we have to face the reality of that. we were too slow with a number of things. but we can make sure that in the second wave we're not too slow. the health secretary, matt hancock, has responded to concerns about a shortage of protective gowns — by saying that 55,000 gowns will be arriving today. i would love to wave a magic wand and have large quantities of ppe fall from the sky and be able to

answer your questions about when it will be resolved. and there are calls for the public to be urged to wear face masks to halt the spread of the virus. also this lunchtime: as china's economy slumps, the international monetary fund warns the outlook for other economies around the world could be far worse than originally predicted. the duke and duchess of cambridge speak to the bbc about the need to protect mental health during lockdown — and their feelings when prince charles was diagnosed with coronavirus. i thought to myself, "if anybody's going to be able to beat this it will be him," and actually he was very lucky. he had mild symptoms. and actually he was very lucky. and also speaking to him made me feel more reassured that he was ok and he was through the worst of it. and the leeds united legend norman hunter has died, after contracting coronaviras. he was 76. and coming up on bbc news, as premier league clubs meet to discuss plans to finish the season uefa is working on a plan to stage the champions league final

at the end of august. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. a leading expert in global health has said there could be 40,000 deaths in the uk by the time the coronavirus crisis is over, and the country will probably have the highest death rate in europe. giving evidence to the commons health select committee, professor anthony costello said the government had been slow to act. the health secretary, matt hancock, told mps that testing will be expanded in the coming days to the police, fire and prison services, as well as some local authority workers. 0ur health correspondent, richard galpin, reports.

despite the tireless work of doctors and nurses across the country, coronavirus has already left almost 14,000 people dead, and the numbers continue to rise. there are concerns about the government's approach to this outbreak. welcome to the session of the house of commons health and social care... today's hearing, chaired by former health secretaryjeremy hearing, chaired by former health secretary jeremy hunt, hearing, chaired by former health secretaryjeremy hunt, offers the chance refused to be expressed by health experts. and there has been criticism. i hope i have been constructively critical, and also i believe we should not have any blame at this stage. we should have a no blame audit. where the system errors led us probably to have the highest death rate in europe. and we need to face the reality of that. we were too slow with a number of things. but we can make sure in the second wave we are not too slow. later he

said this... we could see 40,000 deaths by the time it's over. another key issue the government faces is the supply of protective equipment or ppe, which health and ca re equipment or ppe, which health and care staff need to prevent being infected by the virus. there are warnings some hospitals are now on the verge of running out of this equipment. i would love to be able to wave a magic wand and have ppe fall from the sky in large quantities, and be able to answer your question about when the shortages will be resolved, but given we have a global situation in which there is less ppe in the world than the world needs, obviously it's going to be a huge pressure point. i mean, there's nothing that you can... there nothing i can say that will take away the fact that we have a global challenge. the government is also under significant pressure on the roll—out of testing people for the virus.

a vital part of the battle to get outbreak under control. at the moment it is focused on health and care staff and patients. the health secretary wants it to be ramped up to 100,000 tests a day by the end of this month. it's currently at just 18,000. why the three—week gap between stopping community testing and the announcement of the 100,000 target? the overall project to ramp up testing has been going since day one. the challenge is that as the epidemic increased exponentially at that point in the middle of march, it meant that the incidence of the outbreak where broad and it meant we we re outbreak where broad and it meant we were not able to test everybody with symptoms. but i want to get back to the position, now we have the curve under control, i want to be able to get back to the position that we can test everybody with symptoms.

the health secretary has now announced that testing will be expanded to include the police, fire service, judiciary and others. richard galpin, bbc news. 0ur political correspondent, leila nathoo, is in westminster. that was a very striking session of the health select committee to listen to, leila. there were criticisms about a lot of issues. an extremely wide ranging session, you're right. there were also leaders of the other select committees brought in byjeremy hunt for questioning. matt hancock really under pressure of lots of issues and i think one of the main issues that came out of today's hearing was this matter of testing, matt hancock's target of 100,000 tests a day. we are almost at the end of the month when he says that is going to be achieved. currently downing street had given the latest figures within the last few minutes and we are currently at capacity for 38,000 tests per day, but yesterdayjust under 19,000 tests for nhs staff

we re under 19,000 tests for nhs staff were actually carried out. it is unclear why there is this discrepancy. matt hancock said the numbers of nhs staff coming forward was lower than anticipated. it is unclear was lower than anticipated. it is u nclear exactly was lower than anticipated. it is unclear exactly why. but now we know other key public sector workers, present services, the police, they will be tested too. i think today more broadly matt hancock confirming mass testing was part of the government strategy going forward including testing, tracing and tracking with a corresponding quarantine policy. that was a key issue that came out of the day. and this will be crucially important going forward, as ministers try to have the measures and systems in place to start thinking about releasing the lockdown measures. all right, leila, thank you, leila nathoo, at westminster. a senior health expert says he feels ashamed when nhs staff aren't able to access enough personal protective equipment. paul durrands asked the bbc to put him in contact with the fashion company burberry, which has switched production to make ppe for health care workers.

the health secretary has admitted that the uk is running low on gowns for medical staff but says another 55,000 are due to arrive later today. simon browning reports. it is situation critical. nhs hospitals are running out of vital gowns to protect staff and patients. yesterday, one nhs doctor contacted me to say the situation was so bad at his hospitals that are connected directly to the fact that gowns. i saw on the website that the manufacturing gowns, and my local health care system is very short of gowns. i wanted to get a name and a contact, so to see if you had a name of someone i could talk to to get some gowns. paul durrands is a specialist in ppe. he has worked in government setting up supply chains before they were changed, and this has caused problems. before they were changed, and this has caused problemslj before they were changed, and this has caused problems. i feel a sense

of shame. if our staff turn up on shift and the ppe isn't in the cupboard, it'sjust shift and the ppe isn't in the cupboard, it's just not shift and the ppe isn't in the cupboard, it'sjust not good enough. just this morning the situation experienced by doctor paul durrands and his hospital colleagues was acknowledged by the health secretary. we are tight on gowns, thatis secretary. we are tight on gowns, that is the pressure point at the moment. we have another 55,000 gowns arriving today. and we are working on the acquisition internationally of more gowns. there has definitely beena of more gowns. there has definitely been a shortage of the last few weeks and no one can deny that. we are on it, we are starting my new factories in the uk to make these products but we are putting a supply chain together —— we are starting uk manufacturers to make these products. the demand for ppe in the uk has revealed just how small and fractured the uk supply chain is, and after decades of moving production overseas to chase cheaper costs uk factories that are left are doing all they can to help.

barber and burberry are two of the bigger uk brand is approached by ministers to help with supply. they have continually been quoted by the prime minister and ministers when they are asked about shortages but getting this brand—new supply chain setup has been complicated. this factory in salford has been working to make gowns to. to make gowns too. well, i think all parties who have put their hands up, desperate to help the national effort, have been extremely disappointed about how long and how turgid it's been to get some traction, and it doesn't feel like we are anywhere near where we need to be. so far, myself, my peers, haven't been able to start work in any capacity because of the necessary checks and balances that one has to go through to be set up with a supplier for pde equipment in this country. —— this afternoon burberry says it will work to do what it can further trust, but as the government admits there are gaps in the system. argent action and reaction are needed. simon browning, bbc news. the mayor of london, sadiq khan, says he thinks people should wear a facemask whenever they leave home. the government is considering the idea, but the chief medical adviser,

professor chris whitty, says the evidence about the effectiveness of masks is weak. a number of countries have, though, made wearing them compulsory. so could they be a way out of the current lockdown? here's our health correspondent, dominic hughes. how to get out of lockdown and get these empty streets back to normal without risking a fresh coronavirus outbreak? that is the question experts at the royal society have been asked to address, how to safely ease social distancing, whether schools can start teaching again, is the virus less dangerous in the summer months, and could the widespread use of face masks make a difference? the mayor of london thinks they can and should be part of the solution? non-medical facial coverage, think of bandannas, masks. what it does not make you more safer. you can still catch the virus, but what it does is if you are presymptomatic or asymptomatic and you cough and sneeze, the chances of passing it on to somebody else are reduced. the use of masks

is common in southeast asia and china. it used to be rarely seen here. that's beginning to change. but not eve ryo ne that's beginning to change. but not everyone is convinced wearing masks will make a difference. the transport secretary argues any decision on masks should be based on fa cts . decision on masks should be based on facts. rather than jumping to an incorrect conclusion and doing more harm than good i think it is right to ask the scientist to provide guidance on it. it looks like it is quite a marginal case, but if the scientists come out and say, yes, this is what people can do, then, fine, we will absolutely ask people to do that. but until they do do that, and unless they do that, that isn't the message we are going to be sending. ministers have said there will be three more weeks of lockdown, but the issue of how to safely end the restrictions is becoming more urgent. and labour's leader thinks the foreign secretary dominic raab, deputising for a still convalescing prime minister, is hesitating. i suspect, although i don't know, dominic raab isjust

relu cta nt. don't know, dominic raab isjust reluctant. he probably knows it is time foran reluctant. he probably knows it is time for an exit strategy, but is probably reluctant to sign it off without the prime minister. i think there is a bit of that in the mix. the government has not yet responded to sir keir starmer‘s demand for an exit strategy but the debate of how we move on has begun. marches, bbc news. —— mark china's economy has contracted for the first time in almost 30 years. new figures show the world's second—largest economy shrunk by 6.8% in the first three months of the year, compared with the same period in 2019. 0ur economics correspondent, andy verity, is here. it isa it is a big drop, and we know the reason why. yes, especially extraordinary for china who has really —— which in recent years has been growing like the clappers, since about the late 1970s. 30 years is how far back the records go but the chinese government hasn't even admitted an economic contraction since 1976. they used to go through

about 8% per year. they have been the workshop of the world in the la st the workshop of the world in the last 20 years. we all know about cheap goods from china. to have a contraction of 6.8% is extraordinary for china. they also don't have the support systems in place. unemployment is about 6% there and they don't really have a good benefit system for people. a lot of the reason they have to keep growing as to avoid the public disorder that might arise if people don't have work. so they will be worried about that. having said that, it is worth remembering the whole of china was not on lockdown. so they have had that 6.8% shrinkage in their economy despite the fact it was just a few provinces and not the whole country. by provinces and not the whole country. by co nt ra st provinces and not the whole country. by contrast we have the whole country in lockdown and are talking about perhaps a 13% shrinkage over the year. the imf hasjust issued its worst global outlook since the great depression. and the new managing director of the imf said they are projecting 170 economies around the world to shrink, but that

could be optimistic. governments should spend as much as they can afford, and more. but keep the receipts. we don't want to lose accountability and transparency during this crisis. we can help countries in these days of very low interest rates to get more ammunition to fight the health crisis, pay doctors, nurses, keep hospitals working, but also to fight the economic crisis. what is really interesting here is china's economic damage, although it is bad, is likely to be less bad than the us where we had those numbers yesterday showing 22 million people out of work in the space of four weeks, unemployment rate jumping from three point something to 13 point something. we are in a slightly better position because of measures taken by governments, and

that further scheme introduced is probably crucial for us. thank you, andy verity. the time is quarter past one. our top story this lunchtime: a leading health specialist says the uk may see the highest coronavirus death toll in europe by the time the pandemic is over. we have to face the reality of that. we were too slow with a number of things. but we can make sure that in the second wave we are not too slow. coming up on bbc news, darts at home. world champion peter wright will be one of the favourites for a new event starting tonight in which the top pros play each other from their own homes, with knockout matches streamed on tv. the duke and duchess of cambridge have been speaking about the importance of protecting people's mental health during the coronavirus lockdown. in an exclusive interview with the bbc, prince william said he was concerned when his father was diagnosed with the virus, and added that his family

are doing everything they can to protect his grandparents, the queen and the duke of edinburgh. the royal couple spoke to tina daheley. tina, hi. i can't see you. hello. we can see and hear you. i've got you, on a different screen. hi! hello. there may be many who are experiencing mental health challenges for the first time during the lockdown. what can we do to help them and help each other? like you said, a lot of people won't necessarily have thought about their mental health, maybe ever before. and, suddenly, this environment we are in catches up on them quite quickly. i think the most important thing is talking. social media, again, it can be... it is providing a lot of relief, connectivity for a lot of families, a lot of people. i think as well sort of... there has been a lot of focus on all the physical well—being and going out and making sure everyone's got enough food supplies and things like that, and,

whilst that is hugely important, we mustn't forget our mental well—being as well. you have spoken about traumatic call—outs you have had to deal with as an air ambulance pilot tipping you over the edge. nhs front line workers are being exposed to things that would be very difficult to deal with. what would you say to them, based on your own experience? well, first of all, the experiences that front line workers are going through now is like nothing anyone has ever seen. i think the scale and the speed of what's going on in hospitals, bearing in mind the isolation, a lot of these patients are sadly dying with no family members around them. i think for the nhs front line workers, that is very difficult because they are there right next to the bedsides looking after and caring for each and every patient in a critical condition and i think they take away that pain and sometimes that fear and loneliness that these patients have to go through,

they are the ones who absorb that and take it home to their families. we are not superhuman, any of us, so to be able to manage those emotions and that feeling is going to take some time after all this is over as well. do you think this will fundamentally change who we are and what we value? because at the moment we have some of the lowest—paid people doing the highest—valuejobs in society. i think it will dramatically change how we all value and see our front line workers. they do an extraordinaryjob. it goes unrecognised daily. and now i think all of us as a nation can really see how hard they work and how vital their work is. how did you feel when you found out your dad had the virus? i have to admit, at first, i was quite concerned. he fits the profile of somebody, at the age he is at, which is fairly risky, and, so, i was a little bit worried. 0bviously, speaking to him made me feel more reassured that he was ok, through the worst of it. i think the hardest thing he found was having to stop and not being able to get a bit of fresh air and go for a walk. he is a mad walker,

loves his walking, so i think he found it quite difficult, especially also with his mental health, being stuck inside and not being able to go for walks. and, obviously, ithink very carefully about my grandparents who are at the age they are at and we are doing everything we can to make sure that they are isolated away and protected from this. but it does worry me what is going to happen to a lot of the vulnerable people and the high—risk people who are going to have to potentially isolate away for quite some time. how have the past three weeks been for you? how have you both been coping? it's been, yeah, ups and downs, probably, like lots of families, but also spending lots of time at home. lots of home—schooling, which was challenging. yeah, home—schooling's fun! don't tell the children we've actually kept it going through the holidays. i feel very mean. what's the exercise regime, if there is one, like? we've been for the odd walk and the odd bike ride as well. so, you know, keep the children busy and active and healthy.

we haven't quite done thejoe wicks workout that everyone else seems to be doing, but we're not far off that and it will happen at some point. really good to talk to you both. tina, very nice to chat to you too. thank you. look after yourself, stay safe. thank you. bye, tina. bye. the duke and duchess of cambridge speaking to tina daheley. and you can read more about the campaign on the nhs every mind matters website. president trump has outlined proposals for a phased lifting of coronavirus restrictions in the us. he says each state can decide when it wants to ease the rules, now that the country has passed the peak in new cases. but critics say the president is being optimistic about how quickly the crisis will pass. 0ur north america correspondent, david willis, reports. he wanted a sudden, more dramatic end to social distancing guidelines. in the end, president trump settled for a more gradual reopening of the american economy, one that will vary from state to state.

we are opening up our country and we have to do that. america wants to be open, and americans want to be open. president trump said it would be up to individual state governors to decide when to relax the existing guidelines. he unveiled a document called opening up america again, a three—phase plan for easing the current lockdowns. in order to move from lockdown to phase one, for example, the guidelines say there should be a downward trajectory of coronavirus cases over the course of two weeks and a fall in the number of people testing positive. hard—hit areas such as new york are expected to be subject to social distancing guidelines for quite some time. but the president said other states would be in a position to reopen soon, possibly very soon. those states that are in great shape already, they will be able to go literally tomorrow, yes. they've met all the guidelines.

the administration's guidelines don't include provision to increase testing for the coronavirus, something that democratic lawmakers regard as key to controlling the spread of the virus. with more than 20 million americans now out of work, a growing number are reliant on food hand—outs. the speaker of the house nancy pelosi described the measures as fa ke pelosi described the measures as fake and inconsistent and said they did nothing to make up for the president's failure to distribute rapid national testing. with more than 20 million americans now out of work, a growing number are reliant on food hand—outs. the coronavirus has wiped out nearly all the job growth here since the great recession more than a decade ago. president trump was forced to shut down the world's largest economyjust as he was about to ramp up his bid for re—election in november. little wonder, then, that he is eager to get things back to normal. what sort of normal that

will be remains to be seen. david willis, bbc news. the world health organization has warned that africa could become the next epicentre of coronavirus. the continent has seen a sharp rise in cases over the last week. but zimbabwe has one of the lowest numbers of reported cases — only 17. but there are now questions about how accurate the figure is. from harare, shingai nyoka reports. even in the time of a highly—infectious disease, there are pressing needs for food. there is a maize meal shortage here, and people are taking risks to get it. covid—19 has arrived at the worst possible time — during a drought and economic collapse. so, you know what is happening. when people hear that there is some maize meal in the shopping centre, they all rush, and forget about all these protocols,

all the corona issues, simply because there is tension, they are torn between survival and a threat that is invisible. the government is also trying to strike a balance to keep a fragile economy ticking. and it has gradually eased lockdown restrictions. the food markets have opened again, but most people are potentially still vulnerable to the coronavirus here, where social distancing remains a luxury. and so too are gloves and masks, which have grown in price almost fivefold since the outbreak began. more than most people here can afford. but the vendors are happy that they can make a living, despite the risks. it's much better to come here to work, to get something, rather than to stay at home, because our situation is not good. covid has brought death here but also a silver lining.

it's forced government to rehabilitate long—neglected public hospitals. and the private sector is chipping in too. through donations, several hospitals like this church—owned facility will reopen, to treat critical covid cases. we are praying as always, trying to put our efforts together so that we are a little ready, in as much as we want to be more than what we can do, but we are just doing the little that we can do. dr clemence chidziva will be leading their response. it is very difficult for us to be able to know where exactly we are, are we at the beginning of the curve? where we are in the curve, we really can't tell. as of last weekend, zimbabwe had tested just over 600 people, one of africa's lowest testing rates. there are plans to ramp up to a thousand tests a day, but with still many unknowns, there is no clear indication

whether the country is winning the battle. shingai nyoka, bbc news, harare. here, the availability of food was a concern when coronavirus first started spreading. supermarkets say shelves are now well stocked, but food producers are concerned about their ability to harvest seasonal crops in the next few months. specially chartered planes are bringing farm workers to the uk from romania in the coming weeks to help support the industry. here's our business correspondent, sarah corker. the warning is stark. if farmers can't find enough seasonal workers, crops will rot in the fields and food prices could rise. this is one solution — flying in fruit and vegetable pickers from eastern europe. in the city of iasi in romania, 150 people boarded a special charter flight to london yesterday. some, though, were wary of travelling during the lockdown. translation: we are going

because we have nojobs here, no income, and we have to find work somehow because, here in romania, we have nothing left to live on. translation: yes, we are afraid, but we have to do this, regardless of fear. we have no options here. if it is meant to happen, it will happen, here or there, regardless. before boarding, passengers had their temperatures checked by a thermal scanner and completed health questionnaires, all to combat the spread of the virus. the uk urgently needs 70,000 pickers. travel restrictions have cut off the usual flow of foreign labour. they were offered jobs back in october, november last year. the border‘s remain open and they are able to travel. many of them are returnees who are skilled at the job and understand exactly what's involved. so, they are just a small part of the workforce which is so critically required to make sure we are able to harvest

those crops which have been grown in the field and, ultimately, get them into the supermarkets and on to people's plates. recruiters say, for the first time in a generation, british workers have applied for farm work. it's helping to feed people who are in need. student zoe is one of them. it is offering accommodation to go out and work on a farm and pick fruit and veg for, like, a period of weeks. and i wanted to help out, really, because i felt quite useless, so i thought it would be quite a good opportunity to actually feel like i'm doing something. but thousands more are still needed. at london sta nsted, the romanian flight was one of the only planes in the sky. this, the first of six charter flights paid for by british food producers. these new arrivals were taken by the bus—load to rural cambridgeshire. soon they will be picking this lettuce crop and training up 500 british workers, all helping to keep the nation fed

in these extraordinary times. sarah corker, bbc news. the former leeds united and england footballer norman hunter has died. he was 76 and was taken to hospital with coronavirus a week ago. norman hunter won two league titles during a 14—year first—team career at elland road. 0ur sports correspondent joe wilson reports. norman hunter said he enjoyed his nickname. commentator: brought down by hunter, quite blatantly. bites yer legs was light—hearted, he reckoned. bodycheck by norman hunter. but his reputation was tough. a foul by hunter. this certainly is no place for boys. hunter played for leeds united for 15 seasons and helped make them the best team in england. a reputation for being one of the hardest tacklers in the game. he was a league cup winner, fa cup winner, as well as a league champion.