this is bbc news. we're waiting for today's uk government news conference on coronavirus, but first the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the number of deaths in the uk from the coronavirus rises to 1,019 with another 260 people dying — making it the highest death toll in the uk in a single day. that takes the total number of people killed by covid—19 to more than 20,000 across europe. tests for frontline health service staff begin in england this weekend — ten days after wales started theirs — following heavy criticism over a lack of testing for health workers. the english cities of birmingham and manchester join london with plans to open more temporary hospitals to help cope with the outbreak in the uk.

in a few minutes, a gp and a virologist will be answering your questions on the coronavirus pandemic. hello and welcome to a bbc news special about the latest developments in the coronavirus pandemic. we're joined by viewers from around the world. here in the uk, the number of people to have died from covid—19 is now more than 1,000. 260 people died overnight, taking the total to 1,019. the number of positive tests has risen to 17,089. in europe overall, more than 20,000 people have now died from the virus and around the world more than 600,000 cases have been confirmed.

part of that increase is down to more testing. here in the uk, front—line hospital staff in england are now also being screened for the virus — the hope is, it will mean people who are not infected or who have recovered can return to work. the uk has also been rapidly fitting out temporary hospitals — which will provide thousands of extra beds to help the national health service cope when the infection reaches its peak. another senior british political figure is self—isolating after developing mild symptons. the scottish secretary alisterjack says he will follow medical guidance and work from home. elsewhere around the world, india's lockdown has triggered a mass movement of people — these huge crowds were leaving delhi, despite being asked to remain indoors for three weeks. but these pictures from wuhan in china tell a different story —

they show people now being allowed to move back into the city, which was at the centre of the outbreak, after several days of virtually no new infections being diagnosed there. we'll bring you more on those and other key developments and we'll be crossing live to downing street for the latest uk government news conference which is due in about half an hour. but first, this report from angus crawford. hoping for the best, but training for the worst. the car parks of the excel now an incident command centre. specialist staff and paramedics preparing to service the new nhs nightingale. inside, a hospital is taking shape. 500 beds next week, 4,000 in total if needed. medical staff are being drafted in from across the uk, including the military, but will there be enough? sickness has taken a toll and large numbers in self—isolation means

record levels of nhs absences. doctors‘ leaders in england to blame that on a lack of testing, already in place in wales. for english hospitals, and those in scotland, at last that is about to change. a trial starting today, testing hundreds of those working in intensive care, a&e, and gps. it's what we've been calling forfor a while now to bring some reassurance to front—line staff who are currently left uncertain with what to do when they develop their own symptoms, feeling either under pressure to be at work or guilty for not being at work. and to keep our front—line staff strong throughout this whole crisis, you know, the government has got to do whatever it can to support them. if successful, the government says it will be scaled up next week, it's hoped putting thousands of staff back on the front line. what a difference a week makes. seven days ago, parks, beauty spots, were full,

prompting urgent calls for greater social distancing, backed by the force of law. calls that seem to be working. it's hoped, slowing the spread, relieving pressure on the nhs. but at the excel, now nhs nightingale, still they make ready and stand by. we will have updates from there. 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 philippa kaye, who is a gp in northwest london. and mark harris, who is professor of virology at the university of leeds.

let's start with you, phillip and a question from heather. when the prime minister and others test positive with mild symptoms, what are these mild symptoms? is there a danger that the carry on as usual attitude, albeit in isolation, diminish the seriousness of the situation? there is a balance to be drawn between emphasising how serious this is without inducing panic and for most, they will have mild symptoms, about 80% and we mean a fever, feeling unwell and coughing. that might last a few days up to a week. the coughing can persist. they might be able to potter around at home and work from home, like the prime minister. if symptoms are more severe with shortness of breath and

dizziness, no matter where you are, you must call 111 to get medical treatment. on that, iwonder if there is an element of reassurance that comes with seeing high profile people saying they are at home, posturing, albeit i am sure the prime minister is more than posturing! is there a sense of reassurance that might come sometimes with hearing people carry on albeit in isolation? yes, until people know someone in their family, oi’ people know someone in their family, orfriends people know someone in their family, or friends who have people know someone in their family, orfriends who have had it, there is a great amount of fear because some people will become more unwell so to hear somebody is managing and has a temperature and is managing with paracetamol and fluid can be reassuring. mark, that leads me to this question from debbie who is fearful. she said, should people who have tested positive stay inside? are they allowed to be out in the

garden? she is worried about catching it from her neighbour, she says the gardens are close together and she has tested positive. people who are isolated are allowed to go into the garden. the same rule applies as if you went for a walk. you must remain two metres apart from each other, so unless you are leaning over the fence talking to each other, you are ok. the rule is two metres. two metres is the minimum so you should be further away from each other, if possible. 0ne away from each other, if possible. one can understand the social compromise this can bring sometimes if you are worried about the neighbour who has tested positive. that is right. in our everyday lives we have to maintain distance from people, so we can talk to neighbours but maintaina people, so we can talk to neighbours but maintain a distance from them. it is tough, but we have to abide by that in order to prevent

transmission of the virus, particularly if you know your neighbour has tested positive. you should be mindful. philippa, my 89—year—old father thinks it is ok to go shopping because supermarkets have special slots for the elderly. can he go shopping, or should he stay at home? we are saying the over 70s should stay at home as much as possible which means if someone else could go shopping, an online delivery, i would advise that, especially as he is quite away over 70 and the older you are, the more serious the infection can be. if there is someone else who can do that, i would there is someone else who can do that, iwould recommend there is someone else who can do that, i would recommend that. there is someone else who can do that, iwould recommend that. if there is not, no other options, which is unusual because a lot of things are set up to help people, yes, if he was well, technically he could go but i would advise going in

the special hours and maintaining two metres apart if possible. the special hours and maintaining two metres apart if possiblem the special hours and maintaining two metres apart if possible. it is difficult for people with elderly pa rents difficult for people with elderly parents who still like to have independence. mark, can the virus survive on newspapers and is it risky to read a paper handled by someone risky to read a paper handled by someone who is infected, from linda. a study looked at how the virus persisted and if it is on a hard surface, such as metal, plastic, it can survive up to 72 hours. the study looked on paper and showed the virus could not be detected after as little as an hour or so after putting onto paper, so you are pretty safe with paper. if you are concerned, after you have read the paper, wash your hands before touching your face. that is a rule we should all follow. the same with the post, for people? absolutely, if

it is paper it is unlikely to be contaminated but you should be careful. if you have brought anything in from outside, when you come back from your walk, you should wash your hands. it should be the first thing you do when you get back in the house. what about clothes? people are saying they would have a shower when they come in if they feel they were exposed. shower, washing clothes, would you advise that? as much as you can do to avoid any potential contamination. it might be excessive to wash your clothes every time you come in from going out for a walk. if you maintained a good distance and are not aware of touching anyone else, you are unlikely to be contaminated with virus so washing hands is the most important because that is the most important because that is the most likely where you will transmit the virus. you have to touch your mouth, nose, eyes, that is most likely that would come from your

hands. philippa, i am on my seventh day of self isolation after displaying symptoms and now my daughter displays symptoms. can i go out to get food and paracetamol, as we are running low? can i be around her as she is ill, to help her recover. just to clarify on the question before, if you are a health ca re question before, if you are a health care professional, nurse, doctorand working for example in scrubs, those i would change when i got home because that is not the same as a normal hour of exercise. 0n because that is not the same as a normal hour of exercise. on this question, if you are on the seventh day of infection, you, as the person infecting the house, as long as you do not have a fever, can go out from day eight to get supplies. even if you are on day eight, ten, you still have a fever, you have to stay at home. the only symptom we say you

can go out with if it persists after a week is coughing because that can stay around another three, four weeks. she can go out from tomorrow on day eight is longer she is well but everybody else in the house has to stay in 1a days from the day she started her symptoms. if they get symptoms on top, so if i had a child who got symptoms on day 13, it is another seven days for that person from then. she can go out after seven days as long as she has no temperature. everybody else stays in for the 1a and if they develop symptoms, another seven. thank you. mark, a big question. with different countries infected at different times, who will decide, and how, when global travel can start up ain? when global travel can start up again? from bob carter. i think the answer is the world will decide and

it will be a gradual process. like we saw the lockdown in various countries, closing borders, flights from various countries being stopped ina from various countries being stopped in a piecemeal fashion, from various countries being stopped in a piecemealfashion, i from various countries being stopped in a piecemeal fashion, i guess when we come out the other side, the same will happen in reverse and gradually we will start to see flights resuming to other countries. it will bea resuming to other countries. it will be a slow process, i think, because we want to make sure we do not transmit the virus to other countries. in china they have had cases coming back in from people coming into china, but that is a concern. coming into china, but that is a concern. i think a gradual process. it will not be one day we cannot travel and the next wherever we want. it will be gradual. maybe bob was asking the question in hope! philippa, i am 77 with a lung disease but i have not received the government letter to say i am in a

high—risk category. should i self—isolate says michael richardson. there is a difference between self isolation which we advise for over 70s and almost a com plete advise for over 70s and almost a complete quarantine which we advise for people in high—risk groups which include people with blood cancers and those with an organ transplant. for thosepeople, they do not leave the house, not to get groceries, groceries should be left, not even for a walk. for those self isolating, over 70s can go for a walk. he should definitely be self isolating. whether or not he would be counted as a high—risk vulnerable group, if he has not had a letter, that would suggest he does not have to. you can have asthma that is not severe enough to make us think you are considered to be high risk. if he is not sure, ring the gp on

monday and they will discuss with you further. mark, can the virus be passed through stroking pet cats and dogs? this is unlikely. if you have gone out for a walk with your dog and someone out for a walk with your dog and someone who was infected had sneezed into their hand and then stroke your dog, then that would be a potential route of transmission, but it seems unlikely because you would be at least two metres away from anybody else. we can't say it is zero risk, so else. we can't say it is zero risk, so there is always a very small risk. maybe if you are worried, after you have stroked your cat or dog, wash your hands again. that is the mantra. philippa, what defines a dry cough and how can i tell if i have one? that is a good question. a dry cough is one that doesn't really produce mucus. we have all had a hacking cough at some point, but a

dry cough doesn't produce that. by persistent, we mean a cough that is happening for about half a day or that you are coughing for about an hour may be three times a day, and thatis hour may be three times a day, and that is new for you. if you are somebody who has a cough anyway, for example a smoker‘s cough, and your cuff has got significantly worse or feels very different, for example, a smokers cough often does sound rather wet and goodly. under dry cough doesn't. so even if you have a persistent cough normally, if that changes you need to start staying at home. do we know the proportion of people who are presenting with the cuff? we know some are asymptomatic. the cough seems to be the one thing thatis the cough seems to be the one thing that is definitive but you don't have to have had it to have the virus. until we have have to have had it to have the virus. untilwe have rolled out testing, by which i mean antibody

testing, by which i mean antibody testing to see whether or not a person has had it, we don't know the percentage of people who have had it a symptomatically, which means it is not possible to say what percentage of people have had it a symptomatically or had it with a cough orfever. symptomatically or had it with a cough or fever. that is something we will be studying for a long period of time to come as those antibody tests co m e of time to come as those antibody tests come out in the future. right now, we don't know. i have a lot of patience winging my surgery saying, i know it is not a co—owner cough, it's just a cold. i know it is not a co—owner cough, it'sjust a cold. right now, you don't know that. the likelihood is that if you have a fever or a cough, the likelihood is that this is related to corona, so stay at home. i had related to corona, so stay at home. ihad an related to corona, so stay at home. i had an interview this morning where they said the season for the traditional seasonal flu has where they said the season for the traditional seasonalflu has passed, so to echo what you said, it is more likely to be covid. absolutely. it is more likely to be covid. if you seasonal flu cases will linger on.

some patients are also ringing me up saying, iam some patients are also ringing me up saying, i am snoozing, but i think it is hay fever. that can be difficult to differentiate apart from the fact that covid doesn't tend to cause sneezing. if you are somebody who is sneezing and you have got itchy eyes and you are coughing occasionally, that is more likely to be hay fever. it is having the persistent cough that i described over either an hour a few times a day or a few hours at a time, that is when i would start to self—isolate. time, that is when i would start to self-isolate. and it is worth clarifying again because we are talking so much about testing today as health workers in england start to be tested this weekend, the difference you alluded to between the antibody and antigen test. it is worth clarifying the difference. and antigen test tells you you have got it now. we are testing for part of the virus and the one we are thinking about doing as a swab that you insert in the back of your throat and it tells you if you have

the virus now and therefore could infect somebody. the reason to do thatis infect somebody. the reason to do that is that if you have a child at home who might be coughing or has a temperature for another reason, we wa nt to temperature for another reason, we want to know which of our health professionals have the virus and therefore cannot go to work, and which ones can. and antibody test, which ones can. and antibody test, which will be rolled out in the future and they are starting to test them right now, tells you whether or not you have had the infection, not whether you have it now. if we know you have had the infection and are therefore immune, as a health care professional that makes you a superhero. it gives you a superpower because it means we know you are not going to get it again and therefore, you are safe to go to work. mark, do we know for certain that if you have had it, you are going to be safe? i get asked that a lot. it is a good question. if you have had any virus infection and you clear that the

virus and it goes away, like the common cold or flu or any other type of virus, your body will raise an immune response to that virus and that will enable your body to clear the virus from the body. after that, that immune response will persist so that immune response will persist so that if you become exposed to that virus again, that immune response will counteract the virus rapidly, so will counteract the virus rapidly, so you should be immune to any subsequent infection with the same virus. that is why it is important to have an antibody test to make sure you have an immune response to this virus. if you do, you will be resistant to subsequent infection and you can work with people who are infected with the reassurance that you will not be infected. which is why there has been so much angst and

dare i say anger in some quarters that we have not had the testing sooner, because it would help tremendously. people are saying it will be a game changer. that is true, but it takes longer to develop, that test. as soon as the virus was identified injanuary, we knew what the genetic sequencing of that virus was and that meant we could devise a sensitive test called aqpcr could devise a sensitive test called a 0 pcr test which would allow us to of the virus. but to detect the presence of antibodies or immune response to the virus, you have to have a test which resembles the virus so you can detect whether the immune response is recognising that virus, and that is taking longer to develop. i understand there are no tests available and the government are buying 3.5 million of these tests over the next few weeks. hopefully, those will be used for front—line workers to test whether they have been infected. front—line workers to test whether they have been infectedlj front—line workers to test whether they have been infected. i am keeping an eye on the screens for the press conference from downing

street. another quick question for you, mark. how long after having had the virus is someone still infectious, asks nick charlton? we heard from philippa earlier about the time for which you are meant to stay indoors in quarantine after you have developed symptoms, so after you have been infected you should be looking at 14 days before you are really clear of any virus. after the symptoms have gone, there may be some residual infectivity, but it will not last long. the government advice is that you should quarantine yourself for a maximum of 14 days. finally, philippa, a question that struck me. this morning somebody was saying, this isn't about social distancing, it should be called physical distancing. let's not forget that we can still talk to each other. human beings are very social and we mustn't forget that at the current time. i have seen a lot

of people with their heads down and standing in excess of two metres apart, but as a gp, what would you say on that? maybe we should consider it physical distancing, but let's not forget that we still need each other. humans are pack animals and renewed contact with each other. that is why we are saying, please check on your neighbours, telephone your elderly relatives. make sure your elderly relatives. make sure you have that regular contact. my personal experience walking outside with my children is that whilst we might be swerving off the pavement to keep that two metres, everybody is saying good morning in a rather 19505, is saying good morning in a rather 1950s, wonderful way. we absolutely can do that. and if you are dropping shopping for somebody elderly down the road and you stand at the bottom of the garden when they opened the door and say hello, as long as you are maintaining that distance. and if you are distant from your loved ones, please keep in touch by phone or technology. a lovely thought to

end on end with a smile, which we all need. dr philippa kaye and mark harris, professor of virology at the university of leeds, thank you for your time. 0ur correspondent angus crawford is at the excel centre in east london, which is being converted into a makeshift hospital. what sort of progress are you saying that today? extraordinary, what is going on here. it will be the biggest hospital in the uk. in the last few days, they have been stripping out the big holes here. it is like an aircraft hangar inside, and they have been putting in lines and they have been putting in lines and lines and rows and rows of plastic cubicles. they expect to have 500 beds, intensive care unit

beds up and running by the middle or end of next week. they will have oxygen at the each bed and ventilators. they say they have the capability if necessary to make that up capability if necessary to make that up to 4000 beds in total. as you can see in the car park, this has now become a command centre behind me. it is full of ambulances and support vehicles and they are getting ready for the moment when they were stuck to have patients being admitted, which we anticipate will be sometime next week. why here? because london is effectively the epicentre of the virus outbreak, with more than one third of all cases. there are fears that the critical care capacity of london's intensive care units will begin to be reached in the middle of next week. what is also vital about what is happening here is that it is like a test bed because there are three other centres which will be constructed, based on this model. in birmingham or manchester and cardiff

and potentially also glasgow. this will bring in thousands more beds, ready for the potential of the enormous wave of cases expected in the weeks to come. all eyes will be on the excel as you say. is there confidence that there will be not only the beds, but the oxygen and the ventilators and the staff to be able to take up this capacity overload ? able to take up this capacity overload? that able to take up this capacity overload ? that is able to take up this capacity overload? that is a good question. i think that will be the next big question. i don't think anyone doubts that they have the physical capability of creating this hospital, but who exactly is going to staff it? we knew that before the coronavirus crisis, there were 100,000 vacancies in the nhs. we also know that the sickness rates in london particularly are very high. some hospitals have an absentee rate of up to 50% of staff. so that is a real problem. the solution? the nhs says it has put out a call to all

nhs staff in london to see if they are able to work here. they are hoping to draft in staff from outside london to fill those gaps. they also anticipate having hundreds of people who will be coming back from retirement. they have made are called to arms for those who have left the profession to come back. we also expect there to be volunteers from the stjohn's ambulance brigade and also military medics. again, all ready for the potential wave of cases which may start to come here in the middle to the end of next week. thank you for the update from the excel in london. 0ur political correspondent jonathan blake is here. as angus was saying, there are still major questions that remain unanswered. if you had a crystal ball, what can we expect from today's daily meeting? we have been told very little about what the government is going to announce at these news conferences. we will have

to wait and see to hear what alok sharma, the business secretary, who will be leading today's briefing, has to say. the fact that he is there suggests that there will be more measures targeted at businesses and towards the economic strategy in terms of the government response to coronavirus. but i am sure there will be questions as well about the capacity within the nhs to deal with this crisis. we have been hearing about the increase in testing of nhs staff which was announced yesterday. there have been a lot of questions about how quickly and how far that testing will go. then there is also the government's own capacity to deal with the crisis given that in the last 24 hours we have seen the prime minister and health secretary testing positive and the chief medical officer having to go into self—isolation. today, and cabinet minister, alisterjack, the scottish secretary, says he has symptoms and will be isolating for the next seven days as well. what is your sense of

where we are? there are still a lot of clinical staff who are really angry about the lack of protective equipment, the slowness in taking up the testing. even now, i was hearing that they will be testing 800 health ca re that they will be testing 800 health care staff a day. it doesn't seem enough given what they are facing. there is frustration and fear among people in the nhs about the level of provision they have in terms of equipment and how quickly the government can start testing nhs workers to establish who is safe to workers to establish who is safe to work and safe to return to work. we have heard from cabinet ministers that they are moving heaven and earth on the issue of protective equipment to ensure supplies they say they had enough of our getting to the right places. that has been a logistical challenge that we are

seeing addressed now. on that issue of testing, hundreds, we are told, this weekend, moving on to many more in the coming days, but that cannot come soon enough for nhs staff dealing with this crisis. stay with us for the press conference. this is bbc news. we're waiting for today's uk government news conference on coronavirus, but first, the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the number of deaths in the uk from the coronavirus rises to 1019, with another 260 people dying — making it the highest death toll in the uk in a single day. that takes the total number of people killed by covid—19 to more than 20,000 across europe. tests for frontline health service staff begin in england this weekend, ten days after wales started theirs, following heavy criticism over a lack of testing for health workers. the english cities of birmingham and manchesterjoin london with plans to open more

temporary hospitals to help cope with the outbreak in the uk. hello, and welcome. you're watching a bbc news special about the latest developments in the coronavirus pandemic. we're joined by viewers from around the world. here in the uk, the number of people to have died from covid—19 is now more than a thousand. 260 people died overnight — taking the total to 1,019. the number of positive tests has risen to 17,089. in europe overall, more than 20,000 people have now died from the virus let's go over live to downing street now for today's daily briefing.

good afternoon, as of 9am on the 28th of march, a total of 120 thousand have been tested of which 17,089 were confirmed positive. as of 5pm on the 27th of march, 1,019 patients in the uk who tested positive for coronavirus have sadly died. as with our population, for businesses large and small, coronavirus represents an unprecedented challenge. speaking with business leaders and organisations every day, i appreciate how tough the situation is. when we tell people to stay at home to protect the nhs and save lives, we know it has a real cost to

yourfamilies lives, we know it has a real cost to your families and firms. i want to thank the many businesses and workers right across the uk who are playing a vital role in keeping the british economy going. you are delivering for our nation through this difficult time and we said we would deliver for you, this difficult time and we said we would deliverfor you, doing whatever it takes. that is why we have taken whatever it takes. that is why we have ta ken unprecedented whatever it takes. that is why we have taken unprecedented action to support our economy and save jobs and secure livelihoods. to help businesses pull through at this difficult time, we have set out income support schemes for the employed and self—employed, as well asa employed and self—employed, as well as a package of grants, loans, business rate holidays and vat deferrals. businesses and trade unions have welcomed our interventions. i want to reassure them we are working around the clock to get the funding as quickly as

possible to where it is needed. 0n monday we launched the coronavirus business interruption loan scheme. this is designed to make it easier for businesses with a turnover of up to £45 million to access vital financial support. so far, the scheme's 40 accredited lenders, including high street banks, are processing thousands of applications. this week, i provided guidance to english councils on gra nts to guidance to english councils on grants to smaller businesses including those operating in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors. the first tranche of funding arrived with english councils yesterday and i want to ensure the grant money is with businesses as soon as possible, providing direct funding support to almost1 million businesses. whilst

our companies have requested financial support, they have also asked us to look to ease the burden of regulation at this challenging time. we have responded to that request. yesterday, we brought forward legislation to temporarily suspend some competition rules in the supermarket sector and in the operation of isle of wight ferries. from retailers, sharing delivery va ns from retailers, sharing delivery va ns to from retailers, sharing delivery vans to ferry operators coordinating staff, these measures will allow firms to work together to deliver vital services to the public more effectively. we have introduced measures to ensure workers who have not taken all of their statutory annual leave to you to covid—19 will now be able to carry that entitlement over into the next two yea rs. entitlement over into the next two years. this will protect staff from losing out whilst providing businesses with flexibility when they need it most. early this week

together with companies house, we announced over 4 million businesses will be granted a three month extension to the filing of accounts through a fast track online process. 0ver through a fast track online process. over 10,000 through a fast track online process. 0ver10,000 businesses have already successfully applied for this extension. we will continue to monitor companies' ability to meet the range of filing obligations under the companies act and will provide further extensions if needing. i recognise just provide further extensions if needing. i recognisejust how provide further extensions if needing. i recognise just how hard employees, business owners and directors are working to keep their companies going. it is crucial when the crisis passes, as it will, we are ready to bounce back. today, i wa nt to are ready to bounce back. today, i want to announce more measures designed to give businesses greater flexibility as they face the current crisis. to help them emerge intact the other side of the covid—19

pandemic. we will introduce measures to improve the insolvency system that provides the legal options for companies running into major difficulties. 0ur companies running into major difficulties. our objective is to help uk companies which need to undergo a financial rescue or restructuring to keep trading. these measures will give those firms extra time and space to weather the storm and be ready when the crisis ends. whilst ensuring that creditors get the best return possible in the circumstances. the changes to the insolvency regime will include new rules to make sure companies are undergoing restructuring can get hold of supplies and raw materials. and there will be a temporary suspension of wrongful trading provisions for company directors to remove the threat of personal liability during the pandemic. this

will have retrospective effect from the 1st of march. however, all of the 1st of march. however, all of the other checks and balances that help to ensure directors fulfil their duties properly will remain in force. we will bring forward legislation in these areas at the earliest opportunity. we will put in place measures to ensure companies required to hold annual general meetings can do so flexibly in a manner compatible with the best public health guidance. this might include postponing or holding the agm online or by phone using only proxy voting. we are also introducing a range of measures to boost the supply of personal protective equipment such as face masks to protect front line nhs staff and we are removing administrative barriers to the production of hand sanitiser. by reducing red tape new supplies and

businesses that produce ingredients for safe hand sanitiser will be able to bring products to market in a matter of days. companies including bru dog have step forward to offer services. i am bru dog have step forward to offer services. iam proud bru dog have step forward to offer services. i am proud of how businesses and individuals across our great nation have risen to the challenge posed by covid—19. whether it is offers from companies coming forward to support the ventilated challenge or more than 700,000 people signing up to volunteer for our brilliant nhs. 0f people signing up to volunteer for our brilliant nhs. of those, in the public and private sector working ha rd to public and private sector working hard to keep the country moving. britain is meeting the challenge. working together in a joint endeavour to get through this pandemic. and be in no doubt, the government will continue to fight tooth and nail to protect lives and

livelihoods everywhere in this country. as we stand shoulder to shoulder with our people and our businesses. thank you. we will now move to the question and answer session. i think the first question is from the bbc, dominic hughes. question is mainly for the professor, how full our intensive ca re professor, how full our intensive care units in london and the uk? are there hospitals who have run out of beds, close to capacity? how many spare ventilator beds do we still have? and on testing, has testing of nhs staff currently self isolating, has that started? how many tests have been done? on the question of itu capacity, the nhs has been working hard to increase the capacity beyond the 4000 or so beds

we typically have. that has been pursued first in london, although work is going on all over the country, because the infection has spread quicker in london. we are not at capacity in london. but beds are being opened all the time to produce extra capacity. we are using theatres and recovery areas in the first instance, areas in hospitals where anaesthetic machines, ventilators are used already for surgery and can be adapted to take critically ill patients. you may have seen some of that in london hospitals and that is almost doubling capacity we have already. we are not using it at the moment but clearly the number of patients is increasing and we are expanding in advance. you will have seen the

plans at nhs nightingale to bring on initially another 500 beds if needed. we aim to get that ready for patients next week. at the moment, i am confident the capacity is there. and i am confident capacity is expanding, particularly in london, so we keep ahead of the increase in patient numbers. 0n testing, as the chief executive of the nhs said, it is critical we begin to introduce testing for staff. that is important for two reasons. first because if we have staff at home self isolating themselves, in quarantine because a member of the family has symptoms, if it turns out it is not because of coronavirus, we can bring that staff member back which is important, particularly in critical areas such as critical care clinicians, emergency department clinicians, and paramedics, that we will focus on

first. second, if they are positive, when they come back, they can be confident they will have some immunity which will be important as we understand which parts of the workforce have had the virus and are therefore likely to be immune. it was said yesterday, we are beginning, as we ramp up testing, to use the extra capacity over and above that we need to patients, to test staff and we are working with organisations to ensure that testing will be available over the next days for critical staff. thank you. itv. thank you. could you give us an update on the health of the prime minister, health secretary and chief medical officer, has he been tested? and to the medical director, given the numberof and to the medical director, given the number of deaths in the past

couple of days, what hope is there we are not on the same trajectory as countries like italy, and can the nhs cope at this current level? as you heard yesterday in the press conference, the prime minister is showing mild symptoms. he continues to lead a government effort in combating covid—19. this morning he held a video conference call and we'll continue to lead from the front. one thing that has reminded us, no one is immune and that is precisely why we ask people to follow government advice in terms of staying at home, whether they are absolutely be able to do that, we wa nt to absolutely be able to do that, we want to protect the nhs and save lives. every death is tragic and of course we need to make sure loved ones that

lose their lives to this terrible virus. but sir patrick vallance, the chief scientific adviser to the government said recently that if we can keep deaths below 20,000, we will have done very well in this epidemic. it is early at the moment and the scientists who are working with government to model what we can expect are of course adjusting their predictions as we start to see the actuality of the epidemic in the uk, rather than what we believe might have happened a few weeks ago. if we do reduce the deaths to a level below what we initially thought, i wa nt to below what we initially thought, i want to be clear, that will not be because we are somehow lucky. it won't be because somehow, the virus in this country is acting differently from any other country. it will be because every citizen in this country, the british public, have complied with the instructions that the government has given based on the best scientific evidence to reduce the transmission of the

disease. we can beat this virus. we can reduce the number of deaths, but only if we reduce the spread of the transmission. now is not the time to be complacent. now is the time to really lock down and honed down on what we have been asked to do. it is not somebody else's responsibility, it is all our responsibilities. if we are to ensure that we keep within nhs capacity, and as i said earlier, we are extending capacity all the time, each of us has a part to play and we know that can work. the next question is from lbc, ben kentish. thank you. secretary of state, you told people to stay at home but you have also told them to go to work if, of course, they are unable to work from home. at lbc, we have had lots of calls from people saying they don't feel safe at work and while the government has urged

employers to be responsible, and some have, it is also clear that many are not. so what will the government do to protect those people who are having to go to work, key workers and non—key workers, to make sure they are safe to do so? and to the professor if i may, last week borisjohnson and to the professor if i may, last week boris johnson said and to the professor if i may, last week borisjohnson said he was hopeful that we could turn the tide within 12 weeks. that was before these more extreme social distancing measures were introduced. there is now talk that the peak could be as little as three weeks away. are you confident that we can now turn the tide sooner than 12 weeks? thank you for that. we have always been clear from the start of the situation that we will be led by the scientific and medical advice. that also applies to the framing of any guidance we have put out when it comes to how people should conduct themselves when it comes to work. we have set out a detailed list of nonessential businesses which we have acquired to close, and i thank those businesses for acting responsibly. we have also

said that where possible, people should work from home and many people across our country have responded to that. however, there are certain workplaces where you are not able to work from home such as the manufacturing sector, where you will be required to go to work. we have said that people in those occasions should look to go to work. but it is incumbent upon employers to make sure they follow the public health england guidelines and keep their employees safe. that is what many employers are doing. i have conversations every day with businesses and i understand that they are adapting and making sure that where required, they are issuing their staff with ppe. but if there are instances that people for other organisations and businesses are not behaving appropriately in terms of their duty of care, then of course there are organisations like

the hse who should be involved. course there are organisations like the hse who should be involvedlj course there are organisations like the hse who should be involved. i am confident that it is possible to get on top of this virus. i am confident for several reasons, one because as a scientist and someone who listens to our epidemiologists who understand this, as i said earlier, if we can reduce the transmission rate, the amount of spread from individual to individual, the virus will start to decline in the population. that is a simple set of maths that underpins all these measures that have been put in. if we all complied with the measures and reduced the amount of transmission, then yes, we will begin to see a drop in the amount of virus circulating. i am also confident because we have seen in other countries which have taken different approaches, but the fundamental rationale is the same, to reduce transmission. we have seen that begin to work. the timeframe is difficult to determine, but over the

next month, i think we will see exactly how that plays out in the uk. but as i said earlier, this is not the time to be complacent. this is the time to really bear down and act responsibly to reduce that transmission. if we do that, the quicker we will turn the tide on this and the quicker we will be confident that we can stay within the capacity of the nhs's planning. the next question is from the sun on sunday, dave woody. secretary of state, it seems that this virus has infected the heart of government. one could be forgiven for thinking that with the prime minister airline of his cabinet and some of the officials going down like flies, how can you run an effective government when it is rampant at the heart of westminster? and if this is infecting the nhs at similar levels,

what does that mean for the treatment of people who are suffering from this virus? secondly, can you give us an indication of what is being done to bring home british subjects abroad who are stranded? we have seen some of the pleas from them about the difficulties they are having. let me be clear. the prime minister has had mild symptoms, but he is absolutely leading the response from the front. the government is united in ensuring that we come back this virus and that we come back this virus and that we come back this virus and that we bounce back on the other side of it. there are no gaps in government. we are working hard, led by the prime minister. you raised theissue by the prime minister. you raised the issue about getting our people back. my colleagues in the fco, dominic raab and others, are working night and day to make sure we can get brits back to the uk. we will

continue to work with airlines to get them back from around the world. in the first instance through commercial means, but also through repatriation flights in exceptional circumstances, for example by chattering. as you know, a british airways charter flight arrived back from peru yesterday and the fco are working to get more flights confirmed in the coming days. did you want to add anything? yes. nhs staff are obviously critical, and like any member of the public, there isa like any member of the public, there is a possibility that they will get the virus. we keep them protected at work, but they will also have to self—isolate and quarantine if they develop symptoms that are compatible with covid—19. 0f develop symptoms that are compatible with covid—19. of course, in the work we are doing to increase nhs capacity, we have to take into account that some staff will be off

for those reasons and i can assure you that we have been planning for this since very early on injanuary, even before the world health organization called it a pandemic. we have taken into account that there will be a degree of absenteeism of staff. as i also said earlier, that is the reason that rolling out testing to nhs staff, which is what we are doing now, is the critical first step in ensuring that where staff don't have covid—19, they can come back to the workforce as quickly as possible. the next question is from the sunday telegraph. the government has talked about hospitals now getting the quantities of protective equipment that they need. can you guarantee that they need. can you guarantee that all hospitals will get the same level of ppe, like the masks? and mr sharma, the covenant has appealed for help from industry to produce

ventilators. do you need more help from industry to produce ppe? and when will the rest of the 3.5 million antibody tests be used? so again on personal protective equipment, ppe, it is obviously critical for equipment, ppe, it is obviously criticalfor managing equipment, ppe, it is obviously critical for managing patients with covid—19 and protecting staff. we are putting supplies of ppe out into health care organisations co nsta ntly. health care organisations constantly. over 170 million of the highest level masks in the last couple of weeks. in the last couple of days, 40 million gloves, 25 million face 14 million aprons, vast numbers are going out. we are strengthening supply chain every day to ensure that every organisation gets the equipment they need. that

is an absolute priority. ed, as i have announced, we are making changes so that we can get more hand sanitisers into the system and more ppe equipment. in terms of ppe, the office for product safety and standards, which sits in my department, has written to notify bodies on this issue. the notified bodies on this issue. the notified bodies are the ones recognised as experts who test products for safety requirements. we have asked them to prioritise the testing of any new ppe supply as a priority. we want to put ppe testing at the front of the queue. i think we have one final question from the mail on sunday. brendan. could i ask professor powis firstly, on the subject of the latest study by imperial college suggesting that we could be on course for a much lower number of

deaths than at first feared, does that align with the government's thinking? is that modelling that you agree with? and question for the secretary of state. you have spoken of fighting a pandemic tooth and nailand of fighting a pandemic tooth and nail and doing all you can. as far as british citizens abroad are concerned, that may ring hollow as it looks as though we are lagging behind other countries and getting our citizens back. aren't you concerned about that? on the modelling, i alluded to this in a previous answer. the government is very much basing the response in this country, quite rightly, on the best scientific advice. and the imperial academic group and other academic groups are providing some of the scientific underpinning. that

is managed through the scientific advisory group for emergencies, sage, chaired by the government because ‘s chief scientific adviser sir patrick vallance. that group will take account of a number of inputs from various academic groups including colleagues at imperial. but as i said earlier, the number of deaths that arise out of this epidemic in the uk, if it is less than 20,000, as sir patrick vallance said, that would be a good result, although every death, as i have said, isa although every death, as i have said, is a tragedy. but we shouldn't be complacent about that. although that would be a good result, it will only happen if we stop the transmission of the virus. i sound like a broken record player on this, but it really is the way that if we are to get to the numbers of deaths that you are talking about, it

doesn't happen by luck. it's not just chance. it is because of the actions you and i take, that we all ta ke to actions you and i take, that we all take to reduce the transmission of the virus. it is possible to get on top of this, but you do that by stopping the transmission. that is the basis of social distancing. that is what the government has introduced. that is what other countries have done and we have seen in previous epidemics that it is a successful measure. i cannot emphasise enough to everybody watching that you have the chance to save a life. you have the chance to stop a ventilator being used for otherwise would need to be used. it isa simple otherwise would need to be used. it is a simple as that. it is not complex. the science behind it might be complex, but the reality behind it is simple. avoid contact with others where you can, stay at home. if you're symptomatically isolate. that will result in fewer deaths and less pressure on the nhs. it is that stark for all of us. coming back to

your question about whether we are being slower than other countries, i don't think that is the case. where there have been no other options for british nationals to come back to the uk, we have laid on repatriation flights. i mentioned the flight that arrived from peru yesterday, and we will continue to work around the clock to make sure we get our people back. thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen, i think that is the final question. can i just and gentlemen, i think that is the final question. can ijust end by saying that we are doing everything we can to support businesses and our people, but we have to make sure that everyone follows the advice we have put out there. stay at home, protect the nhs and save lives. thank you. that was the business secretary and the medical director of nhs england presenting the press conference today. jonathan blake our

political correspondent is with me. let's look through the main headlines from what we have heard. there were announcements about further measures the government is taking in some areas and it seems they are focused on protecting companies in trouble, either going into the crisis or as a result. alok sharma talked about improving the insolvency system to give companies extra time and space to weather the storm of the coronavirus crisis. some suspension of wrongful trading rules and he said he would, the government would legislate for that as soon as possible. measures around allowing companies to hold annual general meetings which they are required to do in a compatible way with the public health guidance so not having people gathering in boardrooms. whether it can be remotely or whether they can be postponed. that was the main focus from the government point of view.

also, a mention of boosting supply of personal protective equipment to front—line staff in the nhs. no real detail on what that was. and relaxation of the rules of testing new products particularly hand sanitiser which there is a demand for and some companies, drinks manufacturers among them, have changed production lines to make that product and the government trying to get that product to market as soon as possible. also some interesting lines from the medical director of nhs england who was talking about that figure of 20,000 deaths which the nhs and government are working towards as a baseline number, which we heard a lot about and he said if we can keep the number of deaths below 20,000, we will have done very well. i think it is worth pausing to bear in mind, given the large increase we have

seenin given the large increase we have seen in the number of deaths over the past day, up over 200 and now a total of 1,019, it gives us an idea of where those numbers will go and how much further they will increase. he said that london was not yet at capacity for intensive care unit beds which is interesting to note, given how far the nhs is going to increase the number of beds available with the makeshift hospital is built at excel in london and elsewhere. testing, questions on that, but beyond what we heard yesterday, they aim to test hundreds of workers this weekend and an increase after that. and the prime minister's hell. the business secretary saying the prime minister displayed mild symptoms. that continues to be the case and he said borisjohnson was leading the government from the front and there are no gaps in government, as he put it. what was your sense? may be this

question is more in hope, whether there is a sense, the professor stressed it is possible to get on top of this. there is no complacency, but i wonder if you get the sense that may be, and he was askedif the sense that may be, and he was asked if the tide would turn sooner than anticipated, what was your sense of the tone? he certainly did not say there was a need to revise the figure up. that is what the nhs and government are working towards. yes, i suppose he was relatively optimistic, or positive, and relatively is the key word, in terms of keeping the number of deaths potentially below the 20,000 figure. he was clear to say if it was kept below that, it would be as a result of people following the social distancing guidelines and sticking to the rules the government laid down about how often we are allowed to go out and for what reason. he

came back to that at the end, as did the business secretary, bringing everything back to the guidance to people to stay at home as much as possible and that is the main factor, as the medical director put it, in terms of suppressing the number of deaths and peak of cases of the coronavirus. thank you. angus is at the excel for us now. that is being converted into a makeshift hospital. we can get an update in terms of the confidence in increasing the much—needed capacity. nhs staff i have spoken to are confident they can physically deliver this extraordinary hospital. initially, they are aiming to have 500 intensive care unit beds up and running ready to receive patients in the middle to the end of next week. you cannot imagine the scale of the

operation, which has included installing enormous oxygen tanks just outside the building. they have been running pipes through the building and official pictures put out today by downing street showed some of the work going on. you can see the military and civilian contractors constructing row after row after row of plastic cubicles which will soon have beds, ventilators, oxygen. if the surge is as bad as they have been expecting, this place will be expanded to 2000 and potentially 4000 beds in total. what is interesting about the nightingale, it is a test bed, the model for what may happen in the rest of the country. we know there are three other centres, manchester, birmingham and cardiff, which may look to do similar as been done here, creating out of nothing and

intensive care unit, increasing, probably doubling the number of intensive care beds available in the uk, but there is an important but. a question about who will star fit. an awful lot of doctors and nurses are either self isolating or have the virus and are ill, or unavailable. the nhs said the solution is to put out a call to all staff across the country. they will reschedule people, bringing them in from other parts, they hope even to bring back retired staff to work here. we know there will be staff from stjohn ambulance and also from the mod, ready for what we anticipate will be a surge in cases. the professor was keen to stress that many millions of protective equipment has already gone out but still questions around... and there is confidence now and interesting to see the scale of what is going on there, but

questions remain over when we can get oxygen, ventilators and the staff to get this hospital up and running in time. this has never been done before. we as a country have never been here before. this kind of unit in the uk has never been tried before. it is revolutionary. you have seen pictures from around the world, possibly spain, where you have had buildings with beds and simply beds and people have been treated, but not on this scale, where there has been oxygen plumbed into the building, power, water, individual nursing in cubicles. an incredible adventure here, in a way, something never done before in the uk. already they are practising, lining up ambulances and they have been coming in from the root to track how they would get here. we

know what is likely to happen is they will arrive at the front gate. they will discharge patients, who are meant to go into an admissions area where they will have triage and then placed into intensive care. when hopefully they recovered they will go into a step down, recovery area and after that a discharge area but still questions about whether ppe, the protective equipment, will arrive and whether they will have sufficient staffing. just for 500 bedsit sufficient staffing. just for 500 beds it means several thousand staff working eight—hour shifts. an enormousjob of work. working eight—hour shifts. an enormous job of work. picking up on the point of the ambulances behind you, are they there permanently, or on standby for others who might need critical care? it seems for the

ambulances, they are going through the training for when the hospital opens. they have to have a seamless flow of ambulances coming in, discharging and moving on. it has become the biggest ambulance base in london. you have not only got the ambulances but support for paramedic workers and also tire replacement. ina sense, workers and also tire replacement. in a sense, they can have ambulances here permanently and have them moving through. i think you will find that when this unit opens, there will be a seamless flow of ambulances, coming in, discharging, they will have to take precautions, cleansing ambulances, and then they will move out to do more work. they expect to have 500 beds, intensive ca re expect to have 500 beds, intensive care unit beds, open next week with thousands of extra staff and these staff will have to be put up somewhere and it is likely they will be put up in hotels around the

centre, which are normally used for people coming to conferences here. we anticipate some of them will have to stay in these hotels for up to six weeks, until the bulk of the outbreak is over, because why here? why this place? because london is, at the moment, the epicentre of the outbreak with more than one third of all cases which have tested positive. angus, thank you. back to theissue positive. angus, thank you. back to the issue of business and provision is made by the business secretary. our business correspondent katie prescott is here. we heard the business secretary layout more measures to help support business. over the past weeks we have had measures to cushion businesses through the crisis and keep their cash flow healthy. for example, the loan scheme the business secretary referenced,

saying banks are processing thousands of applications for loans. we have seen support for salaries of workers that might have had to be laid off because of businesses that had to shut down because of the lockdown. the new measures today are on the other end of the spectrum, looking at what happens when businesses get into trouble. he announced a suspension of wrongful trading rules, when, if a company is struggling and insolvent, has no chance of survival, company directors can be held personally liable for keeping that business going. he said they will suspend those rules temporarily and backdate the suspension from the 1st of march so if your business is struggling because of the virus, you cannot be held liable for keeping it trading in that period. there was mention for workers being able to carry over holiday. that was announced a few days ago. not today? that is why i

wa nted days ago. not today? that is why i wanted to clarify. the other big announcement was around meetings, annual meetings that businesses have to hold. really very sensibly one would think they can now be held remotely, or even suspended if necessary. voting can take place by proxy in order to keep social distancing measures in place. competition, relaxation. is that something new? the other main new statement came back to the insolvency changes. saying, and i spoke to some insolvency practitioners who say they are not clear how it will work, but he said companies undergoing restructuring will be allowed to keep trading and they can still get supplies in this period. we will have to wait to see how the new legislation comes into place. people i spoke to an earlier

expected him to go further. the wrongful trading rules, that was expected but they thought there might be other measures, so i wonder if the government is leaving itself breathing space to announce further measures. thank you. let's take a look at how coronavirus is affecting communities around the world now. in spain, the death toll from the virus has risen by more than 800 overnight. it brings the total of those infected to more than 5,600 the increase of 832 deaths exceeds yesterday's record breaking one—day figure for fatalities. spain has now more than 72,000 people infected with the virus. our correspondent guy hedgecoe is in madrid with the latest. these latest figures make for pretty grim reading. the latest figure of 832 dead over the last 24 hours is very worrying. and that is the highest figure so far for the daily death toll

and that continues to creep up. that is a worry. having said that, the authorities do believe the country is approaching the top of this upward curve because they point to the statistics and say the number of people or new infections that we are seeing each day, that is increasing at a lower rate than it was, so that is easing off somewhat. they believe the country is reaching or getting close to some kind of peak. having said that, the health services are under tremendous pressure. we heard about an ice rink being turned into a makeshift morgue here in madrid, a conference centre being turned into a hospital. those sort of measures are continuing and the feeling is, even after the peak of the impact of the virus, the health services are still going to be under a tremendous pressure and that pressure might even increase after the peak has been reached. our correspondent in berlin, damien mcguinness, has this update from germany where, there too, health authorities have

witnessed a sharp rise in the number of infections. germany has one of the highest rate of infections in the world. that's now thought to be more than 50,000. interestingly, though, the death toll, the death rate, is still relatively low. now, if you compare that with other countries, 9,000 as you were saying earlier, in italy. a catastrophic death toll there. in germany, the death toll is thought to be very low because testing is so widespread here. every week, local authorities say that it's thought around up to half a million tests are being carried out. that number is going to go up. 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, though, that the situation in germany is really the calm before

the storm, those are the words they have used. so far here, we have an excess supply of intensive care beds. some patients from italy and france are being flown into german hospitals to help those other countries. but the difficulty for germany is that once the infection rate rises still further, it's thought 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 the current quite strict restrictions on social contact and going out are going to be extended until at least the 20th of april, likely to be further. during that period, the economy is effectively in shut down. lots of questions and debates here in germany about how to keep the economy going and how to keep the health care system going when that death toll possibly does rise. damien mcguinness.

millions of homeless people and migrant labourers have been left in the lurch after india announced a 21—day lockdown in a bid to contain the spread of coronavirus in the country. with factories and construction sites closing down, many have expressed fears that they would starve to death. state governments have announced that they will open centres to feed these people, but have been overwhelmed. many have opted to walk hundreds of miles to their villages as public transport has been suspended. our correspondent faisal ali gave us this update from delhi. it's happening everywhere, after the prime minister announced a complete lockdown on the 24th evening, and the next day, all trains were cancelled from everywhere. then, about two days, the flights also got cancelled. from a lot of states, especially in the eastern region, like bihar... like bihar, uttar pradesh, there are a lot of migrant labourers who were working in other

northern states or southern states, like kerala or punjab, they all are trying to get back. there are no vacancies available. they arejust trudging on foot with their families and since hotels and all eateries are closed, cities are locked, so they don't have anything to eat, they're in a very bad condition, at the moment. 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 and 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, warned people not to be complacent and to learn from what's happening in the west. translation: compared with western countries, the number of infections is lower. that might be the assumption

of many people. however, what we are seeing over time, including the incubation period, isjust a reflection of infections which happened two weeks ago. explosive expansion — if that is already happening, it's not something we can discover right away — it will be two weeks before the numbers reflect that. and once it happens, then the speed of the infection will be uncontrollable. in the chinese city of wuhan — where the global coronavirus emergency began — some transport services are resuming as hubei province gradually lifts its lockdown, with the coronavirus crisis apparently stabilizing there for the time being. james ra nsley reports. wu han's train station, once an empty hub, is now busy with people with places to be. the city is slowly and steadily coming back to life. translation: i think this is the result of the hard work of all chinese people who came together as one and defeated the epidemic.

for us, the news about lifting the lockdown is like the biggest recognition for us staying at home for more than two months. wuhan, a major engine of the chinese economy, got its freight train service back up and running. it's carrying medical supplies and electronics to europe. the city's banks opened earlier this week for business and buses are back on the roads. but residents are still being advised against unnecessary travel, and those over 65 told to avoid taking public transport altogether. people are allowed to enter wuhan, but restrictions on those wishing to leave will not be lifted until april 8th. translation: it has been a long time since we last saw wuhan. people from hubei who travelled out of the province faced some discrimination. i hope people will not treat hubei people as a virus. the city in hubei province was placed under lockdown back injanuary. its 11 million people have faced some of the harshest restrictions on daily life.

in hubei, more than 50,000 people have been infected with the disease. more than 3,000 have died. but the partial reopening of wuhan signals a turning point in china's fight against the virus. translation: yesterday, china's mainland reported 54 new confirmed cases, all of which are imported cases. there are three fatalities reported, all of them in hubei. after months of enduring total lockdown, life for the people of wuhan is beginning to get back on track. james ransley, bbc news. let's return to today's announcement from business secretary alok sharma that insolvency rules will be relaxed. we can speak now to suren thiru, who is the head of economics at the british chambers of commerce. for anyonejustjoining us, for anyone just joining us, perhaps you could run through the main headlines that struck a chord for you? well, what we have seen today

isa you? well, what we have seen today is a welcome relaxation of the insolvency rules, firstly to give businesses breathing space if they run into difficulty, and also ensuring that if company directors ta kes ste ps ensuring that if company directors takes steps to protect their business and protect people working for their businesses, they will not face consequences further down the line. does it go far enough? they are unimportantand line. does it go far enough? they are unimportant and welcome step because at an extraordinary of andy economic storm they are facing —— they are an important step because during this extraordinary economic storm, it is important to protect interests at this vital stage. but we know cash flow remains an urgent concern. it is enough being done in terms of the timeline or is there more that can be done? important steps a re more that can be done? important steps are being taken to support business cash flow, but there are areas to be addressed. firstly, there is a funding gap in some of

there is a funding gap in some of the government support measures for mid—sized firms, so they are not eligible for the coronavirus loan scheme, for example. and they are too small for support from the bank of england. so filling that gap is important. and what about the cutting of red tape to allow companies to produce that personal protective equipment and hand sanitiser more quickly? that is a real common—sense approach. at a time when businesses are part of the wider national effort to combat coronavirus, making it easierfor businesses to produce their products is important. so in general, do you think businesses across the uk will welcome today's measures?m think businesses across the uk will welcome today's measures? it is certainly a welcome step, but there is more to be done to fill in those gaps for the business communities that have not been served yet, particularly the mid—sized firms and some of the small firms as well. so what would they be wanting to see in the coming days and weeks? for

mid—sized firms, it is trying to access funding in the next weeks and months. some of the schemes at the moment don't cover mid—sized firms. some of the very small businesses also don't have access to the grants that have been announced by the government, such as those that don't pay business rates, for example. suren thiru, thanks forjoining us. while the pandemic has brought much of the world's industry to a halt — it seems some criminals will literally stop at nothing. here in the uk, there's been a wave of new scams, targeting people in their homes, over the phone and the internet. and asjohn mguire reports, many are using covid—19 as cover

while most are trying to do the right thing, some are hell—bent on doing the wrong thing, taking advantage of people when they are at their most vulnerable, using cons and scams. these days, often online, where it's easier to hide behind a digital mask. so sorry to hear what happened. run us through it. we spoke to a young woman who was caught out by a scammer masquerading as her genuine leasing agent, asking for money early because of coronavirus. she lost £1,500. she does not want to be identified. ijust feel i have been manipulated and exploited because they have really played on my emotions by saying i would be helping someone out during this really difficult time. i was trying to be a good person and do a good thing by doing this. i just feel sick and annoyed and angry. i just don't want this to happen to anyone else. give us an idea... action fraud is run by the city of london police, urging people to report cybercrime and fraud. this month, it has seen more than 280 cases related to the virus

at a cost of more than £1.1 million. but the crimes are under—reported. wherever you have got something that is in the public consciousness like this, we tend to see fraudsters using that as a hook. we saw it, for example, during the olympics. and they are very adept at doing so, so the sort of things we have seen are e—mails purporting to be from health organisations, offering information about the virus. we have seen e—mails purporting to be from charities, requesting donations. and we have seen some purporting to be from government organisations as well, requesting information. this is what is happening — so—called phishing e—mails. unsolicited, they look genuine, but ask for personal orfinancial details. fake products for sale — at the moment, of course, face masks or hand sanitiser. luckily, no loo rolls. phone calls, again, trying to hack into your bank details. and distraction burglary —

targeting the elderly, tricking their way into homes by pretending to be health workers. trading standards teams are in the front line, fighting the good fight against a particularly cruel crime. if there's any doubt, if something sounds too good to be true, then it usually is. so it's ok to stop and to pause and to then put the phone down or to reflect on the e—mail and to ask a trusted friend or a neighbour what they think. legitimate traders will not rush you into making a decision, especially in the current climate. they will not. but, of course, these scams are often very sophisticated. they're conducted by confidence tricksters. so at a time when our confidence is low, they go on the hunt. john maguire, bbc news. 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. a man who'd been due to take part in the london marathon next month has run the 26.2 miles in his back garden. the event has been cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic, but that hasn't put off 36—year—old james page. his garden is bigger than mine. he completed 873 laps of his lawn in sidcup in kent, before crossing a finish line made by his son from toilet roll. well done! this is bbc news — the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world.. the number of deaths in the uk from the coronavirus rises to 1,019, with another 260 people

dying in a single day. officials warn that social distancing restrictions must be kept in place. if we can keep deaths below 20,000, we will have done very well in this epidemic. the uk business secretary announces new economic measures, including changes to the insolvency rules and improvements to the nhs supply system. we are also introducing a range of measures to boost the supply of personal protective equipment, such as face masks, to protect frontline nhs staff. tests for frontline health service staff begin in england this weekend — 10 days after wales started theirs — following heavy criticism over a lack of testing for health workers. the english cities of birmingham and manchester join london with plans to open more temporary hospitals to help cope with the outbreak in the uk. that takes the total number of people killed by covid—19 to more than 20,000 across europe.

the number of people to have died with coronavirus in the uk has reached 1,019. there have been a further 260 deaths since figures were released yesterday. in downing street's daily news briefing, the business secretary, alok sharma, announced changes to insolvency rules to allow firms "greater flexibility" as they face the current crisis. he was joined by the medical director of nhs england, professor stephen powis, who said the figures of those likely to die from coronavirus will continue to rise but restrictions will help to limit numbers. if it is less than 20,000, as sir patrick vallance said, that would be a good result, although every death, as i have said, is absolutely a tragedy.

but we should not be complacent about that. although that would be a good result, it will only happen if we stop the transmission of the virus. i sound like a broken record player on this, but it really is the way that if we are going to get to the numbers of deathsy you are talking about, it does not happen by luck. it is notjust chance, it is because of the actions you take, i take, that we all take, to reduce the transmission of the virus. so it is possible to get on top of this virus, but you do that by stopping the transmission. that is the basis of social distancing, that is what the government has introduced on scientific advice. on the best scientific advice. that is what other countries have done. and we have seen in previous epidemics that it is a successful measure. so i cannot emphasise enough to everybody watching today that you have the chance to save a life. you have a chance to stop a ventilator being used that otherwise would need to be used.

it really is as simple as that. this is not complex. the science behind it might be complex, but the reality is incredibly simple. avoid contact with others, where you can, stay at home. if you are symptomatic, isolate. and that will result in fewer deaths and less pressure on the nhs. it is that stark for all of us. as well as announcing changes to insolvency rules to allow firms "greater flexibility" as they face the current crisis, the business secretary, alok sharma, also said steps were being taken to get more supplies to health care workers. we will introduce measures to improve the insolvency system that provides the legal options for companies running into major difficulties. our overriding objective is to help uk companies that need to undergo a financial rescue or restructuring to keep

trading. these measures will give those firms extra time and space to weather the storm and be ready when the crisis ends. whilst ensuring that creditors get the best return possible in the circumstances. the changes to the insolvency regime will include new rules to make sure companies undergoing restructuring can continue to get hold of supplies and raw materials. and there will be and raw materials. and there will be a temporary suspension of wrongful trading provisions for company directors to remove the threat of personal liability during the pandemic. this provision will have retrospective effect from the 1st of march. however, to be clear, all of the other checks and balances that help to ensure directors fulfil their duties properly will remain in force. we will bring forward legislation in these areas at the earliest opportunity. we will put in

place measures to ensure companies required to hold annual meetings can do so flexibly in a manner compatible with the best public health guidance. this might include postponing or holding the agm online or by phone using only proxy voting. in addition, we are also introducing a range of measures to boost the supply of personal protective equipment such as face masks to protect front line nhs staff, and we are removing administrative barriers to the production of hand sanitiser by reducing red tape, new suppliers and businesses will be able to bring their products to market in a matter of days. the business secretary alok sharma speaking earlier in the government briefing. let's look at some other developments today. here in the uk, the number of people to have died from covid—19 is now more than a thousand.

260 people died overnight — taking the total to 1,019. the number of positive tests has risen to 17,089. in europe overall, more than 20,000 people have now died from the virus and around the world more than 600,000 cases have been confirmed. part of that increase is down to more testing. here in the uk, frontline hospital staff in england are now also being screened for the virus — the hope is, it will mean people who have are not infected or who have recovered who have not been infected or who have recovered can return to work. the uk has also been rapidly fitting out temporary hospitals — which will provide thousands of extra beds to help the national health service cope when the infection reaches its peak. another senior british political figure is self—isolating after developing mild symptons. the scottish secretary alisterjack says he will follow medical guidance and work from home. elsewhere around the world, india's lockdown has triggered a mass

movement of people — these huge crowds were leaving delhi, despite being asked to remain indoors for three weeks. but these pictures from wuhan in china tell a different story — they show people now being allowed to move back into the city, which was at the centre of the outbreak, after several days of virtually no new infections being diagnosed there. the uk government's scottish secretary, alisterjack, has put himself into self—isolation after displaying mild coronavirus symptoms. 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 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 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 kind of 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. at the latest daily news conference in downing street, the business secretary, alok sharma, said "red tape" for companies was to be relaxed to help them get through the coronavirus outbreak.

he said rules on insolvency would be changed, and companies which were obliged to hold an annual general meeting would be given flexibility. our business correspondent katie prescott went through some of the measures announced in the past few weeks and also today. the loan scheme that the business secretary referenced in his speech, he said banks are processing thousands of applications for those loa ns, thousands of applications for those loans, and we have seen support of the salaries of workers that might have had to be laid off because of the businesses that had to shut down because of the lockdown. but the new measures he announced really are on the other end of the spectrum, looking at what happens when businesses get into trouble. what he announced is a suspension of wrongful trading rules, when, if a company is struggling, insolvent, and has no chance of survival, company directors can be held personally liable for keeping that business going. he said today they will suspend those rules

temporarily, they are going to backdate the suspension to the 1st of march so if your business is struggling because of the virus, you cannot be held liable for keeping it going and keeping it trading in that period. our correspondent angus crawford is is at the excel centre in east london where a hospital is being built. nhs staff i have spoken to are very confident they can physically deliver this extraordinary hospital. initially, they are aiming to have 500 intensive care unit beds up and running, ready to receive patients in the middle to the end of next week. you cannot imagine the scale of the operation, even including installing enormous oxygen tanks just outside the building. they have been running pipes throughout the building, official pictures put out today by downing street showed some of the work going on in there and you can see the military and

civilian contractors constructing line after line, row after row of plastic cubicles that will soon have beds, ventilators, oxygen. if the surge is as bad as they have been expecting, this place will be expanded to 2000 and potentially 4000 beds. what is interesting about the nightingale, it is essentially a test bed, the model for what might happen in the rest of the country. there are three other centres, manchester, birmingham and cardiff, which may look to do as has been done here, creating out of nothing and intensive care unit. increasing, probably doubling the number of intensive care beds available in the uk. but there is an important bout. there is a question about who will star fit. an awful lot of doctors and nurses are either self

isolating, or have the virus and are ill, or unavailable. the nhs that the solution is to put out a call to all nhs staff, they will reschedule people, bringing them in from other parts of the country and they hope to bring back retired staff to work here. we know there will be staff from stjohn ambulance and also from the mod, ready for what we anticipate will be a surge of cases. angus crawford. the new york governor has announced he is postponing the state's presidential primary as the number of cases in the state continue to climb. the election was due on april the 28th but will now take place almost two months later on june the but will now take place almost two months later onjune the 23rd. the latest figures show the number of covid—19 cases has surpassed 52,000 people and in his daily briefing, the governor spoke earlier today.

the worst news, the news that is most depressing to me and i am sure every new yorker, the number of deaths is 728 and of that, what is happening people are on ventilators longer, so the average length of stay on a ventilator, the longer you are on a ventilator, the less chance you are coming off the ventilator. that has always been true. it is more dramatic in this situation. since this has been going on a period of time, you are having more and more people now on ventilators for a longer period of time. and those are the people we are losing. before we leave you. the royal mint is going to produce more medical visors. engineers more used to

working on coins and machinery developed a prototype in 48 hours and the first visors are already in use ina and the first visors are already in use in a hospital in wales. we say goodbye to viewers on bbc one. i will be back at 6pm. working to meet an ever—growing orderbook. sport, and a full round—up from the bbc sport centre. good afternoon. with most football leagues around the world on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic, questions are now being asked as to when they'll be completed. the english premier league's considering restarting on the 30th of april, though that looks increasingly unlikely. meanwhile, the bbc understands the fa's determined to finish the current women's super league season, but they've told clubs they want all matches played by early august. here's our reporter tom garry. we understand that the fa spoke with representatives from clubs across

the women's super league in the women's championship, and outlined all the various options that are in front of them, one of which was to void the season from here onwards, to cancel the season, as we have seenin to cancel the season, as we have seen in lower levels of the women's game, but it emerged that was not the option the fa or the majority of clu bs the option the fa or the majority of clubs preferred, and the women's super league are determined to try if they can to complete the season stopped but they also admit that the decision may be taken out of their hands depending on the severity of the virus and how this pandemic progresses over the coming weeks. they know that if they are to finish it, if it is safe and the conditions are safe to do so, they need to do so by early august. that's what we understand to be the final possible end date for the season. so in order to do that, we are between six and nine matches left depending on the club, they need to resume the season byjuly at the