tonight at 10pm. the uk could face up to six months of restrictions, says atop 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...

these are the masks, that we're desperate for, and hoping for a supply very soon. the care workers who say they're vulnerable because face masks, gloves and hand sanitisers are being diverted to the nhs. in the us, a prediction from the leading government expert that coronavirus could kill up to 200,000 americans. the food banks in northern ireland providing home delivery to those who are self—isolating. and the oldest man in the world, and the uk's oldest woman, both celebrate their 112th birthdays. good evening. as the country enters its second week of stringent restrictions to try to stop the spread of coronavirus, there was a warning today that it could take up to six months before life in the uk

returns to normal. senior medical officerjenny harries said this didn't mean months of complete lockdown, but that people would have to be "responsible" and reduce social distancing measures "gradually". the government has now confirmed that more than 200 people have died since yesterday. the vast majority of deaths are in england, with over 1,000 fatalities, followed by 48 in wales, 41 in scotland and a total of 21 deaths in northern ireland. our science editor david shukman has the latest. the stark reality of fighting coronavirus. from roundhay park in leeds, one of the biggest in europe, 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 while in self—isolation.

and he has written a letter to be sent to 30 million homes across the uk, with a stark message. but 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. 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 and gradually get us all back to normal. so i think three weeks for review, two or three months to see whether we have really squashed it, but about three to six 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 that 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. police in bristol, out reminding people to stay at home. and according to scientists advising the government, measures like this should stay in place until the virus really is under control. once we start to see a change in the trends and indeed, a decrease in the numbers of cases, then we can have more confidence in the current measures having an effect. but what we need to remember is, we need to allow this virus to decrease to low levels before these can be completely lifted. all this on a painful day, made

worse by the loss of an ent surgeon. amged el—hawrani, confirmed to have died of covid—i9, passed away at glenfield hospital in leicester. he had been volunteering in a&e. in a statement, his son, ashraf, said... we have had confirmation of the very sad death of an ent surgeon, amged el—hawrani. what do you think that says, what message does that send to nhs staff on the front line? it clearly is a worrying event. it is worrying for the nation because it is another death in our statistics. it is another loss to the family, and it will be a loss to an nhs family as well. and tonight, some more optimistic news about the nhs. 20,000 retired doctors and nurses have now offered to return to work, prompting this response

from the prime minister. one thing i think coronavirus crisis has already proved is that there really is such a thing as society. 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. our political correspondent chris masonjoins me now. we got a clearer picture today of what life might look like for the next few months. we did, we saw the prime minister there from his own self isolation with the virus, sounding a little horse but he was in a suit and tie, he's making the point that he is carrying on working and heaping praise on the country. a very striking phrase he used, "there is such a thing as society." he has not said that by accident, thatcher in 1987 said there was no such thing as society but then went on to talk

about the importance of families and the duty of looking of your neighbours. the consistent message today has been this is going to be a small, up to potentially six months, which takes us to october. drjenny harries, the deputy chief medical officer said it may not be as long as that or it may have to be a bit further than that and she said it is not about necessarily keeping all of the managers we have got used to in the managers we have got used to in the last week in place for all of that time but they will have to be loosened ever so gently to ensure that when they are, there isn't suddenly a spike of cases a couple of weeks after that. the government, the scientists, they can't be specific, they say they are dealing with what they describe as a moving target but what is clear now is this is going to have profound implications for our way of life for a long time to come, for our businesses, our income, the education of children, their capacity to move around the country, oui’ capacity to move around the country, our ability to see our relatives. it is going to carry on for quite awhile. 0k, chris mason, thanks. councils and care providers have warned that supplies of personal

protective equipment for social care staff are not reaching the front line. in a letter to the health secretary, two organisations say some masks and gloves supplied to staff in care homes are dirty and damaged, while a major care provider has said its supplies are being diverted to the nhs. our home editor mark easton reports. there are the masks that we are desperate for and are hoping for a supply very soon. as i say, our mask order has been delayed. they're down to one or two days of protective masks at this extra care home in northampton. just been outside. there we go... 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 mask 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're managing at the moment but we don't know where our next supply would come from. the company that runs this 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're really down to the bare bones now of masks and gel in terms of supplies. and we're desperate, really, to try to get some more equipment through quickly so our care staff can be fully protected and deliver 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 closed nail bars, construction firms, anyone who's 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. any family who has someone in a care setting really should make the effort of talking to the care home. they really should find out what measures are in place so that their loved ones are being cared for. here's a drink for you, love. ash carby, who has parkinson's and advanced dementia, needs carers four times a day at his home in north london. 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's 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 will get the supplies they need and denies 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. and if you want a reminder

of the restrictions the government has introduced, you can find a full list of them on the bbc news website. the head of italy's coronavirus response team has told the bbc there is now a severe shortage of medical staff in the north of the country, the area worst hit by the pandemic. doctors and nurses from across italy and around the world are being asked to volunteer to work there. there have now been almost 11,000 deaths from covid—19 in italy, with over 97,000 confirmed infections. jean mackenzie sent this report. 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, too. ijust finished from the hospital after 12 hours. i'm so tired!

giuseppe has never worked in an emergency room. he only qualified last year, but he's 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's still here and so i'm here to get my contribution, my little contribution, and help my colleagues. the force at which this virus struck the north of italy has left it 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 travel up there and help. the north is still in a deep crisis. we have a shortage of specialised people in the health sector because they have been contaminated. and so, of course, more of them now

are observing a quarantine period. with 4,000 nurses now infected, hundreds more are being drafted in over the next two days. simona is one of them. the hospital, it's full. and so crowded. all the people 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. russia has become the latest country to close its borders to slow

the spread of the coronavirus. the measures, which will come into force tomorrow, accompany a lockdown across moscow, which will see residents confined to their homes. the capital has recorded two—thirds of the 1,500 cases across russia, according to official figures. 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 ha rdest—hit countries, but spanish health officials say the virus there could be near its peak. india's prime minister narendra modi has apologised to his country for the impact of a sweeping coronavirus lockdown. tens of thousands of migrant labourers have been forced to return to their home villages, following measures brought in atjust four hours' notice.

mr modi asked for forgiveness, but said there was "no other way" to slow the spread of the virus. the us government's leading infectious disease expert, dr anthony fauci, says at least 100,000 will be killed by the virus in america and possibly up to twice that number. some cities, including new york, have warned that they may soon run out of medical supplies. our north america editorjon sopel is at the white house. a pretty sobering assessment there. yes, i think this will be a very salutary warning from the doctor, much respected. it is the first time i have heard an official give an estimate of the likely death toll of between 100000 and 200,000. to give you and night of the scale of what is unfolding in america, the first death was just over a month ago. it took eight months, two days ago for it to reach 1000 deaths and that has doubled in 48—hour is and that is the scale at which the death toll is

rising from this. there was a sliver of good news out of new york where the governor there gave a briefing and said the rate at which people are being admitted to hospital is slowing slightly but this is the epicentre of the outbreak and it is still a very serious situation, there. donald trump has abandoned his plans for imposing a quarantine on new york, newjersey and connecticut, and just said he will issue a tougher travel advisory. he issue a tougher travel advisory. he is due to give a news conference in the next 15 minutes also, and it will be very interesting to whether he accepts the assessment of the number of fatalities that coronavirus could bring. jon sopel, there, thank you. the senior lawyer who represented alex salmond during his recent trial for sexual assault has been recorded making highly derogatory comments about him. mr salmond, the former first minister of scotland, was cleared of all charges last week after nine women made complaints about him.

our scotland editor, sarah smith reports. gordonjackson represented alex salmond in court and celebrated with him outside as he was acquitted of 13 charges of sexual assault. during the trial, he was secretly recorded on a train, talking loudly about his client. he's heard using the term "sex pest", but goes on to say, "that's not what he is charged with." there is a strict court order protecting the anonymity of the nine women who made allegations against mr salmond. yet gordonjackson can be heard naming two of them in public. all of the women have signed a joint letter in which they describe the trial as traumatic and say they were devastated by the verdict. gordon jackson calls one of the complainers "a flake" and described how he planned to discredit her during the trial. he also says he thinks alex salmond was a nightmare to work for when he was first minister.

gordonjackson has referred himself to the scottish legal complaints commission, and said in a statement he does not regard alex salmond as a sex pest. sarah smith, bbc news. president trump has said in a tweet that the united states won't pay for the duke and duchess of sussex‘s security protection. it follows reports that prince harry and meghan have left canada for los angeles and have been living there under lockdown for the past week. responding to the tweet, the sussexes said they had no plans to ask the us government for security resources and that privately funded arrangements have been made. people in northern ireland who leave their homes without good reason will face fines of up to £960 from today. 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. our ireland correspondent emma vardy has been speaking to some 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? 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 everybody is panic buying, by the time you get to go out and get something, there's nothing left on the shelves to buy. at the moment, the universal credit is really important because there's a lot of people stuck at the moment. me, myself is stuck. so places like this is a big help. and the numbers who need belfast‘s food banks are rising. 50% increase in people coming to use the food bank since the crisis began. i think there was an initial sense

of panic but 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 they don't have access to cars so we have to provide something. the staff of northern ireland's bus network on the front nine. luckily enough, we are still one of the very few companies that are still able to run. we are doing all we can to make sure that all the drivers have access to hand sanitiser and rubber gloves if they need it. how do your family feel about you still going to work? they are very concerned. my wife and son and daughter are working from home. so out of the four of us at home, i am the only one that is still going out to work. so it is a concern. but we will all come through it, you know, in the next weeks or 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 that government has said can stay open, have seen a sudden spike in demand. we are wary, too, of perception of how the public do feel that you are... open. you are just trying to provide a bit of a service to people still, to get around and get into work. on 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. now, to reach the age of 100 is quite an achievement. but to reach 112 is even more astonishing. well today, not one,

but two people in britain are having their 112th birthdays. bob weighton from hampshire and joan hocquard from dorset, were born on the same day in 1908. bob is now also thought to be the oldest living man in the world. duncan kennedy reports. they are britain's oldest man and woman. bob weighton and joan hocquard. incredibly, both 112 years old today. bob, from hampshire, is now also the world's oldest living man. born on march 29,1908, he's seen everything, but never coronavirus, which means only his family and carers can get close for his birthday. coronavirus around. who knows what's going to happen?

certainly, there will be no parties. there will be no special visitors. i don't know. joan! joan did have a little party. she's also in quarantine, with her "young" partner, ken, who's a mere 92. but it wasn't always like that. joan's early life was in london and africa. speaking last year at her home in poole, she looked back at her school days. i was very naughty. very naughty? once, two of us went down to the town, to the shops. and with our green uniform, they recognised us. although joan and bob live in neighbouring counties, they've never met. but they do share one enduring philosophy that is so relevant for today. even in adversity, they say,

family and friends are at the heart of everything. neither has a secret for longevity. but bob says the best thing is to keep life simple. i've learned how to take things as they come, i guess. yeah. and trust that all will be well. and it usually has been! laughter. all well with bob and joan. 112 today. duncan kennedy, bbc news. wonderful, and a very happy birthday to them both. that's all from us for now. goodbye. 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 to 9 degrees. feeling much more like winter, and 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 blowing in a clockwise direction so it means it has been 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 fail. 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 for some into tomorrow morning and through tomorrow, another day of large amounts of cloud, some sunny spells but 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 nine 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 nine 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 change for scotland with a weak weather front bringing showery rain from the north. 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 and hill 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.

this we'll be taking a look at tomorrow mornings papers in a moment. first, 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. 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. in the us — a prediction from the leading government expert that coronavirus could kill up to 200,000 americans. 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. hello, and welcome to our look ahead to what the the papers will be bringing us tomorrow. with me are political commentator, john rentoul, and the independent‘s