nhs workers call for urgent action to get protective equipment to them — in the fight against coronavirus on the eve of the opening of a 4,000 bed hospital in london — a plea for the right protection i don't have any visors, i don't have a face shield or goggles. i should have a full sleeved gown if i'm following the guidance by the world health organisation and i think it's frightening that i'm putting myself at risk. as a theme park in surrey is turned into a drive—through testing station for nhs workers, we'll be asking how soon testing will be extended to all health service staff. also this lunchtime. spain records its biggest daily rise in coronavirus deaths

as the total reaches 8,189 the nurses around the world battling against the global pandemic — who are also calling for more protection translation: it's really painstaking and energy consuming work but every day, we are hoping for people's recovery. following in the footsteps of florence nightingale, we will fulfil our mission. and millions of plants, shrubs and trees could be thrown away — after the coronavirus outbreak forces the closure of 2,000 garden centres and nurseries in sport, the head of uk anti—doping says athletes are very much mistaken if they think they can get away with doping while there are reduced levels of testing due to the coronavirus outbreak.

good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. the day before the new nightingale hospital in east london is set to open — with the capacity for 4,000 coronavirus patients — medics are continuing to say they're not being given adequate masks, gowns or gloves for personal protection. and with as many as one in four doctors currently off work — there's also frustration that nhs staff aren't being tested in sufficient numbers to find out if they have the virus. the official figures for deaths in the uk have now been extended — as well as the daily toll of fatalities in hospital, there are now also weekly figures which include people who've died at home or in residential care. spain has recorded its worst daily figure for fatalities. 819 people have died there in the last 2a hours. with our first report this lunchtime, here's our science correspondent pallab ghosh.

from conference centre towards to be a 4000 bed facility. london's nightingale hospital in east london, ready with intensive care beds and ventilators, to deal with the expected surge in cases over the coming weeks. doctors and nurses from across the country applauded as they volunteered to work in the capital but there are fears they don't have the tools they need task ahead. it's an incredible feat, and in fact ahead. it's an incredible feat, and infacti ahead. it's an incredible feat, and in fact ijust ahead. it's an incredible feat, and in fact i just volunteered to work there myself as an intensive care doctor. but i'll be really honest with you. things are really tough on the front line right now. my collea g u es the front line right now. my colleagues in london, i'll be honest, they are completely broken, we are seeing a lot of patients get sick, a lot of patients get sick very, very quickly. the government has been stepping up its efforts to get personal protective equipment,

masks, gloves, aprons to front—line health and social staff, following reports of shortages but many doctors are reporting that they are still not getting through.” doctors are reporting that they are still not getting through. i don't have any advisers, face shield or goggles. i should have any advisers, face shield or goggles. ishould have have any advisers, face shield or goggles. i should have a full sleeved gown if i'm following the guidance by the world health 0rganisation. and i think it's frightening that i'm putting myself at risk. and potentially, therefore, risking myself becoming ill and not being able to help others. nhs staff are now being tested for coronavirus at this temporary drive through station in the car park of chessington world of adventures in surrey. until this week, very few front line staff are being tested, this has meant they had to self—isolate if they or a member of theirfamily self—isolate if they or a member of their family suspected of having the virus. the royal college of physicians estimates one in four staff are unable to treat patients because of this. i'm really desperate to get back in the workplace. i do wish we could have

testing done so i could know definitely if i have coronavirus are not because my symptoms, i had a fever, but i didn't have any throat symptoms so i'm not 100% sure if i had it or not. it would be useful to know if i had it, to see if i have immunity in the future. at downing street the government ‘s chief scientist showed new figures on hospital admissions that suggested some of the social distancing measures mightjust some of the social distancing measures might just be some of the social distancing measures mightjust be working. although there is a steady daily increase, it's thought that it's not accelerating at a rate that would com pletely accelerating at a rate that would completely overwhelm the nhs. nightingale field hospitals are being put together a conference centres in manchester and also in birmingham. and more protective equipment and tests are promised. we are all aware of the stresses and strains here and doing absolutely everything and people supplying this network doing absolutely everything to try to ensure that the gaps are filled as soon as possible. as london's nightingale hospital gets set, the hope is the social

distancing measures will have bought enough time to ensure that front line staff have all they need to save lives. let's pick up on some of those issues. 0ur health editor hugh pym is here. the new figures, fatalities outside hospital, explain for us. people have been getting used to the daily announcements from the department of health covering the uk, but what we've got today is the office for national statistics for england and wales covering the total number of deaths including those in the community, for example in a care home or somebody in their own home. that showed for a week, the latest week they have up until the 20th of march, 210 deaths linked to covid—19 as opposed to the 170 which had been reported at the time added by the department of health so it looks as if there are rather more deaths than

we thought but those extra ones covered by the office for national statistics are based on gps and doctors on death certificates saying they think the debt is linked to covid—19, all the ones on hospital are based on people tested so there isa are based on people tested so there is a little bit of ambiguity around precisely what this means, other than confirming come of course, very sadly, some people lose their lives because of something linked to covid—19 or covid—19, away from hospital. nhs staff continued to be very concerned about these issues, testing for coronavirus and the lack of protective equipment? yes, we heard there about the lack of protective equipment, even with a really big push by the government and by nhs england to get all this equipment out to hospitals and gp surgeries and other care environments, millions of masks, millions of other items, there are still people on the front line telling us they have not got the right gowns, visors and the right

other equipment. and they are very, very frustrated with the case numbers building up. on testing, nhs workers are numbers building up. on testing, nhs workers a re really numbers building up. on testing, nhs workers are really very anxious to get tested if they had to self—isolate at home with some symptoms which might not be covid—19. if they could be tested they could be free to return to work at that's negative. that's beginning to happen, it was announced by the government at the end of last week, it's already happening in wales, it's already happening in wales, its beginning to happen but not a lot of evidence on the ground how many people in the nhs so far, have actually been tested and freed to return to work if that's appropriate. 0k, many thanks. the scottish government have announced emergency measures for scotland. the first minister nicola sturgeon also announced that 13 more people have died in scotland after being diagnosed with the virus. lorna gordon is in glasgow. lorna, bring us up—to—date with what the first minister said. yes, we've

been hearing more details in the last few minutes, the emergency legislation, the coronavirus scotla nd legislation, the coronavirus scotland bill is being published today. it's a kind of catchall bill, the civil servants have been looking through the areas of government which would normally be pretty easy to perform to complete and which are now in the present circumstances, proving extraordinarily difficult and that's what's making of this legislation that will provide extra protection for tenants, it will affect jury trials. protection for tenants, it will affectjury trials. special measures for those that would normally go before a jury. it will also have provision for the early release of prisoners but those, says nicola sturgeon, our powers of last resort. the first minister said the measures are time limited but necessary. the first minister said the measures are time limited but necessarym is in so many ways, an unprecedented response to what is an unprecedented situation. some of the provisions in this bill are of a type that i would never have wanted or expected to be introducing to parliament. and we will ensure that these provisions do not remain in force any longer than

is absolutely necessary. and also an update on the daily statistics, the number of people here in scotland who have died with covered 19 related symptoms, now up to 60 and there are more than 1000 people in scottish hospitals with covid—19 or related symptoms. as the legislation is being introduced, work is ongoing at the sec behind me to put in place at the sec behind me to put in place a temporary hospital. it will have provision for 300 beds and can be expanded up to 1000. that should be in place within the next fortnight. lorna, many thanks. spain has, in the last 24 hours, suffered its worst daily number of deaths from coronavirus. 849 people have died, in the latest of a string of very high tallies. 0ur correspondent guy hedgecoe is in madrid. guy, the crisis in spainjust

guy, the crisis in spain just seems to be worsening? yes, these latest figures are clearly are clearly quite disheartening, hundreds more people who have died in the last 24 hours. notable jump up people who have died in the last 24 hours. notablejump up from people who have died in the last 24 hours. notable jump up from the figure yesterday which was just over 800 and as you say, the highest daily death toll we've seen yet during this crisis. these new figures comejust at during this crisis. these new figures come just at a time when it had appeared that spain might have been turning the corner with this crisis. recent figures had suggested the daily death toll was starting to stabilise and also, the number of new daily infections was coming under control. the latest figures however, showed there were around 9000 more infections over the last 24 hours. that's all clearly quite worrying but throughout this crisis, the government has insisted that you shouldn't read too much into the figures for one day, there are factors that can distort the figures up factors that can distort the figures up or down so i think we won't know for a while yet whether this is a new upward for a while yet whether this is a new u pwa i’d curve for a while yet whether this is a new upward curve or if it's simply a

glitch. 0k, thank you. the governor of new york state has made an impassioned plea for medical staff from all over the us to come to the aid of overstretched doctors and nurses there. president trump said the next 30 days could be crucial, and he praised the efforts of american companies producing much—needed equipment, such as masks and ventilators. peter bowes reports. a symbol of wartime and a morale booster for new york, this military medical ship docked in manhattan will provide relief to the city's hospitals overwhelmed by covid—19. the us navy ship, comfort, has space for 1,000 beds. it will be used for non—coronavirus patients, while shorebased hospitals focus on the pandemic. health workers in the city say they're still desperate for outside help, prompting this appeal by the state's governor. i am asking health professionals

across the country, if you don't have a health care crisis in your community, please come help us new york. now. we need relief, we need relief for nurses who are working 12 hour shifts, one after the other, after the other. we need relief for doctors, we need relief for attendants. so if you're not busy, come help us, please. and we will return the favour. with more and more states ordering people to stay at home, americans are buckling down for at least another month of the economic shutdown and social distancing. 30 days that president trump says will be vital. by very vigorously following these guidelines we could save more than a million american lives. think of that. one million american lives. 0urfuture is in our own hands and the choices and sacrifices we make will determine

the fate of this virus and, really, the fate of our victory. we will have a great victory. we have no other choice. mr trump said progress was being made with the number of americans tested for the coronavirus. today, we reached a historic milestone in our war against the coronavirus. over one million americans have now been tested. more than any other country, by far. not even close. but president trump's numbers have been widely questioned, with the us well behind italy and south korea in the number of people tested. peter bowes, bbc news. we can speak now to our correspondent gary 0'donoghue in washington. gary, at the weekend we heard of figures around 200,000 for potential deaths across the us but what is the latest on projected figures? i think we are going to

hear something from the white house today about the kind of modelling they've been doing. they seem to have been building their own model up have been building their own model up from the ground, really, with the data as it comes in although it seems to be based on a particular university model from washington state and their projections as of today, have a death toll in the range of 84,000 or so, by the middle of august, beginning to the middle of august, beginning to the middle of august. their projections to have the highest death toll coming around april the 15th as well, of course. we will see what exactly the white house has to say but scientists a lwa ys house has to say but scientists always stress they are not guesses but in many ways, there are so many para meters but in many ways, there are so many parameters that it's hard to know whether you're at the top of the bottom of the range. meanwhile, at the moment, new york is continuing the moment, new york is continuing the struggle with a huge, fast number of cases it's getting, more than one third of the deaths had beenin than one third of the deaths had been in new york alone and there is continuing concern among governors

that they are not getting the amount of testing they need to do, particularly in the midwest and they are not getting the protective equipment they need for their health ca re equipment they need for their health care workers. still a lot of pressure on this flight has to explain how it's going to meet the demand right across this country of 330 million people. gary, thank you very much. police officers have been told to be "consistent" when ensuring that people comply with the coronavirus restrictions — after concerns that some officers have been heavy—handed with members of the public. let's speak to our home affairs correspondent danny shaw. how big a problem has this been? it is an issue. this is a really difficult time for the police, unprecedented times, and this is guidance and powers they have not had before. they have only had the powers since thursday so they have been some teething problems with different forces interpreting them

differently. the advice has come through to be consistent and have a coordinated approach, to adopt a single style and tone, but there are some forces, for example derbyshire police, which set upjones to film people rambling in the peak district and they have justified that by saying that in isolation that might have looked like an aggressive act but when you look at the contact on villages in the area by being overrun by visitors, villages that contain many elderly people who could not get to the shops because all the stores had basically been emptied, they felt they were justified in sending those films up to —— those drones up to film people. they have said if we get a

bit of ridicule for that we are prepared to accept that because the message has got a crows and last weekend the pea ks message has got a crows and last weekend the peaks were empty of people. some forces are taking a different approach but broadly there is an effort going on to ensure there is one message that gets out there is one message that gets out there above all and that is for people to stay at home. the police did not want to have to use their enforcement powers and they want to engage people to stick to the rules. danny, our home affairs correspondent, thank you. our top story this lunchtime: nhs workers call for urgent action to get protective equipment to them in the fight against coronavirus on the eve of the opening of a 4,000—bed hospital in london. i don't have any visors, i don't have a face shield or goggles. i should have a full—sleeved gown if i'm following the guidance by the world health organisation and i think it's frightening that i'm putting myself at risk. in sport, the ioc president — thomas bach — says they face an unprecedented challenge

in rearranging the tokyo 0lympics and paralympic games next year — after confirming they will take place in summer 2021. the international council of nurses says that its members are facing unprecedented physical and psychological challenges — as they continue to battle the coronavirus pandemic. it says its 20 million members need to be properly shielded from the virus — and it's calling for an urgent increase in the supply of personal protective equipment. our global health correspondent tulip mazumdar reports. the women and the men on the frontline of this global battle. all over the world, they are putting their lives at risk to protect ours. china was the first country to face the full force of covid—19. south korea followed soon after.

health workers have been sending us videos from their clinics from all over the world. translation: when caring for patients we must wear full body protection, two layers of overshoes, gloves, masks, and goggles. in five minutes the whole body is drenched in sweat. it becomes hard to care for patients. the us is the latest country to be hit hard by this pandemic — with more cases now than anywhere else in the world. europe has been at the epicentre of this outbreak for more than two weeks now. here in eastern france, the military have set up makeshift critical care facilities. the italian health system is overwhelmed. patients now being admitted into massive tents. translation: we are at war with a totally invisible enemy. we are fighting for everyone and trying not to get hurt ourselves. we feel like we are the spearhead in this battle. translation: our efforts are not awarded with positive outcomes sometimes. another issue is the interactions

with family members. the contact is made by phone and often we receive calls asking for updates. they can never see their relatives and it's hard to express in words how much pain and suffering we can hear on the other side of the phone. all this as the world faces a chronic shortage of crucial personal protective equipment for health workers. the world health organization estimates that — globally — the response requires around 89 million medical masks and 76 million gloves — each month. as always, nurses are stepping up — they're saving lives — but they're putting themselves — often sacrificing themselves — ahead of other people. that is not possible to continue in the long—term — and — if we don't properly look after our health workforce — after our nurses — if we exhaust them — my fear is that this will make the virus worse. there is no global tally

of the number of infected healthcare workers. in china, the government says more than 3,000 have been infected and at least 22 medics have died. spanish officials say around 13% of all those infected are healthcare workers, which would mean more than 10,000 have caught the virus there. in italy, the infection rate is at around 9%. the death toll among doctors stands at at least 61. no—one can predict how long this pandemic will last, but it's the efforts of healthcare workers all around the world that all of us are relying on. translation: it's really painstaking and energy—consuming work, but every day we are hoping for people's recovery. following in the footsteps of florence nightingale, we will fulfil our mission. tulip mazumdar, bbc news.

millions of migrant workers in india are fleeing major cities and trekking home to rural areas — after the government imposed a strict lockdown with just four hours' notice. there is widespread concern at the huge crowds who've been forced onto the streets — by a policy that was meant to enforce social distancing. yogita lamaye reports from mumbai. a group of people being sprayed with chemicals. turn around and cover your mouths, officials shouted. they are believed to be migrants returning to their villages from the cities they worked in. and this appears to have been an attempt to sanitise them. an investigation has now been launched into this incident, which evoked anger in india. as did the plight of hundreds of thousands of daily wage earners in the country's cities. left without money, food and shelter because of the nationwide shutdown.

translation: we are labourers, but we have nothing now. they say it may be one or even two months without work. it's really hard. we can't even go back to our villages. around india now, the government and private organisations have been trying to help them. but many are asking why there was no plan in place before the shutdown was announced. the attempt is to stop corona from spreading here, to india's rural areas. in one village in a southern state, traditional disinfectants, a combination of turmeric, medicinal leaves and water, are being used to sanitise roads and homes. translation: by grinding the leaves and turmeric, the villagers have sanitised the entire village. whoever enters the village from outside has to wash their hands and legs in it.

this is a strict edict. in the cities, pavements and streets are all being cleaned. the number of coronavirus infections continues to rise. but not as rapidly as it is in many nations around the world. many ask if that's because india is not testing enough. yogita lamaye, bbc news. in pakistan, hundreds of britons — who've been on holiday or who are visiting family — have been calling for help from the uk government to get home — after air travel was abruptly suspended earlier this month. the foreign office says they are working with airlines to bring back thousands of british citizens from across the globe. secunder kermani reports from islamabad. dozens of british families feeling stranded and uncertain. from the nhs consultant who wants to be back supporting colleagues in liverpool... i would want to be there with my team as the front line staff

being able to offer as much support as i can in this war against the coronavirus. ..to those with relatives whose medication is running out. my mum is a diabetic. her medication is low. it's hard to get hold of. we just need some intervention, to be honest. pakistan is under a lockdown in an attempt to stop the spread of coronavirus. flights were suddenly suspended two weeks ago with just hours notice. this woman from west yorkshire is currently in lahore visiting family. she has been coordinating with other britons in pakistan on email and has been calling on the uk government to help. we are urgently calling for britain to open up more direct routes and from karachi and lahore as well because there are people all over the country who cannot get to islamabad and we are also calling on them to act urgently, to act soon, because the situation is dramatically changing both

in the uk and here if we don't. foreign office representatives say they have been in touch with both the pakistan authorities and the airlines and there is now hope that in the coming days some flights will resume. one british pakistani dual national woman has died after contracting coronavirus. this was her funeral. there is no indication she had wanted to travel back to the uk. we are in a situation where we don't know what's going to happen.

the horticultural trades association has warned that the industry could collapse — and has asked the government for millions of pounds in financial help.

our business editor simonjack reports. across the uk there is a growing crisis in the horticultural industry. with garden centres closed, groves of trees, shrubs, and bedding plants are facing financial ruin. this year, we have our best crop ever and it's got nowhere to go. neil allcock runs a nursery in north wales, one of thousands of nurseries which are bursting with spring stock. we have order cancellations coming from everywhere. basically, the whole retail supply chain has stopped for us. this week alone we've had a downturn in somewhere in the region of £100,000 of orders. gardening industry bodies say the situation is critical. we're talking about anything between £500 and £1 billion worth of stock being wasted and that has the capability, in terms of balance sheet and asset value, of wiping out a huge chunk of the sector. so we need immediate government assistance, of the order of £250 million, if this sector's going to survive. this crisis comes at

a time when the industry is most vulnerable — the beginning of the peak of the march—july gardening season. for those people lucky enough to have their own garden, it's a boon at a time like this, it's good for their physical and mental well—being. but those people who hope britain will be back in bloom comejuly may be disappointed. it's notjust millions of plants, trees, and shrubs that may wither and die, they may take huge sections of the gardening economy with them. one of britain's best known gardeners has added his voice to industry pleas for help. those plants, millions of them, will have to be allowed to die. unless a rescue package of sufficient magnitude is put in place to save our growers, the british garden is going to suffer for many years ahead. this is also the time of year when the industry is most financially extended, leaving most unwilling or unable to take on new loans, with government guarantees extended to the lender, but not to the borrower.