this is bbc news. the headlines at two. an easter message to stay indoors this weekend to try to stop the spread of coronavirus. scotland's first minister urges people to comply. we cannot allow ourselves to become complacent against this virus and in these measures prematurely. downing street says the prime minister continues to be in very good spirits in hospital after leaving intensive care. his father urges him to rest. new york sta rts father urges him to rest. new york starts to bury some of its dead in mass graves with nearly 160,000 people infected with the virus

gci’oss people infected with the virus across the state. here, there are concerns that postal workers are into being fully protected from covert 19. nearly £2 million lost in virus —related fraud. we confront those behind scam websites selling protective equipment they can't provide. you are a scammer. you're trying to rip people off, people in need. and also this hour, bringing the outdoors in. how to stay connected with nature during lockdown. hello. good afternoon. welcome to bbc news. bringing you all the latest covid—19 developments here

this afternoon. now, as the easter weekend begins, we are being reminded again not to go out unless it is absolutely necessary. the government has launched a publicity campaign with the message stay at and have a safe easter. boris johnson is out of intensive care. he is said to be in extremely good spirits at saint thomas hospital in london. spain has recorded its daily lowest daily death toll from coronavirus in 17 days with 605 people dying, taking the total number of deaths in the country to 15,843. new york state now has more coronavirus cases than any other country outside of the us, according to the latest figures, with nearly 160,000 people infected. and european union finance ministers had agreed an emergency rescue package worth half e1 trillion for the economies worst hit by the pandemic. let's get the latest on the

outbreak. we begin with this report from richard galpin. the bank holiday has begun with beautiful weather in mary areas, like here in brighton. but there's also trepidation. will we all abide by the social distancing instructions to ensure we don't now cause a surge in infections? no running, please. here on the thames footpath, they're stopping runners who normally crowd this route. and on facebook today, a doctor working in a hospitalfilled with coronavirus patients begs people to respect the government instructions.

and those pleas would surely be reinforced by the prime minister, seen reinforced by the prime minister, seen here before he went into hospital. he is now out of intensive ca re 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. battle with coronavirus. but it may be weeks before he's back in workli don't think you would say that this was he is out of the woods now. he has to take time. i don't have 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's 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 and geography and we will need to introduce in my view, not any sort of policy, just my view, much larger levels of testing at the community level. we need to isolate cases more effectively and identify how transmissions happen. much depends on what we all do in the coming weeks. if social distancing is observed, then experts hope the spread of coronavirus will decline. it needs to get to lower levels before there's any possibility of the being lifted. richard galpin, bbc news. well, our health editor, hugh pym, has been

explaining how restrictions could be eased. well, a professor at imperial couege eased. well, a professor at imperial college london is on the government committee and it is his modelling which has informed a lot of the decision—making and you heard of bit there of him saying that 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 that this might well be possible because you might find in one area it is ahead of another area, london for example has been ahead in case numbers to other parts of the uk, and it could be passing their and you might want to let the restrictions but not somewhere else. 0f let the restrictions but not somewhere else. of course, there are immense practical difficulties with this. how do you stop somebody travelling from one area where maybe bars and travelling from one area where maybe bars a nd restau ra nts travelling from one area where maybe bars and restaurants are not open to another area where they are. it also depends on mass testing. professor ferguson said it will only really work if you can keep testing people right across the local community to see how deeply entrenched the

viruses and there is the testing capacity at the moment. the antibody test, looking for antibodies and people's bloodstream to see if they have had a virus, that is nowhere near being ready, so i think what is meant here is 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 next month or so by the government about whether to start lifting the existing restrictions for everybody. 0ur health editor, hugh pym. as we are reflecting, we are all being reminded to stick to the rules around lockdown and keep to distancing guidelines when we do go out. our correspondent has spent the morning with enforcement officers in the west midlands. park life in the lockdown. birmingham has more than 500 and this is one of the biggest. the weather is perfect for exercise, but it might be bad news for infections if too many people come out. police officers are patrolling to make sure people keep their distance. you can sit on the bench

and you can walk around but staying stationary... are you from the same household? everyone is doing their bit in the park rangers now find themselves on the front line, trying to enforce the rules. it appears from the government figures that what people are doing is having a beneficial effect. this weekend will beneficial effect. this weekend will bea beneficial effect. this weekend will be a big one because everyone is off and it is just making sure that you keep you and yourself and your family keep you and yourself and your fa m ily safe keep you and yourself and your family safe and keep the pressure of the nhs. this park is 250 acres so steve has his 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 issued just 155 instructions to go home, 138 knows this dispersal and 17 fixed penalty notices. there are 3 million people in the west midlands area, which means only a tiny percentage of 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 in infections. if people will stick by the rules for just a little in infections. if 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 that they are playing an important part in fighting the virus. i suppose they are saying they don't want people travelling for a long distance. yeah, and that makes sense. we are just trying to do as much as we can to get rid of this virus. the lockdown is to come to an end, and people need to stick to coronavirus regulations, especially this weekend when the dentition to go out and gather in groups is at its greatest. if you are going to your local park, enjoy the peace and tranquillity and hope for better days to come. and let's talk to our north of england correspondent, who is in scarborough. i can't see that many people behind you, fiona, what has it been like they are today? well,

this is a popular holiday destination outside of london and i can tell you we haven't counted more than 30 people here at south bay at the moment. we have spoken to one couple who were here out for their daily exercise. they were nhs members of staff and they work at the local hospital and it was the day after day. they were immensely grateful to visitors for staying at home. we spoke to another woman who was here with her daughter. they we re was here with her daughter. they were out working and she said it feels really strange being in scarborough on a normal bank holiday weekend it would be really difficult to pass people here on the promenade, she said, and we are concerned for some local businesses, but once we're through this will all be welcoming visitors back. you probably just heard a be welcoming visitors back. you probablyjust heard a police van going past there. we have more police patrols here in and scarborough today, checking the town centre, checking traffic coming into scarborough, that there are increased patrols by the coast guard to, traffic wardens are checking all

of the car parks. if you don't have a permit or you are not a key worker, you should not be here today. north yorkshire police are saying their first approach is to educate people, make sure they understand the government guidelines, but of course the last resort is they will find people if necessary. the people here on south bay are all residents who are out taking their exercise, but still police are saying to them, when you come here today, don't bring food, don't bring drink. you should be here for an hour, don't stay longer than necessary, just stay—at—home. all right, yes, thanks much indeed. well, nearly £2 million have been lost in coronavirus —related fraud in the uk since the outbreak began. that's according to the police. the bbc has learned that most of it relates to bogus companies selling nonexistent protective equipment and sanitiser. criminals in west africa

have set up hundreds of websites in the last month alone. 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—19 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 in towards 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's 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. 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 is 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 its staff is its top priority. sarah caulker reports. royal nail 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 0xfordshire. 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. 0ne 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. just to bring you some new figures coming through from nhs england in the last few moments, you may know that around this time everyday nhs england and indeed other regions tell us the collated death figures, sadly, from coronavirus. we are

hearing that 866 further deaths of people who tested positive for covid—19. now, again, to remind you, these are deaths in hospital so this is confirmed cases of covid—19 in hospitals in england. the total number is now 8114, but what has been happening in the last few days is that we get a breakdown of the dates on this as well, so in fact of the 866 new deaths announced today, only 117 happened yesterday. the bulk of them, the remainder, took place between april the 1st and april the 8th, so an 866 new deaths announced today sadly by nhs england and that again, to remind you, is deaths in hospitals, so not perhaps

in other facilities, deaths in hospitals, so not perhaps in otherfacilities, care homes, at home, these are hospital deaths, just to remind you, and i think also we've got figures, i believe, coming through from northern ireland. ten more in northern ireland is what we are hearing in the last 24—hour period. as ever, our health correspondent will be looking through all of those figures once they are collated for the uk as a whole and a little later in the day we should have more context for you from our health correspondent, once all the figures has been collected for the last 24—hour is. just a reminder now of the headlines here this afternoon on bbc news. no running, please. there's an easter message to stay indoors this weekend to stop the spread of coronavirus. scotland's first minister is urging people to comply. downing street says the prime minister continues to be in very good spirits in hospital

after he was able to leave intensive care. his father is urging to rest. and new york state is starting to bury some of its dead in mass graves. nearly 160,000 people infected with coronavirus now across that state. more to come on all of that, but we willjust pause and catch up on some sports news. hello. thank you. we are going to start with the chief executive of the league managers association, who has criticised the english football league for saying the season can be completed within 56 days of a restart. a letter sent out to all 71 clu bs restart. a letter sent out to all 71 clubs by rick parry, vfl chairman, says the season could be finished in under two months once it is safe to resume, but richard bevan has told oui’ resume, but richard bevan has told our sports editor that isn't realistic. the season finished on

the 14th of march. 49 days left. then you have the 56 day potential proposal. that's going to include the play—offs and finals. that makes it amazingly tight. to do that, you are going to have to get the goodwill of the players because they are going to have at least three weeks of training to get back on pitch, at least. and you're going to have to get the support of the coaches and managers. you do not do that by not talking to them. you do not get strong leadership. we do not get the end product all working together if you just send a letter out without actually taking their advice and thoughts. football clubs in scotland are voting whether to resume the current season when it's safe to do so — or to end the campaign now because of the coronavirus outbreak. the season's currently suspended until at least the 10th ofjune. today the spfl is recommending that all clubs back its resolution to end the season early.

if they do go along with this, it'll only impact the championship, league one and league two initially — the scottish premier league will remain untouched for the moment, because uefa's indicated clubs may be denied places in europe if they end their leagues early. the clubs will have two cope with the financial situation, that's just the financial situation, that's just the way it is. it's a shame because he might make noises about the fairness of the competition and what should happen, but in reality this is crisis management. in reality, this has been a panic situation that they are injust this has been a panic situation that they are in just now. they will make they are in just now. they will make the decision that they think is not just the best financially for themselves, but to some degree what might save them. leeds united have confirmed their former defender norman hunter is in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus. the 76—year old is one of leeds all time greats, having played over 500 games for them during the 1960s and 70s, winning two league titles and the fa cup.

he was also part of england's 1966 world cup winning squad. england could move their summertourofjapan from july to october, or play a revamped six nations tournament in the autumn if that can't go ahead — that's according to the rfu's chief executive bill sweeney. he also says he's confident the current six nations, which is on hold, will be completed. england are one of the sides who still have a chance of winning it. along with france and ireland. that's all the sport for now. thank you very much. now, new data released by google has identified an increase in the number of visits to parks in britain last weekend. data collected from google maps shows that overall activity was down on normal levels, but that sunny weather appears to have encouraged people out. let's find out more from oui’ people out. let's find out more from our technology correspondent. so, what is all the data telling us,

rory? well, this is the second bunch of data that google has released. it is activity data collected by google maps from having carrying a phone around and getting permission to data, which is giving data to google about what you're doing and where you are going. in the first week, we saw dramatic false, obviously, an activity in the uk during the first week of the lockdown compared with normal times. more than 80% drop in visits to the shops. not surprising because most of them are closed anyway. and that first week, we also saw a 52% drop in visits to parks, but this latest data, which covers last weekend. remember it could very sunny. there was concern that people we re sunny. there was concern that people were going out. well, the figure dropped to —29% from 52%, in other words a lot more people going out to parks and in the greater london area, because this data is specific to each area around the uk comedy

followers only 15%, so some evidence that people were going out. we don't know whether they were social distancing, but they were certainly according to the data a lot more people out visiting the parks. really interesting. it will be interesting to see what happens this weekend as well because as we say quite a lot of good weather for a lot of people as well. thank you very much. new york state now has more coronavirus cases than any other country outside the us. there are almost 160,000 people infected, more than spain or italy. the state has started to bury some of its dead in mass graves. images taken by drones show labourers working on an island near the bronx, burying pine coffin in long trenches. president trump has reaffirmed his desire to reopen the us economy as quickly as possible, in the face of surging unemployment figures. 0ur washington correspondent gary old donahue gave us correspondent gary old donahue gave us this update on the situation.

they are using the silent of the bronx which has been a public cemetery since the middle of the 19th century and it does seem that they are getting bigger demand obviously because of the death rate from the virus. 0ne estimate i saw suggested they were perhaps burying two d oze n suggested they were perhaps burying two dozen people there per week before the virus, and now his more like two dozen per day. and these are people whose next—of—kin have not been in touch when they had died in hospital, they are kept in the mortuary for a while and then they are moved off and buried there, but they are marking these coffins. i know this is very grim talk, but they are marking these coffins as we understand it so if relatives did come forward, they would be a possibility of this internment and reburial, obviously, but it is a sign of the times we are in and yesterday the governor of new york appealed for extra funeral directors, the demand on the system was so great. the only glimmer of light for new york is that while the

death rate is still incredibly high and rising comedy hospital admission rate is much, much lower than it was and the itu rate, people going into intensive care, is lower to and they do have a lot of beds. they do have a lot of spare capacity with their beds at the moment. i corresponded talking about the situation in new york state. the number of coronavirus deaths in spain has fallen, part of a trend suggesting the outbreak is beginning to be contained. the country recorded 605 fatalities in the last 24—hour is. that is its lowest total for 17 days. in total, spain has suffered nearly 16,000 deaths. european union member states have agreed to create a fund worth half e1 trillion to help their economies whether the damage caused by the pandemic. but wealthier states refused a request for debts to be pulled among members. are your editor is in

brussels and explained a little bit more about the plans. well, it's actually an emotional as well as a factual answer here because eu supporters will say the blog has taken a bit of a while to get its act together, but now there is a plan to sign of half e1 trillion to help businesses and workers in eu countries most affected by covid—19. there is also talk of a recovery plan to be put together. that is 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 eu nations have been sharing out 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 thatis the biggest problems with the eu and that is 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 borders, its national politics, so for example we had the scene italy and spain are pleading with the richer countries, as you say, with germany and netherlands, let's share out the debt that we are piling up when we face the 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 certainly is not. much more coming up. let's pause and catch up with the weather from nick miller. hello. 0urweather is looking much cooler by the time we get to monday. right now, warm to very warm across we get to monday. right now, warm to very warm across much we get to monday. right now, warm to very warm across much of the uk. a lot of hazy sunshine out there. there could be a shower. andrea for north wales and north—west england. patchy rain to the western side of northern ireland and scotland. this will sink further south and east across rest of scotland overnight. the chance of a shower towards

northern england. the rest of england and wales dry and largely clear with some mist and fog patches. nowhere seen a frost so it will be a mild start to saturday. this area of cloud debt in parts of scotla nd this area of cloud debt in parts of scotland and northern ireland as saturday begins. the rate will start to fizzle out but it will be cloudy for a time to fizzle out but it will be cloudy fora time in to fizzle out but it will be cloudy for a time in northern england. behind the cloud, it will brighten up behind the cloud, it will brighten upfora time behind the cloud, it will brighten up for a time with rain coming back to the western isles later. the rest of england and wales may have an isolated and possibly thundery shower. most places will stay dry. warm to very warm but again much cooler by monday. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: an easter message to stay indoors this weekend to stop the spread of coronavirus. it has now killed more than 8000 people in england and nearly 500 in

scotland.