people urged to keep observing the distancing guidelines, at the start of the long easter weekend. we've been out with one police force which says... scotland's first minister urges people to comply. we cannot allow ourselves to become complacent against this virus. or end these measures prematurely. we will have more about the lockdown from correspondence around the country and we will talk to our health editor also this lunchtime... mass graves are dug in new york state, to cope with the number of deaths from the virus. concerns postal workers are not being fully protected from covid—19.

nearly £2 million lost in virus —related fraud including through scam websites selling protective equipment they cannot provide. and bringing the outdoors in, how to stay connected with nature during lockdown. in sport, scottish clubs today are voting on whether to end the season now or complete the remaining games, with much is suspended until at leastjune due to the coronavirus. —— matches. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. with good weather forecast for much of the country, the government is reminding people only to go out when absolutely necessary. it comes as the prime minister has

been moved out of intensive care onto a regular hospital ward. his father stanleyjohnson onto a regular hospital ward. his father stanley johnson said the family was amazingly grateful for the care he had received, but that his son will need to rest up before he can return to work. and the communities secretary robertjenrick has defended severaljourneys he's made from london to other properties. we will talk more about the lockdown in a few minutes, first this report from richard galpin. the bank holiday has begun with beautiful weather in many areas, like in britain. but there is also trepidation. will we abide by the social distancing instructions to ensure we do not cause a surge in infections? now running, please. only walking. here on the thames footpath they are stopping runners who normally crowd this route. and on facebook today, a doctor working ina on facebook today, a doctor working in a hospitalfilled on facebook today, a doctor working

in a hospital filled with coronavirus patients begs people to respect the government instructions. and those pleas would surely enforced by the prime minister, seen here before he went into hospital. he is now out of intensive care and recuperating from his battle with coronavirus. but it may be weeks before he's back in work. coronavirus. but it may be weeks before he's back in workli coronavirus. but it may be weeks before he's back in work. i don't think you could say he is out of the woods now, he has to take time. i am not across the details but i cannot believe you can walk away from this and go straight back to downing

street, and pick up the reins without a period of readjustment. there is no rest, though, for the construction workers who have almost completed the building of another nightingale field hospital. this one in birmingham. it will have up to 4000 beds. there are indications hospital admissions and new infections across the country are beginning to level off. and government officials and experts are now focusing on ways in which the lockdown can eventually be lifted. measures will be targeted probably by age, by geography, and we will need to introduce, in my view, it is not any sort of government policy, just my view, much larger levels of testing at community level, to really isolate cases more effectively and identify where transmissions happen. much depends on what we all do in the coming weeks. if social distancing is

observed, experts hope the spread of coronavirus will decline. it needs to get to lower levels before there is any possibility of the lockdown being lifted. our political correspondent leila nathoojoins me. how problematic is this for robert jenrick, do you think? there are two reports of trips he has made. firstly a carjourney reports of trips he has made. firstly a car journey to the reports of trips he has made. firstly a carjourney to the home of his parents in shropshire, which he says was because they asked him to deliver essentials including medical supplies, he says both of his pa rents a re supplies, he says both of his parents are self—isolating. and he did stick to the social distancing rules. guidelines do say you can help elderly or vulnerable relatives in order to drop shopping or medication at their doorsteps. the second trip was a journey he made from london to a family home in herefordshire, after the guidance was issued to say second home travel was issued to say second home travel was not essential. even though this

home is not in his constituency, it isa home is not in his constituency, it is a house he has had for a long time, and one he says he considers to be his family home. he says his wife and three children were already there and he joined them wife and three children were already there and hejoined them once he had finished his ministerial duties in london. number ten saying it is confident he hasn't broken any of the social distancing rules and saying there are occasions where ministers still need to work from westminster and its ok if they then have to go and rejoin their families. but i think clearly, those in charge need to be following the guidance they themselves are issuing, and the risk is that people start to question the guidance, what constitutes an essentialjourney, should i go and be with my elderly relatives, should i rely on neighbours, should i move my family somewhere else? all this at the time the main message is to stay at home. we have also just had something of an update about the prime minister. we know he has been moved out of the intensive care ward, positive news from the hospital last night.

downing street saying this afternoon the prime minister was continuing his recovery but describing it as at an early stage. some information about that moved from intensive care back onto the regular board. a p pa re ntly back onto the regular board. apparently the prime minister had waved two and thanked nhs staff on his way back to the world. number ten mindful of that suggestion from boris johnson's father stanley of boris johnson's father stanley of borisjohnson boris johnson's father stanley of boris johnson having boris johnson's father stanley of borisjohnson having to rest, saying any decisions on his recuperation would be taken on advice from his medical team. thank you. let's try to get a sense of whether people are generally sticking to the rules. jonah trott is in scarborough this lunchtime. what have you been seeing? -- fiona trott. this is the most visited holiday destination outside london. today, you can see that normally there would be thousands of people in and around the beach here. there are less than 30. there would be thousands of people at the amusements arcades in

the cabbies, which are all closed, because the council, the police and coastguard have told them to stay at home. the police are carrying out extra patrols and checking the traffic coming into scarborough. the coast guard are carrying out extra patrols. traffic wardens are checking all the car parks. unless you have a resident permit, unless you have a resident permit, unless you are a key worker, you should not be here today. the people on this beach should be people who live in the immediate vicinity. what police are saying to them as well today is, if you have to come here for your daily exercise, do not bring extra food, do not bring drinks, because you shouldn't be here for longer thanis you shouldn't be here for longer than is necessary. their initial approach was to educate and inform them about the government guidelines, that's the first thing, but as a last resort, people will be fined. thank you. fiona trott in scarborough. that is also talk to

our health editor, hugh pym. we are focusing on lockdown because it is the easter weekend but we heard earlier some suggestions as to how potentially it could be eased. what more are we hearing on that? potentially it could be eased. what more are we hearing on thanm potentially it could be eased. what more are we hearing on that? it is the expert version niall ferguson who is on the committee, it is his model which has informed a lot of the decision making. you hurt a bit in that piece from richard, saying one way of lifting the restrictions is to do it in different areas at different times, may be different age groups. restrictions being lifted for them. scientists think this might be possible, because you mightfind in this might be possible, because you might find in one area it is ahead of another, london for example has been ahead in case numbers to other parts of the uk. it could be passing there and you might want to lift the restrictions but not somewhere else. there are immense practical difficulties with this, how do you stop somebody travelling from one area where maybe bars and restau ra nts area where maybe bars and restaurants are not open, to another area where they are? it also depends

on mass testings. professor ferguson said it will only really work if you can keep testing people across the local community to see how deeply entrenched the virus is. but there is in the testing capacity at the the antibody test, looking for antibodies in people putt—macro blood streams to see if they have had the virus, that is nowhere near ready. so what is meant is i think you could do this in the autumn if there is a second spike, another beginning of the virus taking off again, not the decision that might be made in the next month or so by the government about whether to start lifting the existing restrictions for everybody. hugh pym, thank you. nearly two million pounds has been lost in coronavirus—related fraud in the uk since the outbreak began according to police. the bbc has learnt that most of it relates to bogus companies selling non—existent protective equipment and sanitiser and has found criminals in west africa have set up hundreds of websites in the last month. angus crawford reports.

somewhere in west africa, there are facemasks for sale. hot demand and plenty of suppliers. look at this. as fear of the virus spreads, so do the adverts. everyone is looking for masks, disposable gloves and hand sanitiser. just one click away. even a covid—i9 testing kit. and there's glowing reviews. except it's all fake. time to bring in an expert. scammers are all fairly parasitic and reactionary in nature. when there are spikes in the need for a product, they will flock into words the need for that product and exploit it. the damage is actually huge. i spoke to a business last week that was actually defrauded of £180,000,

which was frankly shocking. so just how easy is it to place an order? do you sell surgical gloves and masks? yeah. oh, good, good. i'm looking for quite a lot. how many can you sell me? the maximum we can supply is 300,000 masks. how many? 300,000. 300,000 masks? but you're not, are you? you're not, are you? you're a scammer. you're not, are you? we know you're a scammer. is that the end of this conversation, sir? you are a scammer, though, aren't you? you are trying to rip people off. people in need. so, he hung up. i don't think he's got any masks or gloves. he just wants my money and then won't send me anything. scammers don't care at all. so long as they get their money, it's all that matters to them. people are very desperate right now, there is so much of a shortage of these things. people are looking everywhere

to try to find them. they feel betrayed, they feel completely ripped off, they feel angry. at a time of crisis, fear and exploitation go hand in hand. angus crawford, bbc news. this bank holiday we're all being reminded to stick to the rules around lockdown and keep to distancing guidance when we do go out. our correspondent phil mackie has spent the morning with enforcement officers in the west midlands. life in lockdown, birmingham has more than 500 and this is one of the biggest. the weather is perfect for exercise but it might me bad news for infections if too many people come out. police officers are patrolling to make sure people keep their distance. if you sit on the bench, staying stationary, are you from the same household? but

eve ryo ne from the same household? but everyone is doing their bit and park rangers now find themselves on the front line trying to enforce the rules. it appears from the figure is what people are doing is having the benefit and effect, i think this weekend will be a big one because eve ryo ne weekend will be a big one because everyone is off. just making sure you keep yourself and your family safe and not put pressure on the nhs. this park is 250 acres, so steve has a job cut out and will spend the rest of the day patrolling. his staff are doing the same in all of the city's other parks. since the new coronavirus powers we re parks. since the new coronavirus powers were introduced west midlands police has introduced 155 instructions to go home, 138 notices of dispersal and 17 fixed penalty notices. there are 3 million people in the west midlands force area, which means only a tiny percentage have had to be dealt with under the new regulations. this is a really important weekend in a region that has seen some of the biggest numbers of infections. a people will stick by the rules for just a little

of infections. a people will stick by the rules forjust a little bit longer, those numbers will start to come down. the vast majority of people have got the message and they are fully aware they are playing an important part in fighting the virus. i suppose what they're saying is, they don't want people travelling from a long distance. were trying to do as much as we can to get rid of this virus. if the lockdown is to come to an end, people need to stick to coronavirus regulations, especially this weekend. and the temptation to go out and gather in groups is at its greatest. if you're going to your local park, enjoy the peace and tranquillity. hope for better mass graves are being used in new york state to cope with the number of people dying with coronavirus. nearly 1,800 people died in the us in the last 24 hours, and the country remains on course to be the worst affected nation in the world. our north america correspondent gary o'donoghue joins me from washington.

it's another grim example of the toll this is taking in the states, gary? yes, for sure, the infrastructure is under pressure, particularly in new york with the levels of death and infection they've had there. they are using this island off the bronx which has been a public cemetery since the middle of the 19th century, but it seems they are getting bigger demand obviously because of the death rate from the virus. one estimate i saw suggests they were burying two dozen people there every week before the virus, now it's more like two dozen every day and these really are people whose next—of—kin have not beenin people whose next—of—kin have not been in touch when they've died in hospital. they are kept in the mortuary for a while and then removed and buried there. but they are marking these caskets, i know this is grim at all, they are marking them as we understand it, if

relatives did come forward there would be a possibility of this and reburial but it's a sign of the times we are in. the governor of new york appealing for extra funeral directors, the demand on the system was so great. the only real glimmer of light for new york is while the death rate is incredibly high and rising, hospitaladmission death rate is incredibly high and rising, hospital admission rate is much, lower than it was and the intensive care unit, people going in there is lower as well and they have a lot of bets, they do have a lot of spare capacity with beds at the moment. —— a lot of beds. spare capacity with beds at the moment. -- a lot of beds. gary, thank you. many postal workers aren't being properly protected from covid—19, according to one union representing royal mail staff. the bbc has spoken to employees who say there's a shortage of personal protective equipment, and that it's almost impossible to social distance inside delivery depots. royal mail says it has invested significantly in ppe

and that the health and well—being of staff is its top priority. sarah corker reports. royal mail staff, working shoulder to shoulder in leeds. cramped conditions make it very difficult to keep safely two metres apart. and in northampton, there isn't much social distancing in the canteen. royal mail say conditions have improved across the business since this footage was filmed last week, but employees told me they still feel unprotected. well, they're scared. they're scared that they're choosing between theirjobs and their safety, and their families' safety. for the first time, a supervisor has now spoken out. he's worried he'll get sacked, so we've concealed his identity. do people feel safe, do you feel safe? i know people who've worked in that business for 40 years—plus, who are terrified. i'm scared that myjob will be

in danger if i refuse to do a task that i believe puts me in an unsafe position. and that's happening, people are being put in unsafe situations? yeah, on a daily basis. at seven royal mail sites, staff have walked out over safety concerns. this is didcot in oxfordshire. similar scenes, too, in southampton. there are reports daily about the unavailability of masks and gloves, wipes, and i think that equipment really does need to get to the frontline quicker. an estimated 20% of postal staff are thought to be off work. that equates to 26,000 postmen and women who are either sick or self—isolating. that, of course, puts increased pressure on those who can work at a time when the number of parcel deliveries has soared. unions say it's been busier than christmas. one postman told us royal mail

has been slow to act. when this was all kicking off and you could see where this was going, we were saying, "we need this stuff." but our big boss upstairs just said, "no, you just need to wash your hands." i'd love to wash my hands, but nowhere's open, ever — it's ridiculous. the company says it has invested heavily in protective equipment. i don't think we've been slow, we've moved as quickly as we possibly could to get supplies to our people that they need. this will help them stay safe. and we've spent way over £15 million now making sure people have got appropriate protection. they are the frontline staff keeping the uk connected. but our posties are feeling the strain. sarah corker, bbc news. european union member states have agreed to create a fund worth half a trillion euros, to help their economies weather the damage caused by the pandemic.

but a request for debts to be pooled was rejected by some of the wealthier eu countries. our europe editor katya adler is in brussels. i hope! give us a sense, my goodness, is the eu sticking together on this? well it's an emotional as well as a factual answer. you supporters will say, well, the block has taken a bit of a while to get its act together but yes, eu leaders are poised to sign off half e1 trillion to help businesses and workers and eu countries, most affected by covid—19, there is talk also of a recovery plan to be put together. that's when the public health crisis begins to slow down and attention turns to rebuilding shattered eu economies. from a solidarity point of view german hospitals have been taking in patients from other eu countries and nations have been sharing protective medical equipment

but critics of the eu can also point out that covid—19 has highlighted one of the biggest problems with the eu and that's when it comes to a crisis, we saw this with the migration crisis and the financial crisis, each country puts itself first, its population, its national orders, its national politics of example, we've just seen orders, its national politics of example, we'vejust seen italy orders, its national politics of example, we've just seen italy and spain pleading with the richer countries, as you say, germany and the netherlands for example, let's share the debt that we are piling up when we face coronavirus. they were told no, we will help you but we won't go that far so yes, eu countries are looking out for each other. but a united states of europe, this certainly is not. thank you. like health staff and careworkers, hospital chaplains have been playing a part in serving the community during the coronavirus outbreak. our religion editor, martin bashir, has been speaking to the woman who leads the chaplaincy team at one large nhs trust. at 12 o'clock we light

a candle and then we stand in silence for a minute. to honour those who have died in the trust that day, or those who will die that day. the testimony of a chaplain at one of london's busiest hospitals. if you think of a major incident, that's the things that we've gone through with regards to westminster bridge, london bridge, 7/7, grenfell, they've all really shocked you to the core but you've had to keep going. this one is different. because every day is relentless. and it's going on and on and on. one of those patients, of course, is the prime minister who was admitted last sunday, to a hospital where, in the 19th century, florence nightingale established the world's first professional school of nursing.

one of the things that she said, florence nightingale, she said that outside there are princes and paupers, but in her hospital she wants her nurses to treat every patient as if they were a prince and i would hope that that is true, that everybody gets treated with the same level of decency, respect, honour, and care. and so they should do. doesn't matter who it is. prime minister or pauper? doesn't matter. mia holborn has worked at st thomas' for almost 20 years. she says all the staff, from cleaners to consultants, are exceptional. to be working physically that hard, and still to care about the individuals that they are looking after, is extraordinary. they could so easilyjust become like machines, because they're so busy but they truly aren't, they actually give compassionate care.

please don't forget who are the true heroes. keep holding, grasping hold of when the chips are down, who are the people that you really, really admire? and really believe in? and give you a sense of calmness, of purpose, of security and safety. and hope. once every ten years, the bavarian village of oberammergau puts on its world famous passion play. it's a tradition stretching back to the 17th century, when villagers believed it would protect them against the plague. now the coronavirus outbreak means the play has had to be postponed for two years, as our berlin correspondent jenny hill reports. it should have been the performance of the decade. rehearsals well under way for one of the world's most famous religious productions. opening night was just weeks away when coronavirus brought the curtain down.

it is always a very special year, the passion play year. people are getting closer and suddenly, everything stopped. i think that is pretty hard for a lot. in oberammergau, i think it is a close community because generations come together. it is 400 years since the people of this bavarian village made a promise. they put on a passion play. in return, they hoped god would protect them from the plague. they have been doing it ever since. once every ten years, the village faithfully re—enacts the life, death and resurrection of christ. legend has it the play saved oberammergau from the black death. little protection now it seems against a modern virus. it is a kind of a grey fog that lays

all over every life, every action, everything we do. with stopping or bringing the passion play two years later on stage, and the fact of the corona crisis, we miss 10 million euros. costumes, props, in storage now. the play itself is insured but local businesses depend on the visitors. oberammergau is in lockdown. the production postponed until 2022. people think about the meaning of life, i have the feeling there are a lot of answers also in the passion play itself. it is about jesus talking about the poor. he is talking about diseases and about war. those sentences we had in the rehearsals, i think they have a different meaning when we will bring it on stage in two years.

in this, the bleakest of times, faith and hope. jenny hill, bbc news, berlin. the positive impact of nature on our mental welfare has been highlighted in a wide range of scientific studies. but the lockdown means that this spring most of us can't get outside for long enough to fully enjoy it. so charities are finding ways to help vulnerable people connect with nature while stuck indoors. our environment correspondent claire marshall reports. we just close our eyes and take in shallow breaths. imagine we are walking at the edge of a field. this is a visualisation, a virtual walk in the countryside. guided by a mental health charity volunteer. there are so many different plants and bushes and trees that come together.

and then here... being out in nature can have a powerful impact. and it became a kind of lifeline, really. feel like there was something i could do, and there was something valuable and beautiful to nourish us when i didn't feel there was anything. there are many scientific studies that show the health benefits of being in the natural world. so when we are outside, our blood pressure comes down. our heart rate variability goes up, that's a good thing, our heart rate comes down and our cortisol levels are reduced and these are all indicators of reductions in stress. so how to get this on lockdown? some of us don't have gardens. ironically, the therapy now involves embracing screen time. live online, they share fragments of the natural world they can see from their balconies or gardens. my family and i have been in self isolation for almost two weeks because i've got a nasty cough, and it is tough but we are lucky

enough to have a garden. what about people who don't? i was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. and i work for the nhs in east london. and then, day by day, we started seeing the kind of reality of that, so you know, day by day staff calling and saying they couldn't make it. vivienne is a nature lover, to cope she'd normally go to the countryside but now, even the local parks are packed. and what else am i supposed to do to try and pick myself up? yes, so i just felt there's just no point in trying. but, people like emily are trying to help by giving us an intimate glimpse of the private lives of some of our most loved animals. the wildlife trust has set up around 20 webcams across the country. nationally, we've seen 275% increase in the number of visitors who are watching compared to this time last year. huge people are tuning in and it's so important right now that people