way it is implemented as well which is important. and 1 way it is implemented as well which is important. and the efforts they the sacrifices and the efforts they are making on behalf of us all. and could i ask the chief scientific adviser, matt hancock, the health secretary, mentioned last week that a surveillance study was being carried out with an antibody test that we developed by public health hello. this is bbc news. i'm reeta england. could you tell us what the early results of that show in terms of how many people in britain have chakrabarti. hello. this is bbc news. i'm reeta chakra barti. the hello. this is bbc news. i'm reeta had the virus and how many would you chakrabarti. the headlines: police expect to had have it in the 12—18 have been carrying out spot checks months or so until the vaccine is as people are urged to stick to social distancing rules. we have a developed? thank you. they are good ha rd core of social distancing rules. we have a hard core of a few people, it is a points. i think the carers and all minority, who are quite blatantly those on the front line, as i paid flouting the law, and it is to those tribute to in my earlier remarks, have done an amazing job. we are people that i'm saying, enough is enough and we are now going to start doing everything we can to provide come looking for you and we are the equipment, the ppe, that they going to find you and if necessary arestidou. the prime minister has spent a day need, rolling it out at pace. i recognise there have been challenges with the distribution. we have a helpline. but most importantly we in intensive care in hospital. number 10 say he continues to are helpline. but most importantly we a re really helpline. but most importantly we are really rolling that out at pace, we have the military involved where improve. ina thatis we have the military involved where that is appropriate. i will be number 10 say he continues to improve. in a drive to increase taking part in the clap for carers coronavirus testing, smaller laboratories prepared to play their

this evening. there will be a moment part. historicjob losses worsen in where we look at how we formally the us. another 6.6 million recognise all of those on the who have done so much to pull us through americans apply for unemployment benefits in the past week. this difficult period for our country. on the surveillance tests, the antibody test, the first thing to say is these tests are difficult to say is these tests are difficult to get right, so across the world people are trying to get really specific and sensitive tests on this, and a lot of collaboration across the world is happening to do that. the scientists and public health england have worked on this and yes, there is a surveillance study under way. i don't know the results yet, they are not out. this good afternoon and welcome to will continue until we have got the viewers on bbc one. new figures have right results and they are able to been released showing that a further communicate them, and of course, they will communicate them like all good scientific practice as soon as 765 people who tested positive for they are ready and they know what the kylo ren they are ready and they know what they show and they can validate that these are reliable results. that is what is going on at the moment. in terms of how many people you'd for the coronavirus have died. expect to get this before a vaccine meanwhile ministers are meeting to or treatment comes along, i think discuss options about the lockdown admit concerns that good weather the processes that we have in place over the weekend might tempt people are

the processes that we have in place a re clearly the processes that we have in place are clearly to suppress the number and the idea is to keep that number as low as possible. do you want to to go out and mingle. foreign come back on any of that, ben? secretary dominic rav is chairing a virtual meeting of the cobra as low as possible. do you want to come back on any of that, ben7m as low as possible. do you want to come back on any of that, ben? if i may, foreign secretary, you said committee. police have told people they would be a time to reward nhs to stay at home over easter, and workers. i wondered they would be a time to reward nhs workers. iwondered if they would be a time to reward nhs have warned that they will crack workers. i wondered if you they would be a time to reward nhs workers. iwondered if you might speculate on a personal level what form you think that might take? i down on anyone breaking the rules. scotla nd down on anyone breaking the rules. scotland and wales have no plan to think it's important while they're doing this greatjob think it's important while they're doing this great job and we lift their restrictions. and the think it's important while they're doing this greatjob and we all trying to focus on us through the prime minister has spent his third night in intensive care where he peak that we keep our focus and our said to be in good spirits and is attention on that. and i would want continuing to improve. 0urfirst was to give it proper thought will of the other people in government. —— bought report is from catherine with all of the other people. but we burns. not your usual commute, but these all recognise the massive sacrifice are not usual terms. police in they have made, how much it has done to pull us through even to this london asking people for id and level and how much it has done to checking if they are key workers or not as they get on the tube. irish avoid some of the worst scenarios we could have faced and i'm sure there will be the appropriate level of recognition at the right moment once police have set up around 50 we are through the worst of it. checkpoints close to the border, making sure that people from either 0liver right from the times. thank you. the question first to the side are not breaking lockdown rules. last weekend greater manchester police had more than 1100 professor first. we know the death

reports of people breaking figures you are reporting come from coronavirus rules. some of the ones the nhs. but we are expecting figures from the office for national we saw at the weekend had bouncy statistics which will be wider than castles, fireworks. we have had that. do you expect that when you something like 100 and sixty st ta ke that. do you expect that when you take into account care homes and parties going on. some of those other settings that we will see a significant rise in the total death clearly ca n com ply parties going on. some of those clearly can comply with social distancing, but the calls are rate? just a follow up on then's suggesting that they are not. so this bank holiday they are putting point with sir patrick, john newton out videos of local celebrities and said last week on the antibody study front—line workers all with the same being carried out at porton down message. stay safe, stay healthy, do that they were days away from having preliminary results. maybe you some exercise and don't be going haven't seen those results but would you anticipate that those results outside unnecessarily. this is a would be made available to the sage message to say please, please stay at home. marcus rashford here. just committee that will advise the government on the next stage of the at home. marcus rashford here. just a quick message to remind you all that it lockdown? on the nhs figures versus a quick message to remind you all thatitis a quick message to remind you all that it is very important to stay indoors and stop spreading the virus. other forces say they have the ons figures, the reason they are given people time to adjust to the useful to us is we can get them very rules and now they are going to fa st start enforcing them. we have a hard useful to us is we can get them very fast and they are collected in the same way the whole time and they are core of a few people, it is a very comparable to international figures which tend to be collected minority, who are quite blatantly in the same way. what that allows us

flouting the law, and it is to those to do is what patrick was doing at people that i'm saying enough is enough and we are now going to come the beginning which is to see in relatively near time the trends over looking for you, we are going to find you and if necessary arrest time because it is a very stable way you. lockdown is a delicate of collecting the data. those nhs balancing act. it will save lives and cut the number of deaths from figures are people who have proven coronavirus but it could also damage to have had coronavirus, so they are people's health. we talked about definitely cases in hospital. the delaying nonurgent operations, so hospitals cancelling operations ons figures are much wider than that patients could receive. we have also andl ons figures are much wider than that and i would therefore expect them, notjust that they seen down turns in people going to and i would therefore expect them, not just that they go further outside hospital, they also include hospital with symptoms of for people who have sadly died where the instance a heart attack, so people doctor thinks that coronavirus may be involved even if there is no test themselves are delaying treatment, and in some sense that is storing up involved in that decision. i would problems for the future. austria is expect those numbers to be higher. one european country starting to but because it takes longer for the slowly, very slowly, ease data to come in and it is always restrictions. from next week some small shops will be allowed to going to be a lag between those two reopen. questions are being asked amounts, so the ons data is useful about what our exit strategy will look like. the only experience we for looking at the wider picture but the nhs data is more useful for us have in the moment is from china, to make decisions day to day and to

where the authorities waited until there were very few cases occurring make decisions, for example, about what we need to change in terms of our current interventions. the in the community before relaxing a nswer to our current interventions. the answer to the question is yes, of course we would expect to see those quarantine, and of course that could results in sage and we will see them when they are ready and studies have be several weeks away. been completed and they have been but now it's time to hold steady, properly analysed. we have spent a lot of time looking at this across says the government. it isjust the world as well. we have had calls beginning to work. people really from colleagues from many countries need to stick the course. this this week on this topic. we had a call last week from summary from easter weekend, however lovely and sunny it is, stay at home, please. sta nford call last week from summary from stanford university doing work in this area. this is something we look at across the world the whole time and a reminder about why we are being asked to do this, to slow the and the results will come to sage spread of the virus and stop the nhs when they are ready. you want to come back on any of that? have you from being overwhelmed with sick managed to have any contact with the patients. catherine burns, bbc news. prime minister since you took over his responsibilities? not yet. it is 0ur chief political correspondent vicki young is in westminster for us important, particularly while he is 110w. vicki young is in westminster for us in intensive care, to let the focus now. vicki, we know that the beyond recovery. we in the government's emergency cobra meeting government have got this covered. i is meeting now. but to that message chaired the cobra meeting that i from politicians, from the police, have just come chaired the cobra meeting that i havejust come from. chaired the cobra meeting that i have just come from. we are pursuing all the different strands of our is all very clear. it is easter

weekend, the weather will be fine, but people must observe the strategy to defeat the coronavirus, and i'm confident we will get there. restrictions. absolutely, and listening to the minister saying george parkerfrom the ft. that the restrictions are just beginning to work tells you all you need to know, that they are looking and i'm confident we will get there. george parker from the ft. a question for the foreign secretary. at the data and that is what today's i'd like to ask you about the bank of england's decision to effectively so called an emergency meeting is extend its overdraft facility to the about. it is all being done government. we are told this is a remotely, chaired by the first temporary measure but nevertheless secretary, dominic rav. they will be it is very unusual. can you explain looking at how they do the review of exactly why the government needs this facility, it because the cost the lockdown, which legally has to of your economic interventions to be done by next thursday, but address the crisis are costing more looking at the figures we have seen, than you expected, particularly the they have published some of them in job retention scheme? and a separate advance about hospital admissions, about deaths, all of those telling question for professor chris whitty. them things which will be very we heard today from the us important, but at the beginning of scientific equipment maker that they this in many ways. they are looking have agreed to provide 100,000 swab to see small signs that hospital admissions might start to level out, tests a day at least, can i check if but there is this time lag between thatis tests a day at least, can i check if that is correct and if so what are those who get the disease and those we waiting for? on the bank of who go into hospital and those who england decision, obviously we have an independent bank of england and sadly died, so they need much more they make those decisions data before they can make a autonomously. as you said it is a

decision, and it is very clear temporary measure. but the broader listening to the first minister of picture is from the fiscal measures wales and nicola sturgeon in that the chancellor has taken scotla nd through to the measures taken by the wales and nicola sturgeon in scotland that there is no chance bank of england. we want to make that these restrictions will be sure we are in the best position not just to see us through this crisis lifted eminently. in order to work they have to carry on staying in from a health point of view, as place, and they are obviously not important as that is, but also from an economic point of view. we are going to lift them, in fact more making sure that we use all the levers across government to achieve restrictions may be needed. today's that. on the testing, we are ramping meeting is all about how they are up that. on the testing, we are ramping up every day on the testing but it's going to make the decision in the important to differentiate between short—term future. tests available and ready to run and going to make the decision in the short-term future. do you detect the whole system running in terms of that the government is under some in the lab, and actually having the pressure? the new labour leader sir whole system running so you are very keir starmer talking about, confident that someone who needs a suggesting that the government test ca n confident that someone who needs a test can order the right test and should start laying out what an exit get the right result back. the whole strategy might look like even if it process is going up a reasonable day this month. i expect to see an is not able at the moment to talk about a timetable? on both those increase in the number of tests that go out and the results that come things, how will they decide when back, including thermo fisher but they start to lift restrictions, and there are quite a few other groups how might they do that? also involved in this. did you want we have heard in other countries

about schools reopening being may be to follow up? a quick 1-2 chris about schools reopening being may be a first step, or some businesses reopening. we don't have any of that whitty, doesn't this reflect the kind of information and we don't fa ct whitty, doesn't this reflect the fact the problem lies in our laboratories and not through any know really at what stage the shortage of chemicals, which is government and ministers are at in something michael gove said last those discussions, because up until week? and mr dominic raab, going now, the front line has been the back to your opening remarks, you hospital ward, because obviously said the measures will have to stay their priority is saving lives and in place until we have clear making sure the nhs does not become evidence that shows we have moved beyond the peak. should we assume, overwhelmed, because that would make therefore, that once we have the situation worse, and there has evidence that has no shows we have of course been this big debate about moved beyond the thick that the testing, because many people think restrictions will start to be eased? i think the whole point is not to that that is the only way out of make assumptions but be guided by this, because if you can develop an the evidence when we have got it accurate test, and that is proving will stop in terms of kit, there was to be difficult, that shows you who a period when both swabs and has had the illness, that could open rea g e nts a period when both swabs and reagents were in short supply. that up has had the illness, that could open up parts of the economy, because is beginning to sort itself out. a there are deep concerns in the treasury and everywhere about the testing process is a long train of longer term economic consequences which are actually doing the middle of it but there are large parts which can in themselves become either side. but you are absolutely health consequences, and they will be mindful of all of that. and do right, that was a barrier. it is you detect worries about people

much less of a barrier although it hasn't gone away completely but it cooperating with the present isa hasn't gone away completely but it is a lot better than it was. hugo restrictions. full stop from the guy from the i. thank you. foreign people you are talking to, are you feeling that they are worried that this is a finite goodwill? it is a secretary, can i ask you to clarify the extent of your own authority in problem because it is easter the extent of your own authority in the prime minister's absence? we are weekend, and although for most aware you are chairing the committee people that won't feel much is an cabinet that he would normally difference this time around having a do. are you authorised to make big long bank holiday, but the weather has been sent to test people, hasn't decisions, for example, on lifting it? you can think about all the the lockdown, decision that will other easter breaks that have been have to come next week, if the prime in the pouring rain, this time on his not like that, but of course minister is still unavailable? can there is a temptation to go outside, you make that decision in same way but i think that taken alongside that he would do? and sir patrick, these dreadful figures we are cani that he would do? and sir patrick, can ijust ask, as you pointed out, getting everyday wear almost a thousand people in the united kingdom are dying of this terrible the mass surveillance testing results are not yet available. do illness, that is probably going to be enough to focus most minds, but you have any estimate at all for how having said that, the police are having said that, the police are having in some cases to clamp down many people in the uk have probably on all of this, and to remind people been infected with coronavirus, or why they have to follow the rules.

are we still flying blind on that vicki, many thanks. chief political point? correspondent vicki young at westminster. we can get the latest thank you, hugo. i've got all the on borisjohnson westminster. we can get the latest on boris johnson now. authority i need to make the westminster. we can get the latest on borisjohnson now. helena wilkinson is outside st thomas's releva nt authority i need to make the relevant decisions, whether it is hospital in london, where the prime through chairing cabinet updates as idid through chairing cabinet updates as i did earlier in the week, chairing minister remains in intensive care. cobra or the morning meetings of a third night for the prime minister senior ministers. we have got a in intensive care. bring is up—to—date with what the hospital great team, it is a team effort, and are saying today. we had an update best is not exactly the same as when the prime minister is here, that's from downing street in the last clear, but as his first secretary, three hours or so with the latest on deputised to discharge its the condition of the prime minister, responsibilities, we've got all the authorities we need. in terms of the and for the second day we are hearing that the prime minister is improving. what downing street have test, it is important to try to work said is that that third night, as out the proportion of people who may have had the disease with no you mentioned last night, he had a good night. he continues to improve. symptoms. across the world, it is looking less likely that it is a very high number, so it's not likely they say he is in good spirits, but that its 90% of people have had it a he does continue to need what they symptomatically, much more likely it is lower than 50. it could be around describe as standard oxygen treatment, and he remains in 30. but we don't know for sure. and intensive care here at st thomas's in terms of the number of people who hospital, hospital that is less than have had it in each country, that is

a mile away from downing street. we why the antibody test is so important. there are beginning to be need to stress crucially that the stories of people getting answers to prime minister hasn't needed to go ona prime minister hasn't needed to go that question. again, i wouldn't on a ventilator. the ventilator is expect that to be a high percentage, and most of the figures that have the complex machine that needs to be come out so far are low single digit used for the sickest of patients. percentages, but we need to see, but still, he is in intensive care, there are a couple of examples of and that is a unit in any hospital slightly higher percentages than that, but these are early data and where the most unwell patients have we need to make sure we have the to be treated, they often need right information. would you like a complex care and have to be monitored around the clock. mr supplementary, hugo? can ijust johnson will have, as with any clarify, sir patrick, i appreciate patient in intensive care, our that picture is still unclear, but you would expect it to be well under highly skilled medical team monitoring him 24—hour is so that is 10% probably of people in the uk have been infected by comparison to the latest from downing street. the prime minister remains in intensive care, he was admitted on sunday the situation in other countries, is that fair? i can't tell you what the afternoon. we were told as a a nswer that fair? i can't tell you what the precaution, but things developed answer is going to be. we need to do very quickly on monday evening when he was then transferred from a ward the experiment. but it is mainly single digit numbers in other into the intensive care unit, and of places, and it could be a bit higher course just a week ago, boris in some places. andrew macaskill johnson was still trying to get over from reuters. i have questions for the virus and was on the streets of

downing street taking part in the the advisers, first for sir patrick. clapping for carers, and tonight he why did your committee not begin remains here in intensive care in reviewing at modelling consequences hospital. what a difference a week of the full lockdown across the makes. 0ur correspondent helena country until mid—march, and for wilkinson there. chris whitty, britain created a coronavirus test on january the 10th, why did it take more than two testing for coronavirus is a crucial months to ask the labs to create pa rt testing for coronavirus is a crucial part of any aim to lift the capacity to carry out tests? may be i will tell you what happened, and lockdown. small independent laboratories may pay an important thatis i will tell you what happened, and that is the easiest way to answer, which as we started working on this role in hitting that number. richard injanuary, which as we started working on this in january, we wescott has been to see how one team which as we started working on this injanuary, we had ourfirst full cap max age meeting injanuary, we of scientists is aiming to help. had —— a full sage meeting in this is exactly the kind of lad that could play a key role in ending january, and those interventions we re january, and those interventions were modelled and looked at, coronavirus. with a bit of financial support, they could easily use this including scenarios are full lockdown to push the peak out to equipment to test for the virus. now autumn. they were done throughout february, that is why in early march the boss is coordinating a network

of similarlabs, who it was possible for the department the boss is coordinating a network of similar labs, who also want to of health and social care to publish help. at the moment we've probably got about 30 laboratories that we an action plan which included all are talking to, and some of these are talking to, and some of these are quite large. that is across the the measures and said that all of country? yes. mass testing means you these might be necessary at some point and they needed to be put in can clear doctors and nurses certain order to get the maximum currently at home to return to work, benefit. so it is not correct that we didn't model it until march. we and root out people who have got the virus without realising. we have modelled it throughout february and thatis modelled it throughout february and that is what led to the action plan. this government target, 100,000 tests per day by the end of the on testing, this is a completely new month, everybody says, i will believe it when i see it. can it be virus. from the time that the done? absolutely it can. we have the chinese scientists put the genotype on the web, which was a fantastic capability of virtually matching first step, we moved incredibly what germany have done. we can bring quickly to get a first test. there in literally tens and tens of labs, was a rapid ramp up, but it initially had to be start, we had to up in literally tens and tens of labs, up to in literally tens and tens of labs, uptoa make sure that the test works. in literally tens and tens of labs, up to a possibly 100 extra, into this process. there are challenges, though. you may have heard them talk getting an inaccurate test is very unhelpful, so we had to be confident about a global shortage of chemicals about that, and then it continued to for coronavirus testing. this is the be rolled out in stages and will box that the world is short of. it continue to roll out through this is full of these chemicals, known as month. andrew, would you like a final question. we were told by sir

reagents, and what it does is take out the genetic material from the virus and purify it, and then you patrick, john adams told us that can take that sample away and just neither him nor niall —— neil double check that the virus is there. even if they got help getting there. even if they got help getting the chemicals, mass testing would cost this lab £30,000 a day, money ferguson had carried out any they simply don't have. and you have modelling until march.” struggled to get a bank loan to get the testing equipment to make this ferguson had carried out any modelling until march. i don't know about that, but i have told you what happen? yes, we are still in the actually happened, which is that process. it is now probably three modelling came from a variety of weeks we have been doing this. they sources. really need to understand that this studio: so, dominic raab bringing to is not a normal situation. we are not looking at businesses that are an end that daily news bulletin. a trying to make profit out of this. if anything we will make a loss, reminder and a recap of that news because we are trying to do it in a briefing led by the foreign benevolent way, and the banks need to get on board without. in a matter secretary. the number of people in of weeks they hope to get 50 the uk who have died from coronavirus in the uk is 881 in the independent labs conducting 50,000 tests a day. more were e—mailing last day, bringing the total number of reported deaths to almost 8000. tony while we were filming. it is dominic raab announced that the uk the kind of initiative that will has not yet reached the peak of the

help shorten the crisis. richard virus, and that the lockdown is wescott, bbc news, cambridge. being assessed. he added that it is some more figures to bring you, i'm still too early to lift the afraid, of the death toll from restrictions. and he said, we are coronavirus, this time from northern ireland. the daily figures show that not done yet, you must keep going. he gave an update on the health of as of 11am today, there were four the prime minister who remains an in more deaths linked to covid—19, making a total of 82. there were 138 intensive care where he is being treated for coronavirus. the prime new confirmed cases, making a total of confirmed cases of 11177, so those minister is making positive steps forward and is in good spirits, according to the foreign secretary. new deaths today, the daily figures sophie hutchinson is here, and they covered quite a lot of ground. let's talk first about some of the graphs in northern ireland, stand at four. we don't yet have the full uk we we re talk first about some of the graphs we were shown in terms of the detail picture, we have had pictures in that was given. one of the most from the uk and scotland, but we hope to get the full uk picture for interesting pieces of information we you very shortly. are getting is about critical care, it is four o'clock, and in around an so these are the intensive care beds around the country. what professor hour, we are expecting the daily chris whitty was saying is that update from downing street on coronavirus. new figures have been previously we had seen a doubling released showing that a further 765 every three days, but actually that has started to slow, and we are seeing a doubling in the numbers of

people who tested positive for the coronavirus in england have died. patients with covid—19 in critical that is not as i said the figure for ca re every patients with covid—19 in critical care every six days or slightly the whole of the uk. we have already longer, so it is extending, and that is good news. if we have a look at heard about 81 in scotland and four in northern ireland, and we will get that graph perhaps which they were the full picture a little bit later. showing us, you can see that london, but meanwhile, ministers are meeting thatis showing us, you can see that london, that is the top line, is definitely to discuss options about the lockdown amid concerns that good way ahead of everywhere else. london weather over the easter weekend might tempt people to go out and has by far the most patients with mingle. so the foreign secretary dominic raab is chairing a virtual covid—19 and it is rising, just meeting of the cobra emergency under a thousand. the midlands is committee. police have told people to stay at home over easter, and next at almost 500 patients in have warned that they will crack critical care, followed by the down on anyone found breaking the rules. scotland and wales say they north—east and yorkshire at around have no plans to lift their 300, and then the other areas are restrictions. and the prime minister below that. and they are behind has spent his third night in intensive care in london, where he london in terms of a time lag. but said to be in good spirits and the really encouraging thing that continuing to improve. labour's new they were very keen to impress on people is that social distancing is leader, sir keir starmer, has called having an impact. and that is where on downing street to publish its exit strategy from coronavirus they said that they thought it was having an impact, that we don't see lockdown.

he said he appreciated that this outbreak accelerating beyond while the situation was "incredibly difficult" and he did not want the current trajectory, so clearly "precise timings" —— people deserved to know it is increasing, clearly it isn't what the plans were. sir robert lechler is under control, but it isn't going up the president of the academy ina of medical sciences, and executive director under control, but it isn't going up in a vertical, it isn't accelerating of king's health partners — he has been spending the today beyond its current rate. there were discussing exit strategy as part of the prime minister's advisory group on science. hejoins me now. some interesting statistics on thank you so much forjoining us on people who might be asymptomatic, bbc news. what do you think of the thatis people who might be asymptomatic, that is who have the virus but don't display symptoms. it is the great intervention by the new labour unknown. this is such a new virus. there has been a great deal of leader, that even though a new timetable can't yet be talked about speculation, that 80% of people foran timetable can't yet be talked about perhaps have it very mildly, but are for an exit strategy, that some details should start to be made there people who have literally no symptoms at all but who can also public? it is fair to expect the pass it on? sir patrick vallance was talking there about the possibility that it might be between 30% and 50% conversation starting about how rules can be relaxed as and when of people who get the virus who actually have no symptoms at all, that becomes appropriate. let me but he said that was clearly a work reemphasise a very important point, that this is not the time to be in progress, still very early days. discussing ending the lockdown. we so the worry is they might be able to pass it on, but also if that many

very much hope that we are near to people possibly have had the virus, the peak of this first wave of the then that idea that they might then pandemic in the uk, and as you have have a certain level of immunity is referred to already, there are some interesting and possibly would be encouraging signs to think that that very important when they start to is the case. remembering that the think about easing the lockdown. that's the thing. at the moment, number of deaths lags about four because it is such a new virus, weeks behind when people get infected. so it is premature to there has been no immunity in the think we are going to see the end of community at all because none of us have ever been exposed to this the lockdown just yet. but i think before. so that is one important there are encouraging signs. so element, and so having some kind of let's assume that the lockdown remains in place for the next few protection in the general public would eventually be key. but one of weeks, and i think that's highly likely to be necessary and the reasons why some of the testing appropriate. i think it is fair to is so important is because people say that we should begin to contemplate how those rules might simply don't know if they have got start to be relaxed. it is immensely the virus, if they have had the complicated. nobody knows the right virus. unlike with pneumonia where answer. we have learned what we can when you have the pneumonia, when you have no symptoms, that is when from other countries but it's going you have no symptoms, that is when you are infectious, so we don't to bea from other countries but it's going to be a very delicate process which necessarily need these tests to tell we will need to monitor extremely us have we got it. if we had people carefully. people will be listening been tested right across the carefully. people will be listening carefully to your words. you say you country, we could know, yes, they are infectious, they have got it at might imagine the lockdown might the moment, even if they don't have

start to be eased in the next few many symptoms. sophie, thank you weeks. when you say that, what do very much for all of that. our you mean? three weeks, four weeks, health correspondence sophie six weeks? honestly, this is not my hutchinson there. we can speak now decision and i don't envy those in to the liberal democrat health government they have to make these very tough calls. and of course, spokesperson munira wilson. thank you very much indeed forjoining us they will be guided, as they have been to date, and to their credit, here on bbc news. you were listening buy the best scientific advice, the to that briefing i'm sure. the best modelling information that is possible and learning from the way foreign secretary was asked if it that other countries, the lessons was time to ease up, and he said no, learned from other countries. but we must keep going. is that the all i am saying is i'm sure the right approach, do you think? we lockdown will need to be in place for a few more weeks, and then i face an unprecedented threat, and we have said all along, we must follow think it would be completely foolish the science, and we must follow the to suddenly take all those rules away and let people back to return evidence, but alongside that, what we need is transparency, and it is their lives to normal. that would be a very dangerous thing to do. we really important that every step of the way the government is sharing that with the public to build public need some graded easing of the trust, build public confidence in the measures that are being taken, lockdown and lots of testing. what and alongside the science, there are about antibody tests? we have heard and alongside the science, there are a set of political decisions. the about antibody tests? we have heard a lot about these as being very

problem we have at the moment is the important as part of some phased conversation going on about their lockdown. do we have a view of what wee left of the lockdown or do we not, and we have seen in other proportion of the population needs countries such as in singapore where to have had the virus for us to feel confident that the lockdown can be eased? that's a very good question lifting it has led to a second wave of the virus hitting, and i think and it's a very difficult question. what we do need is a bit more of a plan around some of the choices that it highlights the point that we could be made about trying to lift badly need a really reliable the lockdown gradually and some of antibody test that can be scaled up. the lockdown gradually and some of the measures that could be taken. because, as i think viewers countries such as thai one, and the appreciate, what the antibody test tells you, or allows you to assess, who said very clearly, the best way is the number of people who had the out of the lockdown and to manage virus, not those who have got the this virus is by testing virus, not those who have got the virus, that's the other kind of relentlessly and tracing and test, it is those who had the virus, quarantining the virus, and that and that's important, as you say, to conversation has got to start know at what point the rules can be happening with the public because relaxed. in answer to your question, there are difficult choices to be the strict answer to your question, made around our liberty in terms of and you might have heard this term, which is not a very user friendly tracing and trying to bring in term, of herd immunity, but that surveillance mechanisms for the means if you have 60% of the virus, but that is a conversation we need to start to have, because that might be the only way we safely

population then it is possible to start to get out of lockdown com pletely population then it is possible to completely relax but we are going to bea completely relax but we are going to gradually, and start getting the be a long, long way from that. could it be the case that in certain areas economy going again, but whilst also of the country, we have more people who have had the virus? that is protecting the public‘s health and going to be the case, isn't it, presumably in the cities? absolutely, and i think london is using public infrastructure and public health alongside all the likely to be the highest prevalence investment we are seeing around treating patients who have it. so do of immunity. the shetlands will have you think part of the reluctance to the lowest. there will be huge be drawn on an exit strategy for geographic variation. how do you lockdown is the fact that we don't feel about the way in which the yet have mass testing, and that one scientific community has come has to go with the other?” together over this crisis? it is yet have mass testing, and that one has to go with the other? i think thatis has to go with the other? i think that is a key problem. it has been absolutely remarkable how the very obvious from the start that the scientific community has worked together, i've never seen such a government has been very slow off the mark in ramping up testing, so concerted effort. i'm so sorry, your now we are playing catch up, and really struggling to reach the levels of testing that other line is breaking up. we have heard countries have got, and now we are competing for resources. i was the gist of what you were saying. delighted that they finally called

upon the life science sector to step thank you so much, sir robert lechler, the president of the up upon the life science sector to step up and bring what they have to the academy of medical sciences, and table so that we can start with the also on the government's scientific advisory committee. thank you so testing, but we are quite far behind. but that is what we need, as much. my pleasure. lots of numbers soon as somebody shows symptoms, are being used to track covid—19. they should be able to get tested, the fatality rate is one grim and that we should be isolated and measure of the impact, new confirmed infections is another. but there is then trace who that person has been another measure we have reported far in touch with, and that is the only less, recoveries. how many people way if we start to do that ruthlessly that we can start to lift diagnosed with covid—19 are this lockdown. but that needs huge surviving? while the data is incomplete, there is quite a bit we amounts of investment and can say. 0ur reality check chris infrastructure, and it also needs a conversation with the public as to pond chris morris explains. there are lots of are we prepared to potentially caveats and estimates in this but quarantine ourselves from our loved there are studies worth looking at. ones if we got the illness but also the uk doesn't issue daily information on how many people have fully to have all our recent contacts recovered, but other countries do. traced so that we can manage this, according to the latest french public health statistics, for example, of 82,000 confirmed cases, and that is a discussion that needs to be had as part of the planning 21,000 people have fully recovered for how we start to find our way out so far after leaving hospital, of this. is that a route that you and many others are on the mend. would be comfortable with the but that doesn't capture government going down if it had to? the whole picture. take a large—scale study from wuhan

in china in february, which covered 114,000 people. it showed that 80% there would need to be serious of diagnosed cases had only mild or moderate symptoms, safeguards on the measures in place which didn't require hospital around how long any data were kept treatment. in terms of the data that the government would have to collect, but i think that is a conversation the who thinks overall we need to have. we need to see what hospitalisation might be higher than that, but it still makes survival the options are, and i'm just rates seem more positive. suggesting that these are some of and there's more. the things that the who and other we also know that many people countries such as taiwan who manage infected with the virus show no symptoms at all. until we have reliable the outbreak very successfully have used, so we need to have that kind antibody test, we don't of public discussion and make sure know how many, but on the cruise that there are very clear safeguards ship the diamond princess injapan, in place and that they are not kept for example, nearly 20% for any longer than is absolutely of all positive cases showed no symptoms at all. necessary. we have seen a huge that is a fairly small sample, restriction already on our civil but its reasonable to assume that liberties, but the health and well—being of us and our loved ones in the uk and other countries, has to be an absolute priority, and eventually tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of people, will similarly be infected but show no symptoms. there is progress that we have made now, scientists are and we need to continue to make if looking at all of this, we wa nt and we need to continue to make if we want to find our way out of this and the best data at the moment still appears to be pointing crisis. we will have to leave it towards an estimated overall there, thank you very much for fatality rate of roughly 1%, joining us on bbc news, munira may be lower, which

means, don't forget, a wilson, the liberal democrat survival rate of around 99%. spokesperson. and we will be speaking to labour'sjonathan as hworth speaking to labour'sjonathan ashworth at half past six, so do stay with us for that. our political correspondentjess parker stay with us for that. our political now, those numbers are obviously not correspondent jess parker is stay with us for that. our political correspondentjess parker is in westminster for us. nearly as good for people who become correspondentjess parker is in seriously ill and require westminsterfor us. some interesting intensive care. questions to dominic raab about how far he is authorised to make big a uk study showed that of 2,249 patients admitted to an intensive decisions. yes, interestingly, care unit, 344 were discharged alive from critical care, while 346 dominic raab is patients died. the foreign secretary but also the the rest were at that stage first secretary of state and also still being treated. the person appointed to deputise for borisjohnson whilst there are important the person appointed to deputise for boris johnson whilst the variables to take into the person appointed to deputise for borisjohnson whilst the prime minister is in hospital. he was account. age, underlying health asked had he had any contact with the prime minister in recent days. conditions and so on. he said he hadn't. i think we have heard previously from dominic raab but it means there is data that he hadn't spoken to boris johnson since saturday, so that is which suggests that quite a number of days clearly now roughly 50% of all people in that study you have left icu have that dominic raab, borisjohnson's died. but a separate study of icus de facto deputy, has not had contact in italy showed slightly different with the prime minister. the focus figures, and the uk study suggest clearly for the prime minister, as that if a patient does not need dominic raab referred to, is to mechanical ventilation in the first 24 hours

of intensive care, recover, and in terms of an update the survival rate goes as to the parameter‘s condition, we up to at least 70%. are getting a few of those every make no mistake, anyone in icu day. no major changes, still in is seriously ill, but many people who go into intensive care will intensive care, he continues to make survive, and at the wider community, the overwhelming majority of people who are infected by this virus will positive steps forward, but the go on to make a full recovery. other thing dominic raab said is that he does have the authority he needs and the government has got this one covered. he of course was a slightly more optimistic view of the crisis that is going on. that is the person that shared the earlier cobra meeting, and as well that our reality check correspondent daily morning covid—19 meeting as chris morris. italy's prime minister has well. warned that the future of the european union is at risk are we still flying blind on that unless it acts decisively to help point? our political correspondentjessica countries worst hit by the pandemic. parker at westminster. thank you. he's pushing for a coordinated economic response from brussels, the uk economy is forecast to by allowing countries to share debt — an idea opposed by germany contract the uk economy is forecast to co ntra ct by the uk economy is forecast to contract by 14% in the coming and the netherlands. giuseppe conte has been speaking pandemic, afflicted three months to our correspondent, mark lowen. from april untiljune according to translation: experts are confirming the average projection of over a that the curve is starting to dozen top economists surveyed by the decline and stabilise. the number of infections is decreasing. we are bbc. while the same economists predict a similarly large positive confident that if we continue this way we will overcome the worst rebound after that this year the

uk's total economic output is still phase. but we cannot lower our anticipated to fall by a significant guard. we cannot go from a lockdown amount. i'm joined by former to liberalising all economic activity. we need to do it treasury chief forecaster richard gradually. when will the easing of hughes. he is a research associate restrictions begin? translation: for the independent tank the gradually. when will the easing of restrictions begin? translatiosz is likely that if scientists confirm resolution foundation. thank you for joining us. tells more this it, we might begin to relax some measures already by the end of this month. does italy feel let down by research. we are a long way off from the eu? translation: it is a big having any kind of economic data for the quarter as a whole but if you challenge to the existence of europe look at indicators both real—time and to the history of europe. we are not just writing pages indicators of economic activity, but and to the history of europe. we are notjust writing pages in the books of economics, we are writing pages also surveys done of employers and of individuals, it looks as though in history books. this is a big appointment with history and we the impact of social distancing cannot miss it. myself and other measures on economic activity reduces them by about a third, and european leaders need to rise to the that's based on the fact that that's challenge and there is no doubt that if our response isn't strong and estimates of people who we think can't work from home and therefore have to be off work. unified, if europe fails to come up it is also based on what employers with the monetary and financial policy adequate for the biggest are saying in surveys about their challenge since the second world plans for furloughing staff because they can't use them while social war, for sure, not only italians, distancing measures are in place, it also based on information about what but european citizens will be deeply is going on the consumption side of disappointed. if europe doesn't rise

the economy, based on credit card data, about a one third reduction in to this challenge, would the the level of consumption going on in european union risk failing itself? the level of consumption going on in the economy. and so what that means translation: there is this risk. if is if you have one third less activity going on in the economy, effect lasts for several weeks over we don't seize the opportunity to the course of the next quarter, put new life into the european that's going to reduce quarterly project of the risk is real. that's why i won't allow it to materialise, economic growth, activity, by quite a lot. the longer the period of i want to banish it. italy's prime shutdown extends the bigger and impact you can have on the economy minister, giuseppe conte 0'connor asa impact you can have on the economy as a whole. if you reduce economic activity by a third, for example the there. spain's prime minister says whole quarter, that could reduce gdp the latest coronavirus data suggests the country is close to the beginning of by double digit figures for the year a decline in the epidemic. asa pedro sanchez told parliament, by double digit figures for the year "the fire is starting as a whole. double digit figures, to come under control", ahead of a vote on the extension that's going to be extremely of a state of emergency frightening for a lot of people to by another two weeks. hear that. what is your best case the number of daily coronavirus deaths there slowed on thursday after two days of increases. more than 15,000 people have now died in spain, estimate of what might happen? yell and the country has more confirmed at the best case estimate is that social distancing measures are cases than any other in europe. effective in containing the outbreak of coronavirus, that testing allows as leaders across the regions of the people to move safely back into uk urge the public to respect social work. if we do see the vichy

distance and calls over easter, recovery keeping the loss of output greater manchester police and england have released a map showing down into the single digits and the extent of social gatherings potentially even less than we saw during the financial crisis, if there since lockdown began. 0verall they have received reports of more social distancing measures need to be in place longer to protect public than 1000 gatherings during the first two weeks of the lockdown. it health, or testing doesn't prove reliable and we need longer periods includes nearly 500 house parties, of shutdown in the economy, that could mean a much bigger hit to they are represented by the green output over the course of the year dots, and 160 six st parties asa output over the course of the year as a whole and a very big hit to represented by the brown dots, which output in the coming quarter. —— v they have had to shut down. it comes shaped. good to talk to you. thank as the government has urged people to once again remain inside despite you so much, richard hughes. the good weather predicted over the the first of seven repatriation flights from india coming easter weekend —— 166 street has arrived in london. the flight from goa landed at stansted airport this morning, carrying 316 passengers. parties. more than 20,000 british citizens, stranded in india have asked for assistance to get home. rajini vaidya nathan some people will be shocked by these figures. do you draw any distinction reports from delhi. between street parties and house we are leaving after seven weeks of parties? not in terms of what we are travel and day 18 of lockdown to ta ke trying to achieve because it is the travel and day 18 of lockdown to take the first girl at a london gathering together of a large number repatriation flight. for amanda of people wherever they are that is as hworth repatriation flight. for amanda ashworth and her children the start

the critical thing and is what ofa ashworth and her children the start of a long journey home, an abrupt people really must not do over this end to a family trip to goa. we are coming weekend. as you say, we have had nearly 1200 similar incidents in at the airport. amanda bought a seat the first two and a half weeks. i on the first repatriation fight for have just had reports today of uk citizens in india. last night a another 800 reports overnight from packed plane flew more than 300 brits home. as amanda returned to the public of incidents they feel are breaching the social distancing london, a family reunion which couldn't come soon enough. relieved, regulations. gmp have had to put a special team together to make sure really ha p py couldn't come soon enough. relieved, really happy to be home. my children we can respond to all of those. this are really happy to be home. my children a re really really happy to be home. my children are really happy to be home with my husband. but at the same time the uk causes two enormous problems. the government handled it very, very first is that it is taking the police away from other things they badly. they left us, ifelt are having to do in order to support government handled it very, very badly. they left us, i felt come out ona limb. the national effort. badly. they left us, i felt come out on a limb. there was no information we are having to deploy police given to us. it was very hard to officers to do other things with our have hope at some points that we we re have hope at some points that we were going to be able to get home, partner agencies and local just because of the lack of authorities, helping to establish the north west nightingale hospital information coming through. that is for instance, and this is taking a sentiment shared by the tens of police away from those activities. thousands of brits stuck in india. but much more importantly, it is why has it taken three weeks to get jeopardising the well—being of these first repatriation flights

started when other nations started everybody, it isjeopardising getting their people back almost jeopardising the well—being of everybody, it is jeopardising the national effort towards getting through this virus as quickly as immediately as a lockdown was possible by risking the infection of called. germany has already flown more than 3000 of its citizens back more people, more people dying as a from india. where commercial flights result of that, and the health service not being able to cope. it are no longer running, the is absolutely critical that over government will provide the this weekend and beyond that people necessary financial support for special charter flights to bring stop gathering, they stay inside and necessary financial support for special charterflights to bring uk nationals back home. more than a week on and many brits in india are they respect the regulations that running out of food, medicine and are being put in place. in your view money. i talked to a woman in punjab what is going on? is the message not getting through, or are people and today she is still stranded and deliberately flouting the rules?|j scared. we want to be home with our think it is a mixture and i want to families. we want to be back on uk say that first of all the vast majority of the public, 88—90% are soil as soon as possible before complying rigorously and things can get even more severe voluntarily, and we are really grateful to them. but there is a here. and at the end of the day, we minority of people who either don't understand the significance of what just feel that we have not been they are doing, or who are flouting listened to, no one cares, no one it. there certainly are some who are bothers, it is appalling. this week, flouting it. the first person in flights leave from goa, delhi and

greater manchester was charged with failing to comply under the mumbai, but one mp wants to know why other parts of india have been coronavirus act last saturday. she was hosting a party with lots of people in the house, the police ignored. a large number of brits in india are in the punjab and in attended and did what they always do gujarat, and that is what we as mp5 in the first instance, which is have been telling the foreign office encourage people to disperse in a again and again that that is where very polite way. everybody the demand from constituents is, and dispersed, only to wait until they so that is why they are feeling thought the police had gone and then discriminated against because many of them are elderly, fast running came straight back to the party. and at that point she was charged. and out of medicine and if other nations can do it why can't we? as india rightly so. and although the police don't want to enforce, they don't remains on lockdown, officials in wa nt to don't want to enforce, they don't want to spend their time enforcing, the uk say they are working to get if people are deliberately flouting, eve ryo ne the uk say they are working to get everyone home. but with an estimated after they are asked to move away, 20,000 brits in the country, it to disperse, they failed to do so, could take time. we will use the legislation to enforce the regulations. a man who fled the war we will use the legislation to enforce the regulationslj we will use the legislation to enforce the regulations. i was going to say, it is a couple of weeks in syria, and came to the uk as a refugee, since the police have had these applied to become a cleaner greater powers. would you back them in a london hospital as soon as the coronovirus if they feel the need to use these pandemic broke out. hassan akkad made a documentary about his journey to the uk — powers more forcefully? we don't and it won a bafta. now he's disinfecting covid—19 wards feel there is a need for any more — he sys its his way powers here in greater manchester,

but what we are saying now is that — he says it's his way it has been a very light touch so of giving back to britain. far. in addition to that case i have i was very nervous when i applied for the job because again, just described, we have only issued i heard the news of shortage of ppe, nurses and doctors getting ill so far six fixed penalty notices under the legislation, but we will and some of them are dying but that in itself pushed me more, be wanting to see everybody obey the it was a motivation because i knew rules, because the rules are about if, the hospital is a hotspot staying safe. it is about not for the virus, then disinfecting and cleaning the hospital is equally spreading the infection, helping the important as treating patients helpless. and at a time when we see pictures of health service workers and being on the wards. in hospitals in the most difficult conditions, when people throughout i was nervous, but i the retail sector are ensuring that showed up on day one, the retail sector are ensuring that the rest of us can have a food last monday and the company supply, which provides the training, serco, the rest of us can have a food supply, when people are doing they were reassuring, essential jobs that are supply, when people are doing essentialjobs that are helping the they told me that you would be given rest of us keep going, the full ppe and i started and it has been ten days and, honestly, contribution to this national effort i have taken so manyjobs in my life but i have to say this is one thatis contribution to this national effort that is in our gift to make is for of the most honourable jobs i will ever do in my life. those of us who can stay at home to well, we all thank you and it stay at home. and this is our is vitally important,

we have just shown the photo contribution to the national effort, and i'm imploring people to make of you with the ppe and i know one of the problems with the ppe is that it is tricky to communicate, that contribution and not to go out by definition, with a mask of the house at the weekend. over your face, but what sort of conversations are you able baroness beverley hughes, to have, are you able manchester's deputy mayor for policing, thank you so much for to talk to patients, speaking to us. to explain anything? i know you can only get so close by definition, well, some police officers working what sort of experiences on the front line around are you having? the uk are facing difficult it is difficult to breathe and it is difficult to communicate incidents as they try to monitor social distancing in ppe because having that mask protocols over coronavirus. they include being spat on the whole time, it is not at and having their dogs attacked by planks of wood. pleasant, but i have to say, i try as much as i can and i am west midlands police have released disinfecting and spraying a video on their social media — and cleaning, i have been doing this showing what they're job for ten days and when i walk in, tackling on the front line. they wave at me and i wave back at them in the morning, he's going to get corona! "hi, how are you?" some of these guys could definitely be my neighbours and ifeel so thrilled that i am disinfecting they say some callous crooks are using covid—19 as a threat and at the same time, to intimidate our officers and the wider public. we have these small talks. i see people talking they say, we've seen several cases to their loved ones,

i see patients reading a book where offenders have coughed or spat at officers, or threatened to, after claiming they have and it is tough being there, coronavirus symptoms. well, i spoke to the sussex police i'm not going to lie to you, and crime commissioner, katy bourne, earlier, and asked if such incidents but i have to say the people, were in the minority. the nurses and the consultants, certainly forces up the catering assistants, and down the country are unfortunately experiencing this. they are absolutely heroic and incredible people. in my own force area of sussex, we've recently seen a man jailed i am not the hero here, they are, for 12 weeks for spitting i have taken this job temporarily, at officers and saying he had but these people have been doing covid—19, and this kind of behaviour is completely unacceptable. spitting at the best this for years and they are from all of times is disgusting, but doing it and intentionally trying to harm others, over the world, just our one ward, especially police officers there are over 20 nationalities who are putting themselves in harm's way, will be dealt and that says a lot about the nhs with very severely. and how diverse it is and i think but i would hope that the majority we should embrace diversity in that sense. of people are abiding by the rules, and that the police only intervene when they really, really have to? you are absolutely right. that was hassan akkad speaking earlier to jane. the clap for carers will take place again tonight. for the messaging certainly from the top the third week millions of us are of the national police chiefs preparing to clap at apm to say thank you to health workers in the council that's coming down to police

forces at the moment is about engaging with the public, fight against coronavirus. there explaining why we will of course be live coverage from are all doing this. we've been in three weeks so far. around the country on bbc one and let's not give up on what also on the bbc news channel, so do we've already achieved. at the end of the day, forces only want to use tune infor also on the bbc news channel, so do enforcement as a last resort. tune in for that. that was katie bourne, the sussex police and crime commissioner. for now it's time for the weather. contrast in the way the weather looks and feels across the uk today, for many warmth and sunshine, but not for all. this frontal system providing more cloud across much of another 6.6 million americans scotla nd providing more cloud across much of scotland and northeast england. some have filed new claims sunshine to the north, but some for unemployment benefit in the past colder air. we got the front with week, taking the total number to have lost theirjobs since the coronavirus pandemic scotla nd colder air. we got the front with gripped the us economy scotland to northeast england for to more than 15 million. it's the sharpest rise in unemployment ever seen some rain and drizzle. elsewhere, in the united states. further sunshine through the new york recorded its highest number afternoon. high tree pollen levels. of deaths from the pandemic yesterday, with 779 people dying you could see temperatures up to 24, in the state. the governor, andrew cuomo, warned fatalities are likely to rise maybe 25 celsius for central, further, although there are signs the rate of infection southern and southeast england. just could be slowing. nine celsius for northeast england the virus is hitting the city's poorest communities hardest —

and parts of eastern scotland with with black, asian and hispanic the wind of that cold north sea. people suffering disproportionately. nada tawfik sent this through this evening and overnight, we will see some patchy light rain report from the bronx. working its way northward into the northern isles. elsewhere it's dry. the coronavirus has changed there are skies. every where well everything about life and now it uppending the rituals of death. above freezing. into good friday, there will be a good deal of sunshine for much of northern island, england, wales. a few showers across the far north of darlene lost her 83—year—old father england but it's scotland with the william to covid—19 on the eve of her birthday. greater chance of seeing some and now she must say her final showers tomorrow. could be heavy and fun to read. some warmth returning goodbyes without the traditional service. your loved ones go to the singlet after a cold, cloudy in, and that's it. you don't get to see them no more. day today. amateurs up to the high even if you make an arrangement. teens. we could see those you are being told it temperatures touching 24, maybe 25 celsius. into saturday, more can't be an open casket. sunshine for much of england, wales and northern ireland, turning cloudy here through the day. i chance of seeing some showers once again across scotland and starting to turn it has to be a memorial. her father was supposed to be buried in cooler. holding onto that warmth. as north carolina alongside his mother and sister, instead, he will be cremated.

we go into easter, here is where we start to see some changes. you can see in the atlantic, this frontal darlene's mother is still system pushing its way eastwards. we in the hospital after also are much more likely to see showers being infected by the by the virus. developing on sunday. they could be the family hasn't on the sharp side. turning cloudy, broken the news of his death her yet. i don't want them to cooler and breezy are across tell my mother that. scotla nd cooler and breezy are across scotland and all of us starting to see the temperature easing away through easter sunday. that's the because i am afraid that trend as we go into bank holiday if they tell my mom, she might regress. they have been married 62 years. monday. it's colder air sleeping morgues and funeral homes across the uk. we could see some are so overwhelmed that families in some cases patchy rain across central, southern are having to wait one week or more to bury their loved ones. england. that will clear away and then most of us will have a day of variable cloud, sunny spells but for coronavirus deaths hit record all of us, it's going to be feeling highs this week in new york, and where they happen quite a bit colder. bye—bye. to tell is a larger story. the death toll starkly illustrates inequalities in american society. low—income communities in the bronx are separated byjust a riverfrom manhattan but they might as well be most of us will have a day of variable cloud, sunny spells. a world away. death rates here dwarf but for all of us it's going to be that of its wealthy neighbour. feeling quite a bit colder. more than ever, these bye— bye. communities need support. 0rganisations such as

world central kitchen are delivering meals to public housing projects to make sure no one goes hungry. when you are in one of the poorest communities in the country, it already was a challenge, small businesses, they can't wait weeks for help, they need it in days. and so, what people are watching right now is what happens when you don't invest in addressing poverty for generations. there is hope that cases of infections may have peaked after the deadliest week yet. but, until the threat is gone, the city remains on a war footing. ned tawfik, bbc news, new york. farmers have had to discard thousands of litres of fresh milk, after a big drop in demand. with cafes, restaurants and hotels closed because of coronavirus, some dairy farmers fear they'll go out of business — which they say could lead to a shortage of milk in the future. it's too early to lift the lockdown, says the government, alex forsyth reports.

it's waste on so many levels. as almost 900 more people fresh milk, and all lose their lives. the work that it took police step up checks ahead to produce it, literally of the easter weekend down the drain. as we are reminded of the need some farmers are having to pour away to stay at home and not make thousands of litres of unnecessary journeys. perfectly good milk because it's not let's not undo the gains we've made, being collected from their farms and it can't be stored. let's not waste the sacrifices it is quite heartbreaking, so many people have made. to be honest, seeing we mustn't give the coronavirus it come straight out of the pipe a second chance to kill more people and straight into the drain. and to hurt our country. especially when we have to work so hard for so little at the moment. my father is now 70 and has been farming his whole life and he's never dumped milk in his life. he also said the prime minister remains in intensive care it's having a massive effect, notjust on the bank account and continues to make but on everybody who is down positive steps forward. in the dumps and everything the agony of losing a loved like that, you know? one in this crisis — tony wilkes broke his arm and caught the dairy farms affected, like this the virus in hosptial. he died alone. one near birmingham, produce it was just so dreadful that no one was able to visit him for three milk that was destined for cafes, weeks and furthermore no one hotel chains and airlines. was able to be with him but that demand has dried up because those businesses have slowed right down or shut completely. but of course, the cows keep producing and need milking two or three times a day. the farmer here had to throw away 4,500 litres earlier this week after being told it wouldn't be picked up for processing, and he is worried about the impact

on his income. it's devastating, devastating for us, the whole industry is in freefall at the moment. with not knowing how long this is going to carry on and where we are going to end up, if we make it to when things reopen. you know, potentially the banks could foreclose and that would be the end of my dairy farm and there won't be any milk then to supply once things get back to normal. there is work going on to try and redirect some of the milk meant for the hospitality industry, places like coffee shops, and get it into supermarkets instead. the government says it's talking to farmers and to the firms which pick up and process the milk to work out what support the dairy sector needs. but it's not easy to change supply chains quickly and there could still be a milk surplus. many dairy farmers were already struggling. some have seen the amount

they are paid for milk cut, so there is fear for the future. the implications long—term that when the market does return to normal that those farms may not be there to supply the market, so actually, we will either become more reliant on imports into the uk, because we are not self—sufficient in dairy products as we are at the moment, and the fact we could actually see shortages again when demand picks back up. many dairy farms are seeking support so they don't become another casualty of coronavirus and stop the situation getting worse. alex forsyth, bbc news. we can talk now to peter alvis — he's a dairy farmer and cheese producer — he's also the chairman of the royal association of british dairy farmers. dreadful to hear of this waste that is going on. i guess this has hit dairy farmers unevenly in farmers who sell to supermarkets are presumably all right? that is

correct. the farmers selling to supermarkets are still seeing good demand, and some of the milk that has been going into catering is going to supermarkets as well. the challenge is that we aren't able to process all of that milk and get it into the supermarkets, just mainly because of the logistics of having it collected and having it processed into the right area. with the supermarkets take it if you could get it to them? they would take more i'm sure, because until the shelves are full, then we can keep putting products onto them. but at the moment, that isn't a possibility. and is the problem the supermarkets' and all the farmers' ed, or what? the real problem is the bottleneck in processing. this time of year, the cows are just going out on the grass, they have just carved, and we have more milk than we have any other time of year, so it come as a double whammy, that we have flush milk when the processing capacity is

normally at 100% anyway, and we are trying to do that much more to take up trying to do that much more to take up the slack from the catering trade. this may be a naive question, but is it possible to stop milking the cows, or milk them less? it is not easy to do that. some adjustments can be made with a bit of feeding and that sort of thing, but at this time of year when the cows have just calved, the but at this time of year when the cows havejust calved, the milk but at this time of year when the cows have just calved, the milk will keep coming and we have to find a way of getting income into farms to be able to compensate them if their milk is not collected. but you also need to keep the dairy farm is going, don't you, for when we come out of the crisis? we do, without a doubt. hopefully we will be out of the crisis before too long, and once people start going back to cathays, coffee shops and other food service outlets, we are going to need that product. and if we can't look after those farmers and keep them viable, we will end up importing more

products, and we won't have the dairy farms products, and we won't have the dairyfarms in products, and we won't have the dairy farms in the uk to do that. so what specifically do you want the government to do? we would like government to do? we would like government to do? we would like government to have a look at whether or not funding could be put in place so that those farmers that are directly affected by this crisis, so those whose milk was going directly into food service and currently can't find a market, we would like the government to step up and pay for some of that milk, or compensate them for the loss of value, because at the end of the day, we do need them as a viable unit when we come out the other end. ok. we will have to leave it there. peter alvis, thank you very much. chair of the royal association of british dairy farmers. if you are looking for somewhere free of coronavirus, you might need a russian rocket to get there. a

russian cosmonaut said that right now, the space station is the safest place to be. with the pandemic sweeping the world, here is the idea. leave the planet. i russian so soyuz rocket blasts off with three cosmonauts inside. the new crew for the international space station. coronavirus had affected pre—flight preparations. the three men had been in tighter quarantine than usual before the launch, with contact kept toa before the launch, with contact kept to a bare minimum, and that meant no family members present for lift off. we would love to have our here with us, but we but we understand we have to do this to be safe. you don't wa nt to to do this to be safe. you don't want to come down with covid—19 up

here. but assuming they stay healthy, the crew will be well away from the dramas back on earth. although space flight always carries a particular risk, we understand that for the next few months, the international space station will probably be the safest place on earth. of course, self—isolation comes naturally to a spaceman. no popping to the shops orjogging on the park up to the shops orjogging on the park up here. 250 miles above the surface of the earth, the crew will be setting an example to us all. on the international space station, they will be staying home for the next six months. scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon, has urged people to observe social distancing rules during the easter weekend. during her weekly briefing in the last hour, she said there were now almost 5,000 cases of coronavirus in scotland,

with 212 people in intensive care, and 81 more people have died in the last 24 hours. the total number of covid—related deaths in scotland is now 447. the first minister stressed the importance of halting the spread of the disease. since we are about to enter the easter weekend. i want to conclude with a strong reemphasis of the vital importance of everyone following public health restrictions that are in place and staying at home, except for the permitted essential purposes. i know how hard it is for people to do that. it will seem even harder over this easter holiday weekend, especially for families with children, and indeed for the children themselves, and for older people who would normally be spending time with their grandchildren. so, please, stay in touch with family, friends and loved ones in whatever alternative way best works for you. reach out to and look out for people even as you stay

physically apart from them. but please, do follow the rules and stay at home over easter. by doing that, all of us can help to slow down the spread of this virus, we can help to protect our national health service and we can also help to save lives. so i will end by thanking everybody in advance for doing the right thing over this weekend. scotland's first minister speaking a little earlier. work is under way around the clock to turn the principality stadium in cardiff into a 2,000—bed field—hospital to help ease pressure on the nhs. it's usually seen packed with welsh rugby fans, creating one of sport's most unique atmospheres, but as our wales correspondent hywel griffith found out, the mood is very different there this morning. this would normally be the players' tunnel into one of britain's biggest stadiums. instead, it has become an entrance to ysbyty calon y ddraig, the dragon's heart hospital, which is at the centre of the welsh effort in this coronavirus pandemic. the principality stadium will, we are told, eventually have

capacity for 2,000 beds. initially when it opens on sunday and if this work can be completed it will start off with space for 300 patients. we are told those patients will be ones who are recovering from coronavirus, so they won't have critical care ventilators here necessarily to offer that intensive care. the hope is that patients who have been through that process potentially could come here. either for their recovery. we are told also for palliative care for people who sadly may be reaching the end of their life. the stadium has been converted before to be a field hospital for use on new year's eve, for accident and emergency missions. because it has got a roof it has also been used for pop concerts in the past, so it's not the first time by any means that the pitch has been covered, people driving over it, putting infrastructure into place. this is clearly a very, very different effort and a very, very different time. the local health board hope this will provide them with enough capacity.

but the truth is no—one really knows at the moment how many beds they will need to use. we have seen the number of cases rise in wales every day and we have seen the number of deaths in wales rise every day as well. now, it is a 24—hour effort. you can see the workmen out there at the moment. there is scaffold at the moment going in to place to provide some more infrastructure. around the side i have seen beds ready to bring out of the cardboard boxes and to put into place. we are told that some ventilators will be put in here as well. but as i said, the hope is this will be for recovering patients, or sadly, for those who are nearing the end of their life. wales correspondent hywel griffith reporting there. 29% british companies reduced staff levels over the short term as the coronavirus crisis hammered the country's economy, a survey published by the office for national statistics has revealed. i'm joined now by the deputy national statistician for 0ns — iain bell. what have you as an organisation been looking at during this crisis?

i know you have been running a number of surveys, what have you been looking at? we have been looking at surveys both of households, looking at how well people are complying and changing their behaviour as a result, it also serving businesses, as you just mentioned. first of all, i'd like to thank the respondents because it is through then we are able to give these insights. today present release, as you said, showed that businesses were beginning to adjust, 29% had reduced staff numbers in order to cope with the covid—19 pandemic. this was particularly amongst arts, recreation, pandemic. this was particularly amongstarts, recreation, leisure and a combination of food sectors in the economy. we have also done a survey and most of the responses to this were when we were being encouraged to stay at home, yet to go into lockdown. what that showed

is that people were very worried about covid—19 and the possibility of one of them or their family being infected, 85% worried, but this translated itself into a large number of people with nine out of ten adults increasing frequency of hand washing in line with guidance and nine out of ten actually staying at home to reduce their contact with friends and family. that suggests a very wide level of public understanding of the importance of staying home. yes, it does suggest this, even that weekend of the 21st/ 22nd of march people had very high levels of understanding of the importance of reducing contact with family and friends. however, it is worth bearing in mind, though, that one in ten not complying still equates to over 6 million people, and that's a lot of people. you mentioned a little earlier that nearly a third of small businesses

reporting that they have laid off staff. what impact has there been on people's personal finances according to your surveys? on finances, people are worried about it, so 60% of our respondents said that they were worried or very worried that there would be a reduction in their personal finances as a result of it. this was particularly amongst those who were self—employed were 85% of respondents were worried about the impact on their finances. but that was of course before the announcement of further help for self employed and other employees. you are going to continue doing these surveys during this crisis? yes. the surveys are ongoing. the survey of people in their homes has continued a week since then and there will be new results every thursday coming out for that and the survey of businesses is running

every fortnight and will continue to provide insights into how business and the economy is changing. i'm sure we will be talking to you again in that case. for the time being, thank you so much, iain bell, from the office for national statistics. the uk's organ transplant network could be forced to close because of the coronavirus pandemic. 0fficials who run the programme so the number of people in needing intensive care at the moment means there are fewer beds available for both potential organ donors and recipients. and there is a risk to the transplants you have to have the immune system

is suppressed so the body doesn't reject the new organ. here is our health correspondent dominic hughes. we just want to know what is happening. it is the unknown that is

scary. getting weaker every day, in desperate need of a liver transplant. and it is shielding herself but the coronavirus epidemic poses a terrible dilemma. if she was offered a transplant, should she risk infection in hospital, or miss out on a life—saving operation? having to go into hospital while there are coronavirus patients on there are coronavirus patients on the same ward is very worrying. the longer i leave it i could get more and more sick and it is a matter of life and death. the uk's organ donation network shows the number of transplants carried out each day has plummeted three march. this time last year more than 80 transplants a week were being carried out and now only the most urgent operations are

happening such as liver and heart transplants and of 23 kitten units in the uk only four are still operating, none of them in scotland, wales or northern ireland. the decline in transplants is linked to the pressure covid—19 is placing on

intensive care beds. 0rgan donors a charity working with military children says it's seen an increase in families needing support since the coronavirus outbreak — and is calling on the mod to set aside funding, like it has done for veterans.around 9,000 british troops are currently serving overseas — many are stuck in countries on lockdown and have had leave cancelled or deployments extended, meaning they don't know when they'll next get home to their families. the charity little troopers says the impact — especially on children — is huge. rachel stonehouse reports. and i miss him tucking me into bed at night. it feels slightly scary and frustrating because i don't know when i'll see him again. the family had been looking

forward to dad george returning from cyprus, but he is stuck there because of the coronavirus. theyjust haven't got that relationship with him at the moment, which is really tough. and not knowing, they haven't got an end date to look forward to. we're not even part of a unit welfare because our unit welfare is in cyprus. and you moved here because you are expecting george to start a job in wiltshire. he supposedly has got his next job just up the road, but that posting has been put on hold, so we don't know when he is going to leave cyprus, when he is coming home or even if he will get thatjob or will have to go to another one. if you had known what we know now about lockdown, would you still have made that move out of living a military life on a base? no, probably not. and if i'd known this was going to happen, i would have gone to cyprus. there are currently around 9000 uk troops deployed abroad, but with countries across the world in lockdown, flights grounded and leave cancelled, many now have no idea when they will next

see their loved ones. a charity working with military children says they have seen an increase in people reaching out for support because of the uncertainty. we often don't have exact days, but we know roughly when that separation period is going to come to an end, and we have an end point that we are reaching for. at the moment, there isjust no timescale. people are saying, a six deployment is looking like it is going to be a year. and for children, to have a parent absent from the family home for up to a year is just absolutely really difficult for families to be coming to terms with. they're now calling on the mod to help families, like amy whose husband is in the raf and working in nigeria. we were supposed to be seeing him injune, but that has been cancelled. how do you feel about it being cancelled? a bit gutted, to say the least.

we were all really looking forward to it, especially the children. but honestly we don't know what's happening. we don't even know if he will be able to get a flight back, because nigeria is now on lockdown as well. in response, the ministry of defence says it acknowledges we were all really looking forward to it, especially the children. in response, the ministry of defence says it acknowledges the extra pressure on military families, and is stepping up support. but in the meantime, for lily, iris and buck, the long wait to see their dad continues. 0ne one person recovering is primary school brian from london. he was discharged last night, and joins us now from his home. brian, what does it feel like to be home? i can't put it into words. it is

just amazing to be around the people you love when you thought you might not see them again. it's an amazing thing. we can see that on your face. tell me what happened. when did you first become ill, and how did it develop? on the friday, when the schools were closed down, on the saturday i started feeling like i had flu. 0n the monday, my temperature rose, so that was saturday the 21st of march, and on the monday, my temperature rose to 40, andi the monday, my temperature rose to 40, and i wasjust so the monday, my temperature rose to 40, and i was just so lethargic, the monday, my temperature rose to 40, and i wasjust so lethargic, it just wiped me out. the reason i wa nted just wiped me out. the reason i wanted to speak to you is because i'm an average person. i was washing my hands, doing everything i could, and this virus took me and threw me to the floor. i was at home because

ididn't want to the floor. i was at home because i didn't want to be a burden to the nhs, because i know how wonderful they are and overstretched. so i stayed at home for two weeks, and this is what i've been reading, people are trying to do their best to stay away, and they leave it too long. thankfully our gp called us. we call the gp, and they had had a video conference with us, and they checked my pulse rate and to my chest compression and things, and they told us to phone 909. we went back into the covid—19 centre, and they said they would give us another video call, so we were a bit lost, we we re video call, so we were a bit lost, we were really worried. my wife is so brilliant. she wanted to phone the gp again, so luckily the gp phoned us again on thursday the 2nd of april, my younger brother's

birthday, and they checked us again, and they said, you need to get an ambulance, so we asked them to phone the ambulance, and they did, and within one hour the ambulance came to pick me up, two lovely men came to pick me up, two lovely men came to see me. i was upstairs, we are lucky enough to have our loft converted. i couldn't get out of bed to go to the toilet, it had wiped me out. having a shower almost killed me. so the two ambulance men took my stats. my oxygen levels were down i was tachycardia. the scale, i was on a number nine, and i think ten is totally serious, so they put me in the ambulance, they carried me downstairs. i did offer to try to walk, but i couldn't. they carried

me all the way downstairs and put me in the ambulance and took me to hospital under blue lights, and then i was hospital under blue lights, and then iwas in, hospital under blue lights, and then i was in, and hospital under blue lights, and then iwas in, and ijust hospital under blue lights, and then i was in, and ijust needed oxygen. this covid—19, it takes over your lungs. i want everyone to know this is serious stuff. this will kill you. so all the people that are not listening to the information and going out and just spreading, you may have this, you may spread it to other people, to your loved ones. it wipes them out. i am a fit man, i play football on a monday, i love life, and it nearly took me. i was in hospital, they took my blood is, they put me on oxygen and then later that night i was up on the ward with

two men, one was 83, he will be 84 on the 19th of april, and another quy on the 19th of april, and another guy who is really struggling, really struggling. they were both far worse than me. one had a full, so i took it upon myself, i thought i'm going to ta ke it upon myself, i thought i'm going to take these two boys with me, i'm going to make sure that they survive, because they seemed really lovely blokes. ijust want survive, because they seemed really lovely blokes. i just want to jump m, lovely blokes. i just want to jump in, brian, because you have got so much to say, and you've been through such a terrible experience. you won't know this, but while you were speaking, we were shown pictures of you first getting oxygen in hospital, and then a lovely picture of you with your family taken clearly a little earlier, but looking very different. you look as if you've lost a lot of weight now. i've lost about two stone in weight. i know all my friends are taking the mickey out of my beard, i haven't been able to shave for 18 days. and

you also sound a little bit breathless still? very much so. when i got home i wanted to play in the garden with my sons. my son is leo and frankie and my sonjack who was older, but even walking up the stairs, want to talk to my lovely neighbours, they have been bringing food to my wife and helping out, bringing cakes. i wanted to talk to them. i want to share this story, because i want to save as many people as possible. i know it sounds a bit strange, but i have really learned that life is so important, so we have got to try to get this message out, because some people are not listening to the information, and they are putting other people at risk, putting themselves at risk, putting the wonderful nhs staff. they are really scared. they are

fearing for their lives, but they still come in to help people. you can't let them down. all the bus drivers, the shopkeepers, the people that are keeping our country running, we've got to look after them. we've got to save them. i heard a gentleman earlier who went in to become a hospital cleaner after suffering lots on his life, and this is what people need to do, to step up and save our communities, save our society, because it is really important. that message is very, very clear from you, really important. that message is very, very clearfrom you, brian. i just wanted to ask as well, you have said you want to go back to hospital to talk to other patients who have had covid—19. to talk to other patients who have had covid-19. yes, i want to give them a positive message, to show them a positive message, to show them that they can beat it. they have got to really suck in the

oxygen, drink lots of water, eat lots of fruits like bananas, try to force food down just to get stronger, but keep positive. a message to all their loved ones, if they can phone them, face time them, they can phone them, face time them, they need to see you. they need to hear what they've got to live for. so get to them and help them through it, and so i want to go back and talk to all the covid—19, the nurses are saying they are so scared. i wa nt to are saying they are so scared. i want to go in and try to help them, because hopefully one of my friends saidi because hopefully one of my friends said i am an ex man now, i am a mutant, i may be immune. nobody really knows, but i'm willing to go backinif really knows, but i'm willing to go back in if there is ppe equipment. the government are doing all they can, i understand this. i think the chancellor has been brilliant, he is

talking factual and truth. he said, we can't save everyone, i can't save everyone, and that is a great message, because people need truth. the health secretary is throwing impossible targets, 100,000 tests, it is really important to get these tests done, because that is the only way we are going to beat this thing, but why didn't he say 50,000? but we are going to try to do as much as possible. we shalljust have to see where he could reach that target. brian, it has been absolutely lovely to talk to you, and so wonderful to see that you are back home after clearly a very serious and frightening experience. thank you so much for talking to us. beta-macro, cani much for talking to us. beta-macro, can ijust much for talking to us. beta-macro, can i just say one much for talking to us. beta-macro, can ijust say one more thing? go—ahead. can ijust say one more thing? go-ahead. there are families at school that are making stay at home bracelets to raise money for charity. my brother's friend mick, who knew i was coming on, said if i

say the word bananas, he will give £100 to the nhs. and he has got some other people to do the same, so that is why i put in bananas, but i did it, so you've got to pay! you have done it, well done brian, and thank you so much for talking to us here on bbc news, good luck with your recovery. head of the daily updates from downing street which were expecting in the next half hour or so, the foreign secretary dominic raab has been sharing the cobra meeting, deputising for borisjohnson who is in hospital. scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon was part of the meeting. the position and advice from all four governments after this cobra meeting is the same as it has

been, that advice is to stay at home apart from the permitted essential purposes, and that is important for us to slow down the spread of the virus, protect the nhs and save lives. that is the advice going into and through the easter weekend, and thatis and through the easter weekend, and that is the advice as we come out of the easter weekend as well. we simply don't yet have the evidence all the data about the impact of the restrictions that have been in place yet for us to have confidence about starting to lift these measures. 0bviously starting to lift these measures. obviously as that evidence becomes available, we will be in a position to review the situation, but for the meantime, the strong advice is to stay at home. premier league footballers in england have launched an initiative to raise money for the nhs. it comes after criticism, including from the government, that top flight players should do more during the pandemic, by taking a pay cut. here's our sports correspondent, natalie pirks. cheering. it is a football league with deep rivalries and players with deep pockets. last night, competition ceased for one

common goal. in a statement, the players together initiative said... it is the brainchild of liverpool captain jordan henderson. the amount donated will be anonymous and decided by each individual squad, a move welcomed by other premier league captains. it is the power of everybody coming together. you know, it is one thing, one football club donating somewhere, whether that is local or to the nhs, which is great, but i think it shows that we are united as one, really. this is a great chance and opportunity for players to show how much the nhs means to us. footballers are a convenient punchbag and have been feeling the heat recently, not least from the health secretary.

the first thing that premier league footballers can do is make a contribution, take a pay cut and play their part. today, matt hancock tweeted he warmly welcomed this bighearted decision, but many feel now his focus should move elsewhere. as long as we focus on football, society absolves itself of its responsibility. when we see young working—class boys who all of a sudden become millionaires, we think they owe us more than those that went to oxford or harrow. all of sport has been feeling the heat. rugby union players in england and wales have taken pay cuts across the board, and many cricket clubs have furloughed, and today southampton became the first premier league club to agree a wage deferralfor the next three months. this is to ensure nonplaying staff receive their salaries. everything is changing, sport's landscape perhaps forever.

and just a reminder that the clap for carers will take place again tonight. for the third week, millions of us are preparing to clap at 8pm — to say thank you to health workers in the fight against coronavirus. there'll be live coverage from around the country on bbc one and the bbc news channel. we are hoping to get more on that and an update on the condition of the prime minister. 0ur chief political correspondent vicki young is in westminster for political correspondent vicki young is in westminsterfor us. vicki, just looking again at the issue of the lockdown. the message has been

pretty clear that it is unlikely, we are unlikely to hear about any changes or lifting. i beg your pardon, the press conference is about to start. good afternoon and welcome to today's downing street press conference. i'm joined today's downing street press conference. i'mjoined by today's downing street press conference. i'm joined by chris whitty and sir patrick vallance, the chief scientific adviser. can i start with an update on the prime minister. he is still in intensive care, but he continues to make positive steps forward and he is in good spirits. i can also report from the government because my ongoing monitoring testing programme that has of today, 243,421 people have been tested for the virus, 65,077 have tested positive and the number of people admitted to hospital with coronavirus symptoms now stands at 16,784. of coronavirus symptoms now stands at 16,784. of those who have contracted

the virus, 7978 have sadly died, and our thoughts and prayers are with theirfamilies our thoughts and prayers are with their families and friends. the whole country has been practising a stringent form of social distancing for three weeks now, precisely because we are doing everything we can to minimise the peak numbers that i have just read out. can to minimise the peak numbers that i havejust read out. and can to minimise the peak numbers that i have just read out. and for that i have just read out. and for that i have just read out. and for that i want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has gone the extra mile during this very challenging period. thank you to all of those who are looking after us in ourtime of of those who are looking after us in our time of need, the nhs workers on the front line, who have treated the sick, save lives and tended to those who sadly could not be saved. for the doctors and nurses who have died of coronavirus whilst caring for others, we will never forget their sacrifice. we will never forget their devotion to helping others. i also want to say a big thank you to the carers, the charity workers, all

those looking after or even just keeping an eye on those in their local neighbourhood. you are the lifeline to so many people in our communities. thank you to the workers who keep the country running, the supermarket workers, the delivery drivers, the technicians, the cleaners, the public servants, who just kept going. determined to keep providing the daily services that we all rely on. i think you have certainly made us all think long and hard about who the key workers are in our lives. thank you to the volunteers who have stepped up across the country, whose bighearted sense of responsibility defines british community spirit at its very best. and a massive thank you to every single person who stayed home to stop this terrible virus from spreading. you have helped to protect the nhs, and you have helped to save lives. now, as

we look forward to the long bank holiday easter weekend, i know some people are going to start wondering if it is time to ease up on the rules, so i have to say thank you for your sacrifice, but also, we are not done yet. we must keep going. let mejust explain not done yet. we must keep going. let me just explain a little bit about why that is so important. today i chaired a cobra meeting with senior ministers, officials and representatives from scotland, wales and northern ireland as well as the mayor of london so that we could ta ke mayor of london so that we could take stock and assess where we are right across the united kingdom. and at this stage, the government is continuing to gather all of the releva nt continuing to gather all of the relevant data to obtain the fullest picture possible of the effects of the social distancing measures that we have put in place. while the early signs suggest that they are having the impact that we need to see, it is too early to say that conclusively. sage will meet next week to discuss the latest evidence, and will keep the measures we have put in place under review. as we

have said on many occasions now, we will be guided by the science at all times. so we don't expect to be able to say more on this until the end of next week. and let me just to be again very clear about this. the measures will have to stay in place until we have got the evidence that clearly shows we have moved beyond the peak. now i know these restrictions take their toll day in and day out on people's livelihoods and day out on people's livelihoods and quality—of—life and mental health, and i appreciate that it is often the little things that hurt the most. with the easter bank holiday coming up, i would normally spend it with my two boys, seven and five years old, doing an easter egg hunt. lots of people would normally be planning a family to get together or getting out in sunshine because but right now we can't do that. i'm sorry about that. but just take a

moment to think of the progress were that we have already made, following the guidance, taking it home, looking what it means to protect people. we have started to see the impact of the sacrifices we have all made. but the deaths are still rising, and we haven't yet reached the peak of the virus. it is still too early to lift the measures that we have put in place. we must stick to the plan, and we must continue to be guided by the science. 0ur to the plan, and we must continue to be guided by the science. our top priority, our immediate priority, remains to slow the spread of the virus. that is why we have to continue to ask you all to keep complying with the guidance. it is vital we take the right decisions at the right time, and the most important thing right now is that people continue to follow the

government's guidance until we have got guidance that the virus is under control, so please do stay home to protect the nhs and save lives. after a ll protect the nhs and save lives. after all the efforts that everyone has made, let's not undo it now, let's not undo the gains we have made and waste the sacrifices so many people have made. we mustn't give the coronavirus a second chance to kill more people and to hurt our country. i know it is tough going, but this is a team effort, and we will only defeat this virus for good if we all stay the course. so please stay home this bank holiday weekend for everyone's sake, and i will turn to sir patrick to give us an update on the latest. thank you very much. as the first secretary has said, the measures that everybody has taken. the difficult things we are all

having to do have made a very big difference. we know that the social distancing is working, and we know that people are doing what they are supposed to do, and we need to keep doing that. the reason we need to keep doing that is because it stops the transmission of the virus in the community, and we know that that is already happening. next slide, please. as a result, we stop new cases appearing, and that numbers go up cases appearing, and that numbers go up and down a bit, but what we can see is it's not taking off in that sharp uptake, it has not gone sky high. and if anything, they might even be some flattening. that is because of what we are all doing. if we had not done that, those cases would now be much higher. if those cases were higher, next slide, please, then this graph wouldn't look like this. we would find many

more people in hospital. we would find the health system potentially overrun, and what we can see on this graph is the increase in hospital beds with cove id, and it has gone up beds with cove id, and it has gone up across the country, but not in that steep way, and again, if anything, we are beginning to see the first signs of levelling off. too early to be sure, too early to know that this is on the way down, but it has not got that fast upswing that it would have had had weale not been doing what we are doing with these difficult measures of social distancing. and if the hospital beds we re distancing. and if the hospital beds were full. next slide, please. then, importantly, so with the intensive ca re importantly, so with the intensive care units be even fuller. people are working heroically in intensive ca re are working heroically in intensive care units to look after the very sick patients who are there. but

again, this is not the sharp u pstro ke of again, this is not the sharp upstroke of big increases in numbers. it is a steady increase in numbers. it is a steady increase in numbers which might be beginning to flatten off, but it is certainly not accelerating. that means that the nhs can cope. it has got the right numbers of breads with the new expansion in order to be able to cope with this, so if we were not doing what we were doing and we don't continue to do it in terms of social distancing, we put all of this at risk. we jeopardise the thing that has allowed us to get to this position. and if i can have the last slide, please. unfortunately, sadly, there are deaths from this disease. those continue to rise, and you can see here the increase in the uk and in other countries. this will not change for a few weeks, because the deaths come after the other illnesses, the early illness, the intensive care, and then in some

patients, they will unfortunately die, and that will continue to increase in a few weeks. we need to see this begin to go down as well, it should follow the others. so the message is clear. the social distancing that we are all doing is breaking transmission. it is stopping the hospital admissions beginning to see that flattening off, still unbelievably busy, but beginning to see that flattening off. it is preventing more people going into intensive care, and it will prevent deaths. it is incredibly important that we continue to do what we are doing. thank you, patrick. if we take some questions from the media, i think hugh pym from the bbc is first up. we have heard some harrowing stories of people dying alone because family can't be with them for understandable reasons to do with the virus risk. what do you say to the virus risk. what do you say to the british public about how things will develop from here? the first

thing i would say is thank you for all you are doing, notjust the key workers, as essential as they are, and we applaud them for the incredible work they have done, but also to every individual who has followed the advice and the guidance. patrick has set out the progress very clearly, and we don't know conclusively that we are beyond the point at which we can start considering whether the measures will be relaxed. so we must keep it up. and the key thing is for people to understand how much of what they have already done has helped contribute to avoiding an even worse situation in terms of the spread of the virus in the number of deaths, and how important it is that we don't slow up or take out pressure off at this critical moment before we have come through the peak. so we recognise the sacrifices so many people have made, it is a team effort, and as a country we need to be united in this mission. we have got to keep it up. did you want to come back with anything further?

maybe to patrick vallance, a little bit more on the death projections that you have got. i know it's difficult, but how long and how fast do you expect the deaths to carry on rising? in general, iwould do you expect the deaths to carry on rising? in general, i would expect the deaths to continue to keep going up the deaths to continue to keep going upfor the deaths to continue to keep going up for about two weeks after the intensive care picture improves, and so we are not there yet in terms of knowing when that will be, but that is the timeframe i would expect. sam coates from sky. i suspect to britain needs a little bit of hope going into this easter weekend. dominic raab, will the government set out in public the principles that will guide you when you do finally come to lifting this lockdown? angela merkel, the german chancellor, said today that the german government would do that next week. can you commit to doing something similar? and to chris whitty, two or three weeks ago you

we re very concerned whitty, two or three weeks ago you were very concerned about the speed that the coronavirus was ripping through communities. can you say how fa st through communities. can you say how fast it is now going and being transmitted, and has that transmission rate now come down, or is it still going through britain as fa st is it still going through britain as fast as it was? thank you. the positive is that as we have hopefully set out clearly, we can show people that all the sacrifices that they have made and all the forbearance that they've shown has made a real difference. it has save lives and help to protect the nhs, and we are obviously not on the same point along the peak as the germans, so i'm not sure that the direct analysis works, but what we will do is continue to be followed by the evidence in the science, and as we have always said that i have said earlier, we will take the right decisions at the right moment in time. answering directly the question you asked about the speed, at the time i was first talking about this, the doubling time, how

fa st we about this, the doubling time, how fast we were doubling in terms of numbers, particularly in intensive care, was around about three days. this has got steadily longer in time over the last two weeks, thanks to what people have done, and as sir patrick showed in the data, this is now becoming not quite flat, but the doubling time is now six or more days almost everywhere in the country, and extending in time. that has only happened because of what everybody has done, what we have all done, in terms of staying at home and only going out for work, exercise and critical shopping and medical care. if i canjust add one thing in terms of the principles, and this is not principles except in the narrow sense of health. i think it is important to remember that there are the direct effects of people dying from coronavirus, and this has been affected by people helping to pull the curve down, but there are also indirect effects which have to be taken into account when we are thinking about the

health effects over the long term. those include the indirect effects, if the nhs were to be overwhelmed, and because of people's actions, there is still room in intensive care, still room in the emergency services across the country in terms of other health issues, but we also have to remember the effects on things that have to be delayed to free up our nhs space, and we have to think about the effects of the long—term health effects of some of the economic measures. these are all hell things, and there are other economic things that need to be taken into economic things that need to be ta ken into account economic things that need to be taken into account by ministers, but for me as a doctor i'm thinking about the health things, all of these need to be taken into account in working out the best way to get to the next stage in this epidemic. chris spoke about the doubling time in intensive care which has got a lot longer. if you look at the community at the moment you would expect there to be no doubling time.

this is not doubling. in the community you would expect this now to be shrinking, for all of the reasons i have set and the evidence suggests that is what is happening in terms of transmission in community. that all points in the right direction and the doubling time in! right direction and the doubling time in i see you is a reflection of what is happening early and the efforts made in terms of social distancing. —— icu. efforts made in terms of social distancing. -- icu. sam, did he want to follow up? in terms of publishing the principles we will rely on, perhaps not next week, because we are ina perhaps not next week, because we are in a different place to germany, but will the british government at some point explain to the british people in a document the trade—offs and the evidence about how they are going to go about lifting the lockdown? well, we will make the right decisions at the right moment and be guided by the science. that is all i would say at this point. just remember, the focus, and we don't want to see any distraction from that, as we look forward to the long bank holiday weekend, is just picking up on the evidence that patrick and chris have set out, is

not to take our eye of the ball, not to undo all the good work, not to undo the sacrifice of so many people have made. by becoming more lax or failing to follow the guidance at just the moment where we need to make sure we double down, follow the guidance and get through this, that's the most important thing right now. hannah miller from that's the most important thing right now. hannah millerfrom itv granada. thank you, foreign secretary, today greater manchester police revealed that last weekend they received reports of more than 1000 gatherings. how can they possibly be expected to police that when around a fifth of their staff are not in work? and secondly, i wa nt are not in work? and secondly, i want to talk about furloughing. we have spoken to a blind warehouse worker in rochdale called joe. he is worried about social distancing, or being told to go in or take unpaid leave. the government says it wants

employers to take socially responsible decisions. does that sound socially responsible to you? responsible decisions. does that sound socially responsible to you ?|j sound socially responsible to you?” don't know all the details of the case but he sounds like a vulnerable individual, we provide support to employers and we know they are under pressure and we want all businesses to do the right thing, we are doing our bitand to do the right thing, we are doing our bit and it's important to all pull together, particularly for the most vulnerable in our communities. i want employers to think long and ha rd if i want employers to think long and hard if they have people like that they are employing and who are within their care, in a broader sense. i think it was greater manchester police come on that issue, the police are doing a great job, it is difficult line for them to walk but they are doing a terrificjob, i think. to walk but they are doing a terrificjob, ithink. above to walk but they are doing a terrificjob, i think. above all, to walk but they are doing a terrificjob, ithink. above all, as we go into this long bank holiday weekend, i think people should think long and hard, notjust about the guidance and importance of keeping it up, but about what happens on the nhs front line who are doing a heroicjob, if people don't comply with those rules in large numbers. i would urge people to take a moment,

before they do anything, however one it is, to think about the sacrifices those on the front line particularly in the nhs, are making. did you want to come back? thanks. just on the furloughing and guidance around people with disabilities, do you acce pt people with disabilities, do you accept the guidance around social distancing for people with disabilities perhaps needs to be looked at in a bit more detail? we can certainly take another look at it, but of course it is the way that it, but of course it is the way that it is applied that's important with flexibility, and again, as i said, a sense of the fact we are all in this together and pull through this together. we can always look at the guidance, we want to make sure it is as clear as possible but it is the way it is implemented as well which is important. then