hello, this is bbc news — i'm martine croxall. the headlines: 1,228 people have now died from coronavirus in the uk — arise 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're 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. another 838 people die from covid—19 in spain — the country's highest daily number of deaths. america's leading infectious diseases expert has warned that up to 200,000 people in the us could die from the coronavirus. dr anthony fauci said millions of people in the country would catch the virus. now on bbc news, the latest information and health advice on coronavirus —

including what the symptoms are and how to self—isolate — presented by victoria derbyshire. hello and welcome to this special programme. i'm victoria derbyshire. over the next half an hour, we are going to try and tell you as much as we can about coronavirus to help you that you can share the information with others. for the latest on the spread of the disease, you can always head to our website for information on how it's affecting people in your community and your country. the main advice to stop the virus from spreading, wash your hands often, for around 20 seconds, avoid touching yourface and maintain social distancing, which is making sure

there is around two metres between you and anyone else — as laura foster explains. politicians and scientists and even celebrities want to explain that we have to operate social distancing, which means no coming into contact with people unless you need to, so no more visitors at your house, visiting other people's houses, going to restaurants, pubs, clubs, sporting events. you get the idea. if you can work from home, the government says you should and your employer should help you do this. if you absolutely can't work from home, avoid busy travel times. you can go out for a walk and buy essentials, but you need to stay at least two metres from everyone else. imagine you are holding a big broom, you will be the correct distance away if you can't touch anyone with it. the people who need to practice social distancing the most are those over 70, anyone with an underlying health condition and pregnant women. really, everyone should do it to stop the virus spreading and reduce

the pressure on health services. if you have less direct contact with others you are reducing the threat of catching the virus and passing it onto someone else. we are hearing a lot about quarantine, but social distancing and quarantine are not the same thing. a big problem with coronavirus is that you can have it but not know about it, meaning you can go about your day as you have always done, feel fine but actually infect around 2—3 people within a week. what happens is those people go on to infect another 2—3 people each, those people then infect others and that's how the virus spreads. look at what happens when people stay at home and practice social distancing. for instance, if this person did not go down to their friends house and if this person worked from home, if this person did not go to the corner shop, if this person didn't visit their mother, this reduces the number of cases from 406 to just 15.

as the number of cases goes down so does the pressure on doctors and nurses and on the health service. this will make the difference between people living and people dying. you can go out to exercise once a day and fetch food and medicine but only with people you live with. stay at home and stay at least two metres away from people if you do have to go out. it's not such a difficult thing. that's the message from the government, to keep us apart so we do not spread and catch the coronavirus but unless you're two metres tall it's hard to know what that looks like without a measuring tape. it's about three steps so, one, two, three. enough space so that you can put a bed between you. 0r two shopping trolleys. you should not be able to touch anyone with a broom.

that's great in theory but how does that look in the real world? if you're in the street, that's about half a parking space and if you're in the countryside that is about two regular benches. if you are exercising, you may have to come off the path or cross the road but that will add to the exercise. 0n public transport, do not sit in the same row and have space in front and behind you. in an office, you need to be four desk chairs apart and when shopping do not queue close together. many shops have rules on how many people can be in at one time, and make sure you keep the two metre distance. have deliveries left at the doorstep and if you are still not sure if you are keeping enough distance, then add a bit more. or see if you can hit them with a broom! washing our hands and keeping clear of other people, both are vital to stop the spread of the virus, but what about other things you are constantly in touch with? like your phone?

washing your hands is vital and if you're worried about germs on your phone, you can clean it effectively with simple soap and water. hi, i'm a microbiologist and i will show you how to clean your phone. turn your phone off and remove the case. all the major phone makers warn against using chemicals, hand gels and abrasive wipes because that can damage the protective coating on the screen. damping a microfibre cloth in water and soap and gently rub the surface of the phone with the damp cloth. take care not to get moisture in any of the openings because even water resistant phones will lose their protection over time. just using soap and water can remove bacteria from your phone and we can test that by using this device. it gives a reading of relative light units and that is a measure of the microbial activity on your

phone so the higher the number, the more germs are present. we tested these phones and their cases before and after, cleaning with soapy water, and they were all significantly clea ner afterwards. on a surgical surface, we would want to get a figure of 50 or less, and all of our phones and cases have readings lower than that. if you have an iphone, apple says you can clean it with 70% alcohol wipes. these are the ones you can get online or from computer shops. there are also devices you can use to sterilise your phone using uvc radiation — it shouldn't harm it but some phones could be discoloured over time. with all of these methods, as soon as you touch your phone you will get germs on it, so make sure you keep washing your hands regularly and thoroughly. that is your phone. what about other surfaces where the virus may lurk? here'sjim reid. there are two main ways of catching coronavirus.

the first is particles in the air, someone breathes out and the virus is spread in droplets, or aerosol. and a single cough can produce 3,000 droplets. you breathe it in and become infected. this is why governments across the world are telling us to stay two metres away from each other to stop the spread. the second way is through something scientists call fomite transmission, those virus particles land on a hard surface and are spread when an infectious person touches it. because a person is shedding the virus from their nose and throat and they're coughing it out into the air, that means anything they touch will be covered in this virus. if you come along later and touch the same surface you could pick up from that surface a collection of these virus particles, if there are enough of them, and you can transfer them to your nose and eyes and you could infect yourself. it is still early days but a team

in the united states has run tests on corona already. they found the virus that causes covid—i9 can remain active on some surfaces. 0n copper, the result showed traces for up to four hours. 0n cardboard, up to 2a hours. 0n plastic and stainless steel for up to three days. to mitigate the risk, wash your hands frequently, use alcohol gel, which deactivates the virus very efficiently, if it has more than 70% alcohol in it, and do what i've seen many of my friends doing, which is also wrap your sleeves around your hand to open the door or use your elbow. the amount of virus on a surface declines sharply with time, so doctors say it is important to be extra careful with services that are touched frequently by others. as forfood packaging deliveries and other things that come through the letterbox, we think the virus can live on cardboard for 2h hours and on plastic for up to three days.

but scientists say treat those results with caution. we don't yet know how much of the virus is needed yet to infect someone or how easily it is transferred back to your hand. if you are worried that the shelf stacker in the supermarket might have the virus, you could, if you really wanted to, wipe that down with a hand rub, as well, but that is probably not necessary. the risk is probably really low. the virus would have had to have been there for an extended period of time. in all these cases, though, the most effective thing you can do is wash your hands with soap. cheap soap, fancy soap, any soap, for 20 seconds. if the particles are on your hands, it should be enough to kill the virus and break the chain of transmission. so, again, the reminder to wash your hands. that is the advice from top scientists at the world health organization to gps working to save lives in hospitals. alongside the good advice have come some dangerous

myths about the virus. chris morris now. we know what the experts say. above all, wash your hands frequently to limit the spread but there have also been myths circulating on social media and elsewhere which amount to fake health advice. so here are a few things to ignore. myth number one — eat garlic to avoid infection. there is no question that garlic is a healthy food. the same goes for other fruit and vegetables, but the world health organization says there is no evidence that eating garlic or anything else has protected people from covid—i9. myth number two — drink water every 15 minutes. again, drinking water and staying hydrated is good for you, but that doesn't mean it can stop coronavirus. you get a virus like this when you breathe in. there's no biological mechanism to suggest you can flush it out of your system

by constantly drinking water. myth number three — don't eat ice cream. the idea of avoiding ice cream or other cold foods can prevent the virus taking hold is totally untrue. and trying to heat your body to make it inhospitable for the virus just won't work. we know the flu virus does not survive well outside the body during summer heat, but we don't yet know enough about how the heat might impact the new coronavirus. myth numberfour — drinkable silver. the use of colloidal silver, tiny particles of a metal suspended in liquid, has been suggested but the clear advice from health authorities is that it doesn't treat infections in the body or boost immunity. in fact, it could cause serious side effects like kidney damage, seizures, or even turning your skin blue. again, the best advice in all circumstances — keep washing your hands.

these are difficult times. ijust feel very panicked. short breath. anxiety has very physical effects. the way ahead is hard. a changing world that's particularly troubling if you already have an issue with anxiety. if i don't have a plan or something to work towards, that is when i start cracking a little bit. she was literally in tears and sobbing her heart out because she was so worried. for someone like francesca, with a history of heart problems, watching each coronavirus development as she cares for her daughter, her stress levels have been rising. it basically comes in waves. to begin with, you take note of everything and then the more the news ramps up, being a new mum, suffering from health anxiety myself, it has just got progressively harder. not everyone‘s cup of tea but i do love a creepy crawlie. lauren runs animal therapy sessions for schools and other groups.

business had been good but her worries have increased as bookings have disappeared. i have suffered with depression and anxiety all of my life and just as i seem to get on top of myself, something like this will smash you down and it's really, really hard. it's not just people who struggle with anxiety who are finding things tough. in a matter of days, all our lives have changed dramatically, which makes it really important that we find our own way of dealing with that stress. panic attacks are a sudden spike of anxiety and adrenaline. dave smithson is from the charity anxiety uk. they have seen such a large increase in calls to the helpline they have had to extend its hours. i have been with the charity over seven years and i cannot recall anything on this scale. it is simply unmatched and we are in uncharted territory. for some of the more than eight million people in the uk who have an anxiety disorder,

help comes with an apple — or at least a technique this charity uses. acknowledge that you are worried. pause. push back against the thought. let go of the worry. and explore the moment because right now, you are fine. francesca has found acknowledging the anxiety helps, as well as speaking to friends online. i was having a really panicked day and i asked people to reassure me that everything would be ok, and i got so many replies off people saying things will be fine. go to this website. and it really helped to calm me down. and lauren is going to offer online classes, teaching people about her animals. having a plan helps her. in this situation, you cannot personally be in control of and i need to find something i can be in control of and go forward with that. and hopefully, it will work! and picking our own techniques for coping in the coming weeks will be important.

coronavirus has been affecting the way of life for tens of millions around the world and perhaps one group who would have felt it a little more than usual this week were the thousands of athletes training for the tokyo olympics. they have been postponed to 2021. but while most sport may have come to a halt because of the virus pandemic, many teams are trying to remain active in their community. stevenage football club probably have more challenges than any other because they are bottom of the football league, but they are trying to lead the way in switching their resources, as the bbc‘sjoe wilson reports. professional football, north hertfordshire. in adversity, what else to do but adapt? and so, stevenage fc‘s captain and central defender becomes food deliverer. the football has stopped but the community which surrounds the club is still there, waiting. there are people around the world that have got a lot of people they can rely on,

but there are people, especially in this community, that don't have anyone to rely on, and it's good for the club to all come together and help towards the one cause. just a friendly voice at this time can be crucial. stevenage‘s foundation will continue to take calls, offer advice, even when staff start working from home. i have had a few people call up saying "i'm really sorry "that we are taking up your time" and i'm saying, "no, "that's not a problem — that's exactly what we are here "to do, just talk to you." lots of football clubs are helping in various ways at the moment. but here, the perspective is unique. football was suspended with stevenage admittedly at the bottom, last place in league two. a couple of weeks ago, we might have even referred to that as a crisis. now we really know what a crisis is. our league position is just out of the window. we're not worried about that. we're really worried about making sure the next time we kick a football here at the lamex stadium that as many of our staff, players and supporters

and volunteers are all in a healthy position to come back and support us. without money from matches, the future is, to say the least, a challenge. but clubs like stevenage are nothing without their communities. the support is mutual. right now, that may be measured in sandwiches. after all, the opponent is the same for everyone. joe wilson, bbc news, stevenage. hello, i'm nerea perez. i'm a writer and journalist and this is what i'm going to do this weekend. try to learn how to use my new sewing machine. i have been cooking and providing free meals to anybody elderly, vulnerable, homeless or for whatever reason unable to feed themselves. i recently set up an e—mail address

where people can request a song for someone who really needs it at this time, so the song i'm working on now is for a doctor called annie. her partner told me that she loves brussels sprouts. # she loves brussels sprouts... something that rhymes with sprouts — maybe doubts? # and if you ever have your doubts... i'm worried about my parents, they live in the south of spain and i'm worried about my friends. they have lost theirjobs. this has been very useful to control the panic. embroidery is also great for anxiety. i finished all this during the quarantine — look at that! at the moment, there are no parties to be had and events have all but stopped so that means i haven't had any work. i'm always cooking regardless

and i'm always in the kitchen. doing something. above all else, it isjust helping people in a small way. we know she also collect little pennies as mementos. # she collect all the pennies. # and if you need her, she'll be ready... ready. pennies. it rhymes! i'm on my way to start my deliveries for the day. i've got a few local deliveries in battersea and then i will be going to slough, where there are elderly ladies waiting the arrival of some food. and this happens every night. daniella! here in spain, our public health care is literally saving us from disaster. every night at eight o'clock, there is a collective applause from the window

to thank our doctors, oui’ nurses and everyone that is keeping us safe. and then you end with hopefullyjust a positive, nice uplifting message for annie or anybody who is going through this difficult moment. # 0h annie, oh annie, we are with you all the way... there you go, that is how you do a song about someone called annie who likes brussels sprouts. covid—i9 is forcing family gatherings and parties across the world to be cancelled and for young children, it can be especially upsetting. those tasked with organising children's birthdays are not being deterred,

and they are ready to use tech to keep youngsters happy. the bbc‘s david sillito reports. social distancing, life indoors, not much fun, especially if you are three. if there are germs outside, we have got to stay indoors. # do you want to build a snowman... come on, let's go and play. one thing has not been cancelled. jessica kingsley today is elsa from frozen. she has found a way to give little harry his birthday party online. harry started asking us in december to have a frozen party and we were looking forward to it and counting down the days until at least from the beginning of february so the fact that we were able to have one is just unbelievable. # let it go, let it go.

# i'm one with the wind and sky. forjessica, the experiment with a virtual birthday party seems to be working. just look at their faces! # do you want to build a snowman? how did that feel? really weird but really lovely, because it meant i could still give the children the magic and that is what it is about, because it is their special day. this crazy pandemic should not take it away from them. # do you want to build a snowman... i can still see their eyes on me and enjoying it and that was amazing. david sillito, bbc news. with millions of us under shutdown conditions around the world, startling pictures have emerged of empty cities and deserted streets. these are some of the images

from across the globe.

that's it for now. please keep up to date with the latest on the bbc news website. i'm victoria derbyshire. do contact me on twitter with your stories at any time at @vicderbyshire, and thank you for watching. good evening. over the last week we have had some signs of spring from the weather and temperatures got up to 19 degrees earlier in the week but not so this weekend. it has been turning colder and this afternoon you were lucky to get 29 degrees. —— to 9 degrees. feeling much more like winter stop high pressure has been in charge, an unusually strong area of high

pressure sitting to the west of the british isles and the winds are flowing in a clockwise direction so drawing some really cold air down from the north and talking of the winds, they've been pretty brisk and that has accentuated the chilly feel. while it stays quite blustery through the night, the winds will ease to some extent with large amounts of cloud and showers in northern and eastern scotland down the eastern side of england. temperatures tending to hover around freezing and some spots might be a touch below, so a local frost or some into tomorrow morning and through tomorrow, another day of large amounts of cloud, some sunny spells but some showers, mostly across northern and eastern parts of the uk but they could get across the midlands and even into parts of wales. still quite windy but not as windy as it has been, so feeling just a little bit less cold. those temperatures still a bit below par for this point in the year, between 9 and 11 degrees. from monday into tuesday, the high pressure slips south and that will allow the air to come from somewhere slightly different.

the air is starting to come in off the atlantic. it doesn't mean any kind of heatwave or anything like that, but it will just feel a little bit less cold and you can see the temperatures of 9 or 10 degrees. large amounts of cloud, some sunny spells and the odd shower. for many of us, wednesday is similar, particularly across england, wales and northern ireland. a weak weather front bringing showery rain as we head towards the end of the week, the high—pressure retreats and low—pressure dives close to the north of the uk in the frontal system will push south bringing rain until snow across scotland and some colder air trying to dig back in from the north, by the end of the week, it looks like mild air will win out. so after a chilly start to the week, we will see rain and snow in the north, turning milder from the south later on.

tonight at 10pm. the uk could face up to six months of restrictions, says a top medical official, to help control the spread of coronavirus. deserted roads and empty parks after a week of strict social distancing. england's deputy chief medical officer says we could be in for the long haul. 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. the uk death toll from coronavirus has now exceeded 1,200, among them an ear, nose and throat surgeon at a hospital in burton. also tonight...