this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. president trump sets out his plan to reopen the american economy. our team of experts now agrees we can begin the next front in our war, which we're calling opening up america again. the lockdown in the uk's extended by at least three more weeks, but we're told there is light at the end of the tunnel. 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. plus, the 99—year—old british army veteran who's completed a charity walk in his garden, raising millions for

health service workers. hello, and welcome to audiences in the uk and around the world. we're covering all the latest coronavirus developments here in britain and globally. first... president trump has outlined plans to lift the coronavirus restrictions across the united states, allowing the country to get back to work. he made the announcement hours after it emerged that the number of people claiming unemployment benefits in america had risen by another 5.2 million. president trump told the news conference that he wanted the economy to get back to normal as soon as possible. based on the latest data, our team of experts now agrees

that we can begin the next front in our war, which we're calling opening up america again. and that's what we're doing, we're opening up our country. and we have to do that. america wants to be open, and americans want to be open. as i have said for some time now, a national shutdown is not a sustainable long—term solution. to preserve the health of our citizens, we must also preserve the health and functioning of our economy. over the long haul, you can't do one without the other. it cannot be done. to keep vital supply chains running, these chains have to be taken care of so delicately. they're delicate. the balance is delicate. we want to deliver food

and medical supply, we must have a working economony, and we want to get it back very, very quickly. and that's what's going to happen. i believe it will boom. let's speak to our north america correspondent david willis. he will do this working with the governors and not by ordering them. absolutely. the president repeating today that the curve has flattened and the peak has diminished as far as cases of coronavirus here in united states are concerned. and he announced federal guidelines which essentially leave it up to individual state governors to decide when, where and how their states will reopen their economies. having asserted a few days ago that power rested entirely with him, the president now is talking

about a phased response, one that would vary state to state. he said depending on the number of cases. now there are nine states here that currently have fewer than 1000 cases of the coronavirus. it could be extended they will be the first to reopen of the guidelines are also putting a strong emphasis on testing. and that is something the trip administration has been criticised for the lack of, the lack of available testing kits here. something that business leaders stressed the need for in their conversations with the president and the administration officials over the last few days. but it looks as though it will be a month before some of the less affected states start opening of their economies. as far as places like new york and other places like new york and other places are concerned, much longer than that and yesterday of course we heard from the mayor of los angeles predicting that it would be next year

before we see a return to big social gatherings, outdoor concerts and so social gatherings, outdoor concerts and so on. social gatherings, outdoor concerts and so on. this gives her some terrible jobless figures of people signing up to those schemes government has announced. how much pressure is there within america to get back work? we have seen protests actually in about five different locations in the first of course was in lansing, the capital of michigan a couple of days ago. people ignoring the social distancing advice and taking to the state capital to protest the stay at home orders which they believe in some conservative their belief to be particularly ferocious if you like. now these are protests that have been organised by conservatives and by people who support president trump. and he was just referring to them a short while ago before i came in to speak to you at that news

conference. not condemning those protests but saying they we re those protests but saying they were an indication of the frustration on the part of many americans whojust frustration on the part of many americans who just want to as he put it get back to work. david, thank you very much. the uk is to remain under lockdown until at least next month in an attempt to contain the coronavirus outbreak. the foreign secretary, dominic raab, who's standing in for boris johnson while he recovers from the virus, said social distancing measures are working. but the government has refused to say when or how the restrictions will be eased, warning it would be a distraction from their core message to the public to stay at home. dominic raab announced the decision to extend the lockdown for at least another three weeks at the daily press briefing. and he said any changes to these measures would risk a significant increase in infections. he set out the government's criteria for exit from the lockdown. first, he said it would require

a "sustained and consistent fall in deaths" and confidence that the health service could cope with a second peak. in the past 2a hours, the uk recorded another 861 coronavirus deaths in hospital, taking the total to 13,729. our political editor laura kuenssberg has this report. hello once again. 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 timeframe. 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 and 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're 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 any of these 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.

let's get a round up of the day's other coronavirus news. brazil's health minister luiz henrique mandetta has been fired by president jair bolsonaro after they disagreed over the country's response to the coronavirus outbreak. the populist president has downplayed the virus as a "little flu" and opposes lockdown measures. over 1700 people have died from covid—19 in brazil, and there are concerns the outbreak is more severe than official records show. the al—aqsa mosque compound injerusalem will be closed to muslim worshippers throughout the month of ramadan to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. the council that looks after islamic sites injerusalem said the decision was painful. police in southern india have registered a case against villagers who defied a coronavirus ban on public gatherings to attend the funeralfor a prize bull. hundreds attended the ceremony

in tamil nadu state to pay respects to mooli, a racing bull, who was also attached to a local temple and revered as a deity. researchers say the western united states is enduring one of the worst droughts in its history. they say that while the decade—long drought itself is natural, climate change has signfica ntly increased its severity. the dry period is making events like wildfires more dangerous. the president of the european commission, ursula von der leyen, has said europe owes italy a heartfelt apology for failing to offer enough support at the beginning of the coronavirus epidemic there. italy was the first european country to suffer a serious outbreak and has recorded more deaths than any other nation bar the united states. yes, it is true that no—one was really ready for this. it is also true that too many were not there on time

when italy needed a helping hand at the very beginning. and, yes, for that, it is right that europe as a whole offers a heartfelt apology. but saying sorry only counts for something if it changes behaviour. of course, there are still some who want to point fingers and deflect blame, and there are others who would rather talk like populists than tell unpopular truths. to this i say stop it. stop and have the courage to tell the truth. have the courage to stand up for europe. because this union of ours will get us through. italy responded by calling it an important act of truth. here's gavin lee. we have not yet heard from the prime minister or the

opposition but you get a sense that part of this, the populist right—wing politician that he is in the criticism he has given to the eu and been very vocal about in the past few weeks and the government internally as well, part of the message was to aim it at populist that we have the courage to tell the truth and not to distort the facts and it isa not to distort the facts and it is a big significant acknowledgement from what is the most powerful person in brussels who has said formally we we re brussels who has said formally we were not there at the time the italy needed us. stay with us on bbc news. still to come, we meet captain tom, the 99—year—old war veteran who's raised millions of pounds for british health care workers. the two main symptoms of coronavirus to look out for are a continuous dry cough and/or a fever. now, some people say they've lost their senses of smell and taste because of covid—19,

but the research on this is still at an early stage. also, other viruses can make this happen, too, like the common cold, so it doesn't necessarily mean you have this new coronavirus. so, how high a fever is a coronavirus one? and what exactly is a continuous dry cough? well, it's when you cough and there's no mucus or phlegm, basically no gooey substance in your tissue. and this means coughing a lot for more than an hour or having three or more coughing episodes in a single day. this dry cough can also then lead to breathing problems. but how high a fever is a coronavirus fever? if you have one of these, you will know about it. technically, it's a body temperature of more than 37.8 degrees celsius or 100 degrees fahrenheit. but if you've not got a thermometer, basically you will feel hot and your chest and back would be hot if someone touched you. this is bbc news. the latest headlines:

president trump has been setting out his plans for lifting coronavirus restrictions in the united states in conjunction with state governors. however, the british government has extended its coronavirus lockdown for at least three more weeks. well, across a number of european countries, there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel as some lockdown restrictions are being eased. our science editor david shukman looks at the benefits and the risks involved. 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 organisation 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 book shops that have been allowed to reopen. while in denmark, schools are seeing pupils return. each of these steps bring benefits, but also comes with risk. 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, and that 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 liechtenstein, they're 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 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. new york's governor has extended the stay at home order until may the 15th. despite the restrictions, the city's devoted joggers are finding ways to keep up their regular routines. the bbc‘s tom brook is a runner. he laced up his shoes for a spin around central park to help bring the pandemic into focus. stopping the spread of the coronavirus. .. the alarm goes off every morning with radio news bringing more gloom. i get up, make some coffee, prepare for my run, don my face mask and go down to the street. i live just 30 seconds from central park. there ijoin other runners. i stop and talk to them, of course maintaining social distance.

they may be in the park on a beautiful day, but the pandemic is on their minds. i think about it all the time. i can't not. i'm looking around and seeing people not wearing masks and not wearing gloves and standing too close together and i am on high alert for how far i need to move to stay away from them. this west drive of the central park is part of my route to the right of the grand buildings on central park west. the striking twin—towered art deco apartment building. then the dakota apartment building where the former beatlejohn lennon was shot dead in 1980. # imagine allthe people... opposite the dakota is strawberry fields, the memorial to lennon. beatles songs performed by paulina butterfly provide some solace to pandemic—weary new yorkers. i think i have an ability to uplift through the songs that i choose and the way i sing them, to then... i think that they appreciate that. then across the park to e 77th

st and fifth avenue. two blocks east, you enter the war zone. on the front lines, lenox hill hospital. extra oxygen supplies are being brought in. at the back of the building, two huge refrigerated trucks. storing the dead. an ambulance driver who's travelled up from florida to volunteer his services for free has been getting a lot of positive feedback. what have people said to you about being here in new york? lots of hugs, lots of pizza and lots of thank yous. that's great. # here comes the sun... every time a covid—19 patient is taken off a ventilator or discharged, a refrain from the beatles song here comes the sun is played on the hospital's public address system. nowadays, that refrain is being played more and more often. back into the park and another grim confrontation. a temporary field hospital has been rapidly constructed to house covid—19 patients.

the hospital has been controversial because critics charge that its sponsor, the christian charity samantha's purse, embraces discriminatory practices, particularly against gay people. 14 tents make up this field hospital. this is something you would not expect to see this in what we call a first world country. like the us. just a bit strange. these really are terrible, terrible times in new york. despite the reduction in hospitalisations, disease and thoughts of dying are inescapable. in the face of this, the struggle to maintain a good disposition continues. tom brook, bbc news, new york. he's been an inspiration to people around the world, and today, british world war ii veteran tom moore finished his challenge to walk laps of his garden to raise money

for nhs charities. 99—year—old captain tom has raised more than £15 million pounds. that's an incredible $18 million. the british government has confirmed prime minister boris johnson will look at ways to recognise his fundraising efforts, which a spokesman said had "captured the heart of the nation". david sillito reports. you can't start halfway. you start at the beginning. captain tom moore was keen to do things properly on the final leg of a journey that had begun as a family challenge and has turned into something extraordinary. i think it's a fantastic sum of money, we never imagined that sum of money, it's unbelievable that people have been so kind. it began just over a week ago. the target, 100 laps to mark his 100th birthday at the end of the month.

a world war ii veteran born in keighley, he had served in burma in the west yorkshire regiment. the family hoped they might be able to raise some money for nhs charities and set what they thought was a bold target, £1000. within a day, we had reached a couple of thousand, and we thought, "are we dreaming of heights of £5000 by the end of the month?" we were floored at the thought of 5000. a week later, it had slipped past a million. steady, determined, optimistic, captain tom was proving inspirational and as he began today's final lap, the total stood at more than £12 million. he stepped towards the finish line to a chorus of congratulations. hi, tom. ben stokes here. what you have achieved is fantastic. the funds you have raised for the real heroes today are sensational. i want to say thank you for everything you have done, congratulations on a brilliant idea and pulling it off

and doing it all before your 100th birthday. on behalf of the yorkshire regiment family, i would like to say thank you to captain tom moore for your amazing fundraising efforts. thank you, captain tom, from the nhs! and then the moment. 100 laps completed. the millions raised honouring both the nhs and captain tom's determination and eternal optimism. at the end of the day we will all be ok again and we are finding it difficult at the moment, but the sun will shine on you again and the clouds will go away. however, it's not over yet. if people keep giving, captain tom will keep walking. david sillito, bbc news. and he will keep walking. he

has now raised $20 million. well done, captain. for me in the team, bye—bye. hello once again. some areas saw a really glorious end to thursday and the cloud began to feed in across some parts of the british isles, especially in the south with signs of a change to the extent that there is in the forecast a little bit of rain on the way for some areas. for many of you, that will be quite welcome after a really dry start to april. a waft of cloud was all we really got from this major area of low pressure throwing belts of weather ever further towards the north. but this is the direction we are looking in over the next few days. to see these areas of cloud bringing perhaps a little bit more in the way of significant rainfall to some as we get through friday and indeed on into the weekend. the first signs of that change really getting

into the southwestern counties of england quite early on friday morning. elsewhere, it is a dry and fine enough start, but see the rain eventually by lunchtime getting into central and southern parts of wales and then struggles to get north of the m4 corridor. and elsewhere away from the northeastern shores of england, where again there is a fair amount of cloud and onshore breeze, still the onshore breeze to the eastern side of scotland. dry and bright weather to the west of scotland and northern ireland and north—western england and we will see temperatures into the teens. 8—9 on the east coast only. through the course of friday evening, that rain again begins to make a little bit of progress to the northern part of wales. and there are odd heavier thundery bursts perhaps trying to get across the channel into the southern counties of england. saturday, not a great deal of difference. just that we will see further pulses of showery rain trying to work their way that little bit further north. so, it is saturday where we may well see the odd shower or burst of rain just trying

to get into the north of england and maybe to northern ireland, but the bulk found across the midlands and towards wales as well. not a great deal changing in the overall set—up, so again the temperatures on the east coast around eight eight or nine degrees, but inland looking at somewhere comfortably into the teens. come sunday, it looks as though we are in for a essentially a dry day. perhaps more cloud coming through the irish sea into northern ireland. but the chance of a burst of rain here, but elsewhere, it is dry and fine and at this stage we can talk about double figures temperatures on the east coast.

this is bbc news, the headlines: president trump has set out his plans for lifting coronavirus restrictions in the us. he said state governors would be allowed to tailor their approach to meet their local conditions. the process would be carried out in three phases, which would be reached sooner in some states than others. however, the british government has extended its national lockdown for at least three more weeks. the foreign secretary dominic raab said any relaxation at this point would risk undoing the progress already made. the announcement came on a day when the uk recorded another 861 coronavirus deaths. the head of the european commission has said europe owes italy a heartfelt apology for not offering enough support at the start of the pandemic. her words have been welcomed by the italian foreign minister. eu leaders are to meet next week to discuss sharing the costs of economic recovery.