this is bbc news. the headlines... downing street suggests that the target of testing 25,000 people per day for coronavirus may not be met until the end of april. nhs workers call for urgent action to give them protective equipment in the fight against coronavirus. i don't have any visors, i don't have any facial goggles, i should have a full sleeved gown if i'm following the guidance by the world health organization, and i think it's frightening that i am putting myself at risk. police are told to take a "consistent" approach when using new emergency powers on restricting movement, after some forces are criticised for being too aggressive. the number of deaths in spain increases by 849, the highest daily number since the epidemic started.

the total there now is over 8,000. scotland announces further emergency measures as another 13 people haved died after being diagnosed with the virus. millions of plants, shrubs and trees could be thrown away, after the coronavirus outbreak forces the closure of 2,000 garden centres and nurseries. and the perils of haircuts at home — how families are having to do it for themselves. good afternoon. downing street has suggested the target of testing 25,000 people per day for coronavirus may not be met until the end of april. the prime minister's spokesman said the government was "well on the way" to achieving the target, but the assessment of

public health england was that it would be met by "mid to late april." nhs trusts have been told to use any spare capacity for testing nhs staff. meanwhile, the day before the new nightingale hospital in east london is set to open — with the capacity for 4000 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 i in 4 doctors 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 are now being calculated in different ways: as well as the daily number of fatalities in hospitals, there are now also weekly figures which include people who've died at home or in residential care. and abroad, spain has recorded its worst daily figure for fatalities. 819 people died there in the last 2a hours. with our first report this lunchtime, here's our science correspondent pallab ghosh.

from conference centre to what's 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 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 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. i don't have any visors, 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. 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 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 or 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 be working. although there is a steady daily increase, it's thought that it's not 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 are 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. i spoke to our health editor hugh pym about the new figures for the number of people who've died i spoke to our health editor hugh pym about the continuing concerns among health care workers about personal protective equipment and about testing. millions of masks, millions of other items. there are still people on the front line telling us that they have not got the right gowns and visors, the right other equipment, and they are 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 have had to self—isolate at home with some symptoms which may not be covid—i9.

if they could be tested, they could be free to return to work if that is negative. that is beginning to happen, it was announced by the government at the end of last week, and it is already happening in wales. not a lot of evidence on the ground how many people in the nhs so fari ground how many people in the nhs so far i have actually been tested and free to return to work if that is appropriate. let's talk to our chief political correspondent, vicki young. downing street is suggesting in the last hour or so that the target of testing 25,000 people per day for coronavirus might not be met for really several weeks. that is right, and if you remember back on the 18th of march, the prime minister told the commons that they were hoping to get to 25,000 tests a day. now that is 25,000 tests for whether you have coronavirus now as opposed to the other test about whether you have had it previously. that was on the 18th of march. downing street today is saying that the target may not be

met until the end of april in line with what public health england have been saying, and they are saying that if nhs trusts have any spare capacity for testing, then that should be used for nhs staff. so you can see the problem here. we are at the stage where we are still testing those going into hospital with suspected coronavirus cases and similar respiratory illnesses, but the idea of mass testing of nhs staff is still proving very problematic, and that is before you get to the stage of whether they should be testing more widely in the community to see whether i'll how many other people may have already had the illness and recovered for it, and there was a cabinet meeting today. it was done remotely, as we know, the prime minister is still in isolation himself with, as we are told by the official spokesman, mild symptoms. that is still the case that it symptoms. that is still the case thatitis symptoms. that is still the case that it is mild symptoms, but at the moment, it is the spare capacity if

they have any, in the nhs trusts, to be used for health workers, and many are unhappy about that because they felt some of them are off isolating with family when they may not need to be and they are needed on the front line. something we are hearing repeatedly. downing street also issued some clarification on how often we should be going shopping. as with all of the guidance, people have a lot of questions about this, and it is proving problematic in some cases. when people were told that you can only leave the house to go for exercise or to get medicines oi’ go for exercise or to get medicines or essential food items, go for exercise or to get medicines or essentialfood items, it was suggested that that might be once a week. today, the transport secretary repeated that, but it is not our role. it is not that you can only go out once a week, but clearly that is causing a little bit of confusion. in the briefing today from the prime minister boss mike spokesman, the government are telling people to shop and accessories as little as

possible, and there is no rule for once a week, although it might be the right thing for people to do, and at some points here, the message from the government is people do need to use their common sense. if you are trying to cut down on your contact with other people and the risk of catching or passing this virus, clearly going to the shops less frequently is going to cut down on that risk, so that is what they are saying. do it as intricately as possible, but of course they understand that people are going to have to leave the house to get certain items, and they want people to be sensible about that, but there is some confusion amongst some people, may be looking for more greater quality —— clarity. people, may be looking for more greater quality -- clarity. many thanks for that. 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. ken marsh, is the chair of the metropolitan police federation.

thank you so much forjoining us here on bbc news. how do you think your officers have been interpreting the new legislation was mike well, i think they are doing very well for what has been put in front of them, bearing in mind they have only had about 36 hours to digest what is absolutely new to them. never placed in this way before, and they have never had the boundaries and terms they are having to do, so all in all, they are getting to grips with it. they are in control of what they are doing, and i wasjust ask the public to bear with us as we use this legislation. do you accept that in some circumstances, some officers have been heavy—handed 7 in some circumstances, some officers have been heavy— handed ?|i in some circumstances, some officers have been heavy-handed? i don't accept the word heavy—handed, that isa accept the word heavy—handed, that is a media word that has been bandied about, but what you are saying is that my colleagues are obviously interpreting this as you would expect in their own way, and there are different strands to how you interpret this. it is difficult

because it is absolutely new legislation. it has never been tested, never been tried, so everybody will have a different way of rolling it out, but we are doing it as smoothly as we can, but we need the public to assist us. but you will be aware of the criticism that some police forces have drawn. derbyshire police sending a drone to find out who has driven to the peak district, lancashire police issuing over 100 enforcement notices at the weekend, cheshire police summoning six people for various offences, including travelling to purchase non—senses “— including travelling to purchase non—senses —— nonessential items for that we have the tradition in this country of policing by consent, and there is a risk, even if it is at there is a risk, even if it is at the margins, that police officers could bejeopardising the margins, that police officers could be jeopardising that. yes, but i'm sure my colleagues around the country, and i don't want to put down my colleague because we are a large metropolitan area, we have a dense population that we are dealing

with, and we haven't seen those sort of problems. i understand what you are saying, and as i said at the beginning, this is absolutely new legislation. they have to understand what we can do and how we can do it. how are your members being treated by members of the public? on the whole, 99.9% of the public have been absolutely excellent, and there is noissues absolutely excellent, and there is no issues whatsoever. fully understand. there is obviously a small minority, as you would expect, a small group who think they can do and say what they want when they can't, and we will deal with them and we will increase requirement if necessary , and we will increase requirement if necessary, but on the whole, i have to say, well done to the british public because they get it totally. going to have to leave it there. thank you very much. some news to bring you from public health wales

who say that there are 112 new cases of coronavirus. that now takes the total in wales to 1563, although health officials do think that the true number is likely to be higher, and again that feeds into that whole issue of testing, so those latest figures from public health wales. we also have figures for the number of people who have died in wales. that is now standing at 69. that is a rise of seven in the fatalities in wales, so the figure is 69. in scotland, the first minister nicola sturgeon has announced that a further 13 people have died because of the coronavirus — taking the total there to 60. during her daily news conference, she also outlined plans for an emergency bill which is expected to be passed tomorrow. amongst other things, that legislation provides for the continuing functioning of the justice system during this emergency period. it also relaxes restrictions

for businesses and government in relation to some statutory processes . and, as i have covered at this briefing previously, it provides greater protection for tenants, particularly protection against the possibility of being evicted during this crisis period. it 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. scotland's first minister speaking earlier and announcing a further 13 people have died in scotland. northern ireland has just people have died in scotland. northern ireland hasjust issued its latest figures, and health officials there say they have had six more deaths linked to covid—19, bringing

the total number of deaths to 28. in the total number of deaths to 28. in the last 24 hours, they say there have been 53 new confirmed cases, making that total 586, but the true figure in northern ireland will be suspected to be higher than that. spain has recorded its worst daily figure yet for the number of fatalities from coronavirus. 849 people have died in the last 24 hours. it's the latest in a series of very high totals, as hospitals struggle to deal with the pandemic. more than 5500 patients are in need of intensive care in spain. i got the latest on the situation from the madrid—based journalist, james badcock. no, iam no, i am sorry we don't have that report. the governor of new york state has

made an impassioned plea for help, calling on medical staff across the us to come to new york to help fight the virus there. president trump said the next 30 days could be crucial, and 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 by non—coronavirus patients, while shorebased hospitals focus on the pandemic. health workers... i am asking health professionals across the country. if you do not have a health care crisis in your community, please come help us in your community, please come help us in 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 attendance, so if you are not busy, can help us please, and we will return the favour. with more and more states of ordering people to stay at home, americans are buckling down for at least another month of economic shutdown and social distancing, 30 days that president trump says will be vital. by president trump says will be vital. by very vigorously following these guidelines, we could save more than 1 million american lives. think of that. 1 million american lives and oui’ that. 1 million american lives and our future is that. 1 million american lives and ourfuture is in our own hands, and the choices and sacrifices we have to make will determine the fate of this virus, and really the fate of oui’ this virus, and really the fate of our victory. we will have a great victory. we have no other choice.

trump said that progress is being made with testing. we reached a historic milestone in the war against the coronavirus, with over1 million americans 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. the headlines on bbc news... nhs workers call for urgent action to give them protective equipment, in the fight against coronavirus. police are told to take a "consistent" approach when using new emergency powers on restricting movement, after some forces are criticised for being too aggressive. the number of deaths in spain increases by 849 — the highest daily number since the epidemic started. the total there now is over 8,000.

millions of plants, shrubs and trees could be thrown away in the coming days as the virus outbreak has led to the closure of 2,000 garden centres across the uk. 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, growers 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. the uk's plant—growers and its 23 million gardening customers are facing a potentially very cruel spring. simon jack, bbc news. let's speak now to ian colledge, who owns a garden centre and is concerned about his business. tell us about your business. how long have you been going and how are you coping? well, we have been going for 11 years now, and we invest all so for 11 years now, and we invest all so that we now have a company which is respected in the area, and we

just do plants. if nothing else, we are not a garden centre, and plants is our core business. you have somebody working away behind you, but i think you have had to furlough a lot of your staff. behind me is my brother gary, and we run the company together, have done for some years, but from the staff of around 20 to 25 at this time of year, we have now been left with four people, myself, my brother and two amazing members of staff. all of our staff is amazing, but we have had to furlough nearly all of them because we can't support the wages. it is very difficult. what is going to happen to your plants? well, for example, we have about £10,000 of retail, these have been plotted about five weeks ago. i will be honest with you, i don't have the answer. we have to make some really hard decision now as to whether we continue to look after them as my

brother is doing today or whether we sadly let them die, because if we can't continue to run the business, we just won't have the staff numbers to look after them, and it is a very intensivejob. we water to look after them, and it is a very intensive job. we water by hand every day, and while there is for others here, we canjust every day, and while there is for others here, we can just about do that, but if one of us goes down with a virus or we have to self—isolate, we really have no choice but to close business completely. how might you be able to keep going? are you doing home deliveries for example? yes, we are. we have had to rethink the business com pletely we have had to rethink the business completely over the last few days, so we completely over the last few days, so we have our plant expert who goes out and delivers everyday, and we arejust out and delivers everyday, and we are just about managing to cope with about 100 deliveries per week. everybody loves gardening, it is a great thing for the mind and to enjoy at home. but without having customers coming into the doors, we have no choice but to home delivery. we do it ona have no choice but to home delivery. we do it on a contactless basis, but for example, this morning, we got

over 600 e—mails on our system, and we can only handle 100 deliveries a week, so we are letting a lot of our customers down which we are gutted about, but we are just about keeping oui’ about, but we are just about keeping our head above water. and you can't increase your capacity for deliveries? as i said, we only have four people here so we can't, with glenn doing the deliveries and gary, tracy and myself doing the watering, there is no way of increasing the delivery capacity. we have some volu nteers delivery capacity. we have some volunteers asked whether they could come and help, but due to health issues, we don't want to put anybody else at risk. it does seem, quite apart from the tragedy of the potential waste of plants, the real worry about your business, it does seem worry about your business, it does seem so worry about your business, it does seem so frustrating because, for so many people, gardening is such a joy and a pleasure and good for people's mental health, and something they can do well self isolating. absolutely. i understand from speaking to everybody in the

industry that lots of people have decided to try and do home deliveries and lots of people are failing because we just can't keep up failing because we just can't keep up with the demand. we are a business relying on people coming to us, we don't have the capacity to send lots and lots of plants out at a time, and it is a very tactile thing. if we sent out a box, nine times out of ten it's going to get damage, so we do deliveries with amazon, we have to rely on people to come to us to buy their plants. we are going to have to leave it there. thank you very much. british shoppers spent an additional 1.9 billion pounds on groceries in the four weeks to the 21st march as they rushed to stock up on vital supplies to see them through the coronavirus pandemic. market researcher nielsen also said britons made 79 million extra grocery shopping trips compared to the same period a year earlier. separate data showed march was the busiest month on record for supermarkets across britain.

the amount of money people will be able to spend in a single contactless card payment is increasing from tomorrow. it will mean more payments can be made without the need to handle cash or enter pin numbers — to help reduce the chance of spreading coronavirus. the limit will be increased to 45 pounds. the owner of video chat and game app houseparty is offering a one million dollar reward for evidence the company was the victim of a commercial smear campaign. 0nline rumours alleged that downloading the app led to other services such as netflix and spotify being hacked, but the company said there was "no evidence" to back up those claims. houseparty has become one of the most downloaded apps in several countries including the uk amid restrictions to stop the spread of coronavirus. now, one of the more surreal sights triggered by the coronavirus lockdown has been this — a herd of goats taking over a deserted town centre, and helping themselves to meals

of flowers and hedges. usually, the wild herd of kashmiri goats only ventures from the great 0rme into the seaside town of llandudno during bad weather. but in recent days, they have been seen wandering these deserted streets in north wales, making the town their own. now it's time for a look at the weather with darren. hello again. we have seen fewer showers today across the eastern side of england. instead, the breeze is bringing most of the showers into scotland and northern ireland. they will continue this evening and overnight, with cloud moving southwards, we will pick up a few showers into england and wales. clearer skies for much of the night through england and wales, meaning temperatures will be lower for a slight frost, and elsewhere with more clout and perhaps the odd light shower. temperatures of 4—5d. some early sunshine for southern england, but it will cloud over. we may well see some showers coming down as well. most of those showers coming in off the irish sea. some wetter weather heading south across scotland. for a while, some sunshine

across eastern scotland and then later on we should get sunshine in northern scotland as the air gets colder and the breeze begins to pick up, otherwise temperatures like today around 9—10d. the weather front bringing that patchy rain in scotland and northern ireland. by the end of the day, heading southwards into england and wales. the wind is starting to pick up on thursday, and colder air arrives, and those showers in scotland start to turn wintry.

hello this is bbc news. the headlines: nhs workers call for urgent action to give them protective equipment in the fight against coronavirus. 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.

police are told to take a consistent approach when using new emergency powers on restricting movement after some forces are criticised for being too aggressive. the number of daths in spain increases by 849 — the highest daily number since the epidemic started. the total there now is over 8,000. scotland announces further emergency measures as another 13 people haved died after being diagnosed with the virus. millions of plants, shrubs and trees could be thrown away after the coronavirus outbreak forces the closure of 2,000 garden centres and nurseries. and coming up: the perils of haircuts at home. we find out how some families are having to do it for themselves. 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 the southern state of tamil nadu, 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 spain they have recorded their worst daily fatality rate. the government is suspending all bills for water and utilities, gas and electricity, as part of measures to tackle coronavirus. some welcome news that the citizens who are really struggling very much under this pandemic. 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 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. i have four children — two that are really young. we are really worried. as cases rise in pakistan, so does the concern amongst britons who feel trapped here.

i have left three children behind. two children are asthmatic. i should have been home. that's the bottom line. i should have been home. secunder kermani, bbc news, islamabad. meanwhile, elsewhere around the globe, there are still thought to be thousands of brits who have been stranded by coronavirus lockdowns. the first of three flights chartered by the government to bring britons home from peru landed at heathrow airport yesterday morning, but there are thought to be many more still waiting to return home. we can talk now to 18—year—old ned davis. he is in chachapoyas, peru, where he has been locked down since the peruvian government announced the state of emergency more than two weeks ago. net, how come you are in peru? i have been travelling for about a few months with my friends, and as soon asi months with my friends, and as soon as i got to peru, i split up with them. i was going to go up the

amazon into a boat trip, then started. i am 48 hours travel from lima where flights are coming from due to the curfew. my mates ended up in lima and either home on the last flight in lima and either home on the last flight home, which i believe is today. i am left here, and my only hope now is to try and get to lima and get on a flight to european city, may be paris or brussels, and get home from there. as soon as the quarantine started and flights for only £250 organised by british airways which is a very good price, at the start it would be £3000, but as soon as i heard that, my parents andi as soon as i heard that, my parents and i have been sending e—mails to foreign office and the embassy, but we have not get any reply, the only replies we have been getting has been from my mp been useful in

organising things but there is only so much they can do the biggest issueis so much they can do the biggest issue is to organise travel for me to get there. so you need a permit to get there. so you need a permit to get there. so you need a permit to get to lima? exactly that. the israeli embassy managed to organise a person my hostel to get there, he isa a person my hostel to get there, he is a dual citizen, he is a british citizen as well, and he managed to get to lima within about two days of getting... within two days of asking his embassy and got the first flight back to london. but the only reply i have got from the foreign office has been them saying we are not in a position to provide any travel. that was awhile ago and of sunday, on sunday, i got an e—mail and a call saying, we can actually get you a permit, then that was too late because the last flight would be on tuesday and i would have had to left on monday. but i got that permit. it

does not have my name or passport number on it. according to the local police that is vital to get any checkpoint. so at the moment, there isa checkpoint. so at the moment, there is a bus leaving with people in my hospital —— hostel tomorrow and there are europeans hoping to get flights to europe and my only hope is to go with them and wishing prey i could get through, but it's not looking too likely so i might be stuck here. and if i do get it lima there is on the issue of how will i get home? i just there is on the issue of how will i get home? ijust hope the embassy can help me get on a european flight because they will prioritise their people first so it might mean that i am stuck until all the european countries have got most of the people home, and then it isjust the leftovers who have been in the remote cities they need to get a group flight for, so i don't know how long i will be left here which is the big problem. it's clearly very bad luck that you were not in one of the major centres but at the same time you must feel like you

have been let down by the various authorities. you have to understand it to an extent. the british embassy have been the first to get any flights home, so in that sense it is brilliant but when you are only giving us... they announced they would only be for flights, giving us... they announced they would only be forflights, and giving us... they announced they would only be for flights, and as soon as that happened i try to get a permit and try to get to lima. they have got loads of calls coming in and things. but they ended up only giving... the maximum was full days notice of who would be on the flight. i notice of who would be on the flight. i have not even received an e—mail saying you can come on this flight e—mail saying you can come on this flight because they have seen i am here and have given up on me and thought there would be no way... they have not been able to even reply me so i have been kept in the dark for the most part. for my friends it's brilliant. they have got home, but for me i do not know what will happen and i'm stuck here

and my parents are worried sick. you are only 18. what are your parents in? they are not too happy. i have been trying to tell them, i will get home eventually, i will be fine, but it is just the uncertainty that no one knows how long this will last for, the quarantine has already been extended, it might be extended more. peru is not the same as england. they do not have the same health services. the hostel owner was saying there are only 50 doctors in peru that can actually care for coronavirus so if it gets really out of hand, my parents will not want me to be in peru and they will want me to be in peru and they will want me to be in peru and they will want me to be back home and back home is a lot worse currently than is here, so tensions and things back home are growing. they want their kids home. we are safe here. there is no

coronavirus here at the moment. stay safe, stay well, very good to talk to you and very good luck with getting back as soon as you can. thank you very much. some figures to bring you from nhs england. they say a further 367 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in england to 1651, a further 367 people, quite a rise in the previous day's figure. the patients were aged between 19 and 98 years old and all but 28 patients had underlying health conditions. and i think i can bring you some further statistics here. we are told that the uk total debt figure so far is 1108 deaths, and

thatis figure so far is 1108 deaths, and that is the total figure is 393 deaths today. we had been expected... been told to expect a rise in the number of deaths. we had been told to understand that does not mean the policy of social distancing is not working but inevitably because there is a time lag in terms of people contracting the virus, the figures are undoubtedly going to go up. as health systems struggle to cope, coronavirus is a worry for all of us, but some communities are more at risk than others. 0n the island of lesbos in greece, some 20,000 refugees and migrants are living in moira — a camp built for 3,000. and although there aren't any confirmed cases of the virus in the camp, the disease is present on its doorstep. the bbc‘s population correspondent, stephanie hegarty, was sent footage by a group of young film—makers living there who have been documenting people's fight

against a possible outbreak. wash your hands, keep surfaces clea n, wash your hands, keep surfaces clean, use hand sanitiser, stay to metres away from each other, but how do you stop coronavirus in a refugee camp? refugee and migrant camps are a ticking time bomb for a coronavirus outbreak, and very few of them also in lesbos and greece where 18,000 of them also in lesbos and greece where18,000 people are living in a facility that was built for 3000. we cannot travel to here. greece has a quarantine in place for visitors, and we do not want to risk bringing the virus there. but a group of young film—makers have sent us this footage. there is no water inside this water tap. this man is 18. he has been here forfive months.

this water tap. this man is 18. he has been here for five months. it's disgusting! people have a few hours to get access to water, and in that short time it's overcrowded. there are also toilets there. people have no good access to doctors because of overcrowding. while the rest of europe is being told to stay at home, people here have to crowd around a truck to get a limited supply of drinking water every day. they have to keep a food and like everywhere else in europe the shops on the island of lesbos are running out of soap and cleaning

products. that shortage will hit the campout. —— camp hard. products. that shortage will hit the campout. -- camp hard. this is the shower and as you can see it's really dirty. a small group of people living here are doing whatever they can to try to prepare for an outbreak. this man isa to prepare for an outbreak. this man is a pharmacist from afghanistan. the who says masks are not very effective but at least it is something. so, this is now a factory. these are our volunteers. hello, guys! there are no cases in the camp yet but medicine song from ta are preparing for the worst. do you worry that as governments are

dealing with this pandemic refugees and migrants might be left behind? yes, that is the big worry. if people are becoming sick, they should be in self isolation, but this is impossible here. it is the worst setup that you can have. and if the outbreak starts, it will be extremely difficult to contain. the greek government says they are sitting up isolation containers per msf or say they worry it is not enough. they are calling on the government to evacuate sick and elderly people to be replaced with better health facilities. meanwhile, people here do what they can to keep the virus out. the headlines on bbc news: in the last few minutes, figures show nearly 400 people have died in the uk due to coronavirus in the past day — bringing the total to over 1,800. nhs workers call for urgent action

to give them protective equipment in the fight against coronavirus. police are told to take a consistent approach when using new emergency powers on restricting movement after some forces are criticised for being too aggressive. in russia, a full lockdown has been imposed in many regions as the numbers of confirmed infections continues to rise. the government response has increased rapidly in a matter of days. as recently as last week, the kremlin claimed there was "de facto no epidemic" in russia. from moscow, steve rosenberg reports. moscow — they call it the city that never sleeps, but its quiet now. another capital where time has stopped. coronavirus has put moscow into lockdown. people ordered to stay home. but some are out.

they seem confused and sceptical. "i don't get it", albina says. "the authorities say the number of sick people here is low, but they tell us all to self—isolate. we just want the truth". valieri says, "i don't believe them, ijust don't. all the authorities do is wag their tongues". lockdown in another part of russia — chechnya. the message is clearer here — keep off the streets. but in moscow, officials hope the public will accept that quarantine is vital to fight the virus. to defeat a pandemic, a government needs the trust of the people. it needs the public to believe the official information it is putting out. the problem here is that, over the years, many russians have grown sceptical about what they are being told by those in power.

this kind of thing doesn't help. police outside moscow announced a curfew this week when there wasn't one. misinformation, to add to all the disinformation about covid—19 flooding russian tv screens. among the conspiracy theories is that coronavirus is a us biological weapon. biologist igor nikulin has made a string of claims in the russian media which we've checked and found to be false, including that america patented the virus before the outbreak.

but conspiracy theories cannot change the reality that a deadly virus is spreading here and that russia is shutting down. the world's largest country now in quarantine. 0ur colleagues are reporting on the opening of the nightingale hospital in east london. that was due to open tomorrow but we are now told it will not open tomorrow, no reasons given, and people continue to work on the facility, so all eyes will be on that facility pondering when it will be up and running. we had been told it would be tomorrow. we know it has the capacity to hold 4000

coronavirus patients. it was due to start with around 500, so those hopes it would be up and running tomorrow clearly misplaced, we will bring you more when we have more. but the time being we can speak to our health correspondent. a few minutes ago, we got the new uk figures and the new england figures for cases and deaths, runs through those. in england, the latest figures are the number of people who have died in the last 24 hours, 367 in england but uk wide a total of 393 more deaths across the uk in the last 24 hours which now takes the total number to 1801 people who have tested positive for coronavirus and died in hospital. this is the largest increase we have seen but over the last few days there was an increase, although the number of deaths was still rising, but not as rapid as they might have done. there

we re rapid as they might have done. there were 260 deaths on sunday, 209 on sunday, hundred and 80 yesterday. this time last weekend, there was also a slight dip in the recorded number of deaths so this increase of over 390 today is not unexpected although still concerning and will be very concerning to some. it's not rising as rapidly as some had feared but that total number of uk deaths now stands at 1801. this is what we have got to get our heads round, the numbers will go up because there is a time lag between contracting the virus then showing the symptoms, and we have been told that people must not despair that the social distancing measures are not working because they probably are. distancing measures are not working because they probably arem distancing measures are not working because they probably are. it is still too soon to say about the social distancing measures. we are the second week into the most stringent social distancing measures announced last week, staying home,

only going out and absolutely essential, and the people who have passed away in the last few days in a critically ill are likely to be those who contracted covid—19 before those who contracted covid—19 before those most stringent social distancing measures were introduced. yesterday the chief science officer said although hospital admissions are continuing to rise, they are rising at the same rate every day, not at an increasing rate although they are increasing, so we are expected to see that and it will be a couple of weeks before those measures introduced last week in the week before will likely have an impact on those hospital admissions and the number of people losing their lives. and just on the issue that continues to really concern medics about the lack of personal protective equipment, what are you hearing? does stop still continue to be an issue? this varies across the country. i spoke to some medical stu d e nts country. i spoke to some medical students working at thejohn radcliffe hospital yesterday and

they said they have not had an issue with ppe, but then you speak to other doctors and you hear on the head of the british medical association who said there is a real issue and some medical staff resorted to buying their own on the internet and going to shops, so although it's getting —— although moore is getting out, it still needs to get through and faster, much like the testing we keep hearing about. we should get an update on the testing figures later on in the afternoon. we will hear from you again, many thanks. more quite weather to come through the rest of this week. however for a while northern parts of the uk could turn colder. we have cut off the supply of showers for the eastern side of england today. it has been much drier. the position of high pressure changed a bit and around it we are drawing in the winds and showers for scotland and northern ireland. this will continue this

evening and overnight. if you getting pushed down to england and wales but the cloud we see build—up across southern parts of england and wales will melt away, clear skies for much of the night, and we are likely to have a frost hit as well. further north with more cloud and showers those temperatures will be 4-5d. showers those temperatures will be 4—5d. early sunshine across southern parts of england but it will not last. it will turn into a cloudy day. showers as well, mainly coming in of the irish sea, wet weather moving across scotland, and that eventually pushes down to northern ireland, then we get sunshine later in northern scotland. but the air gets colder here. elsewhere, temperatures 9—10d and the most part the winds will be quite light, but they will start to pick up later on in the cold air across northern scotla nd in the cold air across northern scotland with much windier weather on the way overnight and into thursday. that weather front brings that patchy rain into scotland and northern ireland, that will move southwards on thursday, the winds will pick up, the colder air comes

down in especially across the northern half of the uk and showers will turn wintry as well. we have got a bit of light rain and drizzle to move away from scotland and northern ireland early in the morning. that will push down into northern england and wales, mainly over the hills. some sunshine ahead of it perhaps but showers as well which will turn wintry in scotland with snow over the hills and the winds will be stronger for all of us, perhaps touching gailforcing northern parts of scotland where temperatures will struggle to six celsius. former with those stronger winds the eastern parts of england. the winds will die down on friday. we have this area of high pressure moving in. it keeps wintry showers across scotland. chilly air on friday the many but as the high pressure m oves friday the many but as the high pressure moves away over the weekend we introduce more of a southerly wind and that means temperatures will be on the rise.

this is bbc news. the headlines... nearly four hundred people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in the uk over the past 24 hours — 367 of them in england. nhs workers call for urgent action to give them protective equipment, in the fight against coronavirus. i don't have any visors, i don't have any facial goggles, i should have a full sleeved gown if i'm following the guidance by the world health organization, and i think it's frightening that i am putting myself at risk. police are told to take a "consistent" approach when using new emergency powers on restricting movement, after some forces are criticised for being too aggressive. the number of daths in spain increases by 849, the highest daily number since the epidemic started. the total there now is over 8,000.

millions of plants, shrubs and trees could be thrown away — after the coronavirus outbreak forces the closure of 2,000 garden centres and nurseries. and the perils of haircuts at home — how families are having to do it for themselves. nearly 400 people who contracted coronavirus have died in the uk in the last 24 hours. it's the biggest increase so far. 367 deaths were in england, 13 in scotland. 7 people died in wales and 6 in northern ireland. across the uk, the total number of people who've died isjust over 1,800.

nhs england says patients were aged between 19 and 98 years old and all but 28 had underlying health conditions. 0ur health correspondent lauren moss is here. just put these figures into some sort of context for us. we have been told to expect an increase in the figures, and although this will be concerning to those who see it and not in the least for the families of those who have lost their lives after testing positive for a coronavirus, but looking at the numbers there that you just mentioned, 1800, 18,001 —— 1801, thatis mentioned, 1800, 18,001 —— 1801, that is an increase from yesterday. if we look at the weekend figures, there is a slight reduction in the increase rate. 260 people died on saturday, 209 on sunday and 180

recorded for the sunday into monday figures, so we are told that it is likely there would be an increase today. the numbers are not increasing at the quickest rate that they may have done. the most rapid rate that they may have done, which would have been very alarming, but not to understate how concerning this is with 393 deaths in the uk in the last 24 hours, and like you said, 367 deaths between 19 and 98 yea rs said, 367 deaths between 19 and 98 years old, and all but 28 of those had underlying health conditions, and these were all patients being treated in hospital as well. we have to remember that the strict social distancing measures only came into place just over a week ago. exactly, the most stringent ones. the schools closure was on the monday last week, bars and closure was on the monday last week, bars a nd restau ra nts closure was on the monday last week, bars and restaurants close in, people told to stay home and only leave for essential journeys. people told to stay home and only leave for essentialjourneys. the effects of those social distancing measures have yet to be really told,

to be honest with you. the people who are losing their lives now have passed away in hospital. they would likely have been infected with covid—19 before there was a strictest social distancing measures we re strictest social distancing measures were brought in. yesterday, the chief science officer said that although hospital admissions are continuing, nhs director said 900 are treated in hospital at the moment, and although it is increasing, it is increasing at the rate the model is expecting them to which suggests the social distancing is likely to have an impact. how much of an impact it will make will be told in the next couple of weeks. meanwhile, some news about the big nightingale hospital that was due to open this week, tomorrow, in fact, in east london. yes, work has been under way for the last couple of weeks, turning the centre into a field hospital that can accommodate 4000 patients, the first 500 beds we re 4000 patients, the first 500 beds were supposed to be ready for this week by tomorrow. we are just hearing in the last ten minutes or so that that is not going to happen.

it will not be ready for tomorrow. we are waiting on detail as to why thatis, we are waiting on detail as to why that is, no further clarification, but nightingale will not be opening tomorrow as we understand it. we know from announcement last week that work is under way to convert a whole other area into field hospitals up and down the country, including in birmingham and manchester. nhs nightingale not opening tomorrow, remains to be seen if it will be pushed back a couple of days. you will bring us more when you have it. for the time being, thank you very much. meanwhile, medics are continuing to say they're not being given adequate masks, gowns or gloves for personal protection. and — with as many as 1 in 4 doctors off work — there's also frustration that nhs staff aren't being tested in sufficient numbers to find out if they have the virus. here's our science correspondent pallab ghosh. from conference centre to what's 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 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 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 care staff, following reports of shortages, but many doctors are reporting that they are still not getting through. i don't have any visors, 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. 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 0f 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 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 or 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 the field hospitals are also being put together in birmingham and manchester, and more protective equipment and tests are being promised. we are all aware of the stresses and strains, and we are doing absolutely everything, and the people supplying this network are doing absolutely everything to ensure the gaps are filled asap. as london's nightingale hospital gets set, the hope is that the social distancing measures will have brought enough time to ensure front line staff have all they need to save lives. let's talk to our chief political correspondent vicki young. downing street a little earlier issued an expectation of how many tests it was going to be able to roll out, and it is rather longer than some people were imagining. this is the aim of 25,000 tests a

day, and just to be clear this was the test as to whether you have the virus now and not the other test, which they hope to have at some point, which can tell whether people have previously suffered from the virus. so 25,000 a day, the prime minister, borisjohnson, virus. so 25,000 a day, the prime minister, boris johnson, back virus. so 25,000 a day, the prime minister, borisjohnson, back on the 18th of march said to the commons and mps that that was the aim. we are now being told that the aim is by mid to late april, and this is in line with what public health england said last week. they were looking at the middle of april, they said, so 25,000 a day, maybe not until the end of april. the prime minister official spokesman saying to reporters today that the government is well on the way to achieving that. the other issue we are hearing about is testing nhs staff. many of them are desperate to know whether, when they are isolating at home with family members that have a cough, whether they do have it or not, because if they do not, they could

go back to work, and they are very much needed at the moment. the message from downing street is that nhs trusts have been told to use any spare capacity for the testing of nhs staff, but as we have been hearing, many staff are saying that simply is not available, and this is of course before you get to the whole issue of community testing was up whole issue of community testing was up at the moment, many of these tests are taking place in the hospital and not in the wider community, which is why even though there are new figures out today about the number of people dying who doctors think might have coronavirus, they do not know for sure because in the wider community, they are not being tested. 0n sure because in the wider community, they are not being tested. on this issue of why the testing seems to be taking longer than other countries, today at that daily briefing from the prime minister was my official spokesman, the issue of chemical agents required for the tests was raised, and the issues relating to that, and the spokesman said that as pa rt that, and the spokesman said that as part of the process, the chief medical officer has said there is a global demand for the product but they are working as hard as they can

with the industry to get what they need, so the suggestion is that there might be an problem getting hold of the chemicals acquired. -- required was that there is also some clarification as to how often we should be going out shopping. you will remember that there is guidance from thejohnson will remember that there is guidance from the johnson and will remember that there is guidance from thejohnson and other cabinet ministers talking about what we should be doing, and there is the law that the coronavirus bill being brought in which is being implemented by the police as well, and what that says about it. the guidelines and the law says that he should only be leaving your home in order to go to work. if you are a key worker, for example, or to get essential requirements such as food, medicine or to exercise. today, grant shapps then transport secretary talked about only going shopping for the essentials and food once a week, and that is not in the law. he is suggesting that what people should be doing is going as infrequently as possible, and that is the message from the government today. if you are trying to cut down

on your contact with other people and also going into shops where there is more of a chance that you might be able to spread it or catch it, they are suggesting the common sense thing to do is not to go out as much as possible, but it is not the law. it is merely advice to people, so i think in some of these areas, we are not going to be told exactly what we have to do. it is about using common sense and cutting down on the risks that we all face. thank you for that. two therapists have launched a mental health support website to help front line workers cope with battling the coronavirus outbreak. cognitive behavioural hypnotherapists slee parrish and alex james designed nhs in mind after becoming concerned by the impact of the outbreak on the mental health of nhs staff. let's speak now to cognitive behavioural therapist alex james, who set up the website nhs in mind. iam sure

i am sure that lots of nhs workers will be welcoming this. what were people saying to you that triggered the setting up of this website? having conversations about the stresses and strains that the staff we re stresses and strains that the staff were going to be under, so we decided to get together eight core protocols that we felt would really help lower anxiety, help the fatigue, help them get to sleep at night as well, so it was mainly trying to pinpoint the areas we felt staff would be having trouble, and just choose the best protocols we could find and put them on the website and hopefully they will be helping people out. and what sort of thing today include? breathing exercises, three or four minute breathing exercises, some mindfulness meditation is for about ten minutes, progressive muscle relaxation as a tried and tested protocol, about 20 minutes, grounding exercises, which help people disengage from any negative

thoughts or emotions. they all sound helpful. one wonders, you often see nhs staff coming out from long shifts, looking exhausted, and they would have to put aside more time to do some of these techniques. some of these are 45 second long, and i understand they will be shattered at the end of the day, so anything they can do to implement in their day to give them a moment to have some time for themselves, that is what these things are really four, to just have some time to reduce anxiety, just so they can refresh themselves as best as they can. and how worried are you that anxiety is going to increase in nhs workers? anxiety has a habit of creeping up, so it is important to try and be at the forefront of that and take care of your mental health at the same time as being at work and having that at the forefront. people, anxiety can build up in the background and before you know it,

become too much, so it is really important to be head on with your mental health. is anxiety a particular problem for people who live alone? i would imagine so. loneliness, anxiety, negative thought processes. all those things kind of blend together to build anxiety and stress. and how much interest have you had in the website? it is great, we have had 10,000 users now, and my phone is continually pinging. we have had people from bermuda and all over the uk, people getting in touch, thanking us. anything we can do to help the workforce, we are happy. that is great. that must be very satisfying. great to talk to you. thank you very much. in scotland, the first minister nicola sturgeon has announced that a further 13 people have died because of the coronavirus — taking the total there to 60. during her daily news conference she also outlined plans for an emergency bill

which is expected to be passed tomorrow. amongst other things, that legislation provides for the continuing functioning of the justice system during this emergency period. it also relaxes restrictions for businesses and government in relation to some statutory processes . and, as i have covered at this briefing previously, it provides greater protection for tenants, particularly protection against the possibility of being evicted during this crisis period. it 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. the headlines on bbc news... 393 people in the uk with coronavirus have died

in the past twenty—four hours — the biggest daily total so far. nhs workers call for urgent action to give them protective equipment, in the fight against coronavirus. police are told to take a "consistent" approach when using new emergency powers on restricting movement, after some forces are criticised for being too aggressive. spain has recorded its worst daily figure yet for the number of fatalities from coronavirus. 849 people have died in the last 24 hours. it's the latest in a series of very high totals, as hospitals struggle to deal with the pandemic. more than 5500 patients are in need of intensive care in spain. 0ur correspondent guy hedgecoe sent this update from madrid. these latest figures are clearly quite disheartening for some nearly 850 more people have died from the virus over the last 24—hours. that is a noticeable jump up from yesterday's figure, which wasjust over 800,

and as you say, it is the highest daily death toll we have seen yet during this crisis. these new figures come just at the time when it appears that spain might have been turning a corner with this crisis. recent figures had suggested that the daily death toll was starting to stabilise, and also that the number of new daily infections was coming under control. the latest figures however show that there were around 9000 more infections over the last 24 hours. that is all clearly quite worrying, but throughout this crisis, the government has insisted that you shouldn't read too much into one day's figures. there are factors that could distort the figures up or down, so i think we won't know for a while yet whether this is a new upward curve or whether it is simply a glitch. the governor of new york state has made an impassioned plea for help, calling on medical staff across the us to come to new york to help fight the virus there. president trump has said the next 30 days could be crucial.

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 in 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. british airways is suspending all flights to and from london gatwick. the airline said it would be contacting its customers to discuss their options. the company is still operating flights to and from heathrow but on a severely reduced schedule. yesterday, easyjet grounded all its flights because of the pandemic. let's speak now to victoria bacon from the association of british travel agents. good to have it on the programme. how our travel agents coping? good to have it on the programme. how our travel agents coping ?m good to have it on the programme. how our travel agents coping? it has had a completely devastating effect,

not only have all of the bookings and sales basically stopped, effectively stopped, but many are facing the situation of having to pay immediate refunds to the customers for holidays that have been cancelled, so clearly the situation at the moment is having a very damaging and dire effect on travel agents and tour operators. and our travel agent is able to pay those refunds? the problem is that we have a situation where most of those businesses are waiting themselves for refunds from their suppliers, so from hotels, airlines, from the people they pass their cash onto, and they haven't themselves receive that money back, so they are really struggling to pass on those refunds themselves to customers. what many of them are doing is offering refunds, credit notes, and certainly the advice that we have given is that customers should think of either booking another company or

switching their holidays or taking one of those refund credit notes. it is very important if you take a refu nd is very important if you take a refund credit notes that you get one for your original holiday booking, not for the separate elements of it, because if you do that, then that refu nd because if you do that, then that refund or credit note will have a financial protection in place that the original booking had. the other thing i would say is that we have been working and trying to seek help and support and action from the government here to take a look at the regulations. the government in this country so far has done nothing, frankly, to support the sector. in other countries, we have seen movements by their governments, so in france for example, they have changed the regulations to give them longer leave time on vouchers, in denmark, they have special funds. various other countries around europe, germany, netherlands have all come out to take action to make sure we don't have a situation which we are seeing right now, which is effectively you have customers who quite understandably are wanting refunds but companies who simply aren't able to pay it without any

kind of government intervention whatsoever, so we really do need to see urgent government intervention on this issue. what are you advising customers to do about summer holidays for example? the advice at the moment is if you have a booking for the summer, sit tight. the current foreign office advice is in place until mid april. i am sure we are all anticipating that in the current situation it will probably be extended, but we do not know for how long. if you have a booking, my advice is to stick with that booking for the moment and wait and see. nobody‘s interest, or in your interest as a consumer to cancel out. if it comes closer to the time and there is still travel restrictions in place as there are today, then you will be entitled to a refund for your holiday. so the advice is to sit tight at the moment, even though it may make people anxious. i can understand people's anxiety. it is clearly, the

whole situation does make one feel anxious, and i think it is by no means. . . anxious, and i think it is by no means... you look at who's to blame, the natural thing to do if you are a customer. but actually, everybody is struggling. the whole travel industry is struggling, along with customers, so i would ask for some patience and forbearance from everybody in that situation, but also very importantly to make sure that if you do have a booking, the best way to ensure that booking is still financially protected is, as i say, if you have an immediate booking to go away, get a refund credit note from your travel provider, and that will ensure you have those protections in place. the other thing i would say if you have got bookings even further ahead than that, we have seen some questions around that and it is important that you do sit tight around those forward bookings as well. just one last thing, you talked about other countries are helping the travel

sector. are you in talks with the government about this? 0therwise, travel agents are going to be potentially going out of business. we have been in talks for several weeks but we have not seen action, and it is notjust travel businesses but if travel businesses are forced to the brink of bankruptcy, then what will happen is consumers will lose out because effectively the systems of finest natural protection in place are not used any scenario like this. financial protection will kick in, but it will take many months for people to see refunds, so it is not in anybody‘s interest, not in the customer, travel business's interest to see the current situation carrying on where we see no government intervention and support. very good to talk to you. 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. i would want to be there with my tea m i would want to be there with my team and the front line staff, being able to provide and offer as much as ican in able to provide and offer as much as i can in this war against the coronavirus. 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 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. i have four children — two that are really young. we are really worried. as cases rise in pakistan, so does the concern amongst britons

who feel trapped here. i have left three children behind. two children are asthmatic. i should have been home. that's the bottom line. i should have been home. secunder kermani, bbc news, islamabad. 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. this our home affairs correspondent danny shaw explains how big explains how big of a problems this has been. i think it is an issue. it is a really difficult time for the police. these are unprecedented times, and this is guidance and powers they haven't had before. they have only had the powers since thursday, so there have been some teething problems. some forces have interpreted the rules in different ways from other forces. the message has come through from the national police chief's counsel for forces to be consistent, to have coordinated approaches, to adopt

a single style and tone, but there are some forces, for example derbyshire police, who sent up drones to film people rambling in the peak district, and they have justified that today by saying that, in isolation, that might have looked like an aggressive act, but when you look at the context and the fact that villages in the area were being overrun by visitors, villages that contain many elderly people who couldn't get to the shops because all the stores had basically been emptied, then they felt they were justified in sending the drones up to film people and getting the message across. the force's chief constable said today, if we get a bit of ridicule for that, then we are prepared to accept that because the message has got a cross, and last weekend the peaks were empty of people, so there that are taking a different approach, but broadly there an effort going on to ensure that there is one message that gets out there, above all, and that is for people to stay at home.

the police don't want to have to use their enforcement powers, and they want to be able to encourage and engage people to stick to the rules. a little bit of clarification to bring you about the nightingale hospital in east london. earlier, we inaccurately suggested that the nhs nightingale has been delayed, and we would like to make it clear that this was not correct. the new hospital will open this week and will begin treating patients and planned, and we apologise for any confusion. hello again. we have seen fewer showers today across the eastern side of england. instead, the breeze is bringing most of the showers into scotland and northern ireland. they will continue this evening and overnight, with cloud moving southwards, we will pick up a few showers into england and wales. clearer skies for much of the night through england and wales,

meaning temperatures will be lower for a slight frost, and elsewhere with more cloud and perhaps the odd light shower. temperatures of 4—5d. some early sunshine for southern england, but it will cloud over. we may well see some showers coming down as well. most of those showers coming in off the irish sea. some wetter weather heading south across scotland. for a while, some sunshine across eastern scotland and then later on we should get sunshine in northern scotland as the air gets colder and the breeze begins to pick up, otherwise temperatures like today — around 9—10d. the weather front bringing that patchy rain in scotland and northern ireland. by the end of the day, heading southwards into england and wales. the wind is starting to pick up on thursday, and colder air arrives, and those showers in scotland start to turn wintry.

hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: nearly 400 more people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in the uk, 367 of them in england. nhs workers call for urgent action to give them protective equipment in the fight against coronavirus. 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. police are told to take a consistent approach when using new emergency powers on restricting movement after some forces are criticised

for being too aggressive. the number of deaths in spain increases by 849 — the highest daily number since the epidemic started. the total there now is over 8,000. 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 the southern state of tamil nadu, 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. 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 front line 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. our efforts are not rewarded 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. the head of uk anti doping has issued a warning to athletes, as the organisation reduces drug testing due to the coronavirus. nicole sapstead says anyone who thinks they may be able to get

away with doping, is mistaken. if we have reason to believe that somebody is cheating, and depending on how they think they are cheating, they should not be naive enough to think that they can get away with it during this period of time and that there might not be any traces, either in their system or indeed of the history of ordering things online or otherwise, that we could not utilise to detect them and catch them. premier league and english football league clubs are set to discuss a collective wage deferral agreement at a meeting with the pfa tomorrow. tottenham have become the latest club to announce that their 550 non—playing staff will take a 20% pay cut during the coronavirus pandemic, with chairman daniel levy saying he hopes players will do the same. yesterday, newcastle became the first premier league club to put non—playing staff on leave. england captainjoe root says

he expects talks to be held with the england and wales cricket board, over possible pay cuts for international players, to help safeguard the game's future during the coronavirus outbreak. england's scheduled tour of sri lanka has been postponed while there'll be no domestic cricket until at least the end of may. the former england captain michael vaughan believes this could have a knock on effect for the launch of the new limited overs competition. at this stage, it does not look great for the hundred, a new tournament that has been promoted on the fact of having the best players in the world. the grounds need to be full. if you play a new tournament without overseas potentially and behind closed doors, i don't quite see the point in launching it to that. i would wait a year if that would be the case. following on from yesterday's announcement that the tokyo 0lympics and paralympics will now take place next summer, ioc president thomas bach says they face an unprecedented task in rearranging the events. the games had originally

been scheduled to take place injuly and august this year, but will now take place on the corresponding dates next year following their postponement due to the coronavirus outbreak across the globe. we are all humankind. we are in a very dark tunnel at this moment in time. we do not know how long this tunnel will be. but we are confident that, with these 0lympic tunnel will be. but we are confident that, with these olympic games and these due dates, then we can be —— that can be light at the end of this dark tunnel, and we can therefore give hope to the athletes of the world but also to the wider public. that's all the sport for now.

this is bbc news. in about an hour, we'll bring you today's downing street news conference on coronavirus. first, the latest headlines. uk deaths for coronavirus more than double as the latest daily figures show nearly 400 fatalities. nhs workers call for urgent action to give them protective equipment, in the fight against coronavirus. i don't have any visors, i don't have a face shield or goggles. i should have a full gown if i'm following the guidance by the world health organization. and i think it is frightening that i am putting myself at risk. police are told to take a "consistent" approach when using new emergency powers on restricting movement,