perfectly timed. have a very lovely day from all of us have a very lovely day from all of us here. we will be back again tomorrow at 6am. goodbye. this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. president trump signs a stimulus bill worth more $2.3 trillion to help

america cope with the coronavirus pandemic. one day we get hit with this thing nobody even ever heard of before. and now we are fighting a different battle. that, as the us becomes the first country in the world to record more than 100,000 positive cases of covid—19. frontline nhs staff in england will begin being tested for coronavirus this weekend, after heavy criticism over a lack of testing for health workers. the three men spearheading the uk's fight against covid—19 self—isolate — two of them test postive for the virus and the third thinks he may have it. birmingham and manchester join london as more temporary hospitals will be set up to help cope with the pandemic in the uk. pope francis laments the "distressing void" descending over italy, as fears grow that the virus is spreading south.

and this is the scene in wuhan, where the outbreak began — after two months of total lockdown, the city partially re—opens again. and for viewers in the uk — in half an hour we'll be answering all of your health questions on the virus with a team of professionals. hello and welcome to audiences in the uk and around the world. we're covering all the latest coronavirus developments here in britain and globally. around 600,000 cases have now been confirmed worldwide. the city where the coronavirus pandemic began, wuhan in china, has partially re—opened, after more than two months of isolation. people are being allowed to enter but not leave.

more than 3,000 people in hubei died from the disease. but numbers have fallen dramatically. china on saturday reported only 5a new cases, all of which were imported. in the us, president trump has announced a $2.3 trillion package to give a lifeline to the economy. there are now more than 100,000 confirmed cases in the country. in the uk, the government will begin testing front line nhs staff this weekend. it's following days of criticism that health workers with symptoms have been unable to treat patients. prime minister borisjohnson has tested positive for coronavirus. health secretary matt hancock has also been diagnosed with covid—i9, and chief medical officer chris whitty is in isolation after developing symptoms. three new temporary hospitals in birmingham, manchester and cardiff will be set up to help cope with the coronavirus crisis. another hospital is being set up in london's excel centre will be

available for use next week. we'll have more on all of those developments. but we start with this report from our correspondent nick bryant in new york. new york, new york, the worst infected city in what is now the worst infected country. there was a lwa ys worst infected country. there was always a sense that this planetary pandemic would end up ravaging this global hub. while there is a deceptive car on the quiet streets, behind the doors of its hospitals the crisis is getting worse. emergency calls have hit their highest level since the attacks of september 11. hospital staff are describing a tsunami of patients flooding their emergency rooms. we are thought to be three weeks away from the peak year. and already they are exhausted. it's been like a war zone. a medical war zone. we are working with limited resources. with the constant disparities of pain and suffering we see not only with those

afflicted with the coronavirus, but also those coming in for a trauma. and so it is very physically and mentally exhausting. the very things that make new york so great have now made it vulnerable. it's vibrancy, the fact it is such a melting pot. we are so dense, we are so together, which is what makes us special, gives us that new york energy, gives us gives us that new york energy, gives us that new york mojo, it also, that then 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 dead. each one is capable of holding up to 44 bodies. 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 a 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 business is forced to shutter their doors. at least congress has now passedit doors. at least congress has now passed it to trillion dollar stimulus package, a lifeline to an economy that this week saw its biggest unemployment spike in history. i never signed anything with a t on it. i don't know if i can handle this one! it was signed into law by america's billionaire president. republican lawmakers by his side. but the democrats cold shouldered. election political distancing. one day we get hit with this thing nobody ever heard of before, nobody ever even heard of before. now we are fighting a different battle. but i really think inafairly different battle. but i really think in a fairly short period of time because of what they have done, and what everyone has done, i really

think we are 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. the uk is expected to begin testing frontline medical staff in the national health service for covid—19 in the coming hours, to try to clarify who should and who should not be working with patients. it comes as the prime minister borisjohnson and health secretary matt hancock are self—isolating after testing posiitve for the virus. andy moore reports. they're the three men spearheading the national fight against covid—19 and all three are now self—isolating because they have or think they have the virus. i've developed mild symptoms of the coronavirus, that's to say a temperature and a persistent cough. the prime minister is in self quarantine in this flat above 11 downing street, but says he remains firmly in charge. 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. on wednesday, the prime minister was in the house of commons, with his health minister sitting close by. matt hancock has also now tested positive. i'll be continuing to do everything they can to get our carers the support that they need and i'll be doing that from here, but with no less gusto. the government's chief medical officer hasn't tested positive, but professor chris whitty said he had symptoms compatible with covid—19. the nhs is already treating over 6,000 coronavirus patients and thousands more are expected in the coming weeks at new hospitals like this one at the excel centre in london. driving testing centres for front line nhs staff had already opened up. this is in nottingham. more are coming on stream this weekend.

up. this is in nottingham. more are coming on stream this weekendm somebody falls ill, they can come into one of the driving centres that we have set up at boots and get tested, so that the very next day they will have a result to know if they will have a result to know if they do or don't have the coronavirus. and if they don't it's often safer than to go back to work. health workers have also been calling repeatedly for better personal protection equipment. the government has changed its guidance to recommend the wearing of equipment for high—risk procedures that might generate droplets. but the hospital doctors union says it doesn't go far enough. they want all staff and patients in hospitals to have access to surgical masks whether they have the virus or not. in london, many streets are nearly empty. the capital is dealing with more coronavirus cases than any other part of the country. the stay—at—home message is getting through, but will it be enough to stop the nhs being overwhelmed? andy moore, bbc news. our political correspondent helen catt.

joint us from westminster. helen, we know the prime minister is in the flat above the shop, as it were, so he is still very much in downing street. how difficult is it going to be for him to carry out his duties given that he can't actually open the door to anybody? yes, downing street the prime minister says —— is still very much leading the uk response to coronavirus, but as you said, he lives above the shop. as well as having his private flat in downing street, the rest of the building, much like other places like the white house, is a functioning government building. so there are things like secure phone lines he can speak to world leaders on, and we have seen over the past week government started to make more use of things like video calls, so the meeting of his most senior ministers, his cabinets, earlier this week, was done via video calls. he will be doing that as well. because the uk government runs a cabinet system, which means he has these other senior ministers, they can step in in other

circumstances where otherwise the prime minister might need to be there in person. so every day we are getting these daily press briefings. they have not a lwa ys press briefings. they have not always been done by the prime minister. they have already been done by other senior ministers. we saw michael gove, one of the others, do that yesterday instead. there are other people who can step in in that scenario. this does, of course, rely on the prime minister remaining well and having just mild symptoms. if his condition were to worsen, there isa his condition were to worsen, there is a back—up plan. one of his most senior ministers, dominic raab, the foreign secretary, would step in and ta ke foreign secretary, would step in and take over temporarily. thank you very much. scotland has more than 1000 confirmed cases. and earlier we heard from professorjason leitch, who is the national clinical director for the scottish government. this is the greatest health challenge of our time. it sounds hyperbolic and exaggerated but it genuinely is. i have been astonishingly impressed by both the

public response and in particular the caring response from the health service and the social care environment. so you can see across all four environment. so you can see across allfour uk environment. so you can see across all four uk countries that deaths are rising, and that'sjust all four uk countries that deaths are rising, and that's just such a horrid thing to have to say, and none of us in these positions in the governments and the health services wa nt to governments and the health services want to see that. but everything we are doing is to try and reduce that number. so this weekend it is sunny in glasgow, would you believe? i can see the sun outside my window. i have to admit i kinda wanted it to rain today. because i want people at all costs to stay at home as much as they can. i don't want people to be tempted to go outside or gather in groups or visit their family outside the house because it is no exaggeration to say that this week across the four countries people have saved lives by following the rules. well, following the news that britain's prime minister and health secretary have both fallen ill to the coronavirus, one

of the country's most prestigious medicaljournals launched an attack against the government's handling of the virus epidemic. in an editorial in the lancet, health service officials are accused of having failed to adequately prepare for the arrival of the virus, leading to chaos and panic. it claims this has left britain's health service unprepared to handle the flow of patients requiring treatment. and in other developments here in the uk, county councils are warning of major short term changes to local services as they prioritise efforts to keep people safe during the crisis. the county councils network, which represents 36 local authorities, says councils are being forced to stop or significantly scale back services. the credit ratings firm fitch has downgraded britain's sovereign debt rating, from aa to aa—minus, due in part to the economic damage the virus is causing. employees who don't take all their annual leave because of the crisis, will be able to carry it over for up to two years. the government said it didn't want people to lose out if they were working

round—the—clock in key industries. let's turn to italy now, the country which has recorded the second highest number of infections, and, with more than 9,000 fatalities, the highest number of deaths. there are now worries that the pandemic could spread away from the north, and affect the relatively poorer south of the country. pope francis has responded by delivering an extraordinary blessing, as freya cole reports. this kind of blessing is usually reserved for christmas day on easter sunday. but given the scale of the coronavirus disaster, the pope made an exception. on the steps of saint peter's basilica in front of a rainy and desolate st peter's square, he gave his blessing. translation: for weeks now, it has been evening. thick darkness has gathered over our squares, our streets and

our cities. it has taken over our lives, filling everything with a deafening silence and a distressing void that stops everything as it passes by. we feel it in the air, we notice it in people's gestures, their glances give them away. we find ourselves afraid and lost. lord, may you bless the world, give health to our bodies and comfort our hearts. surrounding vatican city is a country suffering its worst peacetime crisis. in italy, more than 9000 people have now died from coronavirus. every day, the death toll climbs higher, a grim reality that there is no end in sight. help is being flown in from afar. russian military medics are seen here disinfecting a

medical facility in northern italy, the worst hit region. but there are fears the virus is yet to fully inundate italy's south, where towns and villages will also struggle to cope. and as the extreme lockdown measures continue, with the likelihood of an extension, aid workers fear the worst. in the most difficult neighbourhoods of the biggest city, i am afraid that in a few weeks we will have social problems. this is a social bomb that can explode at any moment because they don't have any way to have an income or to find an income. italy's health care system has been pushed to the brink and it is a scramble to construct field hospitals to care for the critically ill. these men say it is their duty to get this work done to help in they can. freya cole, bbc news.

so far, europe has seen the highest number of cases and deaths. our correspondent in berlin, damian mcguinness, has this update from germany, where health authorities have witnessed a sharp rise in the number of infections. germany has one of the highest rates of infection is in the world. it is now thought to be more than 50,000. interestingly though, the death toll, the debt rate, is still relatively low. only 351 so far. if you compare that with other countries, 9000 as you are saying earlier, in italy. a catastrophic death toll there. in germany the death toll there. in germany the death toll there. in germany the death toll is thought to be very low because testing is so widespread here. every week it is thought around half a million tests are being carried out. that number is going to increase. the reason why this means a lower death toll is because lots of people who don't show many signs of infections are

being tested. so that means, that indicates, that the actual real infection rate in other countries is a lot higher. now german ministers have said that the situation in germany is really the calm before the storm, those are the words they have used. so far we have had an excess supply of care beds. some medics are being flown... the difficulty for germany is that once the infection rate rises still further, it is thought of the death toll will rise. what we have here really is a feeling of an eerie sense of calm. everyone is looking at the figures every day to see if the death toll rises. angela merkel has said of the current quite strict restrictions on social contact are going to be extended until at least the 20th of april, likely to be further. during that period of the economy is effectively in a shut down. lots of questions and debates

here in germany about how to keep the economy going and how to keep the economy going and how to keep the health care system going when that death toll possibly does rise. damien mcguinness reporting there from germany. the headlines on bbc news: phe headlines on bbc news: resident trump has signed into law a $2.3 trillion emergency spending package to relieve the impact of the coronavirus on the us economy. frontline nhs staff in england will begin being tested for coronavirus this weekend, after heavy criticism over a lack of testing for health workers. and pope francis has lamented the "distressing void" descending over italy, as fears grow that the virus is spreading south. tighter restrictions have come into force in russia to slow the spread of the coronavirus. shopping centres, restaurants and cafes have been ordered to close for nine days in the hope that russians will stay at home. our correspondent steve rosenberg has been out on the

streets on moscow. well i am in the centre of moscow and it is eerily quiet. this pedestrian street is just off red square, normally it's packed with people. especially on a sunny spring day like today. but there are very few people here now. that is because from today in moscow, and across russia, cafes, restaurants, bars, are being closed, also nonessential shops and shopping centres. in moscow some of the big parks and recreational areas are closed too. that is to discourage people from coming onto the streets, the aim is to slow the spread of the coronavirus. the authorities in russia want people to spend the next nine days at home as much as possible. but there have been mixed m essa 9 es possible. but there have been mixed messages because the other day president putin's spokesperson said that they factor there is no coronavirus epidemic in russia. but at the same time you have the moscow

mayor saying this is a very serious situation developing in the russian capital, saying that you should only go out for a walk if it is a short walk and only with family members. you should only go to the food shops if you are in dire need. he said many lives depend on each and every one of us. steve rosenberg. officials in china have partially re—opened wuhan — the city where the coronavirus outbreak was first recorded. this was the scene there a little earlier on saturday. people are being allowed to enter, but not to leave the city — it's being reported that the trains coming into wuhan are packed with passengers. in its latest set of virus figures, china says all of the new cases were imported infections brought by people coming into the country. injapan, the number of cases appears to be rising again, with more than 50 new infections in a single day in tokyo. the governor of the city urged people to stay indoors said the capital was now on the brink of an emergency. tokyo was due to host the olympic and paralympic games this year, but they have been postponed because of the outbreak. japan's prime minister, shinzo abe, has just announced an economic

stimulus package that includes direct payments to household to help japan cope with the financial effects of the outbreak. he also warned people not to be complacent and to learn from what's happening in the west. translation: compared with the western countries, the total number of infection is lower. that might be the assumption of many people, however what we are seeing over time, including incubation period, this isjust a reflection of what happened, or infections which happened two weeks ago already. if explosive expansion is already happening, this is not something we can discover right away — only in two weeks it is reflected in numbers. and once it happens, then the speed of the infection will be uncontrollable. four passengers have died on a cruise ship stranded off the pacific coast of panama. the zaandam has been refused

permission to dock in several ports. it's now trying to reach florida, but has been denied access to the panama canal. more than 130 other people on board have flu—like symptoms. hundreds of north american, australian and british citizens are in isolation in their rooms and a boat—to—boat operation is underway to move some healthy travellers to a sister ship, the rotterdam, over the weekend. the coronavirus pandemic has thrown the entire planet into varying degrees of lockdown. the key message for us all is to distance ourselves from others. in these circumstances, how is it possible to connect a ito—year old in beirut man with a 10—year old girl in london, or a 7a—year old in switzerland with a 7—year old in britain? well, non—profit communal art programme, a space between, has one answer. joining me via webcam from london, to explain, is one of the three founders, fardokht sharifi.

thank you very much for it being with us on bbc news. tell us about the, you have i think two projects, but tell us about the one that involves people coming up with their own sketches and others colouring them? how does that work? yes, so we started this initiative a few months ago in hospitals, where we wanted art to be a powerful connector. and art to be a powerful connector. and a way of connecting all generations and all walks of life. but obviously with covid—19, we couldn't do this in person in the hospitals and in wider community. so we believe that this is the most important time to stay connected, even though we are isolated. we can find ways of not being alone. and so the way this initiative works is that we are continuing the drawings

by asking anyone to draw anything. and uploaded onto, send it to our e—mail address, orjust by taking a photo. we upload it. and someone else can then download it, print it, colour it in and take a photo and send it back to us. that goes on to our website and becomes, hopefully, a very growing global exhibition. people are connecting through the simple act of colouring in. it sounds a lovely way of expressing that communality and shared experience. you had better give us the website address? yes, please. it isa the website address? yes, please. it is a space between dot co dot uk. great. and people can access that

from around the world. what sort of age people have you had taking part? it has been incredible. we have had really all ages from 70—year—olds to nine—year—olds, to 16—year—olds, which has been actually the most encouraging, to see teenagers as much as children and adults, getting involved. and really from all over the world, from honduras, mexico, japan, china, london, obviously, and it's really, it's a continuing my continuously growing thing. this one is from greece. great. we would have to leave it there. we would have to leave it there. much more on our website, including this look at how a cruise ship near panama is trying to transfer healthy passengers to another vessel, after an outbreak on board.

just log on to our bbc news website — or download the bbc app. now the weather with matt. hello, there. after a week in which for some of you it felt like late spring, it is going to feel this weekend as if we are closer to winter. things are set to turn much colder, added wind—chill a lot more cloud than we have seen this week. it is the width of which will be the noticeable feature. coming all the way from arctic and greenland. it will be dropping temperatures uk wide. one or two isolated showers on that breeze. many have rain in wales, northern england and the north midlands. they could be sleet and snow mixed in parts of scotland. afair bit and snow mixed in parts of scotland. a fair bit around this afternoon. some sunshine for many. the best in southern counties of england. we could hit 13 degrees. add on the

wind it will feel colder. as we go into tonight the breeze will still be blowing. if anything, it will strengthen. it won't stop the temperatures from dropping. while they will be up and down through the night, the overall theme will be many central and western areas, as well as scotland, will see temperatures below freezing. another thing to remember tonight, the clocks go forward. tomorrow morning sunrise will be that bit later. and i were less in bed but the sunset will also be an hour later. some longer evening daylight hours. they will be a little less sunshine around the world tomorrow. more cloud from the start of the day. the odd shower or. the greatest chance ofa odd shower or. the greatest chance of a shower in east anglia and the south—east. there will be some sunshine. winds could touch a0 to 50 mph in some spots. widely stronger winds than we are seeing today. even though temperatures at the moment are around ten to —— seven to 10 celsius, it will feel substantially

colder, particularly in england and wales, a few spots getting closer to freezing. as we go into monday, after a chilly start, not as cold a day. still the chance of a few showers. england and wales basically. high pressure to the west will bring cloud. some sunny spells. temperatures into double figures. area of high pressure they are through the week ahead. more of a north—westerly airflow. the air will not be quite as cold but rain in the north. many places are still dry with occasional breaks in the cloud.

hello this is bbc news with me, shaun ley. the headlines... than $2.2 trillion

as cases in the us rise to over 100,000 overtaking the total infected in china in britain, tests forfront line health workers will begin this weekend as the number of cases continues to rise. there had been heavy criticism over a lack of testing. the english cities of birmingham and manchester join london with plans to open more temporary hospitals to help cope with the pandemic in the uk. and in wuhan, where the outbreak began, after two months of total lockdown the city partially reopens again as people are allowed into the city, but can't leave. coronavirus tests for nhs front line staff are to begin this weekend ahead of a wider roll—out to help those given the all—clear from the disease to return to work. cabinet minister michael gove said the government was working in a new alliance with universities, businesses and researchers

to boost testing capacity. it comes as prime minister boris johnson faces leading the country's response to coronavirus from isolation, after he tested positive for the virus. two of his key lieutenants will also remain in self—isolation this weekend, after health secretary matt hancock confirmed he had coronavirus and england's chief medical officer professor chris whitty exhibited symptoms. andy moore reports. they're the three men spearheading the national fight against covid—19 and all three are now self—isolating because they have or think they have the virus. i've developed mild symptoms of the coronavirus, that's to say a temperature and a persistent cough. the prime minister is in self quarantine in this flat above 11 downing street, but says he remains firmly in charge. 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 fightback against coronavirus.

on wednesday, the prime minister was in the house of commons, with his health minister sitting close by. matt hancock has also now tested positive. i'll be continuing to do everything i can to get our carers the support that they need and i'll be doing that from here, but with no less gusto. the government's chief medical officer hasn't tested positive, but professor chris whitty said he had symptoms compatible with covid—19. the nhs is already treating over 6,000 coronavirus patients and thousands more are expected in the coming weeks at new hospitals like this one at the excel centre in london. drive and centres have already been set up. if someone falls ill, they can come to the drive and centre we

have at boots, and they will know the next day if they do or do not have coronavirus. if they do not, it is often safe for them to go back to work. health care professionals have also been asking for better protection equipment. guidelines... the hospital doctors union says the new guidance doesn't go far enough. they want all staff and patients in hospitals to have access to surgical masks, whether they have the virus or not. in london, many streets are nearly empty. the capital is dealing with more coronavirus cases than any other part of the country. the stay at home message is getting through, but will it be enough to stop the nhs being overwhelmed? you've been contacting us in your thousands with questions about practical advice

and support on covid—19. we're going to do our best now to answer some of them now — on the bbc‘s your questions answered. we can speak to dr simon hodes, who is a gp in watford and also dr katrina lythgoe, who is an epidemiologist at oxford university's big data institute. thank you forjoining this this morning. i suspect there is never going to be a shortage of questions and we will never get them all in, but we will do our best. simon, could i start with you, this question is from julian webb, should all over 70s stay at home, or only those with underlying health conditions? i think it is very clear that the risks of coronavirus increase with age, and the curve goes up increase with age, and the curve goes up over increase with age, and the curve goes up over 60. the government advises extremely clear, you should stay home. we are still seeing lots of 70—year—olds pottering about the supermarkets, but if i could urge

you all stay at home get someone else to get some shopping for you, it would be much safer for you. jason wright from the nhs scotland was on bbc breakfast this morning and said you might be fine, but no one can completely predict who will have a more severe reaction, which is why older age groups are more likely to be vulnerable. is why older age groups are more likely to be vulnerablelj is why older age groups are more likely to be vulnerable. i think thatis likely to be vulnerable. i think that is right, old people are more susceptible to the virus, and need to be extremely careful. katrina, could i ask you a question from michael rafter, he says, if you have the virus, are you then —— if you have had the virus, you then immune to it in the future? you almost certainly are, but what we don't know is how long the immunity lasts. it is almost certainly months, and possibly years, but that is an area of ongoing research.

so they are -- there are encouraging reasons that people will not get clobbered with it twice in the same year? that is extremely unlikely. back to simon, this is from pete, who asks, information on face masks has been inconsistent. is wearing a face mask effective? again, a very common question. they are very important in a health care setting. we know that this spread through droplets, people coughing and breathing on each other, so facemasks will reduce that. but people wearing face masks outdoors who are otherwise well, they might get false reassurance. there is evidence that it is counter—productive because if you wash your hands, you don't get the virus on yourface. wash your hands, you don't get the virus on your face. i wash your hands, you don't get the virus on yourface. i think wash your hands, you don't get the virus on your face. i think social isolating is far more important

u nless isolating is far more important unless you work in a health care setting. so peoples behaviour might change ina setting. so peoples behaviour might change in a way that is counter—productive if they are getting a full sense of security. not only that, people keep touching theirface if not only that, people keep touching their face if they have a mask on, could be causing more problems. thank you very much. katrina, this is from jeff tran field, who asks, if you test somebody one day and they test negative, and return to work, when do they need tested ain? work, when do they need tested again? would people be tested every day? the first thing is, it is really great that the government is planning to scale up the testing, and there is going to be two types of test. there will be a test as to whether you have it, or a test as to whether you have it, or a test as to whether you have it, or a test as to whether you had it in the past. so, if you have a negative test

for having the virus, that does not rule out that you may get infected in the future. then the antibody test, which you may have heard about, which you may have heard about, which the government wants to roll out, is to test whether you have had it in the past. if you have had it, and developed antibodies, that would make you immune, and as i said in a previous answer, almost certainly for months, and possibly years. someone has already pointed out to us this morning that the nhs in wales had already started doing its testing for staff, and that is being rolled out around the uk, which is obviously good news. just on that question of the tests. presumably there is a question, a lot of people watching will wonder how they can get a test, they would like to know if they have the antibodies and can go back to doing whatever i was doing before. exactly,

iwould go back to doing whatever i was doing before. exactly, i would quite like to know that as well. watch this space, i think. like to know that as well. watch this space, ithink. ok, back to simon. this is an interesting one, simon. this is an interesting one, simon. i have seen it referred to as one possible explanation for why italy might have been so hard—hit. that is a question that andrew fellowes asks, are smokers more at risk from the virus? italy has a higher rate of adult smoking than this country. it is a lung disease, which is why you're hearing about ventilators. anyone who has a poor lung function because of smoking will be more susceptible. people with lung disease are high risk. we need to take a step back and say, smoking is the main cause of heart disease and cancer, which killed more people than covid—19 will in a year, so in terms of not smoking, it isa year, so in terms of not smoking, it is a great health thing for you, thinking about stopping smoking

irreleva nt thinking about stopping smoking irrelevant of coronavirus in the long term. even if you stop tomorrow, you might already have done the damage that makes you more vulnerable. i think there is a lot of evidence that the minute you start smoking you start to get benefits very quickly, and today is the best day to stop, if not, tomorrow is the next best day. if you want to give up smoking you will get more benefit than carrying on smoking. this question comes from lisa, when might self isolation be phased out? how quickly are we going to get back to normal? it is only one week since we started the lockdown, it is hard to believe it is only a week, but it really is for many people. already it has made a huge difference to people's routine, andi huge difference to people's routine, and i guess for a lot of people it is still disorientating. yes, it is very difficult, and a week seems like a year. if this question is referring to lockdown, the

government indicated that would be three weeks in the first instance, but i think it is very possible that this will be extended. lockdown is likely to be very effective, but it is also important to realise that it might not seem so at the beginning because case is and hospitalisation is likely to keep going up in the next few weeks, this is because there is a time delay between people being infected and then showing up in hospital isolation. we need to carry on and believe that this is going to work, even though the statistics on the first instance might make it seem it is all useless, because it is not. on self isolation, we hear the prime minister is self isolating on a flat in downing street with mild symptoms of coronavirus. how long will he have to self—isolate for?

of coronavirus. how long will he have to self-isolate for? the guidelines are if you are showing symptoms, for seven days because thatis symptoms, for seven days because that is the amount of time for the disease to kind of complete its course. but for family members, that increases to ia days, because you have to factor in the time, the delay to being infected and then the five days approximately it takes from being infected to show symptoms. and within that time, you would know if it was getting worse, you wouldn't be under a false impression of mild symptoms, seven days later you're fine, but actually you still have the worst to come? everyone has to keep an eye on their symptoms, and if they are worried then they need to contact nhs 111. to remind us, as we raised the question of symptoms, what is it we should be looking out for? the main

symptoms are a cough and elevated temperature. there are other interesting symptoms as well, a loss of the sense of smell has been reported as well. i mean, the problem with identifying symptoms is that they can be very similar to other seasonal infections and the flue which is why a lot of us are kind of left in doubt whether we have been affected by it or not. simon, you will know a lot about this as a gp because it is one of your big challenges every winter, to persuade people to come in for their annualflu persuade people to come in for their annual flu vaccinations and keep up—to—date with the latest iterations of the flue. james beresford asks, i have the annual flu jab andi beresford asks, i have the annual flu jab and i have the lifelong moly jam, will they be helpful in protecting me? the simple answer is

no because they will not, but if you have the pneumonia vaccine, it is not always lifelong, some people need it repeated every five years. those are people who have had a spleen removed or inflammatory bowel disease. another point to make is in the last few years, vaccinations have been given to children for flu, and the reason for that is that children spread it in the way the we are looking at with the coronavirus. to reassure the public, children do not tend to be unwell with the coronavirus, there are a couple of rare cases, but children are largely u naffected, rare cases, but children are largely unaffected, which is hopefully reassuring for the public. unaffected, which is hopefully reassuring for the publiclj unaffected, which is hopefully reassuring for the public. i was interviewing someone the other day, and said as a grandmother one of the worst things was that she could not see her grandson, using facetime and

things like that. i saw people visiting grandparents and looking in the window to have some form of communication. it is not perfect but it is the safest alternative. katrina, this comes from christopher stott, he asks, i had the pseudo— —— coronavirus symptoms before christmas and i heard others say they did as well, is it possible it was already in the uk at the end of the year? i think it is very unlikely, unless you and your friends travelled from wuhan in china, and! friends travelled from wuhan in china, and i say this because we know that from analysing the genetics of the virus itself, and what we know about how it spreads, it probably emerged in the uk and about early february. and was ceded from people travelling in europe. it is very unlikely that it was

coronavirus, it was probably seasonal flu or some other seasonal infection. there is not a 10096 way of knowing just from the symptoms whether you have got it, but right now, precautionary principle says assume you have if you have the symptoms for your own sake, and for eve ryo ne symptoms for your own sake, and for everyone else. absolutely, and as they coronavirus spreads and gets more common, it then becomes more likely that what you have got is coronavirus rather than some other kind of infection. simon, olivia asks, is losing my sense of smell and taste a symptom of covid—19? yes, there are some reports that can be the only symptom in some people. but bear in mind there are other things like hay fever and sinusitis that can cause that, and other things can cause that.

but in some cases it is a symptom. i am struggling with sinusitis myself, and there is a difference between being blocked up so you can smell, and the proper loss of a sense of smell. it is a good point to make about, again, the different range of things that can contribute to people thinking they are not 100%. but again, your advice as a gp would be use a bit of common sense about what you think is different from 2a hours ago. we need to reiterate we are looking at shortness of breath and respiratory distress is the main symptom we are worried about, when people cant go about their normal activities. there is excellent advice online. 111 are loaded, so anyone that can off—load that service by going online, getting the correct advice will do

a huge service to the nhs at this point in time. katrina, gerald asks is the uk ona time. katrina, gerald asks is the uk on a more dangerous path than other countries? the uk actually started relatively early with soft measures andl relatively early with soft measures and i think it is very reassuring that we have gone into lockdown, and we will see the benefits of that. but i do want to say that for other countries which are early on in theirepidemics, and i'm countries which are early on in their epidemics, and i'm thinking particularly here in the lower middle income countries, the clear message here is that they really need to act decisively now. so, if anyone is watching from those countries, i think it is really vital. good, thank you both very much for taking part in the questions. it has been good to talk to you both.

some breaking news from spain — where the health ministry has announced that the death toll from coronavirus now stands at 5,690, that's up from a,858 on friday. an increase of 832 in 2a hours. as we near the end of the first week of stringent measures to combat coronavirus in the uk, more and more people are changing jobs and moving into areas where there is higher demand. even with the government's scheme to protectjobs and businesses, recruiters say they've seen a spike in applicants moving away from sectors such as hospitality, retail and travel. our business correspondent katie prescott has the story.

alex ran a successful marquee business, until the ban on events forced him to mothball the company and furlough his staff. now he's turning his hand food deliveries. we needed to find a solution for our ongoing costs. so we've diversified our fleet, we have eight vehicles, and they're ready to, they're prepped and ready to deliver fruit and veg all over london. as shops and restaurants up and down the country closed and high streets emptied out, some businesses and workers are turning their hand to areas where there is great demand, for example working in supermarkets or in deliveries. recruiters are reporting a spike in the number ofjobs available in e—commerce, supply chains, educational technology, and gaming. this scheme to help people switch roles free of charge was started by a recruitment consultant. i've figured that there were a ton of people who had been displaced from hospitality who know how to operate a till, they know how to deliver great levels of customer service, and it's not one million miles away from what happens in retail a lot of

the time. you will see that they're hiring into the thousands of people and they're doing it in a variety of ways, some using online tools, some, like the co—op for example, you go in with a cv and effectively they'll hire you on the spot. serving up frozen ready meals is allowing this events company to keep on staff who would otherwise have been put on furlough. it's gone absolutely crazy in this time. we were going to start off as a small company and the three of us do it all together, now i've been able to move my staff from top hat catering over to eight food so i can keep them busy and fulfil the orders that keep coming in. adapting and changing to this newjobs market is the name of the game. katie prescott, bbc news. the covid — 19 outbreak has changed many aspects of our

lives — not least for university students and for students hoping to go to university later in the year. final year exams have been postponed, following government advice many students have had to return home and lectures are being provide online, and entrance to university for a level students will be judged on predicted grades. what effect will the virus have on students? i'm joined now by doctor charles johnson. he's a chartered occupational psychologist and chief psychometrics adviser for myunichoices, a counselling organisation for school students going into university. thank you very much for speaking to us. it is good to see and hear you this morning. let's start with what is happening for people currently at university. i happened to go to a university. i happened to go to a university campus last week, and it was really striking to be there in what was still term time, and the place was near deserted, two or three students working on their own projects, because a lot of stuff was practical, but working on their own,

there was someone in the coffee area for the occasional person who came for the occasional person who came for coffee, and that was it. how much is that changing the university experience for those who have been there during the course of this? there are people who are in their final year, it is clearly having a big effect on them, and it is because they are not getting the sort of contact and feedback about what they are doing, the discussions they feel they need to have. and people who are in their final year, doing their dissertations and things like that, are clearly struggling to some extent about what to research properly, —— not being able to research properly, getting interviews, without having dissertation work, not having proper contact with tutors. possibly the most important of all is not being

able to talk to their fellow stu d e nts able to talk to their fellow students and discuss what they are doing. it is kind of basic stuff, university can be lonely for people, not usually in your final year, but clearly that will be this very strange experience, and a rather unsatisfying end to university. exactly, it may spoil to some extent the experience. there are other things as well i know that some stu d e nts things as well i know that some students are talking about how strange it is with their accommodation and so there are various things of that sort making it difficult. on that question of exams, have the universities decided that finals won't happen, therefore degrees will be awarded based on performance through the course of studies? one of the problems as we haven't had clarity

about that yet. it is possible to do quite a lot, so people will be able to submit things like dissertations, but may not be able to do the final exams, and even thenit able to do the final exams, and even then it is conceivable that technology exists for exams to be done, but i haven't actually seen anything yet with a definitive a nswer to anything yet with a definitive answer to how that will be handled. the one group who perhaps have a clearer idea as those who would have been taking a—levels the summer hoping to go to university or other studies. at least they know that there won't be exams for them, but it is an unnerving stage because their whole future they feel is on predicted grades, which will be used for universities to give them places? again, we haven't been told how that will be done. it

has been said that for england there is essentially a portfolio of evidence that will be presented by schools to examination bodies, and that they will attempt to translate that information into predicted grades. but that has all sorts of problems, how are people going to get their grades changed, for example, if you don't agree with your predicted grades, what are you going to do? it is quite an interesting issue, this raft of exams has been cancelled, but in three months, could we be having resits, effectively, just as would happen anyway? but i think that we know that people often perform better in their actual

exams than they have for example in mock exams and things of that sort, that people pick up their performance once they are sufficiently motivated to do it, and it is not at all clear what allowance may be made for that in this predicted grades system, if thatis in this predicted grades system, if that is what happens. doctor charles johnson of myunichoices, thanks very much for being with us this morning. now, the weather. still a little sunshine around at times this weekend, but overall a lot more cloud compared to recent days. that is the case this afternoon for england and we, clyde they can offer some showers. strengthening these —— england and wales, cloudy with some showers. northern ireland is much sunnier

compared to the rest of the country. for england and wales, temperatures dropping throughout. a few showers here and there, but best of the sunshine in the southern and eastern coast. overnight the wind continues to strengthen, cloud will come and go throughout the night, so temperatures will be up and down, but chance of frost anywhere away from the eastern coastal areas. the breeze is strong tomorrow, giving an added wind chill, close to freezing for some. for many it will stay dry.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. tests for front line nhs staff begin

in england this weekend — 10 days after wales started theirs — following heavy criticism over a lack of testing for health workers. the three men spearheading the uk's fight against covid—19 self—isolate — two of them test postive for the virus and the third thinks he may have it. the english cities of birmingham and manchester join london with plans to open more temporary hospitals to help cope with the pandemic in the uk. president trump signs a stimulus bill worth more than two point two trillion dollars to help america cope with the coronavirus pandemic. one day we get help with this thing that nobody ever heard of before, nobody even ever heard of before and now we are fighting a different battle. japan's prime minister says tokyo is on the brink of an emergency and urges people to avoid enclosed spaces as new virus cases increase. and in wuhan, where the outbreak began —