulus package. valerie ramey is a professor of economics at the university of california in san diego. good to have you with us. is this aid package enough to get workers and businesses through this crisis? i think it will go far to this crisis? i think it will go farto do this crisis? i think it will go far to do it. a better name for it rather than a stimulus package, is lifeline, because what we are suffering right now is not the usual aggregate demand decline such as we might have had partly integrate

depression, but a shortage of aggregate supply because workers are not able to go to work. what we need to do is keep everyone afloat until the medical professionals can do something to deal with the pandemic. what measures in the bill stand out to you? well, they had to pass the bill quickly. so instead of being able to target carefully they had to get money into people public hands as quickly as possible. that meant that they could not target as closely. so basically putting, you know, the $2400 into married couples' hands, trying to help more businesses, because what is going to be important for recovery is that all economic relationships stay intact, that employees can go back to the systems that have survived and

that businesses can have all the supply lines and business relationships. and those sorts of things are what is really going to matter and i think that they have gone far given the time constraint given how far they had to go with this. i have not had a chance to look at everything. certainly trying to make things quicker for the, you know, small businesses, because unemployment insurance, some of that is a little tricky. they're now expanding it to include the self—employed, which is i think very important, because many self—employed particularly hit. far so good. self—employed particularly hit. farso good. i self—employed particularly hit. far so good. i could see them perhaps passing more later. ——so far, so good. but this is a good start. this is most of the package that you need, but i could see them doing more later. if the health crisis

eases by the end of the year, how long would it take for the economy to recover, to get back to where it was at the beginning of this year? well, i think that once the health crisis eases and people are allowed to go back to work, as long as they have kept these relationships intact, which is what this bill is trying to do, i think the economy could search back. so long as people are not afraid to go to work, if they have dealt with the medical issues. then i think that the economy could search back, once the lockdowns are lifted. professor valerie ramey, thank you forjoining us. ramey, thank you forjoining us. alright, thank you. the total number of confirmed cases in italy has gone up to 86,498 — past that of china. and 6% of those currently diagnosed with the disease — almost 4,000 people — are in intensive care. 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 orbi 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. mark lowen in rome. 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. staying in europe, in france, the lockdown has been extended for another two weeks, until the middle of april, and there's a warning it could be extended further than that. almost 2000 people have died there now including a 16—year—old girl whose death this week has shaken many people in france. the british prime minister borisjohnson has said 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 were 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. 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. the prime minister leo varadkar said it was time for further action to slow down the virus. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: fears in new orleans that it could be america's next coronavirus epicentre. 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: president trump has signed into law a $2 trillion emergency spending package to relieve the impact of the coronavirus on the us economy. italy sets another grim record. 919 deaths in one day — the biggest daily toll so far — taking the total number of dead to more than 9,000.

there are fears new orleans is on path to become the next coronavirus epicentre in the united states as the number of cases in the city rises sharply. reged ahmad has more. joyful and colourful scenes. this was mardi gras in new orleans last month. the parades are a highlight. beads are thrown out to cheering crowds and people share drinks. these celebrations attract more than a million people. but now, authorities feared the decision to go ahead with the festival when covid—19 had already arrived created the perfect storm. so what we need to focus on now is the fact that we're several weeks post mardi gras and we are starting to see that spike, and what the government has indicated is that we are on a path to look like italy. new orleans now appears to be at the centre of the pandemic in louisiana, and on course

to become the epicentre for the outbreak in the united states. the numbers that we have today are once again very staggering. i hope the entire state of louisiana is looking at these numbers and that they are as concerned about them as i am. authorities are warning the city's hospitals could be at capacity as quickly as by the end of next week. there are now strong stay—at—home orders in place in a desperate bid to save lives. but new orleans is bracing itself for an onslaught, and authorities are asking themselves whether measures were implemented early enough to prevent a wave of cases overwhelming the city. reged ahmad, bbc news. here in britain, 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 on thursday.

officers are also trying to discourage people from going out in their cars to picturesque locations to exercise. here's our home editor mark easton. get back! these police recruits in surrey are being trained to fight crime in a pandemic — note the gloves. good afternoon, team. welcome back. 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. scientists at imperial college london say that around the world as many as 40 million lives would have been lost to coronavirus, without the current global measures. but there's a warning that the poorest countries are still more likely to be hit hardest. our science editor david shukman reports. all over the world, very different reactions to the virus. in africa, rwanda was the first to lock down, while in senegal, the streets are still busy. and now, new research points to a catastrophe unless there is an immediate global response. what this latest study shows is that, if literally nothing

is done to stop the virus, as many as 40 million people could die from it worldwide this year. now, that isn't likely to happen because so many governments are introducing public health measures. and if they all do, the death toll should fall to 9.3 million — still horrific, of course. the key to this is timing. if those measures are adopted rapidly, the number dying could fall to 1.3 million. itjust shows the critical importance of governments acting urgently. bangladesh, a refugee camp for rohingya people. overcrowded and fearful. it's the poorest who will be hit hardest, according to the scientists studying the pandemic. even in the most optimistic scenarios in terms of the control that can be put in, it is still very likely that the health systems in the poorest countries will become overwhelmed. many of these countries have very few numbers, for example, of intensive care beds available and, indeed, hospital beds are very

much in demand for the other diseases that are prevalent in those settings. in india, there is meant to be a national lockdown, but it is hard to manage. and, as in many developing countries, the healthca re system is fragile. if unchecked, it is going to basically make our healthcare systems collapse — that's the prospect we are facing. and the other crisis we are facing is an economic crisis. that if you take very strong and draconian measures, it is going to shut down our economy and send it into some sort of cardiac arrest. many countries are now doing what they can, but to defeat the virus, it will take action on a global scale. david shukman, bbc news. 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 app.

what are you up to? please let me know. you can reach me on twitter. i'm @jamesbbcnews. please, do stay with us. hello. friday finished on a glorious note across the greater part of england and wales, but throughout the past week, it's been a different story for many parts of scotland and northern ireland, thanks to the cloud and some rain associated with that weather front which, through the weekend, will show signs of wanting to move further down across the british isles, and it introduces a much colder regime to many parts as we move on into sunday and indeed into the start of next week. so it's a fairly cool start to the weekend, but a lot of dry weather, much more in the way of cloud across england and wales than you will have been used to through this week thus far. and it'll have enough about it to be producing just one or two showers, running in on a noticeable north to north—easterly wind. the last of the relative warmth still to be found

across the southern counties of england and maybe the western side of wales, too. don't forget, as we move from saturday to sunday, the clocks spring forward by that hour to introduce the notion of british summertime, but sunday itself will feel anything but summery. it'll be a cold day, despite the presence of some sunshine, still a lot of cloud, still a lot of dry weather. these are the gusts on the day. widely, you can see 30 miles an hour plus. by the end of the day, somebody could well be looking at 40, if not 50 miles an hour, in exposed locations. those temperatures, as a consequence, given the strength and direction of the winds, will feel very much more like that. a return to january, a return to winter, rather than anything spring—like or even summer—like. the high pressure is still the dominant feature as we start the new week. it's there, anchored to the western side of the british isles, still feeding in a fair amount of cloud, still a lot of dry weather.

just one or two showers, wintry across the higher ground. the wind still quite noticeable, especially off that cool north sea. so the eastern—facing coasts, six or seven or eight or nine degrees, something of that order. but not much warmer further towards the west. i suppose the notable difference as we move from monday to tuesday is that those isobars are just beginning to open up. so again, we start probably with quite a widespread frost on tuesday morning, still a lot of dry weather, the wind at its most noticeable in the north of scotland, one or two blustery showers here and quite a keen wind perhaps through the channel coast. but in between, the wind is nowhere near as strong as it will have been through the course of the weekend. and as a consequence, it mayjust begin to feel a little warmer. this program is live

this is bbc news.

the headlines: president trump has signed into law a $2 trillion emergency spending package to relieve the impact of the coronavirus on the us economy. it's the largest such programme in modern american history. the us has now reported more than 100,000 cases of the virus. more than 900 people have died in italy as a result of coronavirus in a single day, pushing the number of dead to more than 9000. pope francis has spoken of the thick darkness that has enveloped italy as it is stricken by the pandemic. the british prime minister, borisjohnson, has said he will continue to lead the government's handling of the coronavirus crisis despite contracting the disease himself. mrjohnson said he was suffering mild symptoms and was isolating himself. britain's health secretary matt hancock also has the virus and the chief medical