the uk's lockdown will continue for at least three more weeks — as another 861 people lose their lives. staying closed until at least the start of may — the government says relaxing restrictions now would risk a significant increase in the spread of coronavirus. the worst thing that we could do right now is to ease up too soon, allow a second peak of the virus to hit the nhs and hit the british people. it would be the worst outcome notjust for public health but for the economy and for our country as a whole. as our lockdown is extended, we'll be looking at the different approaches to lifting restritions across europe. one of almost 1a,000 victims in britain — alan stjohn cook's daughter was able to be with him in hospital when he died she brought her own ppe. it occurred to me, my goodness, my ppe is better?

how can that be? one of the nurses said, excuse me, where did you get your ppe from? applause as doctors, nurses, paramedics, turn out to share in tonight's applause for the nation's carers and key workers, we report from the front line on the huge team effort to save lives. and a guard of honour for 99—year—old captain tom moore — as he completes 100 laps of his garden and raises £16 million for the nhs. in sport on bbc news, "an absolute mess". rangers boss steven gerrard has strong words for scottish football bosses as leagues below the top tier end early.

good evening. the uk will remain in lockdown for at least three more weeks. the foreign secretary, dominic raab, said britain is at a delicate and dangerous stage in this pandemic and relaxing restrictions too soon could risk a second wave of coronavirus and even more deaths. he said the lockdown — which is now extended until at least the 7th of may — would only be lifted once the daily death toll comes down and experts can be sure the uk is beyond the peak. the latest official figures for the uk show there were 861 deaths reported, in the last 24—hour period. it means that the total official number of deaths in the uk linked to coronavirus is 13,729. that number doesn't include deaths in care homes, or in the community, in england and northern ireland. our political editor laura kuenssberg reports. the start of another day... come on, then, kids. ..where looking out the window is the only way

to see the world outside. more time for fun for roco and bonnie. but for their parents in wolverhampton, another 2a hours of working, playing, caring and cooking, all within the same four walls. chocolate everywhere. we've already done more than three weeks. and i guess, in some ways, that's been like an extended holiday. we've had the weather, we just played a lot in the garden. but my fears about more time are more for the children. so i guess there's a danger that you could become quite worried about them missing out on things. as the foreign secretary, in the prime minister's place, confirmed today, that time at home will be longer. the government has decided that the current measures must remain in place for at least the next three weeks. we've just come too far, we've lost too many loved ones, we've already sacrificed far too much to ease up now. but we are now at both a delicate and a dangerous stage in this pandemic. if we rush to relax the measures

that we have in place, we would risk wasting all the sacrifices and all the progress that has been made. and that would risk a quick return to another lockdown, with all the threat to life that a second peak of the virus would bring, and all the economic damage that a second lockdown would carry. you've been very clear about why in your view, and sage‘s view, now is not the time. as you said yourself, in other countries, people have been told when and what to expect. from what you know now, is it more likely that we're looking at another three weeks, or maybe another three months? we can't give a definitive timeline. i'm afraid that would be to prejudge the evidence, that wouldn't be a responsible thing to do. but our message to the british public is there is light at the tunnel. we are making progress. if i start giving you artificial and arbitrary timeframes, it would be the irresponsible thing to do and i can't do that. come on, play! life under lockdown certainly is a juggle. the rooks think they

fortunate, sharing child care in a home office. but the situation‘s intensely tough for millions of people, and dire for the economy. ok, darling, let me just send this e—mail. on the eighth floor of this tower block in birmingham, tamika gill, lives with her two kids. my kids bicker a lot. they are here together come in a confined situation. it's stressful. i almost fainted yesterday, to be honest. it's like all that stress, because i'm indoors and not being out, like i used to be. so it's kind of made me feel a bit down. so, labour is pushing the government for a timetable of sorts. whilst i support the extension of the lockdown, i do think the government needs to bring forward the exit strategy to tell us the principles on which things are going to change in a few weeks' time. they need to do that, because they need the trust of the public. we're asking a lot of them, another three weeks, possibly more of lockdown. but decisions haven't been taken about how and when restrictions will go.

and there are nerves about giving the public the wrong impression. likely to ease eventually, step—by—step. when we do, incrementally, ease restrictions, we must consider what we need to do instead to keep the virus under control. for example, testing and surveillance, contact tracing and isolation of people with symptoms. with the progress of the disease flattening, moves towards lessening the limits on our lives are starting to be discussed. but the pandemic will have an impact on all our lives, beyond next week, next month, and perhaps next year. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. the government says there is light at the end of the tunnel — but restrictions can only be eased when five conditions are met — and that will be when they are sure the nhs can cope. when there's a sustained and consistent fall in daily death rate. the government says there is light at the end of the tunnel — when the rate of infection is down to managelable levels. when there's enough ppe

to meet future demand. and when experts are confident any loosening of restrictions wouldn't risk a second virus peak. our science editor david shukman looks at the benefits — and risks — of relaxing the lockdown. empty streets around the world. images that are now familiar, of lockdown. a very blunt way to fight the virus, but it is working. and some countries are easing up. so what's involved in that? well, first, a key question — is the daily death toll falling? that's yet to happen here in the uk, so for the moment, the lockdown continues. belgium has also extended its measures until losses are reduced day by day, and the world health organization is warning that any move must be very careful. it is imperative that we do not let down our guard. complexity and uncertainty lie ahead, which means that you are entering a period where we may need to rapidly adjust measures, introduce and remove restrictions, and ease restrictions gradually.

so, how can the lockdown be relaxed when that moment eventually comes? in spain, it wasjudged that construction work is safe enough to resume as a first step. in italy, it's small shops like bookshops that have been allowed to reopen. while in denmark, schools are seeing pupils return. each of these steps bring benefits, but also comes with risks. and here in the uk we don't know how the government is planning to handle this. i think it's essential that the government begins to tackle the issue of fear in the population and restore confidence, because, otherwise, the lockdown strategy will fail, simply because people won't go along with it. and keeping track of the virus and where it spreads is vital after measures are relaxed. germany is highly praised for testing huge numbers of people. something similar will have to happen here.

in lichtenstein, they are planning to offer everyone a biometric bracelet in a radical drive to track the emergence of new cases. and apps like this will be needed to keep track of people's contacts, to spot symptoms and isolate any new outbreaks. the challenge for any government is to try and strike a balance between making sure that people do maintain social distancing while offering a sense of light at the end of the tunnel. and that bit of it is made all the harder by the growing realisation that this won't be over soon. and there's a warning that some restrictions will be needed until next year. the scientists trying to predict the pandemic say that until a vaccine is ready to create immunity to the virus, some social distancing will have to continue to keep people safe. david shukman, bbc news. the boss of an nhs trust in southern england has called the bbc tonight to ask to be put

in contact with the british fashion house burberry who've offered to make gowns for the nhs. he told us he needed to speak to them because he doesn't have enough gowns for staff to get through tomorrow. the leader of birmingham city council has written to the government, warning that the city will run out of protective face masks within two weeks. our health correspondent sophie hutchinson has more. alan stjohn cook, one of the now almost 111,000 people who have died with covid—19 in the uk. aged 88, he and his wife had just celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary. their daughterjulia was allowed into hospital to say goodbye. i took his hand. even though i had my glove on, you know, i squeezed his hand, and he squeezed my hand, and he was like peeling his eyes open, like he was trying to open his eyes from a really deep sleep. and he knew that i was there. this was whatjulia wore into hospital. she bought most of the protective

kit on the internet and was shocked when she saw the staff on her dad's covid ward. that masks were very much like this, very sort of... not very fitted, you know, whereas mine was close fitting. and ijust looked and it occurred to me, my goodness, my ppe is better. and how can that be? and one of the nurses said, excuse me, where did you get your ppe from? and at st thomas‘ hospital in london, where the prime minister was treated, an a&e nurse has told us he feels restrictions on ppe use are putting staff at high risk because the face masks provided aren't properly protective. he criticised the government's guidance on when ppe should be worn and says it's more about rationing than safety. he described what happened when he and a colleague were looking after a patient on a covid ward last week.

we were in the process of washing him, and then he had a coughing fit, and we both knew that everything he coughed up was hanging around in the air while we were completing his personal care. and we had to... and that we were at risk of breathing that in, because the masks are not up to standard and don't provide the full protection we require. the trust that runs st thomas‘ says it has no shortage of ppe and is acting in accordance with government guidance — guidance which ministers say was based on advice from the world health organization. but another hospital in the south of england which wants to stay anonymous says that there are severe shortages. one trust said it had only two days supply of protective gowns left, and, as a result, had been carrying out ward rounds online. it has emerged in eyes that another major trust has called the bbc, requesting phone numbers for burberry and barbour, to ask them for stocks of gowns because it not have enough to get through tomorrow.

it also says some trusts are now washing and reusing single use gowns and masks. it's not just protective equipment but also testing which continues to fuel bad feeling between the government and nhs staff. ministers say they are able to carry out 35,000 tests a day to see if people have the virus but that staff aren't turning up to be tested. you can't be expecting health workers who are ill to be going into a car to drive a long distance for a test. we need to make sure that testing is much more easily accessible — being tested at home if you are ill and so forth. the government's acknowledged this evening that both ppe and testing remain major challenges. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. let's get more from our medical correspondent fergus walsh. so another high death toll today, but a drop in the number of people in hospital with the coronavirus.

yes, some positive news. there is still around 19,000 people with covid—19 in hospital. but, in the past 2a hours, there have been a 3% fall in that number. and that's the third day in a row. if we look at a slide, showing the regional variations, we can see london, which has had by far the biggest outbreak, has had by far the biggest outbreak, has had by far the biggest outbreak, has had significant falls. but the epidemic appears to be shrinking very much around the uk. we don't know how fast that will continue. but it's due to social distancing, and until we get sustained and consistent falls in both the daily death toll and the number of new cases, we've got no hope of any relaxation of the current measures. we also got more information today about who is being particularly badly affected by the virus? yes, the office of national statistics has done some analysis. we know something is for certain. firstly,

the biggest risk factor is age. more than half of all deaths are in the over 80s. secondly, nine than half of all deaths are in the over80s. secondly, nine out than half of all deaths are in the over 80s. secondly, nine out of ten people who died have had underlying conditions, on average they had three underlying health conditions, things like heart disease, diabetes. third, men are far more likely to die than women. and we don't know why. it's unclear why a disproportionately large proportion of black, asian and minority ethnic people are in critical care. one in three. now, it's possible it is due to public facing roles, a very high proportion of public facing, front line workers, nearly half of medical nhs staff, are from ethnic minority backgrounds. but there could be lots and lots of other factors as well. thank you. this pandemic has confronted nhs workers at all levels with an extraordinary challenge. fergal keane and cameraman tony fallshaw spent time with some of the teams fighting the virus at imperial college healthca re

in london. dr ali sanders is fighting a disease that has killed colleagues. it's everywhere, you're reminded when you are cycling down an empty road that everyone's in lockdown, and it's infectious and we're coming to work. we're not locked in our homes, isolating from it. we've put some new signs up just to give a bit of clarity to exactly what need to wear on red and super red. ali leads emergency teams at charing cross and st mary's, two of the five london hospitals run by imperial college healthcare. the team is now briefed for the day ahead and what really strikes you here is the sense of calm and of common purpose. they're two vital things as the staff face this pandemic. this is the resuscitation unit needed by some patients arriving with covid symptoms. they're treated by in staff full protective gear.

movement is careful, words are soft—spoken. part of an essential gentleness for patients who can't have relatives with them in this protected zone. to have an infection that goes through the entire spectrum of age, that has limited treatment options, and takes out people who are largely otherwise well, with no particular rhyme or reason, is quite hard. every hour, the staff disinfect their working area. imperial college healthcare has adequate supplies of ppe, but even so there must be constant vigilance. how do you deal with the anxiety? i think it's.... you just take one day at a time. if you try to think about the whole situation, it's too much. there's been a massive reorganisation of staff, as the hospitals have gone

from 68 to 143 critical care beds, with the potential for 300. it takes many to wage this struggle. from the cleaner raj at charing cross to the clinical trials manager serge, who's become a ward assistant at st mary's. matron dolores, who spent a0 years in nursing, and wanted to pass this message to the public. stay home. and not to put our resources under more stress than they are, because we don't want this spreading, it's quite simple. for staff, it's deeply personal. three colleagues have died since the crisis began. the latest was 60—year—old nurse melujean ballesteros, from the philippines, a mother of two, and one of 18,000 filipinos working for the nhs. st mary's is 175 years old, and sacrifice is part of history here.

staff fell in both world wars. but in the spring of 2020, it is in critical care units like this that staff willingly face a potentially lethal virus. we were invited to see the work of the cpap unit, where air is applied through a mask to help breathing. it can help some patients — not all. in the process, infected droplets are exhaled. we use it for things to be passed through, so medications or equipment. staff communicate with the outside by video link. the ward is specially ventilated to create what is called negative pressure that stops any contamination escaping. a hong kong born doctor leads the team. how do you feel for the patients? they are isolated, they don't have people with them, they can't even hear us properly. i think it is a really scary time for them, and i think any small measures

we can take to make them feel more at ease makes a big difference. i think doctors, we mainly see the patients, and we pop in and out to see them, but it is the nurses who stay here for a long time. that is what we need to recognise the hard work for. nick, recovering, was deeply grateful to his carers, and having struggled for his life, there was a moment of clarity he wanted to share. it is because of these guys i am sitting up, because i'll be honest, i never took it serious in the beginning. but after this, it has kind of told me to slow down. family, you know what i mean? being with your family is important. i was doing long, silly hours, but being with your family is really important, and that is what it has taught me. i have just come out of the unit, and that word "hero" that is being used a lot of late has been going in my head. if you said it to anybody here, they would say,

no, i'mjust doing myjob, this is what i have been trained to do. but having watched the doctors, the ambulance people, the cleaners, the cooks, porters, all of the people who keep this struggle against the virus going, people from the uk, people from everywhere, brave hardly begins to describe them. applause. as britain claps for its carers, emergency team leader dr ali sanders knows she is engaged in the greatest struggle of her medical life. you know, it'sjust nice to be appreciated. you have done all this hard work. and i love you. her nine—year—old son jack is learning the meaning of duty and of courage. fergal keane, bbc news. meanwhile, there's been a sharp fall in the number of people attending accident and emergency departments in england. it's feared people with serious conditions such as heart attacks

or stroke are avoiding or delaying going to a&e for fear of coming into contact with the virus. our health correspondent dominic hughes has more. accident and emergency departments are normally the busy front door to your local hospital. but the coronavirus pandemic is changing all that. fears of contracting covid—19 seems to be keeping people away. that's what stopped the father of two—year—old myra here from north london, who had to go back to a&e to have a cut on her head redressed. do we want to be anywhere near a hospital at the moment? we had to do it the day before. if you can avoid it, then we should, so after thinking long and hard about it and weighing up if the nhs have enough on their plate already, we decided to not go and we sought help elsewhere. the latest figures from public health england cover more than eight major a&e departments. in the second week of april last year, more than 151,000 people attended

emergency departments in england, this year 70,000, a reduction of more than half. on the face of it, that sounds like it could be good news for hard—pressed emergency departments, and the coronavirus crisis has put the whole service under intense pressure, but health charities fear some people are reluctant to visit hospitals when they should. people are acutely aware that the nhs is under significant strain, and they do not want to be a bother, but also people are worried about being in a hospital setting because they don't want to contract coronavirus. some conditions, heart attacks or strokes, for example, are time critical. the faster they are treated, the better the outcome, so any delay can have serious consequences. if you were to have a serious heart attack and not seek help and not have the right procedure very quickly, then you are at a much higher risk of developing serious problems with your heart following the attack, such as heart failure

or breathing problems. the message from doctors is clear — even in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the nhs is open and ready to treat other medical emergencies. delaying treatment could threaten your life. dominic hughes, bbc news. provision of ppe for care workers has been "shambolic" according to a leaked letter to the government from the association of directors of adult social services. the government has admitted it needs to do more for the care sector, as alison holt reports. at this cheshire care home, staff are leaving their families and moving in here for up to three months so they can do all they can to shield its elderly and disabled residents from covid—19. it's just something that we had to do, just to stop the virus from coming in the home. this is our second family, and we want to keep them safe for their own families. the government's strategy to provide more protective equipment,

testing and recognition for those supporting people in care homes and in their own home has been widely welcomed. but ongoing frustrations felt by directors who run council services are clear. a leaked letter to government from directors of adult social care describes the national ppe supply chain as a shambolic, with early drops paltry and later ones haphazard. the woman who sent that letter on behalf of council care leaders told me they hope they're being listened to now but it's taken too long. i understand the national focus on the nhs, which is right and proper, but that's only part of the story. there are many more people living in care homes or in their own homes that require care and support, and, you know, we need to tackle covid—19 on both fronts. we have sadly had overall around 250 deaths. the growing number of deaths in care homes,

like the 133 run by the charity mha, means some believe questions about the speed of response will eventually need answering. we can't be in this situation again, and we can't be having to wait, in the way we have so far, for five weeks, to catch up with the nature of the provision that we need to be able to do the job that we have been asked to do, and that society, as a good society, needs for us to be able to do effectively. the government's said it is doing all it can to recognise and support the care sector. alison holt, bbc news. for the fourth week in a row, hundreds of thousands of people have been applauding our carers and key workers tonight to show their support for those on the front line as judith moritz reports. cheering and applause this national show of appreciation is getting bigger every week. from skyscrapers lit up for the nhs, to the emergency services lined up along westminster bridge. and that's just the capital.

across the uk, people arejoining in, coming out to make a noise on doorsteps in bradford... on a hilltop in the north of scotland... bagpipes and at hospitals everywhere, including here in coventry, where some of the nurses came out to pay their own tribute, and similarly in south shields, where the policejoined in, too. the nation's applause isn't only for nhs staff. those working in care homes, like this one in cheshire, are coping with the crisis, too, and working with love and dedication. we've had covid cases in here, and to be there when their family come, yeah, you've got to have someone who ca res. and i can tell you everyone here ca res. how's the applause made you feel? it's a way to lift us up. we do get down. when we lose people, it hurts. and to know that other people out there, and are aware that we are hurting, that helps. that helps a lot, yeah.

jo towers and her son ollie clap for ruth and her colleagues tonight. they're looking after her father, who lives at the nursing home and is suspected to have had the virus. we come out, we do our clapping, we bang our saucepans. yes, it's for the nhs. but for us, from our hearts, it's for the carers and the people looking after my dad that sacrifice their time with their families and putting my dad's care before their own. musicians have beenjoining in, too. it all adds to the colour and noise of these few minutes every week designed to lift the spirits and boost morale. whether it's musicians playing their part, or the whole of a road like this one at shipley, near bradford, coming out tojoin in, the feeling is that, although social distancing is keeping us apart, this sort of shared moment gives us a realfeeling of community. with the lockdown continuing, so too will this special

moment every thursday. what started as a small gesture has grown to become a tribute the nation treasures. judith moritz, bbc news, west yorkshire. the first flight carrying 150 farm workers from romania arrived in the uk today. five more flights from romania have been organised by food producers over the next few months. they say the coronavirus pandemic has caused a shortage of fruit and vegetable pickers. more than five million more american workers lost their jobs last week, bringing the total since the middle of march to more than 20 million. president trump is due to announce guidelines tonight to try to reopen the economy in some parts of the country. more than 30,000 people have now died from the virus there. our north america editor, jon sopel, reports from maryland. pretty and prosperous annapolis —

but it doesn't feel that way today. this landmark on the chesapeake bay is famous for the us naval academy and crab cakes. but the seafaring town is struggling to stay afloat. chick and ruth's delly has been here for 55 years, and has the character to prove it, but for how much longer? it's got a long legacy, very, very loyal customers, and we're all very committed to coming out on the other side of this crisis. so it's been tough? tougher than anything i've experienced in a really long time. and business down how much? about 75%. just around the corner on the main square, nothing is moving — apart from the flags in the spring breeze. situated here is the governor calvert hotel. it has 125 rooms and one guest — the consequences of coronavirus have been brutal. oh, it's been horrible. so it's affected us tremendously. we originally had about 70 people working here,