this is bbc news. i'm lewis vaughan jones. our top stories: the us navy sails into virus—stricken new york city, as donald trump says americans must social distance to save a million lives. this is our shared patriotic duty. challenging times are ahead for the next 30 days. and this is a very vital 30 days. in london, an exhibition centre is transformed into a hospital injust one week. it could eventually treat 4,000 patients. a national exodus — hundreds of thousands of migrant workers flee india's cities, after lockdowns leave them withoutjobs or pay. new social distancing rules come into force in australia. gatherings of more than two people are now banned.

hello, and welcome. we're covering all the latest coronavirus developments here in britain and globally. we start in the us, where president trump says the next 30 days are vital and social distancing could save more than a million lives. speaking at the daily press briefing of the coronavirus task force, he also praised the efforts of american companies to produce more much—needed equipment, like masks and ventilators. 0ver1 million americans have now been tested, more than any other country, by far, not even close.

the same modelling also shows that by very vigorously following these guidelines we could save more than 1 million american lives. think of that. 1 million american lives. 0ur north america correspondent peter bowesjoins me now. what else was donald trump saying today? well, donald trump has clearly backed down from his aspiration that easter could be a turning point as far as america dealing with coronavirus. in fact he has said that could be the peak time for the number of deaths this country. the time during which americans will have to stay at home has been extended to the end of april and the president describing the next 30 days as vital in that fight to try to get control of the situation. also revealing that a million americans have now been tested, which he described as an historic landmark. in fa ct as an historic landmark. in fact he claimed it was the most tests carried out by any

country. that aside, we still have health workers, especially in new york city, saying that they are on the edge, it is proving to be difficult to deal with the situation. they still don't have enough supplies, especially ventilators, and the governor of new york, andrew cuomo, appealing to health workers in other parts of the country that are not as badly affected as new york city to actually go there and to help, such as the problem, such as the level of exhaustion felt by 70 people in new york city trying to deal with this. one morale booster in the last 2a hours has been the arrival of a us navy ship, comfort, in new york. it has docked in manhattan and it has a thousand beds, several operating theatres. it will care for non— coronavirus patients, relieving the stress, to some extent, on those hospitals on the shore.

peter bowes, thank you. the governor of new york, andrew cuomo, has called for healthcare professionals elsewhere in the country to help the state battle the coronavirus. new york has become the epicentre of the pandemic in the us, with nearly half the cases in the country and more than one third of the deaths. nirav shah is a senior scholar with stanford university's clinical excellence research center, as well as former health commissioner for new york. thank you for your time. extraordinary scenes in new york, extraordinary scenes across the us and the rest of the world. what do you make of the world. what do you make of the authorities people's response to what is happening? well, i'm glad we're starting to have more of a coherent policy, we understand this is a marathon that we are just beginning, andi marathon that we are just beginning, and i hope that all the other states get on board and are able to do the kind of strong policies that you have seen come out of states like new york, california and a few others. by strong policies, what do you mean? well, we haven't turned the curve, or

corner, yet, in many states. we don't have the blanket protections that we need from a public health perspective, with strict orders to shelter in place, with strict orders to only have essential businesses open. and if you look on the news anywhere, look at florida, lookout of virginia, governors have yet to declare these kinds of strict measures. -- look at virginia. 0bviously that is presumed to be coming next. i wa nt to presumed to be coming next. i want to ask you about testing. this is something we have talked about for a long time. how do you rate the us' performance? we have been told ona performance? we have been told on a running two—week basis that we have enough tests, and ican that we have enough tests, and i can tell you that as of today, it is going to be two more weeks until we have sufficient testing. the policies across the states but i have been to limit testing to only those who demonstrate symptoms, and are at high risk. that means even this past week at my clinic in stanford, i had many patients whom i diagnosed clinically with covid, but i

couldn't test, because we are not allowed to do that yet. we are only limiting testing to those most at risk. i see, that is interesting. and that will obviously have consequences. what do you make so far of the trump administration's approach to this, saying that hopefully everything could be up and running again by easter, and now coming out and saying, actually, that clearly isn't going to happen? i think there has been a false choice between lives and livelihoods. of course we want to get back to work quickly. that we need to first save lives, and focus first save lives, and focus first on tamping down this epidemic and getting us to a place like wuhan and others have done, where we have it under control and then we can start to begin the conversation of going back to work. so what kind of timelines are you thinking about? i am not going to hold you to anything, obviously it is impossible to predict. i am thinking we have weeks to months. if you look at the places that have been most successful, new york is now starting to reach its apex,

california in the coming weeks will reach its apex, after that, if we do a good job, like south korea, taiwan, on doing contact tracing, and really stamping out covid in the community, then we can talk about getting back to work. fascinating stuff. nirav shah, thank you for your time. thank you. here in britain, an entirely new hospital built from scratch in a conference centre injust a week will be ready to take its first patients on wednesday. initially, it's ready for 500 coronavirus patients, but eventually rising to 4,000. 0ur health editor hugh pym has the latest. just a week ago it was a giant conference hall, with room for a dozen football pitches. now it's a hospital, with intensive care beds and ventilators, and ready in a few days' time to receive the first patients. the capacity eventually will be 4,000. and if those beds are used, it'll be the biggest hospital in the world. sir simon stevens, head of nhs england, toured the site at london's excel centre today and met some of those

who are making things happen. as it was announced the number of patients was increasing by 1000 today. today, there are over 9,000 positive coronavirus patients in hospitals across england. and we know that number is only going to increase. that's why what you see here is a mass mobilisation, taking place right across the country, but also at these new nightingale hospitals. this has been an extraordinary team effort on the part of nurses and doctors, therapists and pharmacists across london, but also volunteers, paramedics and people returning to help. the first staff were applauded in today, volunteers from other hospitals and recently retired doctors and nurses will be caring here for seriously ill covid—i9 patients at what's now called the nightingale hospital. this is what the hospital could look like when it's finished, with thousands of beds and a mortuary. army staff are working with the nhs team to make

it a reality. it's in the heart of london's docklands with businesses all around. the fact they've transformed this conference centre into a giant hospital so quickly shows how serious they think the pressure on the nhs could be. birmingham's national exhibition centre will house a nightingale hospital, so too the central convention centre in manchester. the sec in glasgow will also become a temporary hospital in two weeks' time, with space for up to 1,000 patients. the principality stadium in cardiff is set to be used as an nhs field hospital. and in belfast, a coronavirus assessment centre will open this week. there may be plenty of new hospital beds, but staffing is a problem with an estimate a quarter of doctors are off with a virus or because a member of their household is unwell. most are anxious about what the next few weeks will bring. they

know that this hospital and many others could fill up quickly with a very sick patients, some of whom will not survive their stay. hugh pym, bbc news, at the nightingale hospital in london's docklands. two deaths have now been recorded in syria. earlier the health ministry confirmed a woman died from the coronavirus disease on sunday after being taken to hospital. several other people have tested positive but medics suspect there are many more. there's been a sharp fall in new cases in italy, the country worst affected by the pandemic. 1,600 new patients were diagnosed in the latest daily tally — that's less than half of sunday's figure. officials say it's evidence the country is heading in the right direction. but the death rate remains high. there's been a sharp increase in the number of patients dying in france, registering its worst daily figure to date — 418 deaths. france has now recorded more than 3,000 fatalities. 0fficialfigures, though, account only for those who die in hospital, not at home or in

residences for the elderly. the tokyo summer 0lympics will be held betweenjuly 23 and august 8 next year, exactly one year after the games had been due to take place. the international olympic committee said the new dates would give the authorities time to deal with the disruption caused by the covid—19 pandemic. spain has overtaken china in the number of infections with more than 85,000 cases. only the united states and italy have more. tough new restrictions have come into force, as the capital madrid held a moment of silence to remember those lost. guy hedgecoe reports. the new normal in spain. the country's once—buzzing capital is now a virtual ghost town. spain has been in lockdown for over two weeks. but now that's been tightened further, as non—essential workers have been

told to stay at home. the spread of the virus through care homes has been one reason why the death rate in spain has been so high. the vast majority of spaniards have been complying with the terms of the national lockdown, but the government hopes that these new reinforced measures will help bring the virus under control and that that in turn will take the pressure off a health care service which is under enormous strain. an all—too—common sight — ambulance after ambulance speeding through the streets. over 12,000 health care workers have contracted the virus and many feel they lack the protection they need, even at this critical stage. translation: it's frightening when your suit rips or when somebody‘s saliva gets on yourface. that's when you're most afraid. the government says the measures it's been taking are starting to pay off. we're seeing an improvement in the number of infected

citizens, we're seeing an improvement in terms of the curve starting to show a different trend. i think it's a little bit unfair to pinpoint to spain being an exceptional case in what i see is a general case around the world. the lockdown has been a challenge for spaniards. a massive change of lifestyle for a society that loves to interact. all sing but, like so many across mainland europe, singing seems to be cathartic — almost the new way to get through it. these young women, who live opposite a hospital, keep their spirits up by cheering the health workers who have suddenly become national heroes. clapping guy hedgecoe, bbc news, madrid.

stay with us on bbc news. still to come, stolen during the coronavirus lockdown — burglars target a dutch museum and make off with a painting by van gogh. the accident that happened here was of the sort that can at worst produce a meltdown. in this case the precautions worked, but they didn't work quite well enough to prevent some old fears about the safety features of these stations from resurfacing. the republic of ireland has become the first country in the world to ban smoking in the workplace. from today, anyone lighting up in offices, businesses, pubs and restaurants will face a heavy fine.

the president was on his way out of the washington hilton hotel, where he had been addressing a trade union conference. the small crowd outside included his assailant. it has become a symbol of paris. 100 years ago, many parisians wished it had never been built. the eiffel tower's birthday is being marked by a re—enactment of the first ascent by gustave eiffel. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: a navy hospital ship has arrived in new york, as the state's governor launches a nationwide appeal for healthcare professionals in the struggle against coronavirus. an entirely new hospital built from scratch in a conference centre in london in just a week is preparing to receive its first coronavirus patients. south korea has called recent rocket launches by the north inappropriate given the global

coronavirus outbreak. pyongyang is continuing to pursue its missile testing programmes, but very little is known about what effect the pandemic is having on the secretive state. we can speak to drjohn linton, who is head of the international health care center at the severance hospital in seoul. thanks very much. a fascinating case. i know this is best guess territory, i'm assuming, but what do we know about the scale of the pandemic in north korea? well, there have been some unverified reports in the south korean media talking about several hundred or may be a couple of hundred military people dying from the vaccine, but the frank honest answer is we don't know for sure. because of the border with china and all the tourists pouring in,

and also to pyongyang, the diamond mountains, you would assume there was contact of people infected with this virus within north korea. it would be very miraculous if they don't have any cases, as they are, you know, saying. given that, there is contact, there is likely to be some spread in north korea, how well—equipped is it to deal with that? the north korean system is very authoritative. everything is from top down. as you can see by the quarantine of foreigners, one—month quarantine of all foreigners, diplomats are leaving north korea as we speak, the problem is diagnostic hazmat suits to protective gear, masks, all of the gowns and equipment, and all of the paraphernalia that we need to fight with this virus is sorely lacking in

north korea. i visited many hospitals and even before the virus, they were re— reusing gloves, they were re—sterilising gloves, re—sterilising gloves, re—sterilising gowns, so there's an endemic shortage... the word endemic probably isn't appropriate, but there a chronic shortage of this, so if they do have a problem, they will be very challenged. their doctors are very dedicated and very willing to go to the front lines. that's very interesting. given the shortages and given the sanctions in place, who does it turn to for help? south korea i think can help them. i think the us should help them. i think the sanctions medically are not appropriate. they keep you from sending anything that has metal or a computer attached. well, in this day and age, medical equipment without

metal or computer equipment attached is very limited, i guess you can send communications, but the sanctions keep them from getting the hugely that they have. it is also against the un mandate which is, of course, against putting humanitarian aid above politics. those who should be separate. john, thanks for giving us an insight into such a secretive state, we really appreciate your expertise. doctorjohn linton there. in india, the government imposed a strict lockdown across the country at four hours' notice to stop the spread of coronavirus. it meant hundreds of thousands of people lost theirjobs and are now struggling for food. some are so desperate, they're leaving the cities they work in to walk sometimes hundreds of miles back to their villages. divya arya reports from delhi. panic and chaos. these people, who have moved across this vast country for work, demand they be allowed to go home. a complete lockdown has meant they have no work and no money. in the country's capital, delhi, the desperate head

for their far—away villages on foot. journeys so gruelling some won't make it home. at least six people have died en route. 0thers scramble onto buses, trying to get out however they can. to curb the movement of people, borders are sealed overnight. but some, like rajit khan and his wife, insist they will march to their village. translation: what can the government do? my son is sick. if they really cared, they wouldn't have stopped people from coming out or stopped transport. now, if he dies by the time we reach, who will take responsibility? now the prime minister has apologised to the people, asking them to stay where they are, promising food and shelter. i'm outside a food distribution centre being run by the government, and most of the people queueing up here are families of daily—wage

labourers who are out of work right now because of the lockdown. some of them could not leave the city to go back to their villages, and some chose to stay. but now, stuck here, they say they're totally dependent on government aid. it is a long wait, and mothers complain there is no milk for their children. translation: we are very worried. we have come here to get some food to eat. there are no jobs and money, our children are hungry. the ruling party admits it's a huge challenge. in a population of 1.3 billion, hundreds of millions of people are currently observing the lockdown, are currently being able to meet all the requirements that have been put in place. yes, a few million stand affected, but that's what is the effort on to eliminate that problem too. for many, that is a difficult wait, and as the lockdown tightens, they have an uphill journey ahead.

divya arya, bbc news, delhi. a painting by vincent van gogh has been stolen from an art gallery in the netherlands, as it was closed to visitors because of the coronavirus outbreak. the painting, valued at up to $6.5 million, was on loan to the singer laren near amsterdam. rich preston reports. this is where it happened, the singer laren museum just outside amsterdam, and this was what was taken: lent her town was painted in 1884 and depicts the spring garden at a rectory in the town in the south of the netherlands where van gough worked and lived for part of his life. experts value the painting at up to $6.5 million. translation: in 1884, he paints the vicarage garden in noonan,

a very beautiful, tranquil spring garden where one woman is looking at flowers very quietly. an image of silence, of reflection and of tranquillity, which undoubtedly offered him comfort and inspiration. through him it gave us and our audience the same emotion. the painting was stolen early on monday morning on what would have been van gough‘s 167th have been van gough‘s167th birthday. the thieves came in by breaking the glass door, and at that point they got in and got through a few doors and took the painting. the museum's home to hundreds of valuable artworks but the thieves seems to have only one piece in mind. the singer laren museum, like others across the netherlands, has been closed since mid—march because of the coronavirus outbreak but officials say security arrangements were not affected. detectives have appealed for anyone with any information to come forward.

in australia gatherings of more than two people are now prohibited. shaima khalil is in syd ney prohibited. shaima khalil is in sydney for us. good to you. what else has been introduced? playgrounds, open—air gyms, skate parks have also been closed. with heard from the new south wales police commissioner saying there will be hefty penalties for people that do break the 2—person rule. already a dozen tickets have been issued to those who have broken the rules. we've seen a shift in concern among the authorities about community transmission. the focus of the story has and continues to be toa story has and continues to be to a large extent about overseas travel, people coming from overseas, carrying the virus and transmitting it and that's why you get the closure of the borders, australians returning are being quarantine in hotels and. travelling abroad. the concern is about

community transmission and that's why you see the rules changing week by week. new south wales has half of the cases of australia's nearly 4500, and you pockets of transmission. we've got health officials talking about outbreaks in the bondi area among backpackers, so they are intensifying the testing there. more than 200 cases are linked to the ruby princess cruise ship, with six remembers having to be hospitalised. that's what the authorities are worried about, that's why they're trying to contain the spread of the virus with increasing numbers in different states, and that's why you see stricter rules, especially with as many people especially this weekend not abiding by those rules still making their way to parks and beaches, and that's what they're trying to stop. shaima khalil in sydney bringing us up to date with the new restrictions being brought into place in australia. plenty

more on the website and you can get me online on twitter. i'm @lvaughanjones. i'm lewis vaughan jones i'm lewis vaughanjones and this is bbc news. goodbye. hello. in more ways than one, a lot has changed over the last week, none more so than in the weather, where we saw on tuesday last week the feel of late spring in the north coast of wales — 19 celsius, 63 fahrenheit achieved. a week later, well, we're lucky if we reach nine celsius in the same spot, even with some sunshine continuing. that colder theme continues through this coming 24 hours, but a little less chilly. high pressure's moved further west so the winds more westerly than northern, and notice the gaps in the isobars, starting to widen, indicating it won't be as windy as it has been. that said, a noticeable north—westerly breeze in parts of northern scotland bringing a few rain showers through the day. one or two rain showers in northern ireland and northern england but many will stay dry. sunshine coming and going

through the day, the best of which will be in southern counties of england, east anglia channel islands, sunnier than in recent days, and the breeze won't be as strong as it has been, it will probably feel that little bit less chilly. elsewhere, light winds, continuing through tuesday night into wednesday away from the far north of scotland. cloud amounts often large in the night. a few showers in the north and west. where you see any cloud breaks, a bit of frost around, the greatest chance in clear skies in southern counties of england. this is where it'll be frostiest to begin wednesday morning. a chilly start, that ridge of high pressurejust in, but changes through the day in the north. the isobars tightening up again, coming closer, breeze picking up and that weather front set to bring some more significant rain — 0rkney and shetland in the morning, and then through the day, the northern half of scotland. away from that, a few showers, plenty of cloud around for the vast majority, and the sunshine will come out later in the north of scotland. while we could see temperatures peaking at ten, it will drop because cold air is on its way. this quite significant area of low

pressure pushes from iceland towards norway, introducing gales quite widely across the northern half of scotland, if not severe gales, and a shot of cold air to see the week out, pushing its way southwards. so, for thursday, cloudy to begin with in the south. a few more showers pushing through the day. brightening up in the north but showers turn wintry, sleet and snow quite abundantly, and temperatures in lower single figures. whereas we've still got temperatures potentially around 12 or 13 in the south—east corner. but the cold snap, thursday into friday, is short—lived. just notice by saturday and the weekend, milder air returns from the south.

this is bbc news, the headlines: a us navy hospital ship has docked in new york to help the city cope with coronavirus. the governor of new york state has described the scale of crisis as staggering and warned that it will spread nationwide. president trump says social distancing can save more than a million american lives. the latest figures for the uk show another 180 people with coronavirus have died, taking the total to 1,408. however, one leading scientist has suggested that transmission of the virus in the community may be decreasing. a three—week nationwide lockdown in india has left hundreds of thousands of informal labourers withoutjobs or wages, triggering an exodus to home villages. this has put huge pressure on the transport system. on monday the country's supreme court said it was becoming a bigger problem than the pandemic.