this is bbc news — welcome if you're watching here in the uk, on pbs in america or around the globe. i'm simon pusey. our top stories: china observes three minutes silence to commemorate victims of coranavirus. one of the world's largest hospitals opens in london to treat 4000 coronavirus patients and there's a stern warning for people in britain to stay indoors this weekend. as the us suffers its worst daily death toll from coronavirus, america's health watchdog says people should wear face masks when they go out — but the president doesn't seem to agree. so, with 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 may want to do it and that's ok. the head of the imf says the pandemic has caused

an economic crisis like no other, with the world's economy at a standstill. and police in paris step up spot checks to prevent people heading out of town for the traditional easter break and taking the virus with them. 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 lock down 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. 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." and in china — millions of people joined president xi in observing a 3—minute silence for the people killed by the virus. well, let's get more on that. 0ur correspondent stephen mcdonell is in beijing for us. three minutes of silence although horns were sounding across the country. a chance for china to remember those who have passed away from covid—i9. absolutely. flags are at half—mast across the country. todayis half—mast across the country. today is a special festival to remember those who have gone before us but 2020's tomb sweeping day has taken on a

particular significance, declared a day of national mourning. at ten o'clock local time people stopped what they we re time people stopped what they were doing. cars pulled up, drivers sounded their horns in their cars and sirens and other alarms were turned on across the country as people paused to remember those who died from the coronavirus. whether it be the coronavirus. whether it be the country's top leaders or ordinary people in the street, the whole countryjust seemed to stop and we saw that. people bowing their heads to remember the dead. there has been more than 3300 people who have died in china from this highly infectious disease but we think the number could even be higher than that because many people may have actually died from coronavirus but been recorded as having other illnesses such as having other illnesses such as pneumonia. either way it has been a day to remember those

who died here and abroad and, bearing in mind, this is the country where it began so people have been going through this for months and there has been quite a toll in terms of illness, in terms of people being sick, in terms of people dying. the whole economy being shut down. it has been a traumatic period for china, as it has been now for so many other countries. but another thing to consider, i guess, apart from the fact that we had thousands of people who died here, when you see what is happening in other countries i guess it has also been a day for people here to be thankful that the emergency has not been even worse in the country where it began, and it has been already. interesting timing as well. almost the government saying that this virus, we are now over it and it is time to remember. thank you very much for that update. now, more on that warning from the uk

health secretary matt hancock, to the british people to stay indoors this weekend. with warm weather expected, he says any relaxation of social distancing rules, will mean more people will die. here's our health editor, hugh pym. 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.

well, new figures released the us has set a new global record with 1,480 virus deaths in 2a hours. earlier, president trump 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. 0ur north america correspondent, david willis,

has more on president trump's decision not to wear a mask. president trump, of course, has long downplayed the severity of the coronavirus. he revealed once again that he doesn't always take the recommendations of his medical advisors all that 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, at a grocery store, or the pharmacy for example. it was voluntarily and he it wouldn't be doing it. now, the cdc has urged this caution on people here because it has become more and more aware of the fact that many people carrying the coronavirus don't actually display symptoms of it. and therefore it's possible to catch the virus from anybody 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 as i do'. yes, the virus seems to be spreading all across america but where has been the hardest place hit? it's interesting because they were saying at the briefing today, simon, that cases appear to have flattened out. here in california, for example, and up there in washington state, where there had been quite an alarming outbreak of coronavirus cases. not so, though, in new york where there are reports that some morgues are full, and some hospitals are overwhelmed already. and already, the mayor 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 2—3 weeks. 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. it is just 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. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: in lockdown but not alone...how fans across the world are turning to a fictional doctor to help them cope with the stress of isolation. years of hatred and rage as theyjump up on the statue. this funeral became a massive demonstration of black power.

the power to influence. today is about the promise of a bright future. a day when we hope a line can be drawn under the bloody past. i think that picasso's works were beautiful. they were intelligent and it's a sad loss to everybody who loves art. this is bbc world news. the latest headlines: in china, millions of people have observed a 3—minute silence for the people killed by the virus. 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. in france, the number of dead continues to rise, with nearly 600 deaths recorded in just 24 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 is 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. ta—da—da! he made it through. he is on his way home to brittany after two years abroad. but even the smallest mistake means being turned away. translation: i wrote the wrong date, not today's date, and they've 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 has 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 poorer suburbs compared to the towns. but the paris police chief was forced to apologise today after taking a very different tone. translation: the ones who were hospitalised today, the ones on life support now, are the ones that didn't respect the quarantine when it began. this is not a video game. it's 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 who come to the emergency wards, and also a reduction of severe patients who have covid—19. he says there were no new admissions to intensive care in his hospital today — 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. let's round up some of the other main developments. buckingham palace has announced that the queen will make a televised address to the commonwealth on sunday evening. the message, which was recorded at windsor castle, will be shown at 8pm in the uk.

turkey has announced a curfew for citizens under the age of 20 to help contain the coronavirus outbreak there. at the same time, istanbul, ankara and 29 other cities will be shut down, closing their borders to all vehicles that aren't carrying essential supplies. the captain of an american aircraft carrier relieved of his command after calling for tougher action to tackle an outbreak on board has received a hero's ovation from his crew. brett crozier had accused the navy of failing to safeguard the health of its sailors. footballers at premier league clubs will be asked to give up some of their salary to help pay the wages of non—playing staff. the league has also announced that the top—flight season will not resume until "it is safe and appropriate to do so". 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, several others tested positive for covid—19, and more than 200

showed flu—like symptoms. there are questions about what happens to the crews and staff stranded on board the ships. reged ahmad reports. it's the culmination of a difficult and harrowing few weeks for the passengers of the zaandam and its sister ship the rotterdam. some holidaymakers are finally going home with healthy passengers taken from buses onto chartered flights, heading back to their home countries. going to the airport! the holland america line cruise ships finally docked in florida on thursday. it wasn't the holiday passengers were expecting, as 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 zaandam was initially refused passage through the panama canal.

the rotterdam was then brought in to separate out healthy passengers, but people later became ill on that ship, too. after making it through the panama canal and finally arriving in 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 the us president donald trump. the more than 1,000 crew, though, will not be allowed off the ships, and it is not clear what will happen to them. it's a scenario being repeated elsewhere, including on the ruby princess in australia. authorities there are providing some medical support, but denying entry to the remaining crew, despite covid—19 cases on board, saying they are protecting 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 port 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. reged ahmad, 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 the'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'd say. and that's why i really 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 the 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're just basically in a friend zone for about — oh, about two hours and stuff. and it's 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 fancied 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... oh, 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 real doctors battle the coronavirus, they are turning to a fictional one to help them cope.

that is just about it for us from now. you can follow all the latest 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. a reminder of our top story: china has come to a standstill for three minutes to remember the victims on a national day of mourning. the outbreak began in hubei province in december. the country has recorded more than 3,000 covid—19—related deaths. and president trump says he won't take the us health agency's advice to wear a face mask to prevent the spread of the disease. plenty more news coming, of course. you

hello. yes, our weather is turning warmer this weekend but, of course, we follow the rules, stay at home, and we improvise. and whatever your view on the weather outside, it'll be sunnier by sunday and out there, it'll be warmer. it'll also be windier as well with pollen levels heading up. the big picture shows high pressure to the east of us, low pressure approaching from the atlantic, and that ahead of it will strengthen the southerly flow. of course, that's 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, though, 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'll be a few mist and fog patches out there, perhaps more especially

towards the midlands and southern england. some rain in northern scotland will push on across the northern isles. still the odd shower in scotland, northern ireland 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, enough of the wind to stop the temperature going down too fast, so we are frost—free as sunday begins and sunday will deliver plenty of sunshine. and whilst most places will hold onto that sunshine, the further west you are, you'll see it clouding over. and we may well start to get a bit of rain later in the day, northern ireland, parts of western scotland, the far west of england and wales. some uncertainty about the timing of the arrival of any rain from the area of low pressure i showed you earlier. what is certain, though, is the winds will pick up more

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

this is bbc news, the headlines: china has come to a standstill for three minutes to remember the victims on a national day of mourning. the outbreak began in hubei province in december. the country has recorded more than 3,000 covid—19 related deaths. 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. the us government is now urging all americans to wear face coverings to help stop the spread of the disease, but donald trump says he won't follow the advice. announcing the new guidelines, mr trump repeatedly stressed that they were voluntary. the number of people dying there with the coronavirus has topped 1,300 in a single day.