this is bbc news, the headlines: as one of the largest hospitals in the world opens in london to treat 4,000 coronavirus patients people in the uk are being urged to stay at home this weekend to try to stop the spread of covid—19. britain's health secretary said the advice was not a request but an instruction. this advice is not a request, it is an instruction. stay—at—home, protect lives and then you will be doing your part. president trump has announced new recommendations for americans to wear masks when they go outside to slow the spread of the virus. us health officials have advised people to cover their faces but to keep medical—grade masks free for health workers. although mr trump stressed the suggestion wasn't compulsory. so if the masks, it's going to be really a voluntary thing. you can do

it, you don't have to do it. i'm choosing not to do it but some people want to do it and it is ok. the head of the imf has said the coronavirus pandemic had created an economic crisis like no other. kristalina georgieva said that never in the history of the imf had the world economy come to a standstill. battling the virus in asia's biggest slum where social distancing socially impossible. and police in paris set up spotchecks to stop people taking it with them on easter break. hello and welcome to bbc news. the world health organization says the pandemic is developing into more than a health crisis and has called for all lockdown restrictions to be kept in place to attack the spread of the virus. here — the uk's health secretary has urged people to stay at home over fears that sunny weather could tempt people to go outside. london's largest hospital facility — built in nine days —

is to take patients needing intensive care in the next week. new york has suffered its worst day yet with 500 victims — bringing its total to nearly 3,000 deaths. in europe — spain has overtaken italy with the most cases. the total number of confirmed fatalities has now reached almost 11,000. the head of the international monetary fund says the crisis is humanity's darkest hour, — adding — we've witnessed the world economy coming to a standstill. in the us — president trump says officials would call on people to wear face coverings. we'll have much more on all of that in a moment — but first here's hugh pym with the latest from the uk. aimee o'rourke, one of two nurses who've lost their lives to covid—i9. tributes were paid today to their bravery, including at the downing street press conference, and there was this warning to the public from the health secretary. we cannot relax our

discipline now. if we do — people will die. so, i end with the advice that we all know. this advice is not a request, it is an instruction. stay at home, protect lives, and then you will be doing your part. it was the same message from borisjohnson, still in self—isolation. in my own case, although i'm feeling better and i've done my seven days of isolation, alas i still have one of the symptoms, a minor symptom, i still have a temperature. everybody may be getting a bit stir crazy and there may be just a temptation to get out there, hang out and start to break the regulations and ijust urge you not to do that. earlier, there was an unusual official opening of the newest nhs hospital. the key players keeping their distance at fixed points, the moment marked by a royal video contribution.

perhaps i could invite nightingale's head of nursing, natalie grey, on my behalf, to unveil the plaque to declare nhs nightingale hospital open. applause. in less than two weeks, huge empty exhibition halls have been transformed into specialist hospital wards for covid—i9 patients. the hospital is ready for new patients. it had been thought the first group would've arrived by today but london's hospitals have built up enough extra capacity to cope with the caseload at this stage. so, the nightingale won't be needed until next week. good, i'm glad you got the protective clothing... getting things done is the message the government wants to convey, but matt hancock, meeting staff in training at the nightingale, has faced claims he hasn't done enough on testing for the virus. having set a target of 25,000 tests a day, which slipped to later this month, he's now come up with a hugely increased figure of 100,000 by the end of april,

including many more done by academic and industrial laboratories. where are the tests going to come from, who's going to do them? itjust hasn't really been explained, you haven't given any detail. well, we have. i set out a five—point plan yesterday. the first stage is the expansion of the testing capacity within the nhs and with public health england, who are doing an amazing job. and then, also, the next stage is to bring in the private sector companies, the existing testing companies. testing nhs staff helps get more of them back to work quickly. the scottish government is increasing facilities like this. this expansion of testing capacity means, amongst other things, that we will be able to test more key workers with every day that passes. however, in addition to increasing capacity within nhs scotland, we are also working with the uk government and other partners to further increase testing capacity beyond that.

the nhs needs all the protective clothing and ventilators it can get and 350,000 items arrived from shanghai today. virgin atlantic working with guy's and st thomas hospital trust. there was a virtual graduation ceremony for doctors at the university of bristol today. it happened early so they could move straight to the nhs front line, where they'll certainly be needed in the months ahead. hugh pym, bbc news. president trump has announced new recommendations for americans to wear masks when they go outside to slow the spread of the virus — but he added that he wouldn't be following the advice. from recent studies, we know that the transmission from individuals without symptoms does play a more significant role in the spread of the virus than previously understood. so you don't seem to have symptoms but it

still gets transferred. in light of these studies, the cdc is advising the use of non—medical cloth face coverings as an additional voluntary public health measure. so, it is voluntary, you don't have to do it. now they're suggesting it for a period of time. but this is voluntary. live now to our north america correspondent, david willis. his giving the recommendations and advice but won't be following it himself? that's right, simon. president trump, of course, has long downplayed at the severity of the coronavirus. he revealed once again that he doesn't always ta ke again that he doesn't always take the recommendations of his medical advisors all that seriously. 0r certainly as seriously. 0r certainly as seriously as they and some others would like to see. announcing these recommendations by the centres for disease control, that is the us medical watchdog here. the president said that while it was recommended to wear a

mask if you are out in public, ata mask if you are out in public, at a grocery store, or the pharmacy for example. it was voluntarily and hit it would not be doing it. the cdc has urged this caution on people here because it has become more and more aware of the fact that many people are carrying the coronavirus and don't actually display symptoms of it. and therefore it is possible to catch the virus from anybody you come across even if they are ata you come across even if they are at a distance of six feet away from you. but president trump, perhaps adopting a policy of do what i say, not do asi policy of do what i say, not do as i do. yes, the virus seems to be spreading all across america but where has been the ha rd est america but where has been the hardest base hit? it's interesting because they were saying at the bracing today, simon, that cases appear to have flattened out. here in california for example and up there in washington state where there in washington state where there had been quite an alarming outbreak of coronavirus cases. not so in new york where there are reports that some morgues are

full, some hospitals are overwhelmed is already. and already, the maia there has called for additional medical supplies, additional doctors and medical personnel ahead of the anticipated surge in cases which they are anticipated in the next few weeks. david willis, thank you very much indeed. that was david willis live for us from los angeles. talking about america and how donald trump is treating the coronavirus. the head of the international monetary fund has warned the impact of the pandemic is way worse than the global financial crisis. kristalina georgieva said the world was in recession, and the only way of resolving the situation was for countries to work together. freya cole reports. demand for dairy in supermarkets may be high but farmers in the united states have been left with no option but to throw out fresh milk due to mass interruptions in the supply chain. there are not enough people to package and transport the goods. it isjust one example of the huge

economic fallout caused by this pandemic. this is a crisis like no other. never in the history of the imf have we witnessed the world economy coming to a standstill. we are now in a recession that it is way worse than the global financial crisis. sorry, we're closed. this business in the heart of london is one of many which has been forced to lock the doors until further notice. covent garden is almost unrecognisable. no shops are open and no—one is there spending money. that's because roughly 4 billion people around the world are now under some kind of stay—at—home order. according to the international monetary fund, more than 90 countries have applied for financial assistance. the organisation has

the capacity to lend $1 trillion which it hopes will be funnelled back into healthcare systems to put an end to this crisis as soon as possible. saving lives and protecting livelihoods ought to go hand in hand. we cannot do one without the other. with no real end in sight to lockdown measures in many parts of the world, there are fears the economic downturn will be so deep that it will take a long time to recover. but first, the world's population must recover physically and mentally from this virus, which is upturning almost every aspect of life. freya cole, bbc news. police in mumbai have closed part of the district made famous by the 0scar—winning film, slumdog millionaire, after two people living there died from coronavirus. there have been more than 2,500 confirmed cases across india and dozens of deaths, but there is now particular concern about the spread of the infection in densely populated cities. from mumbai,

yogita limaye reports. the virus has reached here, asia's biggest slum, and the most densely populated area on earth — dharavi. nearly a million people live in less than a square mile. social distancing is next to impossible. translation: people are extremely scared here. if italy's healthcare system, which is ranked second in the world, couldn't cope, india is far behind them. here in dharavi, as well as in other slums of the city, people have tested positive for coronavirus. once that happens, they usually try to seal the area, and then go door—to—door to check who else might be infected. but you can imagine that challenge the government faces trying to trace the spread of the infection in cramped spaces like these.

the number of cases are doubling every three days, now. the healthcare system is already struggling. a doctor treating covid patients at a hospital that caters to at least 3 million people described the condition there. fearful of speaking out, she didn't want her face to be shown. india's spending on health care is among the lowest in the world. a doctor here treats four times as many patients as one

in the uk. and india has less than 11 ventilators per million people to treat covid patients. if the virus is a threat, so is the stigma of contracting it. in the city of indore, healthcare workers were attacked for trying to screen a woman. this stadium is being converted into an isolation centre, as are train coaches, today lying empty. the railways were shut down nearly two weeks ago, as was the rest of india. it took months for coronavirus to affect a million people around the world. if not contained in a country the size of india, that number could multiply very quickly. yogita limaye, bbc news, mumbai. you are watching bbc news, these are the headlines this hour: as one of the world's biggest hospitals opens in london to treat 4,000 coronavirus patients, there's a stern

warning for the british public to stay indoors this weekend. with nearly a 250,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in the us, america's health watchdog says people should wear face masks when they go out. in france, the number of dead continues to rise, with nearly 600 deaths recorded in just 2a hours. police are strictly enforcing the government's tough quarantine measures over the easter holidays. railway stations, airports and major roads will be monitored, to prevent people leaving the city. lucy williamson reports from the french capital. it's not only nations that thrive on liberty, epidemics too. at stations across paris today, every journey began with a police check. freedom of movement, a new national threat. do you have your piece of paper? of course. laughs he made it through, he's on his way home to brittany after two

years abroad. but even the smallest mistake means being turned away. i wrote the wrong day. not today's date and they told me i need to go back home to prepare another form. i have to go to work but i can't. france carried out almost 6 million checks during the first fortnight of confinement, far more than neighbouring italy and it's issued more than 400,000 fines. but questions over when the confinement can end are growing. france's tough approach to the confinement runs the risk of losing public support if it becomes too harsh or too long. the interior minister has advised sensitivity in applying the rules and says the police operate differently in the countryside compared to the big cities, in the poorest suburbs compared to the towns. but the paris police chief was forced to apologise today after taking a different tone. translation: the ones that were hospitalised today, the ones on life support now,

are the ones that didn't respect quarantine when it began. this is not a videogame, it is real. there are dead people. with few life—support beds left in the paris region, patients are being sent across the country for care. this is now the worst hit region of france but is there light at the end of the tunnel? if you'd asked me this question two days ago, i should say, no. but there is a reduction in patients coming into the emergency ward and a reduction of severe patients who have covid—19. he says there were no new admissions to intensive care in his hospital to date, a first since the epidemic began. the first glimpse of hope here after weeks of fear and frustration, the first sign that confinement might have worked. lucy williamson, bbc news paris. some of the passengers

from the zaandam and rotterdam cruise ships are finally heading home, after being stuck on board for weeks with nowhere to disembark. four people have died, as several others tested positive for covid—19 and more than 200 showed flu—like symptoms. reged ahmad reports. it's the culmination of a difficult and harrowing few weeks for the passengers of the sender and rotterdam. some holiday makers are finally going home with the passengers being taken onto chartered flight, being taken onto chartered flight, heading back to their home countries. the holland america line cruise ships finally docked in florida on thursday. it wasn't the holiday passengers were expecting, some of the critically ill were taken to hospital. others with mild symptoms will need to stay on board in quarantine. the ships have been at the heart of several political storms. after

being denied entry at other ports, the zen dam was initially refused passage through the panama canal stopping the rotterdam was then brought into separate out healthy passengers, but people later became ill on that ship to. after making it through the panama canal and finally making it to florida, another political battle brewed as the governor refused to allow the ships to dock. he later relented after being urged to do so by resident from. the more than 1000 crew will not be allowed of the ships, and it is not clear what will happen to them. it's a scenario being repeated elsewhere, including on the ruby princess and australia. authorities there are providing some medical support, but denying entry to the remaining crew, despite covid—19 cases on board, saying they are protect the health

system. it's my understanding that over the next couple of days, two more ships will refuel and will leave our waters back to their airport of origin. many of those ships fly underflags of origin. many of those ships fly under flags of convenience, registered to smaller nations ill equipped to deal with large numbers of covid—19 cases. in florida, the zaandam and rotterdam are not the last cruise ships with passengers stuck on board. there are more to come here and around the globe, but some, at least, are finally going home. the british government has set itself the target of 100,000 tests per day for the coronavirus, by the end of the month. our science editor, david shukman looks at the two different types of test, and what they may tell us, about the pandemic. the government is under relentless pressure over why more testing isn't happening. so, why does that matter in the struggle against coronavirus, and what are the different tests involved?

the first kind of testing is the most urgent, because it's to try to find out who actually has the infection. this is done with a swab inside the mouth and throat to look for clues about the virus. this is really important for patients in hospital, because if they're infected, that will determine the course of their treatment. it's also vital for healthcare workers and many others, because if they've got mild symptoms that turn out to be negative, then they can go back to work. and longer—term, relaxing measures like social distancing will all depend on working out who's got the infection and who hasn't. testing for the virus is now being scaled up, and scientists say that without it, we simply can't tackle the pandemic. it's like trying to fight with almost both hands tied behind your back. it means you're always responding a little bit after the effect. we're not really able to work out the extent, we're not able to plan as well as we could do, if we had more information.

the second type of testing is to look for evidence that you've had the virus in the past. this involves a blood test — just a pinprick on the finger — to look for antibodies, a sign of your own response to infection. now, this should help answer the question about whether you have immunity — having had the virus and then recovered, and that would allow you to return to work. but how long would that immunity last? months? years? at this moment, no—one can be sure. the hope is that the public will eventually get tests to see who's had the virus. but government scientists want to check the technology first. well, it's been recognised from the outset that testing is critical, and a huge effort has gone in. these are complete tests, and the existing technology is difficult to scale up quickly. everything now hinges on a research effort on a scale that wasn't expected. a race to catch up with a dangerous threat. david shukman, bbc news.

it's probably fair to say that an awful lot of us have been watching a fair bit of tv at the moment. and thanks to the internet, people can make it a much more sociable activity than it used to be. emily cook from the uk is a big fan of doctor who, and she's been bringing together people from as many as 75 countries to watch their favourite episodes together. and they're helping to raise funds for people in the creative industries affected by the pandemic. jon hunt has more. it's a show that has always united fans. but now the doctor is helping people around the world cope with the coronavirus lockdown. this is my humble doctor who collection... people like david ang in manila in the philippines. it gets a bit lonely, definitely not being able to go out is a bit intoxicating i would say, and that is why i like these watch—alongs...

g'day, my name is rachel wyld and i am from sydney australia and this is part of my doctor who collection. wherever they are, regardless of time zone, the fans have been watching past episodes of doctor who at precisely the same time, and while watching they communicate with each other online. these viewing sessions go for about an hour and then afterwards we are just basically in friend zone for about, oh, about two hours and stuff and it is so nice to be part of a bubble that... you can escape the world from nothing, it's quite amazing. i'm the doctor. tonight the fans will be watching matt smith's first episode as the doctor, exactly ten years since it was first aired. the watch—alongs are the brainchild of emily cook from kent. when we started self isolating and the threat of lockdown was imminent, ijust put out a tweet suggesting that if anyone was on their own and fancy joining in with something, we could all watch doctor who together. and it went viral, and it was just a really cool

experience for people to have together at a time when a lot of people are feeling apart. from southern spain... i do have a couple of screwdrivers here, maybe they can help... (laughs). to paris... we tend to lose track of time in isolation, so it's good to be like, oh, i know tomorrow i am watching doctor who with the world. in fact in many corners of the earth, as a real doctors battle the coronavirus, they are turning to a fictional one to help them cope. you can follow all the latest stories on the covid—19 pandemic on our website, including this coronavirus doctor's diary. it's an insight into how healthcare workers are saving lives on the frontline. there are also plenty of useful tips about staying safe and healthy, as well as how to cope with isolation. that's all at bbc.com/news, or you can download the bbc news app. you can reach me on

twitter, i'm @sipusey. but for now, thanks for watching and do stay tuned right here. our weather is turning warmer this weekend, but of course we follow the rules, we stay at home and we improvise. whatever your view on the weather outside, it will be sunnier by sunday and out that it will be warmer, it will also be windier as well with pollen levels heading up. the big picture shows high pressure to the east of us, the low approaching from atlantic, and ahead of that will strengthen the southerly flow, that is a warm direction, so it will be a warm wind on sunday, lifting temperatures in the sunnier parts of eastern england to around 20, maybe 21 celsius. that said there will be a touch of frost in places as saturday begins, cooler than this in the countryside, so some spots close to freezing, there will be a few mist and fog patches out there, more especially towards the midlands in southern england. as the rain in northern scotland will set on

across the northern isles, still the odd shower in scotland and northern england, it will be a good deal of cloud, some sunny spells, elsewhere in england and wales there will be increasing sunshine as we go through the day. while all parts are going to be milder, it is particularly across england and wales where we will notice those temperatures into the mid—teens. but also a freshening southerly wind, a sign of things to come as we get deeper into the weekend. overnight and into sunday morning, although there is plenty of cloud around, another wind to stop the temperature going down too fast so we are frost free as sunday begins, and sunday will deliver plenty of sunshine. while most places will hold onto that sunshine, the further west you are you will see it clouding over and it may well start to get a bit of rain later in the day, northern ireland, western scotland, the far west of england and wales, some uncertainty about the timing of the arrival of any rain from an area of low pressure i showed you earlier. what is certain is that the wind will pick up more

on sunday, just across western areas later in the day, near 50 miles an hour but it will be warmer across all parts, particularly in that sunshine, across eastern parts of england we could see around 21 celsius. but pollen levels will be higher and particularly in england and wales. into next week, sunday night into monday we will see from an area of low pressure a band of rain spread east across the uk, behind that as it clears on monday, sunshine returns, it will be cooler before temperatures head up again as the week goes on.

this is bbc news. the headlines: as one of the largest hospitals in the world opens in london to treat 4,000 coronavirus patients, people in the uk are being urged to stay at home this weekend to try to stop the spread of covid—19. britain's health secretary said the advice was "not a request" but an instruction. president trump has announced new recommendations for americans to wear masks when they go outside to slow the spread of the virus. us health officials have advised people to cover their faces but to keep medical—grade masks free for health workers. although, mr trump stressed the suggestion wasn't compulsory. and the head of the imf has said the coronavirus pandemic had created an economic crisis like no other. kristalina georgieva said that never in the history of the imf had the world economy come to a standstill. more than 90 countries have asked the organisation for help.