this is bbc news, with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the prime minister sends a letter to every household in the uk urging people to stay at home and warning that the coronavirus crisis will get worse before it gets better. emergency food parcels are being delivered to the most vulnerable people in england who aren't allowed to leave their homes. president trump decides no quarantine for new york, but says tough new travel restrictions will be brought in, sparking confusion in the state. as europe tightens its lockdown, spain suffers another sharp rise in the number of covid—19 deaths, but officials say the spread of infections is starting to stabilise.

hello and welcome to bbc news. we're covering all the latest coronavirus developments here in britain and globally. first, as countries around the world are grappling with the coronavirus, the global death toll has reached nearly 31,000. there are now more than 665,000 confirmed cases worldwide. in the uk, the prime minister, borisjohnson, has sent a letter to every household warning that the crisis will get worse before it gets better. more than 1,000 people have now died. northern ireland has introduced new laws that will see business fined up to £5,000 for flouting lockdown restrictions.

across europe, the number of people killed by the virus has risen to more than 20,000. in south korea, everyone arriving from overseas will have to undergo two weeks of quarantine. the country has nearly 10,000 confirmed cases. australia is reporting a decline in the rate of infections. in the us, the global epicentre of the outbreak, the number of deaths have soared, doubling to more than 2,000 in two days. staying in the us, president trump has withdrawn a threat to quarantine two of the worst effected states — newjersey and new york. we begin our coverage with this report from freya cole. new york city, home to more than 8.5 million people, now a dangerous hotspot for the spread of disease. there are more than 53,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the city alone. across the entire state,

more than 700 people have died. president trump told reporters he was considering a two—week quarantine to stop the spread in new york and two other states but, just hours later, he backed away from the idea, saying... effective immediately, the centers for disease control and prevention urged residents in the three states to stop all nonessential domestic travel for 1h days. it says the advice does not apply to employees of critical infrastructure industries, including trucking, public health, financial services and food supply. the idea of an enforced quarantine had outraged some city leaders, who feared it would paralyse the economy and cause mass confusion. i did not speak to him

about any quarantine. i have not had those conversations. i don't even know what that means. the united states now has the highest numbers of cases in the world. some medical workers say they no longer feel safe, pleading with residents to do the right thing and stay at home. freya cole, bbc news. in britain, the prime minister borisjohnson has warned that the coronavirus crisis will get worse before it gets better. mrjohnson, who is self—isolating at home with mild symptoms, says that the government is considering even more stringent controls on public life. 0ur correspondent andy moore reports. the nhs is gearing up for the coming storm with the preparation of emergency hospitals in major cities across the country. this one in east london is due to take its first patients at the end of the week. it comes as a grim milestone

is reached in the casualty figures, a total of more than 1,000 people have died from coronavirus. over 17,000 people have tested positive. the prime minister is just one of them but, from self self—isolation at downing street, he is still chairing emergency meetings, and now he is writing to 30 million households across the uk. in the letter he says... at the daily downing street briefing, we were told that every one of us had a part to play in keeping the death toll as low as possible. if it is less than 20,000,

as sir patrick vallance said, that would be a good result, although every death, as i've 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. the first 2,000 food parcels have now been delivered to old and vulnerable people who have been advised to stay at home. by the end of the week, it is hoped 50,000 packages will have been sent out. andy moore, bbc news. now we're saying goodbye to viewers on bbc world news. much more still to come for viewers in the uk. london's excel centre should have been hosting a property investment conference and a wedding show this week. instead, as we've heard, it's being rapidly converted into a 4,000—bed field hospital for coronavirus patients. earlier, ruth may, the chief nursing officer for nhs england, explained more from outside

the excel centre in east london. we are absolutely planning for the surge we are expecting, because this isa surge we are expecting, because this is a global health emergency. i'm very, very grateful for all of the people coming back into the nhs to support us, because your nhs need you. i'm absolutely confident that it will be ready this week. working extremely hard. i got stjohn‘s ambulance here, we've got the military here, we've got all of our nhs planners here. they're doing an amazing job. of course, we need to do this because we absolutely want to be able to care for the people we need to care for. we've all got a job to do, do. not only are doctors and nurses coming back to the nhs and nurses coming back to the nhs and social care. our volunteers are really important to us, too, working as part of our team. you as members of the public absolutely have a

responsibility. please, please keep watching the signs of yours and please stay home. it will save lives. with the number of people dying from the virus around the world increasing, it is also important to note that thousands more people with covid—19 do recover. well, we can now speak to ben pester, who has had to self—isolate after developing the main symptoms of the virus and is coming out the other side. thanks for being with us. what has it been like? thanks for having me. it's been pretty horrific, to be honest. i went on with it last saturday. i woke up in the morning it had all of the symptoms of the flu, aching joints. as the day develops, i was trying to help out with my three young children. at the timei with my three young children. at the time i go to lunch couldn't cope any further. i got into bed and i slept

co nsta ntly further. i got into bed and i slept constantly for further. i got into bed and i slept co nsta ntly for pro ba bly further. i got into bed and i slept constantly for probably about 16 hours. into sunday, feeling very much worse. headache, lotto fever. when it came to monday morning with the children of school, i tried to get up and help out, but i was unable to do anything because i didn't have any energy. i took myself back to bed and i was in bed until the wednesday. myself back to bed and i was in bed untilthe wednesday. do myself back to bed and i was in bed until the wednesday. do you feel you are not the other side? you you're looking better. definitely. everyday i feel a little bit looking better. definitely. everyday ifeel a little bit better. i'm struggling with breathing slightly. a couple of days ago, just walking up a couple of days ago, just walking up the stairs i would have sit down before i would do something simple like putting away clothes. but now, today, i'm feeling better than i did yesterday, but still slightly out of breath. i feel like and

yesterday, but still slightly out of breath. ifeel like and improving. i can help out now. i feel like breath. ifeel like and improving. i can help out now. ifeel like i'm breath. ifeel like and improving. i can help out now. i feel like i'm a useful part of the family again. how useful part of the family again. how useful has it been to isolate yourself from the rest of your family? my kids have been really good. they have been sticking their head around the doorjust to say hi. icame head around the doorjust to say hi. i came out of my bedroom on wednesday, sorry, thursday, but the kids were just wednesday, sorry, thursday, but the kids werejust popping wednesday, sorry, thursday, but the kids were just popping in and leaving again. they talk to me briefly. generally speaking, it was kind of easy because my kids were understanding of it. i had no appetite, so i wasn't eating any food. i was trying to drink as much as possible. my one advice would be to drinka as possible. my one advice would be to drink a lot because my kidneys and insides felt like they had been trampled on. staying hydrated. it was simple enough, but that's because my children were being

understanding. it is obviously not cheaper sex. how old are you? do you have any other underlying health conditions? i'm 42. i'm quite fit and healthy, itry conditions? i'm 42. i'm quite fit and healthy, i try to go to the gym three times a week. no underlying health problems. this is the most ill i have ever felt in my life. when you hear the messaging about people with respiratory problems, pensioners and elderly people, i would reiterate that so strongly. i ama would reiterate that so strongly. i am afit, would reiterate that so strongly. i am a fit, healthy person and i have really struggled with it. people that aren't in such good health, i will not say i would fear for them, but it wouldn't be a nice experience. the watching the handsling i believe in a lot more, not that i didn't in the first place. bam, thank you for being with

us. place. bam, thank you for being with us. i'm glad you're on the mend. thank you. people in northern ireland who leave their homes without good reason will face fines of up to £960 from today. businesses who flout the lockdown could be penalised up to £5,000. as in the rest of the uk, valid reasons to go out include shopping for essential supplies, limited exercise and, for key workers, getting on with their work. 0ur northern ireland correspondent emma vardy has been speaking to some of those whose jobs are now more important than ever. streets bare. belfast like you've never seen it before. but on the ground, for those in difficulty, help must continue. the entire space in this church has become a food bank. so how many kids have you got, then? five. you've got five kids. oh, wow.

it's a lifeline for those like glenn with a lot of mouths to feed. it's hard when everyone is panic buying. by the time you get the word and get something there's nothing left on the to buy. at the moment, with universal credit, it's really important, because there're a lot of people stuck at the moment. and me, myself, is stuck so places like this are a big help. and the numbers who need belfast‘s food banks arising. a 50% increase in people coming to use the food banks since the crisis began. i think there was an initial sense of panic. the thing that we saw out in the community and the supermarkets happened here too. volunteers are starting home deliveries after finding some people coming here should have been in isolation. for essential workers, some transport must keep moving. people who are working in shops, in hospitals, maybe not have access to cars so we have to provide something. staff of northern ireland's bus network are on the front line. lucky enough, we're still one

of the very few companies that are still able to run. we're doing all we can. all the drivers have access to hand sanitisers and rubber gloves if they need it. how do your family feel about you still going into work? they are very concerned. my wife, my son, and my daughter are working from home. so out of the four of us at home i'm the only one going out to work. so it is a concern. but we will get through it, you know, in the next weeks and months. as people stay inside, northern ireland's political leaders have said to expect this new way of life to last longer than three weeks. and belfast‘s backstreets, usually busy with tourists, now like an abandoned film set. but bicycle shops, one of the few retailers the government has said can stay open, have seen a sudden spike in demand. we have a very clear perception of how the public do feel that you are open, and you arejust trying to provide a bit of a service to people still to get

around and get into work. 0n the city walls, which so often depict a divisive past, now a new sense of solidarity. "wash your hands," they say, "we're in this together." emma vardy, bbc news, belfast. in europe, the number of people killed by the virus has risen above 20,000, with both italy and spain reporting more than 800 deaths in one day. italy became the first country to report more than 10,000 fatalities. the government has further tightened restrictions, introducing temperature testing for all new arrivals from abroad and handing people masks. spain has also imposed tighter limits on people's movements, saying all non—essential staff who'd been going to work must now stay at home for two weeks. in france, which has seen close to 2,000 deaths,

the prime minister, edouard philippe, warned the "battle was just the prime minister sends a letter to every household in the uk urging people to stay at home and warning that the coronavirus crisis will get worse before it gets better. emergency food parcels are being delivered to the most vulnerable people in england who aren't allowed to leave their homes. president trump decides n0 quarantine for new york but says tough new travel restrictions will be brought in — sparking confusion in the state. as we've been hearing, borisjohnson has warned that the uk government will not hesitate to bring in tougher measures, if needed, to slow the spread of the coronavirus. the uk prime minister has written to every household, urging people to stay at home to save lives. let's speak to our political correspondent helen catt, who is in westminster. tell us more about what is in the latter from the prime minister and

why he has decided to send it to every household in the country. yes, it is going to 30 million households. this morning is that things will get worse before it gets better, but he says we are making the right preparations and the more we follow the rules fewer lives will be lost and the sooner life can return to normal. there will also be a leaflet that will give advice on things like the symptoms of coronavirus, advice on how to effectively wash your hands and more advice on the rules about when you can and cannot leave your house. 0ver can and cannot leave your house. over the last week since they were brought in we have seen some confusion there. the government has had to clarify that you shouldn't be going to second homes are caravans if you have got them, and when you ta ke if you have got them, and when you take your daily exercise it should be done locally. in the last hour, michael gove was asked how long should this daily exercise be,

because that is something that may because that is something that may be confusing people. it said for most people an our‘s walk or 30 minutes of running would be appropriate. he was also asked about how long this will go on for. not surprisingly, he couldn't give a definitive answer. no, he couldn't. he said he couldn't make an accurate prediction, but everyone does task to prepare —— to prepare for an extended period. he talked about the importance of observing the social distancing measures. in the last few weeks we have seen opposition parties being fairly supportive of the government's broad approach to tackling the coronavirus, but they have questioned whether some of the guidance could have been better. we have heard today from john ashworth, the shadow health secretary, said the shadow health secretary, said the government should be clear on who should actually be going to

work. labour seems to think that it could be time for essential projects to still be open. this letter will go to provide more advice. there has coverage of this across online and television and newspapers. i suppose the idea of the latter is just to try and maximise people knowing what they have to do. here in the uk, the duke and duchess of cambridge have lent their support to a campaign to help maintain mental health during the coronavirus pandemic. the british government is also giving mental health charities £5 million, approximately $6 million, to expand their support services. 0ur royal correspondent nicholas witchell has the details. the cambridges have both taken a close interest in mental health issues. they have also been playing their part in supporting the health services dealing with the coronavirus outbreak. just over a week ago, before the lockdown began, they visited an nhs centre in south london to thank staff for that tireless efforts.

they have now endorsed the latest initiative by public health england to help people to look after their mental health. in a statement william and catherine said... the simple steps recommended by public health england include maintaining contact with friends and family via telephone and video calls, and social media. keeping a regular routine and sleeping pattern, and focusing on a hobby or learning something new. an extra £5 million has been given to leading mental health charities so that they can expand their ability to support people who are struggling with their mental well—being during the coronavirus emergency. nicholas witchell, bbc news. let's cross to burton—upon—trent, where we can speak to psychotherapist livvy rose, who is advising people

on how to remain calm during these testing times. thank you for being with us. people have real anxiety about getting the disease, about being in lockdown, about theirjobs disease, about being in lockdown, about their jobs and disease, about being in lockdown, about theirjobs and so on. what is your advice to people in these very anxious times? the most important message i have seen with the people iam message i have seen with the people i am working with at the moment is to find out what you can control and what you can't. the most important thing is to be able to catch your breath. i think a lot of us breathe from the top of our chest. this makes anxiety worse. the idea that we start to learn to breathe from oui’ we start to learn to breathe from our stomachs will start to calm the anxiety. when we feel we are out of control we get higher and higher in

oui’ control we get higher and higher in our anxiety. the idea is to get more breath, start to breathe. then something very practical, start to write down what can i control, what ca nt write down what can i control, what cant i? we can't control the lockdown. we can control how we respond to it. something else i think you want people to write down if possible is where —— is what we are all grateful for. it's a really interesting thing. a lot of us are very lucky to have somewhere to live, to have heating, water out of oui’ live, to have heating, water out of ourtaps, to be live, to have heating, water out of our taps, to be able to have mobile devices to talk to people. just little things. that we have food. we must be alert to people's struggles, too, but the daily thing, like the sun is shining today. spring is happening. the days will be longer,

we will have more light, we will get more fresh air. boredom is such a problem. this lockdown is only really beginning with potentially weeks more to go. should people have some sort of routine? should they aim to achieve certain things in a day, even if it is just cleaning the car 01’ day, even if it is just cleaning the car or polishing the cattle or something? yes, the cattle that never ever got cleaned is getting very shiny! it is important to get a routine together. that is something you can control stop just getting up and hanging about in your pyjamas is not great. you have to get up and do your normal routine. shave, put your make—up on, get dressed. do some exercises. there are loads of online classes, you can join exercises. there are loads of online classes, you canjoin them and it is a sense of being part of a community. if you are working from home i think it is really important

to ta ke home i think it is really important to take a tea break, coffee break, facetime salmon, have a chat. it is the routine of your day. boredom? it is time to learn a new project, i reckon. it could bejust learning about a new book, a new film you haven't seen before. whatever inspires you is what we need to follow. all those things that you said, when i have time, i will do it. a lot of people are spending their time on social media, even more time perhaps than before. is that necessarily good for mental health? i think in these times, it depends what sort of social media we are talking about. if we are in contact with other people it is a brilliant way to use it. we are going to need to learn online. it is important to be careful how much you are on a screen all the time, which is why the government guidelines

about going out and getting fresh air, sticking your head out the window, opening the door, having a walk round the room, catching your breath, calming down, there was a really important things to be doing right now. great to talk to you, some great advice there. thank you. much more about the coronavirus on our webste. we have a live page with all of the latest developments and lots of really informative information, just log on to bbc.co.uk/news — or download the bbc news app. now the weather, with matt taylor. we have already seen some sleet and snow showers over parts of the uk today, and with that a very raw winds, making it feel very cold across england and wales. the snow showers in northern england and in

parts of scotland. rain showers further south. at most today will be dry. varying amounts of cloud, but there will be some sunshine breaking through, so some longer sunny spells nature this afternoon. it is here we see the winds at the strongest. in eastern england, the biggest effect on how it will fail. temperatures below are the should be for this time of year. 0ut below are the should be for this time of year. out on the wind and it will feel closer to freezing. a chilly day in store. with us having to british summer time, the evenings will be lighter for longer. here to british summer time, the evenings will be lighterfor longer. here is an example of some of the sun ship —— some sad times later. into this evening and overnight, the showers will still continue across parts of northern england and northern scotland, as well as down through some eastern districts of england. many parts in central and western areas will stay dry. under the clear skies, you will be more susceptible to frost. it will be a cold start

here, but this is where we will see the best of the morning sunshine. rain and sleet showers in parts of eastern england and wintry showers in the north of scotland. it is in these areas with the wind will still bea these areas with the wind will still be a key feature. elsewhere, the winds will be lighter. showers will drift westward throughout the day. with the wind starting to fall a bit later, the air a little less chilly, the temperatures will start to left. the winter still coming from the cold north—westerly direction. a greater chance of some widespread frost as we start the day on tuesday. more cloud will build up through the afternoon, so the second half of the afternoon were great. a greater chance of showers in the far north. it is in scotland and northern ireland we are —— where we are more likely to see longer spells of rain. in england and wales, staying dry with sunny spells. take care.

this is bbc news. our top stories... the prime minister sends a letter to every household in the uk and warns that the coronavirus crisis will get worse before it gets better. emergency food parcels are being delivered to the most vulnerable people in england who aren't allowed to leave their homes. president trump decides n0 quarantine for new york but says tough new travel restrictions will be brought in —

sparking confusion in the state. as europe tightens its lockdown, spain suffers another sharp rise in the number of covid—19 deaths — but officials say the spread of infections is starting to stabilise. and the world's oldest man, bob weighton from hampshire, is celebrating his 112th birthday, but there'll be no party due to the restrictions. hello and welcome to bbc news. thousands of vulnerable people who have been told to self—isolate will receive care packages today to help them through the next 12 weeks. they'll contain basic supplies including pasta, tinned food, cereal and tea bags.