this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. 1,228 people have now died from coronavirus in the uk — a rise of 209. deserted roads and empty parks — a top official says the uk could face up to six months of restrictions. over time, probably over the next six months, we will have a three week review. we will see where we are going. we need to keep that lid on and then gradually, we will be able to hopefully adjust some of the social distancing measures. as italy grapples with the world's highest death toll from coronavirus, there's a severe shortage of medical staff in the north. and president trump decides not to impose quarantine on new york and two adjoining states, despite saying yesterday that he was considering the move.

another 838 people die from covid—19 in spain — the country's highest daily number of deaths. hello and welcome to audiences in the uk and around the world. you're watching a bbc news special. we're covering all the latest coronavirus developments globally and here in britain. the uk government has said all parts of the country are now on an "emergency footing", as the pandemic continues. at the latest downing street briefing, it was announced that millions of items of personal protective equipment were being delivered to nhs staff. across europe, the number of people killed by the virus has risen to more than 20,000.

italy has seen the most deaths from coronavirus and the country's deputy health minister says he believes italy is currently experiencing the peak of the outbreak. president trump has backed away from imposing a quarantine on new york after saying he was considering the move. in south korea, everyone arriving from overseas will have to undergo two weeks of quarantine. the country has nearly 10,000 confirmed cases. more on that later, but first this report on the uk's response by our science editor david shukman. the stark reality of fighting coronavirus. from roundhay park park in leeds, one of the biggest in europe, now almost deserted, to trafalgar square in london, usually crowded. evidence of social distancing in action. but we won't know how well it's working for two to three weeks. in this critically important time, the prime minister borisjohnson,

himself infected, has been chairing meetings whilst in self—isolation. he's written a letter to be sent to 30 million homes across the uk, in which there is a stark message: it's important for me to level with you, he says. we know things will get worse before they get better. but we are making the right preparations, he says, and the more we all follow the rules, the fewer lives will be lost and the sooner life can return to normal. but the signs are, that won't come soon. the daily briefing at number ten made that very clear. over time, probably over the next six months, we will have a three week review and see how it going. we need to keep that lid on and then hopefully we will be able to adjust some of the social distancing measures and gradually get us all back to normal. so i think three weeks for review, two or three months to see if we have really squashed it, but about 3—6 months ideally, and lots of uncertainty in that, but then to see at which point we can actually get back to normal.

that idea of a long haul was echoed by scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon. 13 weeks is likely to be the kind of period we have to be prepared to have measures in place. of course, we will continue to keep under review the type of measures and we will not keep measures in place for any longer than we have to do. all this on a painful day made worse by the loss of an ent surgeon. confirmed to have died of covid—i9, he passed away at glenfield hospital in leicester. he'd been volunteering in a&e. in a statement, his son said... we have had confirmation of the very sad death of an ent surgeon, what do you think that says,

what message does it send to nhs staff on the front line? i'm very saddened by the fact one of our professional colleagues has passed away. it clearly is a worrying event. it is worrying for the nation because it's another death in our statistics, it's another loss to a family and it will be a loss to an nhs family, as well. once again, a reminder of the incredible importance of everyone making an effort to stop the spread of the virus — a slow and difficult process. david shukman, bbc news. 0ur political correspondent chris mason is at westminster for us tonight. the update from the government today painted a clear picture of what life might look like for the next few months. no quick return to normal? kuyt. as far as the no quick return to normal? kuyt. as faras the uk no quick return to normal? kuyt. as far as the uk is concerned, we got a perhaps more explicit sense than we have had before about the likely potential timeline in terms of the

impact of the virus on our day—to—day lives and those measures that were put in place by boris johnson almost a week ago now. dr jenny harries, the deputy chief medical officer for england, was talking about a timeline around six months. that takes us to october. she acknowledged that the experts can't be specific or explicit because they are dealing with what they describe as a moving target. but clearly, they say they cannot allow these measures that were imposed a week ago to be removed suddenly because the fear would be that a couple of weeks afterwards, there could be another spike in cases they are not saying there is going to be what has been described by some as this lockdown continuing unchanged for six months, but that the measures put in place will have to be removed very, very gradually and that means we will not be back to normal anytime soon. so there are huge implications for all parts of

oui’ huge implications for all parts of our lives, whether it be our income, oui’ our lives, whether it be our income, our jobs, our lives, whether it be our income, ourjobs, our businesses, the education of our children, our capacity to move around the country, to go on holiday to see our relatives. profound consequences, lasting for quite some time. and the fa ct lasting for quite some time. and the fact is that the nhs are going to be under strain for a protracted period of time and we have to remember as a country that we have a lot of vulnerable and older people who are going to need to put all that time. yeah. the explicit aim here, as we had from dr harris, is to flatten the curve, that phrase we have got used to hearing. in other words, reduce the number of people at the peak who get the virus all at the same time. that is the point at which the most strain will be placed on the nhs. crucially, she said today in the briefing in downing street this afternoon that the nhs is still operating within capacity despite the death toll we have been

reporting. but as you say, over time, the challenge for people, particularly those who are most vulnerable to the virus, now shielding themselves for a period of 12 weeks, are going to need support. and robertjenrick, the communities secretary, was setting out how that will happen. these food parcels are being sent out, 50,000 of them will have been dispatched by the end of this week. and the infrastructure thatis this week. and the infrastructure that is necessary to make that happen that mr tenrec talked about setting up a system across england that has not been seen since the second world war involving the emergency services, local authorities and military command as well to try and ensure that most vulnerable, who may not have relatives who can help them out nearby or friends who are willing to collect medical supplies or deliver food, get the necessities that they require in order to ensure that they don't have to leave the house for

many weeks to come. chris mason in westminster, thank you. some care workers supporting the most vulnerable people say they are running out of protective equipment for frontline staff dealing with patients during the coronavirus outbreak. they have called on the government to provide more supplies — including face masks, gloves, and hand sanitiser. with many orders diverted to the nhs, some care providers have had to ask for donations from local businesses, as our home editor mark easton reports. they have come from around the world to serve on the front line of this crisis. doctors from russia, cuba and now albania, and from every corner of italy. i have just finished at the hospital after 12 hours. iam finished at the hospital after 12 hours. i am so tired! giuseppe has never worked in an emergency room.

he only qualified last year, but he has left his home in sicily for a field hospital at the epicentre. why did you decide to travel to work up here? the emergency was here, and it is still here. so i am here to make my little contribution and help my colleagues. the force with which this virus struck the north of italy has left exposed. 300 doctors were flown in from different parts of the country last week, but this wasn't nearly enough. the situation in the north is so acute. so many doctors and nurses have fallen sick now that the government is appealing to people from all over the country to help. the north is still in a deep crisis. we have a shortage of people who are specialised in the health sector because they have been contaminated. so of course, more of them are now observing a quarantine

period. with 4000 nurses now infected, hundreds more are being drafted in over the next two days. simon is one of them. the hospital, it's full. and so crowded. all the people that were hit by that virus like a train, like a tornado. it's terrible. tonight, there's been an improvement. the rate of new infections and deaths is slightly down but make no mistake, this country is still in crisis, with a long, hard fight ahead. jean mackenzie, bbc news, rome. in spain, the number of coronavirus fatalities rose by 838 overnight — marking

the country's highest daily rise in deaths. much of the country remains in lockdown. 6,500 people have now died from the virus there, and there are just under 80,000 confirmed infections. it's one of europe's hardest hit countries, but spanish health officials say the virus there could be near its peak. the government are going to approve these new restrictions. they will come into force from tomorrow. they will mean that, essentially, nonessential workers — these are, for instance, construction workers, postal workers, people working on production lines which don't relate to the epidemic, for instance, car workers. some opticians and even people running shops that are not related to food. they will not be allowed to go to work for the next two weeks and will have to stay at home. the government is saying that they are cheered to some extent by the fact that the number of cases is beginning to level out. however, when you speak to doctors in hospitals, they say, well,

that may be what the government is saying, but it seems that, actually, the problem is that not enough people are being tested, because there's a there's a shortage of testing kits. so the real picture may not be quite so optimistic. syria has confirmed its first death from coronavirus. the united nations has said all parties in the warn torn country must stop fighting "to avoid further catastrophe" — calling coronavirus a "deadly threat". the world health organization says syria's health system has been acutely weakened by years of conflict in the country. us president donald trump has decided not to impose a quarantine on new york and two adjoining states, despite saying yesterday that he was considering the move. instead, residents are being "strongly advised" against nonessential travel. freya cole has more. 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 on the recommendation of the white house coronavirus task force and upon consultation with the governors of new york, new jersey and connecticut, i have asked the cdc to issue a strong travel advisory. effective immediately, the centers for disease control and prevention urged residents in the three states to stop all nonessential domestic travel for 14 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 didn't speak to him about any quarantine. i haven't had this conversation. i don't even know what that means. the united states now has the highest number of cases in the world. some medical workers say they no longer feel safe. they are pleading with residents to do the right thing and stay at home. let's bring you our home editor mark easton's report now that we were trying to bring you a few minutes ago. some care workers in the uk — supporting the most vulnerable people — say they are running out of protective equipment for front line staff dealing with patients during the coronavirus outbreak. these are masks that we are

desperate for an hoping for a supply very soon. as i say, our mask order has been delayed. they are down to one or two days of protective masks at this care home in northampton. supplies of hand gel are running low, too. desperate staff fear they won't be able to protect vulnerable residents from a virus that might well kill them. the masks that we are using, we're not sure how to prioritise who has a mask first or which service user we go to that has a mask. so we are managing at the moment but we don't know where our next supply would come from. the company that runs the centre has repeatedly ordered new masks for their 2,000 carers across the uk but suppliers have told them the protection equipment has been diverted to the nhs. we are really down to the bare bones now with masks and gel in terms of supplies. and we are desperate, really, to try and get some more equipment through quickly so our care staff can be fully protected and delivered the important service that they do.

the government says it's working around the clock to give the social care sector the equipment and support it needs, but english local authorities have written to the health secretary to say supplies are not reaching the front line. councils across england are so worried about the shortage of masks for carers that they are appealing to a closed nail bars, construction firms, anyone who has got supplies, to consider donating them to social services. mr ali died a few days ago after he tested positive for the virus in a london care home. only a handful were able to attend his burial. the family say more should have been done to protect him. anyone who has family in a care setting should make the effort of talking to the care home. so that their loved ones are being cared for. this man, who has parkinson's and advanced dementia, need carers

four times a day at his home. his wife says they arrive on public transport without masks to protect him or themselves. they have to go within two metres of him and there is no protection. they could be asymptomatic but contagious and give it to him. if he gets it... i doubt he'd survive, to be honest. this is our dining room... the government says every social care provider the health service is being prioritised, but this is a sector that has long felt it has played second fiddle to the nhs. mark easton, bbc news. india's prime minister, narendra modi, has asked for his country's forgiveness after imposing a sweeping coronavirus lockdown that he said had hurt millions of the country's poor. in his weekly radio address, he apologised for the impact of the three week lockdown, but said india was in a life and death battle.

translation: first of all, let me seek forgiveness from all countrymen. my conscience tells me that you will definitely forgive me, as i had to take certain decisions which have put you in a lot of difficulty. especially when i look at my poor brothers and sisters, i definitely feel they must be thinking, "what kind of prime minister is this who has placed us in this difficulty?" i especially seek their forgiveness. possibly, many will be angry at me for being locked in their homes. i understand your troubles, but there was no other way to wage a war against coronavirus. for a country like india, with a population of 1.3 billion, it is a battle of life and death and we have to win it. meanwhile, pressure has been growing on the uk government to bring back british nationals stranded in india after all international flights were cancelled there. my colleague reeta chakrabarti spoke

to amanda mcgorry from oxford. she went to rishikesh in northern india for a yoga course and appealed to the british government to help her get back home. i know there's a big noise being made by the media and social media, but the government doesn't seem to be listening. i saw the briefing this morning, i don't know which minister it was, i get confused because they seem to change. but they said there were no immediate plans and they were encouraging all uk citizens to return home as soon as they could. we can't. i wish we could, but we have no way of doing it. we're stuck, and there are people all over india having a terrible time. i'm relatively safe here. the people at the school are lovely and are looking after me for now. but people are having a tough time elsewhere. they've been thrown out of their accommodation. we're not welcome. and there are people on the streets

who are running out of food. some indians are having trouble finding food and water, but so are the tourists. i know of a chap who was beaten with a stick by a policeman for walking down the street. and if the virus takes hold here, this is not somewhere i want to be. it is a very wonderful but overcrowded country, with a groaning infrastructure and health service. it sounds a very difficult situation. how are you keeping yourself going? well, i'm still doing the yoga course. there are only three of us left on it, but we're sticking at it. and that's it. i mean, i'm not. it's tough. obviously, we're all really concerned. this is your moment to issue your

message to the british government. what do you want from them? i'd like to be rescued. can they please send planes, can they talk to the indian authorities and organise airlines or the raf, just organise planes to get us out? the situation is getting worse, not better. and people are in dire straits, having a very uncomfortable time. i'm very concerned and i really want to come home, please. south korea says it will quarantine all new arrivals from overseas for a fortnight. officials say half of all new confirmed cases in recent days have been diagnosed in people who have come into the country. our correspondent laura bicker was at incheon airport as a flight arrived from london. this setup is all about protecting south korea from a fresh outbreak of coronavirus.

all arrivals from europe will be tested at one of the stations. there are eight of them, all standing by. over the last few days, around half of all south korea's new coronavirus cases have come from overseas, many of them from europe. and that is one of the reasons why everyone is being tested. to wait for the results, you are taken on a bus to a residential centre and get your results in about 12 hours. these testing centres are outside, but others within the country, you get these sort of plastic phone booth—type testing centres, where you can walk in and be tested in a matter of minutes. before you arrive here into this area, you go through a series of checks. a temperature check, then you have to fill in all your contact details and they verify that. all arrivals have to download this

application on their mobile phone, a quarantine app, and have to fill in their symptoms for 14 days while they are in self—isolation. if they fail to do so, the authorities will track them down. when it comes to self—isolation, the government has said that anyone who breaks these rules, if south korean, will be fined, and if you are a foreigner you will be deported. the latest measure that they have introduced is that all passengers coming in on flights must pass a temperature check. if they don't, they will not be allowed on the flight. now, the south korean authorities are coming under increasing pressure to close their borders. people here feel like their own outbreak has been dealt with. the one thing they are worried about now is people coming from outside the country and reintroducing this virus. a fresh cluster could emerge. football and live music are two essential parts of life in spain and the coronavirus has put them both on hold. to lift spirits, the country's

football league la liga — has held a live virtual music festival to raise money for hospitals. the proceeds from the four hour concert will be used to buy medical supplies, which are running low across spain. the world's oldest man is celebrating his 112th birthday today — though he'll be spending it in isolation. bob weighton, who's a former teacher and engineer from hampshire in the south of england, was born in 1908, the year the wright brothers made their first public flight. he is the same age as inter milan football club, and pre—dates selfridges department store, and the opening of the v&a museum. what a way to be compared! bob,

happy birthday from all of us here at bbc news. much more on our website. just log on to our bbc news website, search bbc news online or download our smartphone app. now it's time for a look at the weather with ben rich. over the last week, we have had some signs of spring from the weather. in fa ct, signs of spring from the weather. in fact, temperatures got up to 19 degrees earlier in the week, but not so degrees earlier in the week, but not so this weekend. it has been turning colder than this afternoon you were lucky to get to 9 degrees. feeling much more like winter. high pressure has been in charge, an unusually strong area of high pressure sitting to the west of the british isles. the winds around high pressure flow ina the winds around high pressure flow in a clockwise direction, so that has been drawing some cold air down from the north. those winds have been pretty brisk and it has accentuated the chilly feel. while it stays blustery tonight, the winds

will ease to some extent. large amounts of cloud around and some showers down the eastern side of england. temperatures tending to hover around freezing, some spots just a touch below. so a fuss locally for some into tomorrow morning. through tomorrow, it's another day of large amounts of cloud. some showers, mostly across northern and eastern parts of the uk, but some of those could get across the midlands and into parts of wales. still quite windy, but not as windy as it has been. feeling a bit less cold. temperatures are still a bit below par for this time of year. as you move into tuesday, our area of of year. as you move into tuesday, ourarea of high of year. as you move into tuesday, our area of high pressure starts to slip southwards and that will allow the airto slip southwards and that will allow the air to come from somewhere slightly different. it is starting to come in off the atlantic. this doesn't mean any kind of heatwave or anything, but it is going to feel a bit less cold. large amounts of cloud again, some sunny spells and just the odd shower. for many of us,

wednesday is a similar day. a bit of a change for scotland, a weak weatherfront bringing some showery rain from the north. as we head towards the end of the week, our area of high pressure continues to retreat. low pressure dives close to the north of the uk and this frontal system will push southwards, bringing some rain and hail snow across scotland with colder air trying to dig back in from the north. by the end of the week, it looks like a milder air will win out. so after chilly started the week, we will see some rain and snow in the north, drier in the south and turning motherfrom in the north, drier in the south and turning mother from the south later. —— turning milder.

hello this is bbc news. the headlines. 1,228 people have now died from coronavirus in the uk — a rise of 209.

deserted roads and empty parks — a top official says the uk could face up to six months of restrictions. probably over the next six months, we will have a review every three weeks to see where we are going, we need to keep the lid on and gradually we will be able to hopefully adjust some of the social distancing measures. as italy grapples with the world's highest death toll from coronavirus, there's a severe shortage of medical staff in the north. and president trump decides not to impose quarantine on new york and two adjoining states, despite saying yesterday that he was considering the move. another eight—hundred—and—thirty—eight people die from covid—19 in spain — the country's highest daily number of deaths. now it's time for dateline london.