it's too early to lift the lockdown, says the government, as almost 900 more people lose their lives. police step up checks ahead of the easter weekend as we are reminded of the need to stay at home and not make unnecessary journeys. let's not undo the gains we've made, let's not 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. he also said the prime minister remains in intensive care and continues to make positive steps forward. the agony of losing a loved one in this crisis — tony wilkes broke his arm and caught the virus in hosptial. he died alone. it was just so dreadful that no one was able to visit him for three weeks and furthermore no one

was able to be with him during his final hours and minutes. still at work — just. warnings that the uk economy could shrink by around 14% between now and june. applause and a nation's thanks — for the third week in a row, streets across the uk will be filled with applause tonight as millions show their appreciation for our carers. and coming up on bbc news — how premier league captains say they're uniting to help support the national health service. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. the lockdown across the uk

will remain in place for now. the foreign secretary says after almost three weeks it is too early to lift the restrictions. dominic raab, who's deputising for the prime minister while he remains in intensive care, said deaths are still rising and we haven't yet reached the peak of the virus. borisjohnson is expected to spend a fifth night at st thomas' hospital where he's said to be making postive steps forward. the latest daily figures show that another 881 people have died in hospitals in the uk, but that figure does not include deaths in the community or in care homes. it brings the total number of deaths in the uk so farto 7,978. here's our health editor, hugh pym. it was just so dreadful that no one was able to visit him for three weeks and furthermore no one was able to be with him during his final hours and minutes.

emily remembers her grandfather tony, who died yesterday. she told me visitors weren't allowed because of the virus risk, but she's reassured to know two nurses were with him in his final hours. for me and my relatives, it is really comforting, just a picture of those two amazing people at his bedside comforting him and saying all the right things at the right time, and we'll forever be in their debt. we are just so grateful for everything they did. i raised the issue at the downing street media briefing today. we've 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 british public about how things will develop from here? the key thing is for people to understand how much of what they've already done has helped contribute to avoiding an even worse situation in terms of the spread of the virus and the number of deaths, and how important it is that we don't slow up or take pressure off at this critical moment before we've

come through the peak. in general, i'd expect the deaths to continue to keep going up for about two weeks after the intensive care picture improves, and so we're not there yet in terms of knowing exactly when that will be, but that's the sort of timeframe i'd expect. the latest analysis of data in england and wales suggests that death rates go up with age in both men and women, but men are ahead of women in all age groups. alex died in hospital with the coronavirus ten days ago. none of his family could be with him. but staff did set up a video call, and his son said that made all the difference. it felt like we were together. it was really rich, it was really real. he was weak. but we also connected as a family, so often there'd be three or four of us on the telephone, a group video call, and we could speak with each other, comfort each other, make plans. we felt together, which is... i've not been explained that before.

this is what patients will be aware around them — staff like these in papworth hospital in masks, visors and gowns. it's confusing and communication is difficult. that's tough for doctors and nurses as well as those who they care for. dr rachel clarke, who specialises in end—of—life care, says it can be an emotional drain. sometimes at the end of the day, you know, you take off your gown and mask, and you just cry your eyes out in the car on the way home, because you've seen things you don't want to see, but at the same time you've tried your utmost to be there at a time when perhaps a loved one, a son or daughter or spouse, can't be there, and you are literally all the patient has and with every fibre of your being all you want to do is support that patient. the upward trend in deaths appears to be slowing. but whatever the statistics say,

there are life and death issues for thousands of families to confront every day, in every part of the country. hugh pym, bbc news. police have told people to stay at home over the easter weekend, and warned they'll crack down on anyone found breaking the rules. warmer weather is forecast over the coming days with temperatures set to reach 25 celsius in certain parts of the uk. danny savage reports from cumbria. the signs are clear, but still not everyone is getting the message. pc andy docker was guarding one of the main roads into the lake district today, and there is a need to do so. i'm not running every vehicle through the box. we are not the sort of being big brother, but what i'm doing is using the policeman sort of knows, if you like, and if a car's coming

into the county and passed me and there's more than one person in it, and they're from out of county, they're going to get stopped. a car with a canoe on the roof then drifts past. andy runs a registration check... right, i'm going after that. ..and then heads off. he later tweeted a picture of the stop. two men, from more than 80 miles away, are ordered to do a u—turn and go home. in nearby bowness, police were checking with bed—and—breakfasts that nobody is trying to book in. we've closed down. we closed down till the end of may... well, june, end ofjune. negative. from bowness. .. airbnb today announced they are stopping all new uk bookings for non—key workers for at least the next ten days. but search online for somewhere to stay in the lakes, and you can still find availability. it's very frustrating. all accommodation providers must go and block out their availability, both on their own site and on third party online travel agents as well. it's very important that at this time we don't give the impression

that we're open for business. this is why people want to come here, and on a perfect spring day, a bumper bank holiday weekend would be expected. but not in coronavirus britain. i can't tell you how cripplingly difficult it is for me to say to people to stay away from the national park when i've spent 12 years in this job encouraging people to come here, but right now it's important that we concentrate on fighting this virus and people don't visit the national park but to stay at home. away from the tourist sites, cumbria's sports centres are being turned into makeshift hospitals. this county is one of the worst affected areas outside of london. elsewhere in the country, a tougher crackdown is being threatened. checks are taking place nationwide but the home secretary say these comments from one constable go too far. we have a hard core — a few people, a minority — who are quite blatantly flouting the law, and it is to those people i am saying, "enough is enough, and we are now going to start to come looking for you, and we're going to find you,

and if necessary we are going to arrest you." police are also warning people not to take the law into their own hands. that's after a district nurse staying in holiday home a few miles from here woke up this morning to find all her car tyres had been slashed. now, she's not a tourist. she was just a key worker isolating herself from her family while working in the community. there's concern again that a minority will disregard the government restrictions which have left many places deserted. danny savage, bbc news, cumbria. the uk's chief scientific adviser, sir patrick vallance, says social distancing is working and it will prevent deaths. spain, france and italy are all around a month or more into lockdown already and those restrictions are expected to continue who knows for how long. our science editor, david shukman looks at what the government will have to take into account before easing the lockdown. around the world there are many different ideas for fighting the virus. in the czech republic, they

are relying on disinfectant and a lockdown, and the government there reckons the outbreak is now sufficiently under control to allow more shops to open. in denmark, schools and daycare centres have been told that they can start reopening. but many other countries believe it is still far too early to relax any of the restrictions. the very first step is reducing the number of deaths. that's the whole point of any lockdown. so what does this mean for the uk? well, the strictest measures like closing nonessential shops happened on march the 23rd. and the hope is that by the middle of this month the numbers of deaths from covid—i9 will start to fall. but even in the best case scenario it won't be until late may or even earlyjune that there is a really dramatic fall in the numbers dying down to really low levels. so lifting the lockdown is not going to happen quickly.

and this evening the government's chief scientific adviser explained why the measures have to continue. the social distancing that we're all doing, is breaking transmission, it's stopping the hospital admissions — we're beginning to see that flattening off. still unbelievably busy, but beginning to see that flatten off. it's preventing more people going into intensive care, and it will prevent deaths. it's incredibly important we continue to do what we're doing. kiwi out of the epidemic is testing to know who's been infected. at the laboratory at portadown and wiltshire scientists are trying to find out which areas of the country and which age groups have been most affected —— one key way out of the epidemic. scientists believe that younger people —— some believe that younger people —— some believe that younger people, released at risk, should be out sooner than others. we can't release people just yet but we

do need to take steps to save the economy allowing young people, say, between 20 and 30, to go back into the workplace, as long as they don't live with parents. that would help to boost our economy, boost our incomes, and they would be the safest amongst us. all the time there is the risk of a second peak of infections, a resurgence of the outbreak. for the scientists trying to predict the course of the outbreak, the big fear is that people will get fed up with the restrictions and that politicians will relax them too soon, which would mean the virus getting out of control once again. even in singapore, which has been praised for its handling of the disease, tougher measures are now being imposed for the next four weeks. there is a pattern emerging in most countries that containing the outbreak is still a struggle. david shukman, bbc news. i'm joined by our medical correspondent, fergus walsh. 881 more deaths recorded in the past

24 881 more deaths recorded in the past 2a hours. another shocking number and we are being warned that will continue to rise. yes, really shocking, sophie. but it is clear 110w shocking, sophie. but it is clear now that social distancing is working and virus transmission in the uk is slowing. everything we are doing, shutting businesses, staying at home, is geared towards ensuring that the nhs and particularly intensive care remains within capacity. if we look at the number of patients in critical care in the uk, it has gone up by 5% in the past 24 uk, it has gone up by 5% in the past 2a hours. but, crucially, there are signs that it may be flattening. it is certainly not taking off. you can see that london is by far worst affected. intensive care units in the capital are busy and getting busier, but there is still overall capacity. that is completely dependent on people staying at home. if we then move on and look at the global death comparison, you can see

that the uk is roughly on the same trajectory as italy and france. sadly, that means many more days of high death tolls. germany's outbreak, which started later and has never really taken off, part of thatis has never really taken off, part of that is down to them doing much, much more testing. we are coming up to this bank holiday weekend, but it is crucial that people take home this social distancing measure, because eventually it will translate into a lower death toll in weeks to come. fergus, thank you. there's been a spike in deaths at a number of homes in the uk since the outbreak began. deaths in care homes are not included in the daily figures reported by the department of health, which only reports those who have died in hospital after testing positive. 0ur social affairs correspondent alison holt reports. at this residential home in luton they have now had 13 residents who have died from the coronavirus in

recent days. first off, a deeply distressing fight as they had tried to protect the older and disabled people they care for. the staff here have been working very hard to shield residents themselves and their own families, who are continuing to provide the care and support needed by a residence. we have been applying additional precautions and followed all the general and sector specific guidance as far as we were able to do so. we send our condolences to the family and friends at this very sad time, because they are our family. many ca re because they are our family. many care staff feel the vital role they are playing in this fight against the virus is being largely overlooked. in care homes like this one, the vulnerability of their residents mean they are on the front line of dealing with the coronavirus. for weeks now up and down the country they have been asking for more personal protective equipment and for testing. the sheffield nursing home is one of three run by the same care provider. i have visited them in the past to

talk about the staffing and funding pressures already faced by the care sector. now across the homes they have had six residents die of covid—19 and 30 people are showing symptoms. we need support, the ppe, additional... we need extra funding, pay staff agency rates. at the minute it is just so challenging. we arejust minute it is just so challenging. we are just reacting daily to minute it is just so challenging. we arejust reacting daily to more problems. 19-year-old ellen is a resident at one of their homes and her son says no one on her corridor has the virus but understandably he is worried. the public authorities are supposed to protect these people. what have they done? it seems to me the care homes are at the bottom of the pile again, and basically you are going to end up with these care homes being used as hospices. both councils and those representing care providers say getting the right equipment and testing for care staff needs to be a higher priority. we need greater recognition from all the system and also from the general public for the

work that we do. there is a real need as well to make sure that when we see things like testing coming through the nhs that social care is not forgotten. the government says it is distributing more protective equipment and stepping up testing. alison holt, bbc news. the coronavirus pandemic will cause the worst economic fallout since the great depression almost a century ago — that's the warning from the head of the international monetary fund. it comes as survey of leading economists suggests the uk economy could shrink by 14% between now and june. 0ur economics editor, faisal islam reports. this is what's trying to keep the wheels of industry during a global pandemic looks like. a production line that is socially distanced at the same time as keeping this british export classic, the brompton foldable bike, being made. cycling is one of the industries where demand should

eventually shoot up, but even here and in the british economy generally, you can't escape the thumping impact of coronavirus and the shutdowns needed to slow its speed. in no time at all, it hit europe, so suddenly europejust drops down, 30% of our sales potential just went overnight and then it started hitting our supply in the uk, lockdown in the uk, and then we had our staff, our ability to sell, our supply chain, the whole lot, knocked for six. the first thing is protect cash. cash, cash, cash. and what goes here, goes for the entire economy. the immediate hit inescapable and beyond imagination. the bbc has surveyed all the top independent economists, used by the treasury to calculate estimates of the initial hits to the economy. from april to june, the numbers are incredible. have a look at the last ten years. outside of the 2008 financial

crisis, the economy has grown and sometimes fallen by 0.3%. the next autumn, the fall anticipated by these economists on average is over a0%. that ranges from a minimum forecast of down 7.5%, extraordinary enough, to as much as 24%, a temporary loss of a quarter of the economy. there is no precedent for such moves. the only precedent for moves of this size and speed is what has happened a century ago at the start of the 1920s depression. the treasury has been doing its own analysis of the hits to the economy from the virus and from the shutdown. my understanding is that it is in line with the bottom end of the range, extraordinary numbers in terms of decline of the economy in this quarter and the great hope would be that companies such as this can be part of a rapid rebound, but that is far from certain. the impact right now being felt up and down the country.

i was recently made unemployed and have spent today looking forjobs. matt, an it worker and father of three has computer skills ordinarily in high demand. i've been let go from myjob, we have some reserves but they are getting rapidly depleted so we don't know what we are going to be able to do after the next couple of weeks. and you have three boys? yes, that is correct. how are they taking it? they are not taking it too well, they don't understand what is going on with the potential that we might have to move house, and we are having to really cut back. the rest of the industrial estate remains eerily idle under a lockdown, necessary to protect lives and the nhs, but for which the impact on the economy is onlyjust been revealed. faisal islam, bbc news. this pandemic is also taking a terrible toll on people suffering from other illnesses, who need treatment but can't get it for now. among them are people who desperately need organ transplants —

many of whom have been waiting for a long time. the uk's organ transplant network says it could be forced to close because of a lack of intensive care beds. there's also a much greater risk to transplant patients if they catch the virus. our health correspondent, dominic hughes, reports. we just want to know what's happening. i think it's the unknown that's the scary thing. getting weaker every day, in desperate need of a liver transplant, anna rose is shielding herself, but the coronavirus epidemic poses a terrible dilemma. if she was offered a transplant, should anna rose risk infection in hospital or miss out on a life—saving operation? having to go into hospital while there are coronavirus patients, it's very worrying. the longer i leave it, i could just get sicker and sicker. it is a matter of life and death. data from nhs blood and transplant — the body that oversees the uk's organ donation network — shows the number of transplants carried out each day has plummeted through march. this time last year,

more than 80 transplants a week were being carried out. now, only the most urgent operations are still happening, such as liver and heart transplants. the decline in transplants is linked to the pressure covid—19 is placing on intensive care beds. 0rgan donors and recipients both need that high—level care, so fewer families of potential donors are being approached, and doctors don't want vulnerable transplant recipients with suppressed immune systems alongside infectious covid—19 patients. when i hear from other countries who have been at the centre of this covid pandemic, they have got to the point where no transplants are possible in certain regions at all, and we may get to that point in the next days or weeks. even in a normal year, around a50 people will die while waiting for a transplant. the sad reality is that number will probably rise this year as transplants come to a halt.

anna rose and thousands like her fear they are at risk of becoming the unseen casualties of the coronavirus. dominic hughes, bbc news. there has been a lot of fake news about coronavirus — particularly online. scaremongering, false information, even voice messages from someone claiming to be from an ambulance service with inside information that has been shared widely. social media companies admit it's not easy keeping up with the flood of posts, so individuals around the country are taking on the fight against misinformation themselves. marianna spring reports. last evening dining out with friends... this is no word of exaggeration, this has come from public health england... you have been out of the house three times today! in 2019 5g is being deployed... as the worry about the virus mounts, so social media sites have become flooded with misleading advice. no, the government isn't sending out texts fining people for going outside. no, it's not forbidden to go

and shop for essential items. and, no, 5g is not linked to coronavirus. however, social media sites are struggling to moderate everything on their platforms. facebook told the bbc it's operating with a remote and reduced workforce so it has to prioritise investigating the content that has the greatest potential to harm our community. so a new breed of mythbuster has stepped up to the challenge. volunteers across the country are monitoring local facebook groups and fighting misinformation from their sofas. that includes deborah collins, who took action when she saw rumours swirling on swindon community forum. they're making their own posts but saying, "oh, my friend that lives in so—and—so," or "so—and—so that's an nhs worker..." it's not actually direct, it's not from that person as in their own information. community groups like hers with thousands of members are a trusted source of local information. especially during the corona crisis... waqas hussain takes maintaining this reputation for his facebook group

in london very seriously. we have a responsibility to the local community to fact—check and make sure that only news from reliable sources is posted. we want to help by sharing messages with our community, but misleading posts can cause harm and panic, so how can you help? stop before you share. check your source. and pause if it makes you feel emotional. because the fight against misinformation relies on all of us. marianna spring, bbc news. the government's restrictions insist that people stay at home, unless going out for the following reasons. you can go out to exercise once a day — alone or with members of your household. you can shop, but only for basic necessities and as infrequently as possible. and you can go out for any medical

need or to provide care for a vulnerable person. you can also travel to or from work, but only if you can't work from home. lockdown is difficult for everyone. but what impact is it having on our mental health? for some it is proving much harder than others, as our home editor mark easton reports. do you think they are struggling with? life in lockdown is hard for everyone, but when your 17—year—old daughter's anxiety spills into tantrums, your mother is on the front line as a nurse, and you are a key worker too, it can be hard to cope. people think, "oh, it's a bank holiday, i've got to do stuff, i've got to go out." yeah. sometimes, when it does get too much, you literally take yourself off into your room. i know i have taken myself into my bedroom, literally laid on my bed, and screamed into a pillow just to get kind of all the frustration out. a survey of more than 2000 adults across the uk last week found 15%

we re across the uk last week found 15% were already finding it extremely difficult to cope. among younger people it was close to a quarter, just 11% of 45-75 people it was close to a quarter, just 11% of 115—75 —year—olds were struggling. forteenager just 11% of 115—75 —year—olds were struggling. for teenager beth cooped up struggling. for teenager beth cooped up with her family struggling. for teenager beth cooped up with herfamily in hounslow, the lockdown seems endless. up with herfamily in hounslow, the lockdown seems endlesslj up with herfamily in hounslow, the lockdown seems endless. i normally have a bad day which is most days while i have been in lockdown, then i get annoyed by one thing. it can be the tiniest thing, even if it is not something nice for dinner, and i break down and started crying. normally mum hugs me and says it will be ok. half of those surveyed said they had felt more anxious and depressed than normal, over a third said they had trouble sleeping. however ha rd said they had trouble sleeping. however hard it is for people to end your life right now, the overwhelming majority accept the need for restrictions. nine out of ten people say they support the lockdown and are doing their best to follow government guidelines. this is my husband and i on our wedding

day 56 years ago... when britain closed its doors on normal life, connections were cut. he is in a ca re connections were cut. he is in a care home. sparky in bristol last saw her husband the day lockdown started, the day before their wedding anniversary. started, the day before their wedding anniversarylj started, the day before their wedding anniversary. i have set up nailsea support group... majority of people say they have offered to help a neighbour and 47% have received assistance from someone have received assistance from someone nearby. neighbours have found each other again. sparky and her husband write love letters to each other again. it may be that when lockdown is eventually lifted, we will find that, like a virus, our society has mutated into something

stronger. for the third week in a row, millions of people across the uk will show their support for the nhs and other key workers with a national round of applause at eight o'clock tonight, as emma vardy reports. a moment together, while so many of us are apart. from across the uk, the clap for carers has become a moment of solidarity and reflection, in recognition and thanks for those on the front line. and for the unsung heroes, keeping essential services going in our much—changed world, like the bin collectors of belfast on our streets while we stay indoors. it's been quieter. the roads are quiet. it's a bit surreal, to be honest. we've been left notes on bins saying thank you, and down there there's writing on the walls and stuff. it makes us feel proud, yeah. it makes us feel good. it makes us feel like we're doing something worthy. so much has been accomplished so quickly. like this hotel, injust a few days transformed into a facility for people recovering from coronavirus.

tonight's thanks will also go to those like neil, making it happen. only a simple joiner. being able to help out in these times, and we are all very thankful of the nhs at the moment and the great work they are doing on the front line. we feel actually privileged to be able to help out and put our work to good use. it's hard to quantify the admiration we now feel for those who risk their own safety to be beside loved ones when no—one else can. we do see death quite a lot in thisjob. we are the last hand they probably held bar the nurse up in the ward. we're the last person they see. and ijust want to reassure people that if we take your family out, we will love them like they're one of our own. thank you. the real heroes aren't used to the spotlight or curtain calls. they work behind the scenes. but tonight, once again, they'll have our applause.