tonight at ten, the prime minister boris johnson has been taken to intensive care, as he suffers the effects of coronavirus. it's ten days since the prime minister tested positive. he was admitted to hospital last night, and was said to be in good spirits. but his medical team at st thomas‘s hospital say his condition worsened today, so the foreign secretary has been asked to deputise for him. he's been receiving excellent care at st thomas‘ hospital. we'd like to take this opportunity as a government to thank nhs staff up and down the country for all of their dedication, hard work and commitment in treating everyone who has been affected by this awful virus. as the government battles the coronavirus on behalf of the

country, the prime minister is now in his own very personal site. —— fight. we'll have the latest on the prime minister's condition, and on the state of the government's strategy to deal with the pandemic. also tonight. a special report inside one of the uk's biggest intensive care centres, as staff deal with rising numbers of patients suffering the effects of coronavirus. i've been in intensive care nursing for 23 years now and i've never seen anything like this, even the london bombings. the staff here are dealing with the biggest challenge ever faced by the nhs. they can save many of the patients but sadly not all of them. also in the programme, local authorities are urged not to close public parks, unless it's absolutely necessary, and if people are ignoring the guidelines. coming up in sport on bbc news, the royal and ancient have cancelled the open championship because of the pandemic.

it has caused a complete overhaul of the golfing calendar. good evening. the prime minister, borisjohnson, is tonight in intensive care at st thomas‘ hospital in london, suffering from the effects of coronavirus. suffering from the effects mrjohnson was admitted last night, but his office says his condition worsened during the course of this afternoon, and on the advice of his medical team, he was moved to the intensive care unit. earlier today, the prime minister, who's 55, was said to be in "good spirits", receiving treatment for persistent symptoms, including a temperature and a cough. he tested positive for the disease ten days ago. the foreign secretary dominic raab has been asked to deputise for the prime minister where necessary. let's go live to our political editor laura kuenssberg at westminster.

we have been in a rather strange vacuum for much of the day, with very limited amounts of information about how borisjohnson was after he was taken to hospital last night. we we re was taken to hospital last night. we were told this morning he was in good spirits, even that he was still receiving red boxes full of government business and still in touch with his team. but shortly after 8pm, an official statement from downing street with a very different tone. it is said to be as a precaution, the prime minister is said to be conscious, but boris johnson tonight, just across the thames, is in intensive care. less tha n less than a mile from downing street, boris johnson less than a mile from downing street, borisjohnson is in intensive care tonight, in a personalfight against intensive care tonight, in a personal fight against the virus that the government and the country is trying to beat. who would have known on thursday night that the health workers he applauded would be caring for him like this? brief glimpses of boris johnson caring for him like this? brief glimpses of borisjohnson on social media made it clear he was struggling to shake the virus of. i've done my seven days of isolation. alas, istill i've done my seven days of isolation. alas, i still have one of

the symptoms, a minor symptom, i still have a temperature. now, after being admitted to hospital last night for tests, he is conscious but asa night for tests, he is conscious but as a precaution, downing street says he has been moved to intensive care. and the foreign secretary has been asked to step up for now. during the course of this afternoon, the prime minister's condition worsened and on the advice of the medical team, he was moved into a critical care unit. with the prime minister now in intensive care, this is an extremely serious situation. how worried should we be about his health and who is in charge of the government? the government's business will continue. the prime minister is in safe hands with a brilliant team at st thomas' hospital. the focus of the government will continue to be on making sure that the prime minister's direction and all the plans for making sure that we can defeat coronavirus and pull the country through this challenge will be taken forward. are you confident, though, that the government is under control tonight? there though, that the government is under controltonight? there is though, that the government is under control tonight? there is an incredibly strong team spirit behind

the prime minister and making sure that we get all of the plans that the prime minister has instructed us to deliver implemented as soon as possible and that is the way we will bring the country through the coronavirus challenge we face right now. just after 8pm, the official statement came from downing street, saying... good wishes from friends and rivals of borisjohnson good wishes from friends and rivals of boris johnson flooded online within minutes. from the first minister of scotland, and the brand—new labour leader, and from someone brand—new labour leader, and from someone who knows him and the unique job very well. the prime minister is now suffering seriously from a disease that does not pick and choose. downing street itself a place where the virus spread. power,

no protection from harm. laura kuenssberg, bbc news. we will talk to laura moore in a second. our chief political correspondent vicki young is at st thomas' hospital, where the prime minister is being treated. what can you add at this stage to what the hospital authorities are saying about the prime minister's condition? after nine days in self isolation, he came under the care of doctors here last night and was admitted to hospital. we know that he has been suffering from this persistent cough and temperature, something he could not shake of, which is why he was brought into hospital in the first place. it is worth saying st thomas' hospital is one of the top hospitals in the country, just across the bridge from the houses of parliament. we were told by downing street earlier that the prime minister was working from his hospital bed. we understand he was given oxygen before the decision was given oxygen before the decision was made to move him to intensive care. we are told that has been done asa care. we are told that has been done as a precaution. it has been done in

case he needed ventilation to aid his recovery. like thousands of otherfamilies his recovery. like thousands of other families who have his recovery. like thousands of otherfamilies who have been affected by the coronavirus, this is extremely worrying time for him and his family, especially, of course, his family, especially, of course, his fiancee, who is pregnant and has been suffering with symptoms of coronavirus herself. many thanks, vicki young at st thomas' hospital. back to westminster and laura kuenssberg now. you asked dominic raab directly about the functioning of government. what did you make of the answer? well, i think dominic raab, perhaps not surprisingly, looked pretty shocked by how things have been moving tonight. the foreign secretary is now technically in charge, as he is the prime minister's official understudy and he has been requested by downing street to deputise for him as and when. government insiders are pretty confident. they say the way the cabinet committees has been desired to try to deal with coronavirus come into four different groups looking at all the important elements, that will continue to take over. one

cabinet minister said to me the decision—making was pretty crisp and efficient and this had been happening whoever was in charge. but a prime minister is much more than a political mascot, of course. they are the most senior decision—maker in any government, and at a time when there are so many dilemmas about the health and wealth of the country, this is obviously a very serious moment for the government and the whitehall machine. even for the prime minister, who was popping up the prime minister, who was popping up every now and again, trying to say that he was fine and getting better throughout this, it has created a sense already of not that much stability, with him being ill, even when he was in the downing street flat. but now with him in intensive care tonight, even though we should emphasise it is said to be asa we should emphasise it is said to be as a precaution, this is obviously a grave moment, one that is very unsettling for the government. and ata time unsettling for the government. and at a time like this, a genuine national emergency, irrespective of your politics, of course, this is clearly a terrible time for the

government to be without its figurehead. laura kuenssberg, we will talk again later. thank you very much for the time being from westminster. so as we heard, the prime minister's condition worsened during the course of this afternoon, ans his medical team decided it was best to move him to the intensive care unit. our heath editor hugh pym is here. lots of people will assume automatically that going into intensive care will involve a ventilator, and all of the other apparatus that we have seen in the reports. would that assumption be correct? well, normally, yes. we should say it is the sickest patients who go into intensive care, so clearly, this is a cause for concern but the downing street statement made clear it was a precaution. he had been moved to intensive care at saint thomas should he require ventilation to aid his recovery. that suggests he is not a mechanical ventilator to help his breathing, which would require sedation. but he will be requiring

oxygen through a mask or nasally. he will be continually monitored, the oxygen levels in his blood, his kidney function and heart rate. there will be a nursing ratio of one to one in intensive care, those have been pushed back a bit because of pressure through covid—i9 patient numbers, but there will be co nsulta nts numbers, but there will be consultants on call through the night to monitor his condition, to see how things are getting on. i should say the team at st thomas' hospital are experienced in covid—i9, they were one of the first hospitals to take patients with coronavirus in early february as a specialist in infectious diseases centre. we will have another update from you later. hugh pym, our health editor, there. the latest official figures on those affected by coronavirus across the uk have been released today. they show that, in total, 5,373 people have died in hospitalfrom the effects of coronavirus. that's a rise of a39 on yesterday's figure. these figures do not

account for people who have died in the community or in a care home. that is very important. as intensive care units in hospitals across the uk come under increasing pressure, including st thomas', where the prime minister is being treated, we have a rare insight into conditions at one of the biggest facilities in the uk, university college hospital in central london. this special report is by our medical correspondent fergus walsh and cameraman adam walker. it is completely unimaginable and we are not at the peak yet. this is the front line in a ward. apart from two patients, every patient we are looking after has covid. we can't cope with a big spike. we just can't. every day, some battles are won... is one of the doctors here? ..and some are lost. all the patients here

are critically ill. we are planning for many more patients, so all our theatres to be full of covid—i9 patients and possibly beyond. it's, you know, none of us have ever seen anything like this. this used to be a recovery area for patients after surgery. now, it is an intensive care unit for covid—i9 patients. a huge part of the hospital has been transformed in order to deal with coronavirus. i've been in intensive care nursing for 23 years now, and i've never seen anything like this. even the london bombings. never seen it in such a short, condensed period of time. many of the patients here are elderly, or have underlying health problems. but not all. i think perhaps i was a bit naive when i, when we started, i had assumed it would be the older and the sick.

in here, we have a mixture from people in their 40s to people in their 70s. a lot of them have high blood pressure and diabetes, or a bit of respiratory disease, but some of them are coming through who are young and fit. the patients here have severe pneumonia, inflammation of the lungs. they must be heavily sedated while on a ventilator, a machine that takes over their breathing. patients can spend two weeks like this. many drugs are being tested, but there is as yet no proven treatment for coronavirus. so it is oxygen and... organ support and amazing nursing care, really. one thing that does help is turning the patients on to their front. it increases the oxygen getting into their lungs. what seems like a simple procedure takes time. and lots of pairs of hands. everyone all right? ready, steady, 90.

with ventilated patients, extreme care is needed. all of this while staff wear full personal protective equipment. that is great. their only barrier against coronavirus. every time a doctor or nurse goes on to the unit, they must don full safety gear. you can't wear this and work for more than a couple of hours, because you've got a crushing headache, you know, you have a dry mouth, you have to get out. staff write their names on their aprons so they can be quickly identified. so there is an emergency on the itu. the head of critical care was seeing via walkie—talkie whether he could give a second opinion. but he needs to be there, so, the full kit has to be put on. they use walkie—talkies because their visors mean they can't communicate on phones.

it is draining. physically and mentally. it is really hard. some of our staff really can't cope with it. you know, we've got a huge number of nurses, doctors and physios, and not all of them can deal with it, so they can only spend a short time, or notjust any time. it's not uncommon for some of our staff to have panic attacks, and just finding this so, so stressful, so we have to really support people. some people just can't do it. despite the possible risk to themselves, the medical staff carry on. 12 hour shifts, 60 hours a week are the norm. they worry about the patients, about each other and about those they love. i think it is very hard on our families. my kids are at home, my wife's home schooling. it is easy in a way for me, i'm doing myjob, i'm busy all day. they don't really know what it is like here, what, whether we are bringing home the virus, and they have just been

amazing, just let me do what i need do and i'm just incredibly grateful to them. what is striking here is the sense of calm. in the face of adversity, doctors and nurses simply get on with the job. the staff here are dealing with the biggest challenge everfaced by the nhs. they can save many of the patients, but sadly, not all of them. still more patients keep coming every day. and no—one is sure how long this will last. for now, they can cope, but that depends on all of us playing our part. what is your message, to people watching, or listening to this? if people don't stay at home, and they sneak out, this is going to continue to happen, and our staff are going to be exposed for longer. we are not going to have the equipment to do the best we can by everybody who needs it.

we need to flatten that curve. it is so serious and ijust wish people would really listen to what the government and we are saying. in another part of intensive care, we met ertan, who wanted to speak to us. 70 years old. he's a bus driver. he fell ill over a week ago and ended up in a&e. what has it been like? well, with me, it was a terrible time. because my breathing. symptoms got started with the temperature, shortage of breath and tiredness. instead of a ventilator, ertan's oxygen is being regulated

by this tiny device. if trials go well, they will be mass produced for the nhs in the coming weeks. well, hopefully you will be able to see your wife again soon. i'm hoping so because she's waiting. i have daughters, grandchildren, they're all waiting for me to go home, and hopefully i will. i will fight this. definitely. and so will the medical staff here. it is harrowing to see the devastation caused by coronavirus. and humbling to witness the resilience of nurses and doctors. the heroes of this crisis. fergus is with me now. what is the message message they

wa nted what is the message message they wanted to share with you? they wa nted wanted to share with you? they wanted to share with you? they wanted to reinforce the message about social distancing, and why matter is, if anyone had any doubt about what the coronavirus can do, that report should dispel any doubts. the care i witnessed was superb but the sheer numbers of staff it takes and doctors and nurses was really astonishing and it ta kes a nurses was really astonishing and it takes a heavy toll on them, wearing that ppe for hours on end. we donated protective equipment to the hospital so we did not deplete their resources and it has had a profound effect on me, seeing the resilience and professionalism of the staff. the same team as at st thomas ince hospital, ifilmed there injanuary, extraordinary team —— st thomas ince hospital. my thoughts go out to

theirfamilies at hospital. my thoughts go out to their families at this terrible time. fergus, thanks forjoining us. it's now a fortnight since boris johnson announced the lockdown, and there are some signs that the rate of infection could be starting to reduce. while the number of people dying in hospital from the effects of coronavirus has been doubling every few days, the figures for confirmed cases and hospitalisations are coming down. so, is the peak of the virus in sight, and if it is, what does that mean for our day—to—day lives? our science editor david shukman reports. a village outside rome, hit hard by the virus, and now isolated by the army. turned into a human laboratory, everyone is getting screened. drastic action in a country where the daily death toll is at last dropping. in spain, as well, which has seen terrible losses, for four days

in a row, the number dying has fallen, a sign that the strategy of locking down may be working. so, when might the uk see a peak in the outbreak? the working assumption is that ought to happen in about 7—10 days' time, but it's very difficult to predict, partly because it takes so long for measures like social distancing to have an impact on the numbers dying. from the moment of infection, five days might pass before it starts to show, with the common symptoms of fever and coughing and of breathlessness. it could be 16 days before intensive care is needed by the most severe cases. and sometime after 23 days, patients will either recover or die. and then it may take a few more days to register their deaths. we do have to be patient. hopefully, by the time we come to june, the numbers will have fallen quite a lot, and we can actually start thinking about relaxing social distancing and how we're going to manage that through the summer.

so, what does this mean across the uk? in harrogate, construction is under way of another of the emergency nightingale hospitals, one of many. but the disease is striking different parts of the country at different times. this graph shows the number of covid—i9 patients in british hospitals. london's numbers have been rising further and faster than, for example, those in scotland and wales. the peaks, when they come, may not be at the same time. so, that raises a really difficult question about whether it's possible to relax measures like social distancing at different times in different parts of the country. how tricky would it be if some regions are still in lockdown while others are trying to get back to normal? all over the world, governments are wrestling with these dilemmas. injapan, a state of emergency gives the authorities new powers to encourage people to stay at home. and in south korea, a lockdown has been extended.

the big worry amid all the talk of reaching a peak in the pandemic is that controls are lifted too soon and that the virus strikes again. david shukman, bbc news. local authorities are being told not to close public parks, unless it becomes impossible to maintain social distancing, and if people ignore the guidelines. the local government association says while outdoor spaces are recognised as a "lifeline" for many, they will be forced to close them, if distancing measures are simply disregarded by members of the public. one senior minister has urged councils to close parks only in extreme circumstances, as our correspondent danny savage reports from leeds. roundhay park is open and with 700 acres there is plenty of space. it should be easy to keep your social distance here but it's not always the case. we try and get out of the way, but if you get a runner comes up behind you and skirts just around

the edge of you, you've not even seen them, and they are past you before you've realised. because they're notjust breathing normally, they're breathing heavily. the government has set out new rules and laws on the issue. they say you can exercise once a day, which could be in your local park. you should be on your own or with people you live with, and you should keep at least two metres apart from others. break the rules and the police can fine you. this family of five find a walk in the park invaluable. it's almost like cabin fever when you're stuck inside and you know you're not allowed to leave. at least being able to get out for an hour. walk round, fresh air, great for all of the kiddies. and we have a garden. i'm sure it would be even worse for people who don't have their own garden space at home. i think it's really important — they cannot close the parks. a few councils were horrified by the number of people in some parks over the weekend. the health secretary then suggested it could lead to a ban on going out

for exercise altogether. today, though, the government backtracked on that idea. i think it would be very unfortunate if we had to do so, and make it harderfor people, particularly people who live in flats, in towns and cities to get the exercise they and their families deserve. these new government restrictions rely heavily on you, me, and everyone else voluntarily complying with them. a ban on exercising beyond the home may have led to civil disobedience, although some european countries have gone much further, and people have complied. richton is a guide dog. his owner says he needs his park time because there's only a tiny garden at home. if i'm constantlyjust, like, we're working, we're working, we're always working, and we don't have that break when he gets his time to play. would you want to work with somebody thatjust every day is the same, really? this afternoon, police gave

parliament an update on the situation as they see it. the vast majority of the public get it. they understand why this is so important, and it's inconvenient and would rather it wasn't the case, but they get it and they want to comply, they want to help, they want to do their bit. the medical experts believe the restrictions imposed by the government are working but it is too early to tell when they might end. we have to get used to this. danny savage, bbc news, leeds. more than 10,000 people have now died from coronavirus in the us, as the country is braced for the most difficult week of the outbreak so far. there are more than 347,000 confirmed cases, with around a third of them in new york state. today, it was announced that authorities in the city of new york city might start temporarily burying victims in a park, because the city's morgues are almost full. our north america editor jon sopel has the latest.

this is life inside an intensive care unit in brooklyn, new york. our partner network in the us, cbs, were allowed in, and everything about it seems frantic and on the edge. right here is a patient who didn't have much underlying health conditions but has developed severe respiratory failure, as well as kidney damage, from the virus. though the administration says there is no shortage of personal protective equipment, the reality is otherwise. i would like a mask like yours, i would like all of us to have masks like yours. a white suit like yours. what do i have on? what is that? it looks like a garbage bag. it is a garbage bag. this patient needs to have his breathing tube changed over. and look how much equipment it takes to keep one patient alive. the critical care doctor puts on ski goggles to carry out the procedure. it's very, very difficult.

it's like something out of the twilight zone. i don't think any of us going through it will ever be the same. where new york is right now, other states and cities like washington, dc are forecast to follow in the coming days and weeks. donald trump says there's light at the end of the tunnel. there may be in the worst hit areas but for much of america the darkness is yet to come. this is going to be the hardest and the saddest week of most americans' lives, quite frankly. this is going to be our pearl harbor moment, our 9/ii moment. only, it's not going to be localised, it's going to be happening all over the country. meanwhile, in new york, they're struggling to manage the sheer number of deaths. refrigerated lorries have become makeshift morgues and a senior health official has warned that burials may have to start taking place in public parks. jon sopel, bbc news, washington.

tributes have been paid to a care worker who died after she was thought to have been infected with coronavirus. 56—year—old carol jamabo, who worked as a carer in bury, fell ill about a week before her death last wednesday, and one of her sons has now tested positive for the virus. our correspondent dan johnson has been speaking to her nephew. my auntie carol, she was somebody who was full of life, very loving, very caring. she was someone always there to support myself and the entire family. she was the type of person, wherever she went, she really uplifted the mood for everybody. carol was a mother to two young men and a carer to countless older people. a life lived full of fun and spent looking out for others. maybe 15 days ago she was fine, she was contacting family members to check everybody was all right.

and then seven days later i got a call from my cousin, her son, to say that she was in a very bad state and over the next couple of days itjust got a lot of worse and obviously the worst happened. you hear all the stories, stay at home and everything, but it really hits home when somebody so close, it's very sad. there has been lots of talk about protective equipment, whether there's enough of that getting to nhs workers but maybe not so much carers, is that something you had been concerned about? of course. they're probably one of the most vulnerable, as well, being in situations where they are going into peoples' homes. if they are not having adequate protective equipment, it's a massive concern. we've heard people in the front line referred to as heroes,