this is bbc news. the headlines... the uk may see the biggest number of deaths in europe by the end of the coronavirus pandemic, says a leading health specialist — because of systemic errors. 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, responds to concerns about a shortage of protective gowns — he says 55—thousand gowns will arrive later today. 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 shortages will be resolved. 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's going to be him." and, actually, he was very lucky. he had mild symptoms and, obviously, speaking to him made me feel 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.

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. our health correspondent richard galpin reports. despite the tireless work of doctors and nurses across the country, coronavirus has already left almost 1a,000 people dead and the numbers continue to rise. there are concerns about the government's approach to this outbreak. welcome to this session of the house of commons health and social care... so, today, the hearing chaired byjeremy hunt, former health secretary,

given a chance for views to be expressed by politicians, health staff and health experts. there has been strong criticism. the harsh reality, and one of the reasons... i hope i am being constructively critical, and also i believe we should not have any blame at this stage. we should have a no blame audience. where would the system errors that led us to have probably the highest death rates in europe? and we have to face the reality of that, we were too slow with a number of things, but we can make sure that with a second wave we are not too slow. later, he said this. we could see 40,000 deaths by the time it is over. another key issue the government faces is a supply of ppe. health and care staff need this to prevent being infected by the virus. there are warnings that some hospitals are now on the verge of running out of ppe. 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 shortages will be resolved, but given we have a global situation which there is less ppe in the world, that the world needs, obviously it is going to be a huge pressure point. there is nothing that 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 the 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 is currently atjust 18,000. why the three—week gap between stopping community testing and the

announcement of the 100,000 a day target? the overall project to wrap up testing has been going since day one. the challenge is that, as the pandemic increased exponentially at that point, in the middle of march, it meant that the incidence of the outbreak was broad and it meant that we were not able to test everybody with symptoms, but i want to get back to the position, now that we have got because under control, 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, the fire service, judiciary and others. we are going to speak tojeremy hunt in the next few minutes. 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 healthcare 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 guns to protect staff and patients and yesterday one nhs doctor contacted me to say that the situation was so bad at his hospitals, could i direct him directly to factories who make gams? i have seen on the bbc website that barbour were manufacturing guns, my local system was low on downs, so i

contacted you to see if you have someone contacted you to see if you have someone i could talk to to get some guns this man is a specialist in ppe. supply change issues have caused problems. if our staff turn up caused problems. if our staff turn up on shift and our ppe is not in the cupboard, it is not good enough. this morning, the situation experienced by the doctor and his collea g u es experienced by the doctor and his colleagues was acknowledged by the health secretary. we are tight on guns and that is the pressure point right now. —— downs. we have another 55,000 gallons arriving today and we —— gowns. we are working internationally to get more gowns. we are on it and we are starting uk manufacturers to make these products, but we are putting a supply chain together which will ta ke supply chain together which will take time. the demand to produce ppe

in the uk has revealed how small and fractured a uk supply chain is and, after decades of moving production overseas to get cheaper costs, uk factories that are left are doing all they can to help. barbour and burberry have been asked by uk government to help with shortages, but getting this brand—new supply chain set up has been complicated. this factory in salford has been working to make gowns as well. people have been putting their hands up, desperate to help with the national effort, but they have been disappointed by how long it has taken to get some traction. this afternoon, said they would do what we can. urgent action and reaction is needed. just to bring you the new

figures that have come through in the last few moments. these are uk figures. we are hearing that overnights the number of new deaths is 847 sadly. another 847 people losing their lives with coronavirus in the last 24 hours. the number of new cases, on the top line, there are nearly 5600, but a further 847 people have sadly lost their lives with coronavirus in the last 24 hours. that is the figures are adjusted through. you will note that there is a lot of context and detour around these figures and our health correspondent will help us take a look at that and try to work out the trends, whatever we can tell, if we can tell anything, from the daily

figures and put it in context. that'll come this afternoon. we can talk now tojeremy hunt, the chair of the commons health select committee, and a former health secretary. a very long session this morning we have been reporting on extensively. good afternoon. did afternoon. as a former health secretary, i am interesting on a human level one went through your mind when someone so went through your mind when someone so respected as professor anthony costello said that the death toll in this country could be the worst of any european country. what did you think of that? obviously it is very disappointed to hear that that might be the case. we had that at the weekend from sir jeremy be the case. we had that at the weekend from sirjeremy farrar, one of the government's advisers, but what professor costello said was that this is not the moment for

finger—pointing. the that this is not the moment for finger— pointing. the most that this is not the moment for finger—pointing. the most point —— important thing is default international best practice and that means looking at the countries that have kept death rates the lowest. in europe, that is germany and in asia it is career. what they —— korea. they focused on mass community testing. so whenever someone has covid—19 symptoms, to get a quick test at anyone we have been near in the last few days, they get isolated, tested as well, it is called contact tracing. that is why a lot of our attention this morning at the meeting was trying to understand what it testing of contact tracing in the community is going to be part of the uk strategy. but there will be people listening to you saying, we have been hearing about testing four weeks! we have heard about the in importance of testing from scientists and

researchers. why so many weeks in is there still being looked at and not done? i was one of the people who called for testing to be ramped up much earlier. but in fairness to matt hancock, in april the 4th he did and as this 100,000 to test target and we are making some progress towards that. it is not testing on its own, though, what happens in somewhere like korea, which has not had more than nine deaths on any one day, we had it worse than us, they had a super spreader at the next door to china, but they use a very clever way but they also have an army of officials, probably about a thousand people, who rigorously came in contact with anyone that said they had covid—19 symptoms and find that you were near. if we are going to do that, the world health organization says we must have this in place before we left any lockdown, which means we have a lot of work to do in the next

three weeks. on the topic of testing, i am curious or that you got to the gap, because you know the aspirations of matt hancock but we have heard figures in the region of 16,024 hours were actually 35,000 are available. are you and your committee clear why there is that gap? the conversations i have had are that this is a logistical issue, because it is one thing to have the capacity of laboratories but you have got to be sourcing the samples, getting them to those laboratories really quickly, and that is the pressure point at the moment, but there is the desire to do a huge numberof there is the desire to do a huge number of additional tests. we now need to see this move out to the community. we had this in, i think, it was stopped on the 12th of last

month. it is there but we just need to restart it. explain what you mean by that? we did do community testing up by that? we did do community testing up until the 12th of march, and that it was stopped. that was out of line with international best practice. for what reason did it stop? because at that time once there was community transmission of the virus there was no point in testing people ona there was no point in testing people on a mass scale in the community. in germany and korea, we carried on testing, and that is why it was a welcome one matt hancock then announced that he is well wanted to have a massive scale upgrade of testing. my point this morning to him was that it is notjust... a testis him was that it is notjust... a test is not a cure, a test gives you vital information as to where the virus is in the community, so you can track it and trace anyone as we knew the person who has it. that

means that you do not have to lock down because, in korea or taiwan or singapore, they kept the offices open, the shops are open, a normal life is able to continue much more thanit life is able to continue much more than it can at the moment in the uk. do you feel we can reach a point in the uk work we can live like that? everything you described, with the shops open and people go to work, already that he was ill us after three weeks. how far away from getting back to that? we know we have another three weeks of lockdown, maybe longer, who knows? will also know that this is a virus that could come back in waves, so if we can put in this mass community testing, with the contact tracing, then the next time it comes back we will not need to have this kind of lockdown and people will be able to carry on going to work as they are doing in taiwan and korea. what about professor costello because my

point about, you could provide incentives? incentives to certain sections of the population to make them stay at home, encourage them to stay—at—home? them stay at home, encourage them to stay-at-home? what you think of that proposal? i think we do it at all these things and, follow what has worked best across the world, but one of the interesting things he said, you was speaking from yorkshire, and he said there had only been a handful of cases there. there has been a low number of cases in cornwall. there are parts of the country where you can start up mass community testing now. use —— you just have to say that we are going to alight normalise to resume, anyone with covid—19 symptoms, call the emergency services, you can basically stop the virus in its tracks. what does you are your

committee, sitting here this friday, if we were to talk again in a week from now, what would you want matt hancock to have put in place by then? what are your immediate priorities? the first thing is that we need to make sure that all our hospitals have enough gowns by the weekend, there is a lot of effort going into that, but they have said that they had not yet decided whether contact tracing in the community is going to be done nationally by local government. we know that when the testing was restricted to a national programme it was very snow to wrap it up, so i wonder if we will learn some lessons from that and i contact tracing to be done by local governments? i know they are itching to help in every way we can. they have not yet decided how you are going to integrate technology and apps with phone contacts, in terms of trying to work out who has got the virus are not. they have not yet announced that we are going to allow people to

call 111 if you want it as, at the worried about carpet —— covid—19 symptoms, so those are big decisions that we need to happen if we are going to get contact tracing up in place in the next three weeks. jeremy hunt, thank you very much for your time for now. the chair of the health committee, including matt hancock and professor costello, that we we re hancock and professor costello, that we were talking about. just to remind you, the figures have come throughjust in remind you, the figures have come through just in the last few minutes. the number of new deaths recorded around this time every afternoon, 847 people in the uk have sadly died with covid—19. those are the recorded deaths in the last 24 hours. the number of new cases are

very nearly 5600. 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, with the schools can start teaching again, is the virus less dangerous in the summer months? and could the widespread use of facemasks make a difference? the mayor of london thinks they can and should be part of the solution. by others wearing non—medical facial coverage, what it does is not protect you, you can

still catch the virus, what it does is, if you are presymptomatic or asymptomatic, and you cough and sneeze, it means that the chances of passing the virus on to somebody else are reduced. the use of masks is common in south—east asia and china. it used to be really seen here. ——rarely seen. that is beginning to change. but not everyone is convinced that wearing masks will make a difference. the transport secretary argued that any decision on masks should be based on facts. rather than jumping to the incorrect conclusion that will do more harm than good, i think it is right to ask the scientists 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 actually what people need to do, then yes, we will absolutely ask people to do that. but until they do that, and unless they do that, that is not the message we are going to be sending. ministers have said there will be three more weeks of lockdown, but the issue about safely ending the restrictions is becoming

more urgent and labour's leader thanks the foreign secretary, ——thinks dominic raab, deputising for a still convalescing per minister, is hesitating. i suspect, though i do not know, that dominic raab isjust relu cta nt. he probably does know that it is time for an exit strategy but he is probably reluctant to sign it off without the prime minister. i think there is a bit of that in the mix. the government have not yet responded to the labour party's leader's demand for an exit strategy, but the debate over how we move on has begun. let's talk to professor robert west, who's a professor of health psychology at university college london. good afternoon. good afternoon. the evidence has been stated as weak, what are your thoughts on whether we should be wearing masks out in the community? the first thing to say is

that in health care settings it is absolutely crucial that people wear masks. and the right kind of masks. they must be used effectively, that is clear. it is also clear that, theoretically, having something like a mask in front of your face, if you are carrying the disease and could spread germs, will act as a physical barrier. why would it be that we would not recommend that at the moment? and the answer is that the systematic reviews that have been done away again in the community have not shown a benefit. how can that be? i think the reason is that it is ashley quite obvious in terms of how people use them. they often ta ke of how people use them. they often take them off to speak, which is defeating the object of the exercise. they fiddle with them a debt is an issue around touching them, while they are contaminated,

and transferring the contamination to other objects. this is via the hands. it is quite possible that in the community, as it stands at the moment, that masks might not only be a benefit but actually might do more harm than good. it is really important to get the evidence before making recommendations. that is really interesting. we think are people who wear masks as part of their job, people who wear masks as part of theirjob, iam people who wear masks as part of theirjob, i am taking other dentists and such, would you point b that a dentist is a trained medic and knows how to use a mask properly and knows how to use a mask properly and doesn't do the things you just described? absolutely. not only are they trained to use them properly, they trained to use them properly, they have the right kind of masks, but also we can dispose of them safely. the thing to bear in mind is that, when clinicians and health ca re that, when clinicians and health care staff is masks, they will typically be wearing a mask for a short period of time before disposing of it. they have

facilities to dispose of it safely. whereas, in the community, you do not have the same facilities and so potentially you can have a situation where people are using masks when they should not, or are not disinfecting them appropriately. you can wash masks, if you wash them about 60 degrees that will kill the virus, so it is theoretically possible to do it, so i think that the right approach no is to look at it really carefully —— now, not to dismiss it, but also to jump it really carefully —— now, not to dismiss it, but also tojump into it really carefully —— now, not to dismiss it, but also to jump into a recommendation that everyone has to do it, before we know that that is actually going to do more good than harm. is there any psychological benefit at all, if i could put it that way, to wearing one? if we can ta ke that way, to wearing one? if we can take us out of the point in time

where lockdown is over, is it going to make some peoplejust where lockdown is over, is it going to make some people just feel a little bit safer? happier about being on public transport? we do not know a lot, but what we do say anecdotally is that people do feel safer and that is fine, the really important thing, though, is that they do not feel safer and then disregard the other important things that we know it would make a huge difference. one of those, for example, it doesn't get enough attention, it is the issue of touching what we call the t—zone, which is your eyes, nose and mouth. that is the way the virus gets into the body. it is through these mucous

membranes, eyes, nose and mouth. if you have —— if you're close to someone and they breed out or speak out cough or sneeze, the droplets can go directly into your eyes, nose or mouth, and this is where it comes to the mask. but a really important potential route of transmission is getting the virus on your hands and then touching your eyes, nose and mouth. as one example of behaviours we can do a lot better with and it is very important when we're focusing on certain things, like facemasks, not to neglect other things. it is so interesting and makes us think about there will be behave. thank you very much. 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. to protect his grandparents, the queen and the duke 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. obviously, 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. some outbreaks of rain across the southern half of england, wales and into the midlands. further north, dry with spells of sunshine. still quite cool and cloudy across north—eastern parts of england and eastern scotland. the band of rain wea ke ns, eastern scotland. the band of rain weakens, and bind it we will see some heavy showers pushing up from france, getting to wales and the midlands. there are skies the further west you are. could see a touch of frost in rural parts of

scotland. the shower is still with us scotland. the shower is still with us tomorrow. still sundry in places. it may get into the southern parts of northern england. the best of the sunshine tomorrow across scotland and northern ireland. still feeling quite cool for eastern coasts. things will turn a little bit warmer to sunday with increasing amounts of sunshine. it is looking dry with further sunshine in the week ahead. goodbye. a reading health specialist predicts the uk might see the highest battle in europe due to systemic errors. we have to face the reality of that. we

we re have 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. the health secretary has responded to concerns about a shortage of protective gowns, saying another 55,000 will arrive later today. as china's economy slumps, the international monetary fund warns that the outlook for other economies throughout the world could be far worse than originally predicted. and the leeds united legend norman hunter has died after contracting coronavirus. he was 76. sport now, and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's gavin. leeds united great norman hunter has died in hospital aged 76 after contracting coronavirus. he was a key player in leeds' most successful era, winning two titles in his 14 years at the club. he was also a non—playing member of england's 1966

world cup—winning team. our sports correspondent joe wilson reports. norman hunter said he enjoyed his nickname. bites your legs was light—hearted, he reckoned. but his reputation was tough. 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 champion. some players are paid to score goals, others to stop them. hunter was one of the towering defenders of his era, and it was some era. norman hunter represented england 28 times, largely because jack charlton and bobby moore stood in front of him.

he was in the world cup squad. he had to wait over 40 years to receive a medal. at the time, only be starting group got one. he played over 100 times for bristol city before he retired. he was a manager as well at barnsley and rotherham. but she will be forever associated with leeds, a team which won matches. but make no mistake. norman hunter earned wider respect. england's professional footballers presented the first player of the year award, it was norman hunter who won it. norman hunter who has died at the age of 76. premier league club bosses are meeting at the moment to discuss plans on how to conclude the current season.

the premier league spokesperson said they were aware of the distress that they were aware of the distress that the coronavirus pandemic has been causing. they are working to complex scenarios. mclaren racing boss zak brown says all formula 1 races held in europe this season could be closed to spectators. yesterday, f1 bosses discussed a plan to start the season with the austrian grand prix behind closed doors on 5july, then a double race weekend at silverstone. ferrari driver charles leclerc says f1 needs fans, but understands that might not be possible. whatever we can do to start the season as early as possible, but in a safe way. i think it would be better, even if the spectators are not here, but as a driver obviously, you feel the support, and last year, being in italy, driving for ferrari, we definitely felt the support. and i think it has helped us to win the race there and it was a very special weekend, as i think for any driver, seeing the fans supporting you feel

special but unfortunately, with the situation as it is now, it might not be possible at first, so we will probably have to start like that. live sport is returning to the uk tonight with the pdc launching its own knockout competition, where darts players will be competing from their own homes. each will be broadcast via video calls and streamed on the pdc's own tv channel. peter wright is the current world champion and he says that having no fans there will be a strange experience. ba rnsley barnsley and wigan we played behind closed doors, but there are still people there and still a little bit of background noise. but then it's silent, no celebrations and stuff like that. it is going to be a bit strange. you know, we will get used to it and at least we are playing darts. that is the main thing. do you think people really enjoy watching this? it is going to be streamed on tv. the lesser players

who haven't been on the big stage as before, they are going to have the home advantage playing on their own dartboa rd, home advantage playing on their own dartboard, without the pressure of the crowd getting on their back on the crowd getting on their back on the lights and cameras everywhere. you are going to see some cracking games. peter wright talking to us there. that's all the sport for now. now on bbc news, it's time for your questions answered. thousands of you have been writing in with your questions about the coronavirus, and its lockdown. let's get through a good number of questions this afternoon. with me now to go through some of you questions is the former stockton south mp dr paul williams, who joins us from the clinic in stockport where he is working.

and i'm alsojoined by professor sally bloomfield from the london school of hygiene and tropical medicine. a very good afternoon to both of you and thank you for your time. let's start with a question about lockdown. why after weeks of lockdown are there still so many new infections? professor sally bloomfield first. there are still people moving around in the community. the essential workers going to work, and so on. we are still picking up the infections and circulating them around. we need to remember that for every case that has been identified, and those that have not, we know that there are probably a significant number of people who are infected and we do not even know they are infected. for every 100 people that we know are infected, there could be anything of up infected, there could be anything of up to another 90 people out there who are perfectly well but they are

infected and passing on infections. that is still happening even though we are in lockdown because we are still moving around, and i have noticed that the number of confirmed cases has dropped significantly. but it is still happening. doctor paul williams, testing would help with some of that, wouldn't it? your line is picking up, can you repeat the question, please? the question was about why, despite the weeks of lockdown, there is still a good number of new infections, and we could find out a little bit more if there was more testing, couldn't we? we certainly could. we are only testing the tip of the iceberg, people working for the nhs, people sick enough to end up in hospital. so we really don't know. a few weeks

ago, the government said that certain tests could give a more to indicator, but i haven't seen any more data on that. maybe that is question for the government and advisers. what are the criteria that will allow easing of the restrictions and ending restrictions? it feels like a long way off, doesn't it? but what are the criteria? dominic raab made an announcement yesterday and he laid out five criteria which, essentially, our criteria that are likely to be met when there is less activity in the community. the first criteria is for the nhs to cope. that probably means the number of intensive care beds are adequate. the second criteria is that there

are reducing infection rates, and the third criteria is reducing death rates. the fourth was adequate testing and adequate ppe. we are still seeing problems with gowns. the third criteria... i do apologise, i'm going to see if we can do something with the line there are two doctor paul williams. let's continue. sally bloomfield, i am interested in your thoughts on the easing, when it comes, and how it might be done? i think the government are playing it close to their chest at the minute, and i think that is correct. a paper came out talking about the ways in which we are going to ease it, but it is not going to be suddenly everything is let go. it is going to be a slow easing. the emphasis will be on getting people back to work so that

people can be gained earning their own living. that is an absolutely important criteria. but i think the thing that is going to happen is we are going to emerge into a very different world then we went into with lockdown. it was all about thinking, how can i protect myself from being infected ? thinking, how can i protect myself from being infected? whereas, when we emerge, it is going to be a situation where we have to assume that any of us could be infected and behave accordingly. we may be infected and not showing any symptoms, and we may be spreading it. so the emphasis has to be on, not how, how do i protect myself? it should be on should i, as a potential spreader, should be on should i, as a potentialspreader, we should be on should i, as a potential spreader, we are going to have to adopt a very different mindset. i think that ties in a little bit with what our next question is going to be. that

question is going to be. that question is how can you lift the lockdown without the number —— how can you ease lockdown, if there is no vaccine? number of people will increase when we ease lockdown, but it is about making sure it increases very slowly. it is about bringing measures in slowly, when measured at a time. we do not know which one is the government will choose to go to. bringing in new measures, seen what impact it has on infection rates, then deciding whether that is satisfactory. is it keeping it at the rate we need? but we need to make sure that the rate at which people need —— get it is one that is

sufficiently low and the health services can cope with that rate. we will continue to build a herd immunity, but the idea is that we build it at a rate at which people can cope with that. i think we have to recognise that it is also down to us. to recognise that it is also down to us. it is notjust down to the government, and what the government do. if we do our own part to prevent ourselves from spreading the infection to others or picking it up ourselves, that will help us in the long run because we won't have the measures reimposed. if the infection rates start to rise again, the lockdown will be incurred. it is down to all of us to keep it at a level of infection that the health services can cope with, and then it won't happen. that is an interesting point. it is in all of our hands, in a sense. we do have the line back to full review and is. i'm going to put this question to you. i am putting

it to you because you used to be an mp. this is about how companies are behaving. that is why i am interested in your thoughts. karen says, before the government announced yesterday we would have another three weeks of lockdown, my company told me i needed to go back to work on monday at what would have been the end of the original lockdown. as the work we do is classed as nonessential, is it imperative, in fact, that i do go back on monday? what reducing to any employee in that situation? the government has a toughjob here because it needs to travel public health with keeping the economy going, and keeping people in work. the advice has been quite clear. if it is possible to work from home, you should. i know thousands of people have completely changed the way their companies have operated in order to work from home. if it is

not possible for you to work from home and you are not on one of the specific lists including shops and some other businesses that have been asked not to open at the moment, you should go back to work. i think the advice on that is fairly clear, and if the person who has put the question is not working in one of those specifically closed businesses and she cannot work from home, she should go to work. so she can go back to work? that is interesting, because i do not know in which part of the country she is in, but there are people who can and do get to work on public transport. if we think back a few weeks to the early days of the lockdown, the pictures, for example, from the london underground which were pretty terrifying at a time when we were being told we were in lockdown, packed tubes. this is why it is such a difficult decision for the government, because public transport is going to be one of the key paints

points, isn't it? the reality of this is that this virus isn't going to go away. the only solutions to this are going to be either through a vaccination or some kind of cure treatment to it. or waiting until we have all got it. and our country has to find a way of getting back to as much as normal as possible without us much as normal as possible without us remaining in lockdown for the next 18 months while we are waiting for a vaccine. testing is key. testing is absolutely key. if the government can ramp up testing, that will allow other areas of the economy to open up more. a final thought. in my street, i have seen a number of people allowing family members to visit them and enter their houses. surely we will never stop the virus from spreading is this sort of behaviour continues to happen? that does tie in a little bit with what you were saying a few

moments ago, but your thoughts on that? it is very easy to say, i only wa nt to that? it is very easy to say, i only want to go out to the shops. but it all adds up. everybody who breaks it, ok, 60% will get away with it. but other people will not, and that is what public health is about. u nless we is what public health is about. unless we all adopt these measures and realise that we have to do them, thenit and realise that we have to do them, then it will continue to rise. it is all about once lockdown is gradually released, if we do not play our part. it is symptomatic that people are already not complying with the lockdown measures will be the people that make it much more difficult when the lockdown is released. it is those people who make it much more difficult to keep the levels of infection that are circulating at a level which will need to, eventually, to the herd immunity or toa eventually, to the herd immunity or to a vaccine or whatever. if we can keep those numbers down, we can all

continue to lead a fairly normal life, almost as if there is a flu pandemic going on. even with a flu pandemic, we all work and we all know there is a risk there. but, luckily, we have got a vaccine against it. it is about getting the public back to a normal state, but it is going to be a different world where we have that be much more careful about social distancing and this business of hygiene, making sure we're not spreading it to others and they are not spending it to us. a final query and it is a specific question. joan tells us she was 86 and she cannot go very far. cani was 86 and she cannot go very far. can i go in my car with my daughter driving when she is going shopping? she can't go home because travel restrictions? is it ok for me to go in the car with her? i would not be getting out of the car? this is really difficult, but people who are

aged over 80 people who are most vulnerable to this. many of the reasons why so many people are staying at home is to try and protect the most vulnerable. i am afraid the advice at the moment is very clear. you should only make essential journeys. if it very clear. you should only make essentialjourneys. if it is not essentialjourneys. if it is not essential for you to be in the car, you should not be. thank you very much. it is good to spell it out, isn't it? very many thanks for your time. thanks very much indeed. as the uk death toll rises to more than 14 and as the uk death toll rises to more than14 and a as the uk death toll rises to more than 14 and a half thousand, a leading specialist says the country could eventually see the highest dettol in europe because of systemic areas. the health secretary has

responded to concerns about a shortage of protective gowns by saying 55,000 mobile be arriving later today. as china's economy slumps, the international monetary fund warns that the outlook for other economies around the world could be far worse than originally predicted. we will talk a little bit more about the mental health challenges that people are facing during the coronavirus. the duke and duchess of cambridge for talking to us duchess of cambridge for talking to us about it. the duke of cambridge said there is a need for people to access help and support, and he encouraged all of us to use technology and online tools to talk to each other at this time. let's speak now to river hawkins, who founded the male mental health charity humen.

also, i'm joined by daniel who has found support through the humen charity. very good afternoon to both of you. thank you very much for your time. daniel, a quick thought from you first, if i may, because i know you have been using the charity's services. explain what you were able to use during lockdown in what ways this has helped. during lockdown, my nhs cb to sessions have been switched to online. formal practices where you get one—on—one with an nhs practitioner. with humen, it is more about being able to come together with people who are experiencing the exact same thing is you. your family members, friends, colleagues are happy to listen and share these things with you, but they do not

quite understand. that is the thing about humen, everyone understands what you are going through and eve ryo ne what you are going through and everyone relates to them. do you mind telling us if you live on your own? is that the reason why you are finding this particularly helpful?” tha nkfully finding this particularly helpful?” thankfully live with my friends, but humen is just that extra bit. thankfully live with my friends, but humen isjust that extra bit. river hawkins, you founded this particularly for men and, sadly, in this country, we know, for example, the suicide rates for men... explain your founding principles? this is about preventative action so that we seek help before we are at crisis. so to take a prevention of a crisis approach. the earlier you take action and look after and maintain our mental health, the better. what

sort of tools are there? i'm very conscious we talk so much at the moment about getting online, staying online, talking to our friends via ta blets. online, talking to our friends via tablets. is that the focus? we had to close all of our physical spaces that we have across the uk and ireland and we quickly shifted to an online service. on the same day and at the same time every monday at 630. it is incredible, because we have had men all over the world reach out, asking, when will there bea reach out, asking, when will there be a space in my country or my city? we have now been able to provide that online. we have had men all of the world from china, india, america, mexico and all over the uk and ireland. we have all come together and are able to connect with each other and share what we are going to at a time that is really uncertain and difficult for a lot of people. tabsolutely, for everyone, for men and women. daniel,

may i ask you what your experience of lockdown has been? we have all experienced it. we all have good days and bad days. what have you sound challenging and in what ways has the charity been able to help you? the most challenging thing about it all for me is the uncertainty of when this is all going to end and what the outcome is going to end and what the outcome is going to end and what the outcome is going to be. with anxiety, you can stop how you are feeling if you know, everything is going to get better by the state. with this lockdown, it is an ongoing situation. all of the things that i am feeling to do with that are spoken to by other people in various different ways by humen and it helps me to think about the experience and what we are going through right now through the perspective of someone else and it helps you feel better about it. that is interesting. i using that, for example, were it possible for us to get an answer out

ofa possible for us to get an answer out of a cabinet minister about whether there is a target state that they have in mind, would that actually help you? if i could say to you, they have said it would be the last week ofjune, with that be helpful? italy would be. trying to think about the next time i will be able to get on a plane, i think, how would myjob carry on? if i knew when airspace would be open and life would go back to normal, i could plan for that and look forward to. now, it is dates getting pushed back, it is getting longer and longer and there is no certainty about anything. that is a difficult thing to deal with. that is such an interesting observation. i really appreciate your time. daniel, and river hawkins, the founder of the male mental health charity humen. if we are able to ask someone, daniel, that specific point, we will put

your experiences to him or her. that is very interesting. we're just hearing now that the chancellor is to extend the furlough scheme through to the ofjune. this has just come from the treasury. the job retention scheme has been extended by one month to reflect the continuing social distance motors. this is about time to protect millions ofjobs. to furlough staff and apply for a grant to give them 80% of the salary. more to discuss about that after three o'clock. let's pose right now. let's catch up with the weather. it is a north south and split this afternoon. some outbreaks of rain. further north, still quite cool and cloudy. a band

of rain weakens on its way northwards. behind it, we will see some heavy, fundraiser shower is pushing up from france, getting as far as wales and the north midlands. further north, drier. clearskies the further west you are. milder further south with the cloud. showers are still with us tomorrow. still heavy and thundery in some places. weakening still heavy and thundery in some places. wea kening as still heavy and thundery in some places. weakening as they move very northwards. the best of the sunshine across scotland and northern ireland. still feeling quite cool freestone posts and it'll be full day beneath showers. things turning warmer on sunday with increasing amounts of sunshine and it is looking dry with further sunshine in the week ahead. goodbye.

this is bbc news. the headlines... as the uk death toll rises by 847 to over 14,500, a leading health specialist predicts the country may see the biggest number of deaths in europe by the end of the coronavirus pandemic — due to systemic errors. 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, responds to concerns about a shortage of protective gowns — he says 55,000 gowns will arrive later today. 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 shortages

will be resolved. 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's going to be him." and, actually, he was very lucky. he had mild symptoms and, obviously, speaking to him made me feel 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.

latest official statistics show that slightly fewer people died in hospital from coronavirus in the uk in the last 24 hours, than those recorded on thursday. department of health figures show that the number has risen by 847 to 14,576. the latest data also showed a further 5,599 people had tested positive for covid—19 over 24 hours, taking the total number of infections in the country to nearly 109,000. mps have been told there could be 40,000 deaths in the uk by the time the coronavirus crisis is over. and the country could have the highest death rate in europe, according to leading global health

expert, professor anthony costello. the health secretary, matt hancock, said that testing will be expanded in the coming days to the police, fire, and prison services as well as some local authority workers. the chancellor has announced that the job retention or furlough scheme is to be extended until the end ofjune. let's first hear what professor costello had to say to mps about what he sees as where the uk went wrong in tackling the virus when it first emerged. the who said that you need to find cases, isolate them, trace them, do social distancing but you have to do it all at speed. the harsh reality, andi it all at speed. the harsh reality, and i hope i'd be constructively critical, and i believe we should

have a no blame audit here, where we re have a no blame audit here, where were the systems errors that led us to having probably the highest death rate in europe? we have to face the reality of that, we were too slow with the number of things. but we can make sure that in the second wave we are not too slow. our political correspondent, nick eardley is at westminster. that was a really interesting section of the committee, wasn't it? because while professor costello was trying to pass blame, there were none the worse it what criticism? ending up with over 40,000 deaths in the uk is something that, i suspect, politicians will be thinking a lot about over the next few days, because when parliament gets back up and running next week, we'll see more of the scrutiny of what the government has done so far and more

warnings about what it needs to do next. the big thing we keep hearing about, we have heard about four weeks, is wrapping up testing, to try and get mass community testing is that potentially we can lift the long—term restrictions and know who, outside hospitals, has the virus in the community. what is really interesting is that matt hancock has said that they are going to x then this to a major police officers and firefighters a member of the judiciary, important public rows can get a test easily, but it does still seem to be a problem in terms of how the test is being administered. the latest figures today show that the number of tests that could be done is 38,000 a day, quite a high figure. the number of tests being done is roughly half that, for the last day we have a variable. it was

18,000 yesterday. there is a lot of confusion as to why that figure is so low. one of the explanations in downing street is that the uptake of testing from the nhs has not been as high as they were expecting, but bearin high as they were expecting, but bear in mind that the government was to get to 100,000 tests by the end of the month, which will be a tall order, but even if you do get that, people are wondering who will get those tests and why are you testing far fewer people that they have the ability to? that is interesting. continued criticism around the whole issue of ppe, this has been a running issue and if you answer the government, but it is still patchy, is that? yes, anecdotally, the evidence we are queueing is that there are some nhs trusts and hospitals which are well stocked of

ppe, some which are at all, one of the biggest problem is that we hear about is that care homes do not have been ppe that they need. that problem is considered —— continuing, but it does seem that the government are getting a grip on distribution. the government has always argued that there is ppe there but it is just about making sure it gets to the right places at the right time. it does think that it is getting to a place where it is figuring out exactly who is white. they have set up exactly who is white. they have set up this online portal for hospitals you really need the stuff urgently can say that, but it was also interesting that matt hancock was askedif interesting that matt hancock was asked if you died this morning on whether he could guarantee that everybody who needed gowns this week i would have them, and he did not give a guarantee. this is down to a distribution issue that they are not certain that they will get everything out this weekend. it is one of those things that keeps coming up and it was only three

weeks ago that we were being told that the issue was sorted. clearly, at the time, it was not. we have to talk about the economic impact, the news from the treasury in the last few minutes, an extension to the following scheme, explain what that means? to remind everybody, the final scheme says that anybody who is totally cannot run through this crisis, but the company was to keep them on, the state will pay 80% of their salary, up to £2500 per month. that was announced by the chancellor and the idea was it would run until the end of may. because we have happy lockdown extended by at least another three weeks and, to be honest, there is nobody talking about things going back to anything like normal, we have had it confirmed within the last 20 minutes that the final scheme will now run

until the end ofjune. anybody on that final scheme, you salary will be guaranteed by the state for another month at least. i suspect thatis, another month at least. i suspect that is, potentially if there's lockdown goes on longer or of the economic situation does not improve in any significant way, the government may well looking —— look at doing that another way. but it has been extended until at least a month, by the end ofjune. as promised, this afternoon we will ta ke promised, this afternoon we will take more of an in—depth look at the figures. we tend to come out out tpm this afternoon, but it takes a while to look through them and put them in context, so let us get some more detail. our health correspondent jane dreaper is here. context is too important, what do we know? we have this new total, the daily deaths across hospitals in the

uk are 847. that is slightly lower than the equivalent figure yesterday and that should be welcomed, but we are not seeing what we could call an actual dip are not seeing what we could call an actualdip in any are not seeing what we could call an actual dip in any sort of trend. the total number of deaths now reported across the uk is 14,576. it is a grim figure and, behind that, lies an individual try to be for each of those families. the deaths in england were 738 is, that is the latest daily figure for reported deaths in hospitals in england, and out of that, 145 of them were in london but actually deaths in the midlands, and the north—west, were pretty close. this is very much a problem in different pocket of england. there was just another —— over a hundred other debts in other nations, scotland, wales and northern ireland. one of the

factors, that informs our understanding at the moment, as the number of people who are dying with coronavirus but you have an underlying dealt —— health condition. how much do we know about that sort of breakdown at the moment? these latest figures reconfirm the trend that of these deaths have affected people who did have other serious health conditions, such as heart disease or diabetes or a serious lung problem. out of that latest total, just 30 of the patients did not have other health conditions, so that shows you it is really quite a significant factor. thank you very much. 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 healthcare 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 and yesterday one nhs doctor contacted me to say that the situation was so bad at his hospitals, could i direct him directly to factories who could make gowns? i had seen on the bbc website that barbour were manufacturing gowns, my local health care system was low on gowns, so i contacted you to see if you had a name of someone who i could talk to to get some gowns. this man is a specialist in ppe. supply change issues have caused problems. if our staff turn up on shift and our ppe is not in

the cupboard, it is not good enough. this morning, the situation experienced by this doctor and his colleagues was acknowledged by the health secretary. we are tight on gowns and that is the pressure point right now. we have another 55,000 gowns arriving today and we are working internationally to get more gowns. we are on it and we are getting uk manufacturers to make these products, but we are putting a supply chain together, which will take time. the demand to produce ppe in the uk has revealed how small and fractured the uk supply chain is and, after decades of moving production overseas to get cheaper costs, uk factories that are left are doing all they can to help. barbour and burberry have been asked by the uk

government to help with shortages, but getting this brand—new supply chain set up has been complicated. this factory in salford has been working to make gowns as well. people have been putting their hands up, desperate to help with the national effort, but they have been disappointed by how long it has taken to get some traction. this afternoon, burberry says it will work to produce what it can. but, as the government admits, there are gaps in the system. urgent action and reaction is needed. the headlines on bbc news... as the uk death toll rises by 847 to over fourteen and a half thousand, a leading health specialist predicts the country may eventually see

the highest coronavirus death toll in europe on account of "systemic errors." health secretary, matt hancock, responds to concerns about a shortage of protective gowns, by saying that 55,000 gowns will be arriving today. 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 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 there was an "ever—increasing need" for people to know where to access help and support. 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. obviously, 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.

we are going to talk more about mental health in this hour. the other key element of our coverage todayis other key element of our coverage today is that quite extensive session of the parliamentary health select committee. we have reflected on that a lot today. we had the global health expert, professor anthony costello, give very interesting evidence to that committee. he has been talking about some of the shortcomings in this country and how his concern is that the uk might ultimately have the biggest death toll of any european country. that was one of the key elements that we have been reflecting on today. there was a very interesting comments in the area of intensive care. one of the medical experts to give evidence to the health select committee this morning was doctor alison pittard, dean of the faculty of intensive care medicine.

she joins us from leeds. thank you forjoining us. for people who might not have watched the select committee in its entirety, i think it would be interesting if you can give us a think it would be interesting if you can give us a sense think it would be interesting if you can give us a sense of the key point is that you really wanted to get through to mps today.” is that you really wanted to get through to mps today. i think one of the things in the fact that he wa nted the things in the fact that he wanted to share with the committee was that there has been a focus on getting ventilators and creating beds, but one of the things we have tried to stress all the way through this pandemic is that staff are a vital resource to care for the critically ill and so we have highly specialised nurses and doctors and other allied health professionals that all go into dealing with the critically ill. although we have our work very hard together, we have looked at increases in our capacity within hospitals, i would now

already have some, at the nightingale hospitals, up—and—coming —— running, but might we have had to spread ourselves thinly and we have had to change our staffing ratios, we are working as demons, so we have non—care train staff working with us, so we non—care train staff working with us, so we are non—care train staff working with us, so we are not working to the same standards, and i think that has confirmed many front line health ca re confirmed many front line health care workers who are struggling to deal with the situation, working in strange environments and in very different ways to what they are used to. and as part of your points that those staff, those extraordinary men and women right at the front line, working day in and day out in intensive care, that they need an awful lot of support? the obvious, like ppe, but i may more broadly than that, management supports, perhaps psychological support? is that what you are also talking about? yes. what prince william just

said about front line health care workers taking things home with them, that is absolutely true and it really will strike a chord with many from my health care team. it is not just about what they are doing, but staff are concerned about their own health, which is why there has been issues with the concern over supply of ppe. i think it is because we are trained to do what we do we are trained to do what we do we are trained to do what we do we are trained to have that high intensity of care with patients, and when you are having to spread yourself thinly, not being able to do things in the way that you are trained to do so is stressful in its own rights, and then there are working with other members of a team which doesn't normally work together, trying to support them to make sure that they feel comfortable doing what they are doing, and all this ta kes what they are doing, and all this takes its toll, so it is really important that staff are able to remain resilience, not only for the

pandemic, but the one we get back to normal, so that patients can get the ca re normal, so that patients can get the care they need. so you want to explain to mps, but what is it that government can do for you? what more are you looking for to try and support people? some of the staff must be absolutely exhausted already, and we have a long way to go. to be honest, there is not a lot that can be done at the moment because critical care staff do not just developed overnight. it takes yea rs of just developed overnight. it takes years of training, are undergoing higher education and getting experience in a clinical arena, is why we had to bring in staff and other areas, many staff had stepped up other areas, many staff had stepped up to the march, help, so i think that has been fantastic to work together. individual organisations, nhs england as well, they are trying

to do the best that they can to make sure that staff currently are looked after. what will be important after all this has died down, once we are getting back to normal, is that there is a review of how critical ca re there is a review of how critical care services in england are delivered, as has already happened in wales, because we need to look at how we deliver critical care to patients at how we started and what we really need is an increased number of doctors and nurses and allied health professions so that we are ina allied health professions so that we are in a much better placed to deliver the care that is required. it is good of you to give us your time and our thanks goes to everybody involved in the intensive ca re everybody involved in the intensive care world, in hospitals up and down the country. thank you very much. we returned to matters economic we had the news of the treasury saying that

the news of the treasury saying that the government are extending their final scheme to the end ofjune. i'm joined by our business correspondent, katy austin.... the word furlough is one you would not have heard it a few weeks ago or few months ago, and what it is is essentially pitting workers on state paid leave. it is for companies that the work might have dropped off, but instead of making all their staff redundant, the government has come up redundant, the government has come up with the scheme works firms can put people on a type of lever. we can't do any work and, during that time, the state will pay 80% of their wages. at the moment the company to pay the wages themselves but from the coming monday becoming an application to the government and they will get a grant. a lot of businesses are choosing to make up the extra 20%, but not all of them.

this is all about saving jobs and it is thought that 9 million workers are likely to be on this following scheme and it is impossible to know the exact numbers until monday, when firms start applying. it has only been a three—month scheme so far, so it was announced in the middle of march and it would run from the start of march to the end of may. the treasury has said all knew that it would keep it under review, and as today approached we were were getting warnings from some businesses that, as they near the end of may was the end of the scheme as it stood, they were already having to think beyond that and they we re having to think beyond that and they were wondering whether the started redundancy pursuing for after the end of me now, and that is why the cupboard has had to make a decision now to say that they are going to stand by another month, until the end ofjune, which hopefully should mean that businesses do not feel they have to start redundancy proceedings if they were going to for after that point. all that make

sense, but the cost of this must be eye watering. i imagine we do not know how much this is going to cost? it will be a lot of people, which will mean a lot of money. yes, we are in the run with estimates at the moment, it has not really kicked in yet because firms have it made claims, but we are talking about 80% of wages up to two and a half thousand pounds per month. it is not ta ke thousand pounds per month. it is not take a lot of maths to realise that that —— that if that is 9 million workers for four that —— that if that is 9 million workers forfour months, that —— that if that is 9 million workers for four months, that is a lot of money. about £10 billion every month, that is an estimate. the government has manyjoints —— choice to put up the money now, keep the economy going, it is worth going —— painted out so that when start normalising we still have on economy. this means businesses can spring back to life with employees to work on, which wouldn't happen if

they had to make more redundant. thank you very much. 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, with the schools can start teaching again, is the virus less dangerous in the summer months? and could the widespread use of facemasks make a difference? the mayor of london thinks they can and should be part of the solution. by us wearing non—medical

facial coverage, what it does is not make you more safer, you can still catch the virus, what it does is, if you are presymptomatic or asymptomatic, and you cough and sneeze, it means that the chances of passing the virus on to somebody else are reduced. the use of masks is common in south—east asia and china. it used to be rarely seen here. that is beginning to change. but not everyone is convinced that wearing masks will make a difference. the transport secretary argued that any decision on masks should be based on facts. rather than jumping to the incorrect conclusion that will do more harm than good, i think it is right to ask the scientists 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 actually what people need to do, then yes, we will absolutely ask people to do that. but until they do that, and unless they do that, that is not the message we are going to be sending. ministers have said there will be three more weeks of lockdown, but the issue about safely

ending 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, though i do not know, that dominic raab isjust relu cta nt. he probably does know that it is time for an exit strategy but he is probably reluctant to sign it off without the prime minister. i think there is a bit of that in the mix. the government have not yet responded to the labour party's leader's demand for an exit strategy, but the debate over how we move on has begun. we heard briefly there from the labour leader. stay smart was one of the topics he was asked about. it is perhaps worth telling you what he said on that. he said, across europe, the advice is changing. we will get to a stage where there will be instructions about face masks,

and he said he would like to discuss the whole strategy with the government. some points on the issue of facemasks from the labour leader. very busy afternoon, but let's catch up very busy afternoon, but let's catch up with the weather prospects. further north, dry with some spells of sunshine, the best of which, the further west you are. still quite cool and cloudy across north—western parts of england and scotland. behind it, heavy showers pushing up from france. getting fire as wales and the midlands by the end of the night. the query skies the further west you are. it's a touch of frost, but milderfurther west you are. it's a touch of frost, but milder further south. the showers are still with us tomorrow. still heavy and thundery in places. weakening as they move slowly northwards, getting into parts of northern england. the best of the

sunshine for scotland and northern ireland tomorrow. still feeling quite cool for the eastern coasts. it will be a cruel day underneath the cloud and showers. things will turn warmer on sunday with further sunshine in the week ahead. hello this is bbc news. the headlines... as the uk death toll rises by 847 to over 14,500, a leading health specialist predicts the country may eventually see the highest coronavirus death toll in europe on account of "systemic errors." 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. health secretary, matt hancock, responds to concerns about a shortage of protective gowns, by saying that 55,000 gowns will be arriving today.

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. and, in other news, the leeds united legend norman hunter has died, after contracting coronaviras. he was 76. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's gavin. leeds united great norman hunter has died in hospital aged 76 after contracting coronavirus. he was a key player in leeds' most successful era winning two titles in his 14 years at the club. he was also a non—playing member of england's 1966 world cup winning team. our 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. some players are paid to score goals, others to stop them. hunter was one of the towering defenders of his era, and it was some era. hunter! a goal! hunter has scored! norman hunter represented england 28 times, largely because jack charlton and bobby moore stood in front of him. hunter was in the 1966 world cup squad. he had to wait over 40 years to receive a winner's medal. at the time, only the starting 11 got one. norman hunter played over 100 times

for bristol city before he retired. he was a manager, too, in the ‘80s, at barnsley and rotherham. but he will be forever associated with leeds, a team which won matches and not always friends. between hunter and lee, and it looks to me as if it has broken out again. but make no mistake, norman hunter earned wider respect. hunter! when england's professional footballers presented their first—ever players‘ player of the year award, it was norman hunter who won it. norman hunter who has died at the age of 76. premier league club bosses have met, to discuss how to conclude the current season. they did not discuss when it would resume. clubs were expected to debate a 30th ofjune deadline, but instead looked at possible scheduling models. the premier

league said it remains our objective to co m plete league said it remains our objective to complete matches, but i'm play, all dates are tentative. australian grand prix on... ferrari driver said f1 needs fans, but understands that might not be possible. whatever we can do to start the season as early as possible, but in a safe way. i think it would be better, even if the spectators are not here, but as a driver obviously, you feel the support, and last year, being in italy, driving for ferrari, we definitely felt the support. and i think it has helped us to win the race there and it was a very special weekend, as i think for any driver, seeing the fans supporting you feels special but unfortunately, with the situation as it is now, it might not be possible at first,

so we will probably have to start like that. live sport is returning to the uk tonight with the pdc launching its own knockout competition, where darts players will be competing from their own homes. each will be broadcast via video calls and streamed on the pdc's own tv channel. peter wright is the current world champion and he says that having no fans there will be a strange experience. barnsley and wigan we played behind closed doors, but there are still people there and still a little bit of background noise. but all the games are played silent, no celebrations and stuff like that. it is going to be a bit strange. you know, we will get used to it and at least we are playing darts. that is the main thing. do you think people really enjoy watching this? it is going to be streamed on tv. the lesser players who haven't been on the big stage as before, they are going to have the home advantage playing

on their own dartboard, without the pressure of the crowd getting on their back or the lights and cameras everywhere. you are going to see some cracking games. peter wright talking to us there. thanks very much, gavin. a very good afternoon. you are watching bbc news. we have been talking a lot today about mental health and the challenges with lockdown. we all react differently to it, don't we? some are reacting differently to others. that is why we are hearing from the duke and duchess of cambridge, that is something they wa nt to cambridge, that is something they want to talk about. and talk about people who might be struggling, perhaps with the social distancing and all the rules that we are now having to abide by and try and get used to. some like it more than others. let's discuss the whole

topic of how we can protect our mental health during this really peculiar time in our country's history. let's discuss it with laura. shejoins via webcam. she is a professional surfer and you may well know her because she did once ta ke well know her because she did once take part in love island. laura, tell us about your lockdown experience. are you living on your own at the moment? how much are you getting out? how are you dealing with that? luckily, i am not alone. i have a few friends who have been alone and i understand how tough that has been. i am very grateful for that. so far, so good. i have had a couple of down days which i think is normalfor had a couple of down days which i think is normal for everyone. had a couple of down days which i think is normalfor everyone. it is new and a bit crazy. so far, so good. i have been going to the shops to buy food and staying active inside and outside the house, just making sure to follow the right

regulations as well. one of the reasons we are talking to you is that you have written a lot about dealing with mental health challenges in the last few years. and, of course, you are a professional athlete. you are used to staying fit, being out and about. a very, very active person. i am curious to hear from someone for whom sport has been such a big part of life. what does this do for you? it isa of life. what does this do for you? it is a tough one. when i was competitively surfing, i was training up to six hours a day. for me to be having to stay in the house for a lot longer is definitely taking its toll. i think ijust try to channel it into being as grateful as possible, but i think, being an

athlete and being stuck inside, you are used to concentrating. you wake up are used to concentrating. you wake up everyday and do this and this. it also is very easy. as sooner someone tells you, you can't do any of this, the things that you love to do and things you have been training for so long, and with the olympics being postponed, i can't imagine how it is for them. right now, postponed, i can't imagine how it is forthem. right now, i postponed, i can't imagine how it is for them. right now, i am grateful that i did not have any big competitions coming up for anything like that, because that would be a big, big worry for me, for sure. like that, because that would be a big, big worry for me, for surem is interesting that you mention the word routine. is routine helpfulfor any of us dealing with whatever situation we are in an lockdown? do you think routine is something that helps you deal with this peculiar situation that we are all in? 10096. weirdly, the first week i was in lockdown, my whole routine went at

the window. it was, i have got the week off work, i have not got much to do, i can enjoy it. it is surprising how much my mind slipped back and said no, laura, we need routine. the little things, i have changed having a coffee to having a tea which is not something i would usually do. it was little changes i was making to my routine that was making me feel even more unsettled than i already was. as soon i tried to make my routine as normal as possible in such an abnormal time, i definitely felt a lot more settled. routine is key as much as you can. absolutely, good to talk to you. we are all missing the coffee, let me tell you. we are all missing the coffee. thank you very much for talking to us there.

we have reflected on british people who are stranded abroad. it hasn't been on the radar as much in the past week or so, perhaps because gradually people are coming home. let's talk about it because there might be more people stranded abroad than you might imagine. some are being brought home on chartered flights today. about 4000 passengers are returning to the uk today from india. the government pledged up to 75 million pounds to help bring people back home. many are still stuck, though. let's talk to a mother and daughter who join me stuck, though. let's talk to a mother and daughter whojoin me now. they are in a very difficult position. let's speak now to tanya basu and her mum marian. we are speaking to you because your

dad is still stuck in the united states at the moment. tell us what is happening. my mum and dad went on the holiday on the 3rd of march when there wasn't any advice to travel to south america. just by very bad timing coincidence, on the 14th of march, their cruise ship was turned away from more than 12 ports in south america. they were not able to get home at that time. eventually, decrease company that they travelled with did a bit of a rescue mission —— the cruise company. my dad was transferred to a hospital because he had taken ill just transferred to a hospital because he had taken illjust two days earlier. he should have been home on the 24th of march originally. he was transferred to a hospital. they

treated him on the ship for breathing difficulties. he was very weak. he had a slightly elevated temperature, but aspirin was working with that. they were told that they had to assume that he had covid—19. as it turned out, when he got to the hospital, they diagnosed him with bacterial pneumonia, double pneumonia, both lungs. they did tell him that they were not worried about covid—19, but as part of his admission, he had to have a covid—19 swa b admission, he had to have a covid—19 swab taken. x—rays indicated pneumonia and not covid—19. swab taken. x—rays indicated pneumonia and not covid-19. we would love to talk to your mum as well. thank you for even agreeing to speak, because it is a very difficult situation for you. thankfully, you were able to come back to the uk. is your husband all right now and, if so, why is he still in the united states? he is still in the united states? he is

still in the united states because we cannot make anybody make a decision about him flying home. this the 15th day that he has been isolated. there is no reason why he can't fly home. initially, we were told that as people were well, they would come home. but the last news was that we need several people to charter a plane to get home. we can't get anybody to make a decision. the poor man is really trying hard. he is in a hotel room. this is the second hotel he has been in. he isjust in isolation. he is recovering really well and he is trying really hard. he goes for a little walk in the hotel garden couple of times a day. this hotel has got a restaurant. the previous hotel he was in, it did not have a restaurant. he is 86. he is very good. but he had to order the meals

from here to be delivered to him in his first hotel. my mum was full still leave. the ship was going to be at sea for two weeks for deep cleaning so that they could come back, but they had no ports that they knew they could come back to. so it was all very uncertain. the general advice was, we need to get all these guests and passengers off. they gave me the letter at ten to 91 night, and at 1230 we were meant to be ona night, and at 1230 we were meant to be on a coach. it was a crowded coach. i didn't get on the coach. i we nt coach. i didn't get on the coach. i went ina coach. i didn't get on the coach. i went in a people carrier because there were too many people on the coach. we went to the airport. i was really glad to see the british consul there, because they were supportive. sorry to interrupt you, but it is interesting that you mention the british consul, because

people listening to you will say, my goodness, he is 86 years old, your husband,is goodness, he is 86 years old, your husband, is that correct? what have you heard from, for example, the foreign office perspective who have you been able to speak to? who official has been able to offer you any assistance at all? the british consulate in florida has been, since my mum was. come home, contacting my dads daily to see if they can get anything for him. we have had some contact with them. but their hands are tied by the centre for disease control rules and regulations, and thatis control rules and regulations, and that is what keeps blocking them. we have reached this point where the cdc rules and regulations are clear. he has complied with them all, and yet the medical officer will not

sign him off to travel. and the company who is responsible for him, decrease company, are not arranging that flight for him. they are saying, you have to wait until there isa saying, you have to wait until there is a bigger group available for us to charter the flight. it is not what they promised a week ago. thank you so very much, and we wish your family all the best. thank you for talking to us at such a difficult time for yourfamily. talking to us at such a difficult time for your family. we send you all our very best wishes. tania's father who is 86 is still stuck in the united states because of those cdc rules. still trying to get her dad back home.

we said half—an—hour or so ago that the labour leader had been calling on the government to be more open with the public about their exit strategy. he agrees with the london mayor who said people should have to wear a facemask when they go outside. let's hear from wear a facemask when they go outside. let's hearfrom the labour leader. the government has continued lockdown. that is the right thing to do. i said when i became leader of the labour party that where the government were right, i would support them. but i do think the time has come for the government to set out what its plan is to exit lockdown in due course. i am not saying, pick a date. that is not

realistic. but what is the plan in place? we have got the trust of the public to consider here. we need people to comply with lockdown. i think they will do that if they know that there is a plan for the future that there is a plan for the future thatis that there is a plan for the future that is transparent. what about the transparency of the message? you have got to be clear. it is perhaps not the moment to be talking about lifting these measures? in other countries across europe, governments are openly talking about exit strategies. i don't think the public are unable to understand the difference between lockdown and what comes next. there's also a different factor which is, whatever happens, whatever the exit strategy is, it is going to take some planning. that planning needs to go in sooner rather than later. one of the problems is that the planning hasn't been as quick as it should. to give you one small example, mass community testing is part of the answer, then the testing has to be

ramped up again very, very fast. decisions have to be made in the near future if we are to have an effective exit strategy when we need it. do think decisions are being made because boris johnson it. do think decisions are being made because borisjohnson is off sick, recovering? ithink decisions need to be made now. the prime minister was off sick. i do hope he is recovering as speedily and as safely as possible. i speak for the labour party and the whole country in that. i can say that that does provide a difficulty for the government because the exit strategy isa government because the exit strategy is a massive decision that has to be taken. whilst the prime minister isn't around, the government does not appear to be making that decision. my concern is that there must be a plan. we need to what it is so we can see it. what i really want, when i have seen the plan, is to come in behind it. if we want the trust of the public, seeing all the

major political parties saying, yes, we get behind that, that is a good thing. is there a possibility that we start to say, we will open primary schools in this amount of time. parents hear that... primary schools in this amount of time. parents hear that. .. across europe, many governments are talking about opening schools, and it has not had that effect. the british public know what is going on, they know what they have to do, they are doing it and they know what lockdown means. they are entitled to answers to the question, what is the plan for after this? what does it look like? it cannot be fixed, because there will be conditions around it, but just parking this there will be conditions around it, butjust parking this question in saying that we are not going to look at it for the next few weeks is fundamentally wrong. the london mayor thinks that the advice on facemasks needs to change. across europe, the advice is changing on

facemasks and i think it is inevitable that we will get you a stage when there will be instructions on facemasks. i would like to talk to the government about that. i do not want to set up a rival theories arrival strategies going forward. this is why we need to start talking about the exit strategy or exit plan, so we can have that plan, challenge, agreement. is leader of the opposition, do you want to be involved in the lifting of the measures? do you think you should be more involved? dominic raab invited us more involved? dominic raab invited us into a meeting last thursday. i think and hope he will do that again. iam think and hope he will do that again. i am gratefulfor that opportunity. we do need to understand the government's reasoning, see the proposals and, if possible, get behind them. i think thatis possible, get behind them. i think that is the way to do it. white backed the labour leader keir starmer their speaking to vicky young. i believe you with the

weather prospects. we have got some rain around today for areas that have not had very much recently. from the north, it is drier and spells of sunshine, the best of which, the further west you are. rather cloudy across parts of eastern scotland. the frontal system providing rain throughout the rest of the day. that rain band will wea ken of the day. that rain band will weaken on its journey before some heavy thundery showers start to push up heavy thundery showers start to push up from france across central southern england, through wales, into the midlands. further north, it is drier with clearer skies the further west you are. a touch of frost across rural parts of scotland. we still have their showers around tomorrow morning. slowly tracking their way northwards that the day. probably not getting much further north than the north midlands or southern parts of northern england. dry with some sunshine across parts of scotland and northern ireland. a few spells of sunshine coming from the channel

islands. generally, for much of england and wales, it is a rather cool england and wales, it is a rather cool, cloudy day. showers could still be heavy and thundery into the afternoon. dryer with the best of the sunshine across northern ireland and scotland. this area of high pressure is building from the east and north—east as we go through sunday. initially, a fairly cloudy start, particularly for central and western areas of the uk. increasing amounts of sunshine for the east as the day wears on. hanging on to cloud in some parts. it should feel warmer and sunday for many. temperatures in the mid to high teens. fairly cool for the eastern side of scotland. by the time we get to monday, it is looking dry with plenty of sunshine once again. still a noticeable breeze coming in from a fairly cool direction across the north sea. the north sea coast will a lwa ys north sea. the north sea coast will always be somewhat cooler, but warmer with temperatures getting up

to 17 or 19 celsius. on tuesday, high pressure is the dominant feature. notice a squeeze in the isobars. still quite breezy if not windy, particularly for the eastern coast. as of next week, things are looking dry. for many, it will feel quite warm away from those cooler eastern coasts.

after we come indoors

this is bbc news. the headlines... as the number of dead in the uk due to coronavirus rises to more than 14 and a half thousand, a leading health specialist predicts we could end up with the highest death toll in europe due to early errors in the pandemic. 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 responds to concerns about a shortage of protective gowns, saying 55,000 will arrive today. 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 shortages will be resolved. as china's economy slumps, the international monetary fund

warns the global financial outlook could be far worse than many have 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 contracted coronavirus. i thought to myself, "if anybody‘s going to be able to beat this, "it's going to be him." and, actually, he was very lucky. he had mild symptoms and, obviously, speaking to him made me feel reassured that he was ok and he was through the worst of it. and the leeds united legend norman hunter has died at the age of 76. he'd been dignosed with the coronavirus.

latest official statistics show that slightly fewer people died in hospital from coronavirus in the uk in the last 24 hours, than those recorded on thursday. department of health figures show that the number has risen by 847 to 14,576. the latest data also showed a further 5,599 people had tested positive for covid—19 over 24 hours, taking the total number of infections in the country to nearly 109,000. mps have been told there could be 40,000 deaths in the uk by the time the coronavirus crisis is over. and the country could have the highest death rate in europe, according to leading global health expert, professor anthony costello. the health secretary, matt hancock, said that testing will be expanded in the coming days to the police, fire, and prison services as well as some local authority workers. the chancellor has announced that the job retention or furlough scheme is to be extended until the end ofjune. let's get the latest from our health correspondent, richard galpin

despite the tireless work of doctors and nurses across the country, coronavirus has already left more than 14,500 people dead and the numbers continue to rise. there are concerns about the government as approach to this outbreak. welcome to this session of the house of commons... today was my hearing chaired byjeremy hunt was a chance for these to be expressed by politicians, health staff and experts. there has been strong criticisms. the harsh reality, and i hope i am the constructively critical, this is to be a no blame audit, where were the system errors that led us to having the highest death rates in europe, probably? we

have to face the reality that we we re have to face the reality that we were too slow on a number of things, but we can make sure that in the second way we are not too slow. he said this later. we can see 30,000 deaths —— 40,000 deaths by the time it is over. another key issue faced by the government is a supply of ppe, which health and care staff need to prevent being infected by the virus. there are warnings that some hospitals are now on the verge of running out of this equipment.” would love to be able to wave a magic wand and have ppe fourth in the sky in large quantities —— fall from the sky and as your question on when shortages will be resolved, but given it is a global situation where there is less ppe than needed, it will be a huge pressure point. there is nothing... there is 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 the outbreak under control. at the moment it is focused on health and care staff and patients. the health secretary wa nted patients. the health secretary wanted to be ramped up to 100,000 tests per day by the end of this month, it is currentlyjust18,000. why the three—week gap between stopping community testing and the announcement of the hundred thousand target? the overall project to ramp up target? the overall project to ramp up testing has been going since day one. the challenge is, as the epidemic increased exponentially, it meant that the incidence of the outbreak was broad and it meant that we we re outbreak was broad and it meant that we were not able to test everybody with symptoms but i want to get back

to the position, now we have the curves under control, i want 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. our political correspondent, nick eardley, is at westminster. just picking up on what matt hancock was saying there, he was making the point that wrapping up has been taking place from day one, in terms of testing. he has also talked about whether —— if he could bypass global issues with getting ppe you would, but the global shortage prevents him. the point that professor anthony costello made was that we are ina anthony costello made was that we are in a bind, when it comes to testing and ppe, because we sit —— we did not move quickly enough at

the beginning of this pandemic. yes, thatis the beginning of this pandemic. yes, that is one of the big criticisms of the strategy by the government so far. we started getting his daily press co nfe re nces , far. we started getting his daily press conferences, one of the first things the government did was it announced it was ending community testing, so all the testing was going to be focused on hospitals. one of the reasons that the government says it had to happen was because there was a finite resource. there are only so many testable round and they wanted to prioritise people who potentially needed urgent and life—saving care in hospitals. find out if those people had coronavirus, give them the treatment they needed, but increasingly we are hearing that criticism that the government has not done enough to increase testing. the capacity to test has been going up slowly, over the last few weeks, but at the moment there is a capacity to test about 38,000 tests a day, that is

still quite away from the 100,000 target. but one of the things that people are confused about is the actual number of tests being carried out is considerably less than 38,000, most days being 20,000. we are not clear what we have capacity to do these tests but we are doing them. the argument from number ten todayis them. the argument from number ten today is that the update for the people in the nhs has not been as high as they expected it to be, but at the same time we have heard a lot of people saying that we want to get test. matt hancock said this morning that he is going to put new group said that priority as a response. people like police officers, firefighters and prison staff are on those important front line service

jobs. thank you. 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 healthcare 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 and yesterday one nhs doctor contacted me to say that the situation was so bad at his hospitals, could i direct him directly to factories who could make gowns? i had seen on the bbc website that barbour were manufacturing gowns, my local health care system was low on gowns, so i contacted you to see if you had a name of someone who i could talk to to get some gowns.

this man is a specialist in ppe. supply change issues have caused problems. if our staff turn up on shift and our ppe is not in the cupboard, it is not good enough. this morning, the situation experienced by this doctor and his colleagues was acknowledged by the health secretary. we are tight on gowns and that is the pressure point right now. we have another 55,000 gowns arriving today and we are working internationally to get more gowns. we are on it and we are getting uk manufacturers to make these products, but we are putting a supply chain together, which will take time. the demand to produce ppe in the uk has revealed how small and fractured the uk supply chain

is and, after decades of moving production overseas to get cheaper costs, uk factories that are left are doing all they can to help. barbour and burberry have been asked by the uk government to help with shortages, but getting this brand—new supply chain set up has been complicated. this factory in salford has been working to make gowns as well. people have been putting their hands up, desperate to help with the national effort, but they have been disappointed by how long it has taken to get some traction. this afternoon, burberry says it will work to produce what it can. but, as the government admits, there are gaps in the system. urgent action and reaction is needed.

our health correspondent jane dreaper is here. have the 55,000 gowns arrived? the are arriving, the health secretary said this morning. he said this area, the protective gowns, for starting vital worked on coronavirus patience, he said it is really tight under real pressure point and the real challenge. a sudden increase in command was due to the guidelines on the use having changed about ten days ago, putting a lot of pressure on our need for them. this is a lot of concern for people on the front line. matt hancock was preceded by the person who runs the college of nursing as she says she is very concerned about this behalf of her members. let us go to the official

figures in relation to coronavirus. the death toll is up 847, slightly less tha n the death toll is up 847, slightly less than the previous 24 hours. correct. these are deaths in uk hospitals. the daily reported death figures. it brings the total no to 14,576 deaths across the uk. it is a big figure and behind that figure our individual stories of deep, human sadness. the figure is slightly lower than yesterday but there is no sign of a trend towards a dip at the moment. we cannot take that sort of comfort from it yet. it is very much still a battle that everybody is waiting, in terms of the breakdown of the figures, in england the cases in london, the death figures in london, where145. but actually the midlands and the north—west of england were not far behind it at all. it is affecting real pockets of the country. yes, we

have been saying over the last few days that those figures, in part of the midlands and north—west, and the rising gradually. no says that there is any area of this country that is left untouched by this? no, and the site is figures are slightly higher today than they have been previously, so it is quite a fluid situation and i think that when we hear from situation and i think that when we hearfrom government situation and i think that when we hear from government and situation and i think that when we hearfrom government and leading scientist later today, they will probably say a message of their not being any letup in the situation. we'll get much more on the coronavirus briefing from downing street later on but thank you for that. china has reported a 50% increase in the number of people who have died of covid—19 in wuhan, the city where the virus originated. news of the amended death toll came shortly after state media reported china's economy had contracted by a substantial 6.8 percent — the first contraction there for 30 years. the government in beijing

has denied any cover—up in its reporting of the outbreak. the headlines on bbc news... as the uk death toll rises by 847 to over fourteen and a half thousand, a leading health specialist predicts the country may eventually see the highest coronavirus death toll in europe on account of "systemic errors." health secretary, matt hancock, responds to concerns about a shortage of protective gowns, by saying that 55,000 gowns will be arriving today. 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 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

there was an "ever—increasing need" for people to know where to access help and support. 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. obviously, 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. let's get more on the chancellor's announcement that the job retention or furlough scheme, in which the government pays up to 80% of employees wages to protect them from redundancy, is to be extended until the end ofjune. we can speak to the director general of the british chambers of commerce, adam marshall. hejoins us from south london. we know the long—term is going to be extended for another three weeks. and the final scheme had to be extendedit was really important that it was extended and it was a common—sense move on the chance to post my part. it was while the because restrictions are in place to help save lives. so many businesses we re help save lives. so many businesses were worried that the support might disappear and it would then have to make a disappear and it would then have to makea number of disappear and it would then have to

make a number of employees redundant, so moving it forward was common—sense. redundant, so moving it forward was common-sense. we have got the scheme opening on monday. are you expecting the kind of teething troubles that we have seen with the government loa n we have seen with the government loan scheme to businesses, trying to get help from banks? we have been doing everything we can, trying to work with hm revenue and customs, to make sure that we are ready for the level of demand is likely to come forward from businesses on monday. our own research people know that 66% of businesses have already furloughed some of their staff in anticipation of this going live. they are going to have to be ready to cope with a lot of demand from businesses on monday and then the are going to have to make sure that once those businesses are registered that cash which is them as soon as possible. payday is on the 25th and

we need to make sure that the money is in business bank accounts so that they can pay their people. 6696 have already furloughed their workers? two thirds of businesses? it is across the uk? two thirds are businesses in our latest sample of furloughed —— have furloughed some proportion of their staff. that would translate to several million people across the uk. there are a few businesses who have not followed anyone and equally there are a few businesses who have struggled all of their staff. most fall somewhere in between but there is a fuse demand for the scheme. it shows just how keen businesses are to make sure they maintain the employment of the people i do not have to make them redundant or lay them off. we are seeing in switzerland and now france a decision to pay hundred percent of worker wages. do you think that is where the garbage should have gone?

well, the gunmen had a lot of choices on the table. it went four —— the government. it went for a mix of loan, and wave support. i think the mixture was correct. we are concerned about right now is making sure it gets to businesses on the front line. what we can see is a situation where businesses are left waiting for weeks, even months, in order to get the support they have been promised. all the technical systems and of the processes have to know what rights to their businesses get the support. we have got people to pay and supplies to pay and that is what will keep the economy going. there have been problems with the business loan scheme. are you confident that the technology, the website, everything is in place to allow businesses to access this final scheme as they need to on monday? that is precisely the challenge that the chambers of commerce have been put into the government. what you want to know is

whether 10,000 government. what you want to know is whether10,000 businesses apply, 100,000 visitors a pipe or 500,000, that all of those businesses will be able to get through, be supported and crucially get to the cash quickly. outcome is what matters here and that is what will be looking at to deliver over the coming days. thank you very much for your time. president trump has set out his plans for lifting coronavirus restrictions across america. at a white house news conference he said governors would be allowed to tailor their approach to meet their states‘ individual needs. but critics say he's being over—optimistic about how soon the crisis will pass. let's speak now to lawrence gostin, professor of global health law at georgetown university and director of the world health organization collaborating center on national and global health law. thank you forjoining us. i suppose

president trump has bowed to reality. you cannot have a nationwide policy of ending the coronavirus lockdown measures because the rate of spread of this virus across the country is... we should think of this as notjust a single epidemic, as multiple epidemics. what we have seen is that the coronavirus outbreak to cold on the coronavirus outbreak to cold on the two coasts of the united states and now they are moving inwards to the midwest, the west and the site. i like to think of this as a number of fire fights —— forest fires and the region. the truth is that you do need international planning. i believe it is unacceptable to just do this on a tax basis. the president does not have power to order such a plan but he needs to be

leader. that is the important. what do you think you should be saying, as far as do you think you should be saying, as farasa do you think you should be saying, as far as a national plan is concerned? especially given that this is a number of outlets across the country. what i think what he needs to do is to coordinate among the states and so it does not make any sense that say louisiana are currently undergoing an upward trend in its coronavirus cases. if neighbouring states are open and louisiana is shot. i think what we are going to be to do is have a phased national approach that really tries to be very cautious, incremental and be able to snap back, because if you do it too soon, asa back, because if you do it too soon, as a present seems to want to, you could have an exponential growth in the pandemic. but we are talking

about certain states in america where governors have decided they are not going to institute sheltering place, lockdown measures. they have left it quite loose. those areas in the interior of the country, are we seeing those areas no beginning to get overwhelmed as an result of the pandemic is back certainly in some places. we are seeing it in the sight of united states, which was very slow walk down, places like florida and georgia, and we are seeing it in the midwest in places like michigan or illinois. we are seeing it as well in the west, in places like texas. this is a big problem. it is mostly the governors who are republican who are late or not locking down, and they could get a good signal from

they could get a good signal from the president to say, well, i do that you should log down, keep it lockdown and we will try and look at a national plan to get you back up. but i don't think... the president has been inconsistent. at one point he tweeted, just a couple of days ago, let me be clear, the president is in charge, i will decide, but today he is saying, no, let's let the governors decide. what he should be doing is bringing the governors together and leading a coordinated approach. we are going to be that they are. thank you very much for joining us. now it's time for a look at the weather with alina jenkins some outbreaks of rain in england. fragonard is drives and spells of sunshine, back the further west you are, still cool and cloudy across

the north—west of england. we'll see some heavy thunder and showers pushing up in france, getting as far north as south wales and the midlands, but for the night is drier with clear skies to the west. a touch of frost in rural parts of scotland, milderfor the touch of frost in rural parts of scotland, milder for the site. touch of frost in rural parts of scotland, milderfor the site. the show is still with us tomorrow, sundry in places, gradually weakening as it goes north. the best of the sunshine tomorrow across scotla nd of the sunshine tomorrow across scotland and northern ireland, the far north of england, but feeling quite cool for the east eastern coast. things will turn warmer through sunday with increasing amounts of sunshine and it is losing dry wood for the week ahead. goodbye.

this is bbc news, i'm clive myrie. the headlines: as the number of dead in the uk due to coronavirus rises to more than 14,500, a leading health specialist predicts we could end up with the highest death toll in europe due to early errors in the pandemic. we have 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. the health secretary responds to concerns about a shortage of protective gowns, saying 55,000 will arrive today. 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 questions and when shortages will be resolved. as china's economy slumps, the international monetary fund