this is bbc news with the latest headlines. the first human trials for a coronavirus vaccine are starting at oxford university today. government scienctific advisers look set to say the public should not wear medicalface masks, but should feel free to cover their faces with scarves. thousands of people in england are being asked to provide regular nose and throat swabs for a study tracking spread and level of immuity to the virus. a nurse praised by borisjohnson for helping to save his life earlier this month, says the prime minister absolutely needed

to be in intensive care. we ta ke we take it very seriously who comes into intensive care. these patients who come into us, it is a very scary thing for them, so we don't take it lightly. and he absolutely needed to be there. and the grandparents getting to grips with technology to keep in touch with family. damejudi dench on embracing video calls and new skills during the lockdown. good morning. welcome to bbc news. i annita mcveigh. a potential coronavirus vaccine being developed at oxford university is expected to be trialled on humans for the first time today —

a stage which can often take years to reach. the plan is to test it on around 500 volunteers by mid—may and if that proves successful, give it to thousands more volunteers. it's thought some level of social distancing will have to continue until a vaccine is found. in other developments, the government's scientific advisers will present their findings to ministers on whether the public should wear face masks to help control the spread of coronavirus. some countries have already made the use of masks in public places compulsory. but advisers here are expected to say that the public should not wear medicalface masks — although they should feel free to cover their faces with scarves or home—made masks. also today, 20,000 households in england are being contacted to take part in a study to track infection and immunity levels in the general population. in scotland, first minister nicola sturgeon will set out her strategy for exiting the lockdown. but she will make clear that an end

to the tough restrictions is not imminent. and tonight at 7pm on bbc one, it's the big night in — comic relief and children in need join forces to deliver a special night of television, hosted by lenny henry and matt baker. just some of the faces of the now more than 18,000 people in britain who have lost their lives to covid—i9. behind each one, friends and families left behind. the so—called curve may be beginning to flatten here, but doctors are warning many more will die before this is over. key to ending the crisis will be the race to discover a vaccine. the government says a team at oxford university is due to begin human trials on one possible vaccine today, although the go—ahead is not expected to be confirmed until later this morning.

this pandemic is causing lots of people to step up and step forward in ways they might not have done before. this just feels like i in ways they might not have done before. thisjust feels like i can ta ke before. thisjust feels like i can take a small, well—managed risk to be part of this big team that are working so hard to find a vaccine. and doctors are warning any vaccine or treatments are unlikely to be ready to be rolled out until at least next year, meaning life will not return to normal anytime soon. this disease is not going to be eradicated, it is not going to disappear, so we have to accept that we are working with a disease that we are going to be with globally, this is a global problem, for the foreseeable future. if people are hoping that it's suddenly going to move from where we are now in lockdown suddenly into everything is gone, that is a wholly unrealistic expectation. we are going to have to do a lot of things for really quite a long period of time. the question is what is the best package? and this is what we're trying to work out. one thing that could change if the advice on face masks. sage, the government scientific advisory body,

will give its latest guidance today. it's expected to stop short of saying the public should wear medical masks, fearing that could leave a shortage of supplies for the nhs. but the body is expected to say that the public should feel free to wear home—made masks or scarves, not because it significantly lowers your chance of getting the virus, but because it reduces the chance of you passing it on. the government is expected to make a decision on facemasks by the weekend. meanwhile, 20 , 000 households in england are being contacted to take part in a study to help track covid—i9 in the general population. it's hoped the information will help improve the understanding of the rate of infection and how many people are likely to have developed antibodies. jon donnison, bbc news. 0ur assistant political editor norman smith joins me. good morning. let's talk about masks. some countries are making them compulsory, as we have been

explaining. why then, according to the indications you are getting, is the indications you are getting, is the government here not going to say that people should wear face masks if they are out in public, if we get to that stage where the lockdown is relaxed somewhat? i think the very honest answer is the scientists here are not convinced actually there is much need for facemasks and that there is no evidence they are of any use to people who are healthy. but there is a second huge reason, and thatis there is a second huge reason, and that is the fear that if the government starts telling people they have to wear face masks, or saying there is an obligation to wear face masks, we saying there is an obligation to wearface masks, we will all run saying there is an obligation to wear face masks, we will all run out to buy facemasks and they won't be enough for the nhs. that has been throughout this whole crisis the bottom line for the government, to try to ensure the nhs is capable of dealing with any surge in demand from coronavirus victims. part of that of course is making sure they

have an adequate supply of facemasks. i think too there has been advice from behavioural scientists that if people are instructed to wear face masks, they then feel that somehow they are invincible. they want to catch the virus. they don't have to bother with a safe distancing. in other words, it can actually be counter—productive. there are question marks about reusing facemasks, what happens when a facemasks, what happens when a facemask becomes contaminated? i think where we are going actually is more likely we will end up with some kind of voluntary permissive scheme where people are told, in some circumstances it could be useful to wear a facemask. for example, circumstances it could be useful to weara facemask. for example, if you're ina weara facemask. for example, if you're in a shop and the eyes are looking pretty busy, yes, why not put on a facemask? —— isles. if you live in inner city london and you are out and about on busy streets, why not wear a facemask? you probably won't need to do so if you are in remote norfolk or cumbria.

they may be some advice to vulnerable groups that for them yes, perhaps, there could be some health benefits. so i think by and large it is going to be pushed back onto individuals to decide what think it is best —— is best to do. this advice might actually not sort of kick in until we get to the next stage of lifting any restrictions, which as we know, the signs and that are becoming increasingly pessimistic after chris whitty, the chief medical officer yesterday suggested it may have to last until the rest of the year, until or u nless we the rest of the year, until or unless we get a vaccine. earlier we heard from the cabinet minister brandon lewis again cautioning that a vaccine is not imminent. it is really good news that those trials are starting in this country today. but we are not going to see a vaccine available and proven

and tested and ready to go in the next few weeks. it will be some way down the line. good news that it is happening, but we have to continue to focus on flattening the curve and dealing with this virus right now. that means continuing, wherever possible, to stay at home and work from home when people can come and follow the government guidelines. 0n on that wider point of relaxing the restrictions, whenever that might come, as you say the signs are increasingly pessimistic. but as we know, yesterday many senior conservative backbenchers expressing real concern about the fate of business and that the lockdown needs to be lifted, at least to some extent, to get businesses up and running again. at what point do you think the government is going to be giving equal weight to that concern alongside the scientific advice? well, i have to say i think the scientific advice is going to continue to trump whatever conservative mps may say. and

actually there is quite a spread of opinion among conservative mps, who do worry that if the lockdown rolls on the economy risks going down the plug hole. equally there are just as many conservative and other mps who ta ke many conservative and other mps who take the view this is such a profound health risk and a risk to lives, you just cannot take any chances until you get this vaccine. my chances until you get this vaccine. my instinct is that the science will remain the dominant decisive factor. when chris whitty says, 0k, we may have restrictions until the end of the year, that doesn't mean a lot done until the end of the year. it may be something much more light touch. that will depend on what happens with this virus, what happens with this virus, what happens with this virus, what happens with the dreaded r factor, the reinfection factor. the rolling out, testing, tracking and tracing. if we get far down the line in terms of tracking people with the virus, isolating them and quarantining them, you might actually be able to go for a fairly light touch from of

social distancing, which hypothetically could be different work patterns, people going into work patterns, people going into work at different hours, video conferencing. public transport, people having to sit apart, may a seat between passengers. it could be almost just becoming seat between passengers. it could be almostjust becoming normalfor people to stand back from other people to stand back from other people when talking to them. so with luck, if we can contain the virus we could move to a fairly light form of social distancing, although the signs are there will be some degree of social distancing for many months. 0k, norman, thank you very much. norman smith. scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon, will set out her strategy for exiting the coronavirus lockdown later. she's expected to make it clear that an end to the tough restrictions isn't imminent, and that some constraints will continue for a prolonged period. heraim, she says, will be to achieve "some semblance of normality". the earliest realistic point

at which schools in england could start to re—open, would be june ist, according to the leader of the head teachers‘ union. geoff barton said the priority should be years 10 and 12, who are part—way through gcses and a—levels, and year 6, where children are about to move to secondary school. education secretary gavin williamson said no date was set for returning to school, quashing speculation about an imminent return. jenny mcgee was one of the nurses who cared for the prime minister when he was being treated in intensive care at st thomas's hospital earlier this month. borisjohnson said she was one of "two nurses who stood by his bedside for 48 hours when things could have gone either way". ms mcgee, who is from new zealand, has been speaking to tvnz about her experience.

it was business as usual. you aren't even a little bit nervous? no, i am don't think i was. when i got in the car afterwards each night i could hear things about boris johnson car afterwards each night i could hear things about borisjohnson on the news. that was very surreal. because i thought, wow, i havejust been looking after him. but i really wasn't phased by looking after boris johnson. and what about in terms of them lowering the barjust because of who he is? no, everyone, we take it very seriously who comes into intensive care. these patients are coming to us, it is a very scary thing for them. we don't take it lightly. he absolutely needs to be their —— needed to be there. lightly. he absolutely needs to be their -- needed to be there. talk to us their -- needed to be there. talk to us how he found out you were from new zealand? we just chatted away. it came up. yeah, he was interested

in where i came from and what my story was. we spent a lot of time together. yeah, we talked away about new zealand. being loaded notjust by the british prime minister but also the new zealand prime minister, jacinta bohan. what went through your mind? and then i it all happened i had to turn my phone off because it was so overwhelming. and when i turned my phone back on in the morning people were like, you need to look at facebook. i was being called a snob for not responding to jacinda! i had a message from her. jacinda is a hero of mine. i think she's amazing. she said how the country was so proud. it so heart—warming. something i will never forget. did you respond to the prime minister? yes, i responded and she messaged back immediately. a little bit of banter, which was again surreal. a couple of emojis.

just very surreal. what are the biggest challenges or issues that nurses are facing today? right now in the pandemic? it is so tough out there at the moment. we are being asked to look after more patients than we normally do. and it's tough. these patients are quite complex when they come in. covid is notjust affecting the lungs, it is affecting many systems in the body. they are complex, very unwell patients. we are overwhelmed by patients. we are just doing our best to save as many lives as we can. so we're putting in the hours, we are working long hours and we are physically exhausted. but it is also taking an emotional strain on us as well. but the great thing that is coming out of all this is the wonderful that was one of the nurses who looked after the prime minister when

he was in intensive care. the headlines on bbc news: the first human trials for a coronavirus vaccine are starting at 0xford coronavirus vaccine are starting at oxford university today. government scientific advisers look set to say the public shouldn't wear medicalfacemasks but set to say the public shouldn't wear medical facemasks but should feel free to cover their faces with scarves oi’ free to cover their faces with scarves or home—made masks. thousands of people in england are being asked to provide regular nose and throat swabs for a study tracking spread of immunity to the virus. after a music festival in panama had to be shut down and quarantined due to coronavirus, 30 britons have been left living on a beach for over a month since it ended. they say they've no means of getting home, and they are paying for accommodation and running out of money. they also say germans, spanish and hungarians have all been repatriated. yesterday the panamanian authorities announced another 30 day ban on international travel

to and from the country. let's speak to peter grant and james baker, who are just up the road from the festival site in portobelo. peter, james, hello. thank you so much forjoining us. just let me clarify, you still essentially living at the beach or in other accommodation? —— are you? living at the beach or in other accommodation? -- are you? we are a bit down the road. good morning. we area bit down the road. good morning. we are a little bit down the road. we managed to get out of the festival. it was quite a long and arduous process. lots of red tape. a group of us did manage to get away. that has given us the space to start communicating with the outside world a little bit. hence speaking to you today. let's take a step back then. james, were you working at the festival along with peter? the connection is gone. james, were you

working at the festival alongside peter as well? we lost the audio for a second. can you repeat the question? of course, of course. i know peter you were working at the festival. james, were you working at the festival as well? yeah, both of us were the festival as well? yeah, both of us were working there as volunteers. i was working on production rather than indicated, where peter was working. but yeah, we were both very much in the thick of it. so peter, when did things first started to go wrong? when did you first hear about issues with the quarantine and perhaps not being able to go home when you anticipated you might be able to? well, on the 10th of march coronavirus struck panama. by the

time it was the 12th of march the police came to site and turned off the speakers. police came to site and turned off the speake rs. that police came to site and turned off the speakers. that started a bit of confusion among the festival goers. tell us what happened then in terms of lots of nationalities involved at this festival, james. buses started to arrive for some people. the buses arrive to move britons away from that festival site, to panama city? yeah, eventually that happened. when the festival finished as planned on the festival finished as planned on the 15th, what we realised was that keeping the music going, people —— we re keeping the music going, people —— were by keeping people busy come people down. it stopped a lot of the panic and a lot of the rumours that we re panic and a lot of the rumours that were spreading. basically there were such a changing information, —— situation, the information changed all the time. the authorities didn't

really know what to do. but it was about the 18th or the 19th that actually finally we had some buses from the british embassy that came and picked people up. again, it took and picked people up. again, it took a long time. we basicallyjust got deposited in the middle of panama city with half an hour to get accommodation sorted and to get two accommodation sorted and to get two accommodation before the curfew of 9pm. to date really that is the limit of the help that has been there to be honest. james, i was just wondering why you and others decided to stay at the beach or close to the beach, rather than go to panama city when the opportunity presented itself? yeah, so for me

one of the money cost. re—booking a flight one of the money cost. re—booking a flight because i was supposed to be living on the 23rd of march. rebooking a flight would have been cost prohibitive because straightaway the airline price has gone sky high. basic economics dictates. also being in the centre of things in the production hub or, i had seen so many people leave and see people miss their flights because of roadblocks etc. just being in the centre of it kind of felt very duty— bound to help everybody else get gone. i mean, at that point we had probably somewhere between 300 and 400 crew, artists, tribes, staff, guests as well, that needed to get home. i felt i was in a position then to be able to help facilitate that, along with their beautiful large crew and team of people, of course. we all pulled

together. and peter, i guess for those living on the beach it all sounds very idyllic. i don't take it as quite that way now, is it? well, imean we as quite that way now, is it? well, i mean we did the best out of a bit ofa i mean we did the best out of a bit of a sticky situation. i've got to say the festival organisers were great at supporting us with food and we also had running water. however, it was a festival site. it was only going to be temporary. so by the end there were problems. the wet season is very fast approaching. they were a few days of constant rain. that caused an influx of different insects, mosquitoes. also damaged oui’ insects, mosquitoes. also damaged our water system. so we could see it kind of getting a bit bad. we were also worried about people's mental health. people had been there for a month. it was a bit like cabin fever. i could see it happening to a

few individuals. we have had a statement from the foreign office. "we recognise it is a difficult time for many british travellers abroad due to unprecedented international travel restrictions that are being introduced around the world. we are in regular contact with members of the group remaining at tribal gathering. we have provided details of available accommodation and have offered safe passage letters to assist in moving there. do you recognise what is contained in that statement as the experience that you have had? we've lost you there. did you manage to hear the statement from the foreign office, peter? it kind of sounded like the e—mail everybody received when they went to the uk embassy in panama. but ultimately have you had to, in your opinion, the same help from

british consular officials as perhaps other nationalities have had from their consular officials in panama? absolutely not. i don't think so in the slightest. when dominic raab, and march the 30th, said that he would repatriate brits, we literally haven't received any help whatsoever. even though the spanish, hungarian and german is who are spanish, hungarian and german is who a re left spanish, hungarian and german is who are left on site with us, managed to get flights back. and actually, i think i found a lot of the other european countries were more helpful towards our situation than our own embassy. just finally then, james, what are your options then forgetting back home? at the moment we've got to sit out the extra 30 days. panama introduced a national flight days. panama introduced a national flight ban yesterday. it may be

pushed forward again. we have to sit tight, do the best that we can, contact everybody. as much as we can. and see how it works out. it's very unsettling. there are no certainties here. 0k, well keep in touch and let us know what is happening and how you get on. i hope you managed to get home as soon as possible. if this next 30 day ban is lifted on travel, we have to wait and see. for the moment, peter grant and james baker, thank you very much. just the remainder of that statement from the foreign office. "0ur embassy in panama has already helped 85 british travellers return to the uk and continue to provide further support and advice to those who remain there." 20,000 households in england are being contacted to take part in a study to help

track covid—19 in the general population. it's hoped the information, from a representative sample from across the uk, will help improve understanding of the rate of infection, and how many people are likely to have developed antibodies. 20,000 households in england are being contacted we can speak to our science correspondent, pallab ghosh. tell us first of all a little bit more about how the dzhus tracker study is going to work? good morning. these people in these households are going to be giving swa bs households are going to be giving swabs themselves and post them to be analysed. some of them are going to have blood samples taken from them. the whole idea is to test for antibodies and virus in some cases. that's because weeks into this epidemic we still don't have the a nswe i’s epidemic we still don't have the a nswers to epidemic we still don't have the answers to some very basic questions, like how many people in the population have been infected, what sort of immunity is there? how long does the immunity last? and how

many people have had the disease without showing any symptoms? these crucial questions are for the modelling. if ministers are going to start thinking about how to ease measures. if the model is more refined, they can give an accurate picture as to what can happen when they try out certain things like allowing children back in school, allowing children back in school, allowing limited shops to open. so this information is absolutely crucial in deciding how the lockdown is going to be eased. just briefly, you say the government obviously will be using this information in its modelling. but who is directly in charge of the study? it is going to feed into the scientific group. the department of health has funded it. it is going to be part of the overall assessment that is given to ministers in the coming weeks and months, as to how we can start easing some of the lockdown measures. 0k, thank you very much.

we know that people with underlying health conditions are more likely to experienced worst symptoms or develop complications if they contract covert. the government identified 1.28 million people in this vulnerable group and wrote to them asking them to self—isolate for 12 weeks in order to protect themselves from the virus. while there are concerns amongst this group that they are more at risk if they contract the virus, there are good news stories as well. we can speak to 36—year—old lee peters, who has a condition, chronic pancreatitis, and fear the worst when he was hospitalised for the virus but he is now at home recovering, which is absolutely wonderful news. 0bviously recovering, which is absolutely wonderful news. obviously to go back to the beginning, when coronavirus first emerged and you became aware that people with underlying health conditions were more at risk from it, you must have been incredibly

concerned. are you isolating pretty much immediately? i was, i was concerned. are you isolating pretty much immediately? iwas, iwas very concerned and i did start to isolate pretty much immediately before the government guidelines came along. it was an automatic decision that it was an automatic decision that it was better to stay away rather than risk too much public contact. you never know whether you're going to be touching things that people have touched. you don't automatically know. it is not something you are consciously doing. so despite that, you did contract the virus. do you have any idea where you may have picked it up? no, the only time i've been out in public was to pick up my weekly prescription. again i was so, so weekly prescription. again i was so, so careful when i went to the pharmacy. i phoned ahead and have the prescription red —— made up and ready. the pharmacy were very good.

they didn't allow more than two or three people in at once. i mustjust touched something somebody had touched something somebody had touched after coughing or maybe just breathing, you never know. tell us about the first symptoms you started to develop? quite laboured breathing. i already had an episode of acute pancreatitis which is something i generally get every few months. the pain was slightly different, there were a few anomalies with what i would usually expect. for example, the pain in my chest, it wasn't in a small area i would usually experience. i could feel each long, that there was damage and inflammation, and they we re damage and inflammation, and they were angry on the inside. it was difficult to get my breath and the pain was quite overwhelming. ijust started to feel generally very u nwell started to feel generally very unwell with a higher temperature. from that point until going to

hospital, how long was that? it was about six days. and then, when you were in hospital, where you feeling considerably worse at that stage? yes, it happened very quickly. i was quite surprised with the speed in which i was able to take myself to hospital, to actually not being able to get out of bed, it happened very quickly and was very scary because i did not know if i was exhausted. and when i slept i did not know if i would make out having gone to sleep. it did happen very quickly. listening to that last statement from you, it is incredibly scary to hear. i can only guess how terrified you must have been at that point. but how long did it take for this to turn a corner and for you to recover? going through your mind,

you are presumably thinking about all these news stories of people dying with underlying health conditions. here you were in hospital feeling very, very ill. and the medics, their approach was a lot more softly, softly than it usually is. i felt as if i was the dying patient and they were being as nice as they could be in my last moments. it took four days, and then there was a major turnaround. i woke up there was a major turnaround. i woke up on there was a major turnaround. i woke uponi there was a major turnaround. i woke up on i think it was before the evening, and i could breathe much more easily without using the nebuliser, and i was able to sit up, walk around the room again, without becoming exhausted straightaway. it got better as quickly as it got bad, actually. which is wonderful, and a really positive message for people who, like you, have conditions which might make them more predisposed if

they get this virus come into becoming, to getting worse effects from it. does it frustrate you when you hear someone from it. does it frustrate you when you hear someone has got this, they have underlying health conditions, that line we have had so much, does that line we have had so much, does that make you angry? it does irritate me at times because the things that are being left out are these stories of happiness and some of us can get through this. that glimmer of hope that some of us do get through it, and it is not a death sentence for everybody with underlying health conditions. if you can spread that message, it will give people a little bit more hope. good things will come of it eventually. iamso eventually. i am so glad that you are here today back at home, doing well, and able to spread that message. i am sure it

will give a lot of comfort and hope to many people. thank you ever so much. now, it's time for a look at the weather. good morning. a sunny start to st george's day across the country and the sunshine will remain for the vast majority. a little more high cloud across northern and might in areas, giving hazy sunshine. with wins lighter, it will be the warmest day of the week, 25 to the west of london. cooler still on the north sea coast and scotland and to the east of northern ireland. high pollen levels again. tonight, most places will stay dry but we could see more mist and fog towards eastern parts. a touch of frost in the far north of england and

scotland. most will be frost—free on friday. a foggy start across eastern parts of england. that will clear quickly in the morning. a small chance of a shower. for most, dry, sunny and pretty warm. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines. the first human trials for a coronavirus vaccine are starting at oxford university today — a stage which can often take years to reach. government scientific advisers look set to say the public should not wear medicalface masks — but should feel free to cover their faces with scarves. thousands of people in england are being asked to provide regular nose and throat swabs for a study tracking spread and level of immuity to the virus. a nurse praised by borisjohnson for helping to save his life earlier this month says the prime minister absolutely needed to be in intensive care.

now, some sports news. phil neville is to step down as the england women's manager next summer which means a replacement will be needed for the postponed euro 2021 tournament now taking place in 2022. let's get more details from mike bushell at the bbc sport centre. phil neville has had a successful tenure, what is he saying? getting a fourth place in the world cup and she believes cup. this is as much to do with the impact of the coronavirus on the women's football calendar as on recent results. they haven't been as good as they were in those heady days of 2019. the calendar has changed. 0riginally, days of 2019. the calendar has changed. originally, the plan was phil neville would see out his

contract, next year it was due to end. but take the team gb side to the tokyo 0lympics this summer and the tokyo 0lympics this summer and the euros for the women next summer. but now, of course, the tokyo 0lympics next year. and so, there is a chance for the fa to have a fresh approach, someone to see everything through all the way up until the next world cup in 2023. after all these tours it was decided maybe this was the best option for both parties, not just this was the best option for both parties, notjust inflection on recent results. he had a fantastic run taking the team last year to their first title, and fourth place in the world cup. since that quarterfinal win over norway last year, england have lost seven of their last 11 games. phil neville a lwa ys their last 11 games. phil neville always said he would walk away if he felt he was not able to motivate the tea m felt he was not able to motivate the team enough or he was not motivated enough to continue. he has had the

support of the fa despite that recent run of results and is recognised for those brilliant su ccesses . recognised for those brilliant successes. as for phil neville, he has an open mind what he will do next. he had a number of coaching roles in the men's game. he is understood to have really enjoyed his time working in women's football. it will not have gone unnoticed the manchester city job for the women is vacant following the departure of nick cushing to new york. watch this space. there will be further details on this later today. we know phil neville believed thejob when his today. we know phil neville believed the job when his contract doesn't expire at the end of next summer. sounds like he has got options. thank you. now, on bbc news — it's time for your questions answered.

thousands of you have been writing in with your questions about coronavirus and its impact on jobs and the economy. we've got two experts with us to help answer them now. jasmine birtles is editor of the website moneymagpie, and michelle 0vens is the founder of small business britain. good morning, thank you for taking pa rt good morning, thank you for taking part in this today. jasmine, the first question to you, from julie smith. she says, i am at home with covid since and is contracted through work as a pharmacy dispenser. my husband is self—isolating. neitherjobs are in fellow, what they can we expect? if they are really not in filo, it is basically sick pay, either statutory sick pay or whatever the employer decides —— furlough. not as good but better than nothing.

gazelle is the next question. she says, iam gazelle is the next question. she says, i am in a vulnerable group and received a letter saying i should shield for 12 weeks —— giselle. my manager said i would have to be off sick. although i get 12 weeks of sick. although i get 12 weeks of sick pay, what happens if this goes on longer or if i am sick later in the year as i will have used all my entitlement, should i be furloughed? i completely understand. we saw a lot of employers before the scheme was announced, they would put staff on sick leave. you need to ask your employer to be furloughed, they can do that. because you have to stay at home because of covid—19, you are entitled to go on that scheme. get them to put you on that. that can be backdated as well. these schemes are

put in place to look after you try not to worry. approach your employer with understanding, there are complicated rules for them, things have changed a lot and they may not be up—to—date. go back to your employer and ask to go back on the scheme. jasmine? it is better for the employer and a lot of employers, they have a lot of confusing stuff happening, but it is better for them because if they furlough knew, they will get the money back from the government, but would sick leave they only get 14 days. so it is better for them and for you. a good idea for anyone in this position to gather together some information, if they can, and say perhaps to their manager, here is some additional info i have, perhaps we can work through this.

tom has an interesting question. lots of people are employed on a seasonal basis. he asks, i normally work on a casual basis at some of the largest sport and leisure events from may until september. i have now been told because i have never worked in february or march, i am not entitled to be furloughed. i normally work 17 weeks a year and given all events will be cancelled for the foreseeable future, is there anything i can do? that sounds quite anything i can do? that sounds quite a predicament for tom. yes, a lot of people are in this situation. i have to say, the only two things that come to me are signing up for universal credit, if he hasn't already. and looking for other work which is around. such as farm work. it is seasonal work, not

as well—paid. sadly, that is the best thing to do. sign up for universal credit and later on look for other work. michelle, i don't know how many of the small businesses in your organisation are affected physically by coronavirus coming into this summer season. by coronavirus coming into this summer season. what advice in general would you give to anyone who is employed seasonally? there are a couple of things. one, i am not sure from what tom said if he is self—employed. a lot of seasonal workers are. if they are, there is the self employment scheme, so long as you were self 2018—2019, you will hear from as you were self 2018—2019, you will hearfrom hmrc as you were self 2018—2019, you will hear from hmrc in as you were self 2018—2019, you will hearfrom hmrc in may and as you were self 2018—2019, you will hear from hmrc in may and received a self—employment grant. that is averaged over every month. although, averaged over every month. although, a few are seasonal, it won't be relative to every month you work, it will be spread over the years but it will be spread over the years but it will be spread over the years but it will be something. for other

businesses, and looking at how you can use your skills to do something else. something we are talking around ourcampaign, how else. something we are talking around our campaign, how can you get back to work. we talk about events businesses, what are the things you do and how can you reapply those skills, get business coaching, there is some fantastic free solutions out there, to get a business mental. and look for ways you can use your skills and earn some money during this period and to help you get back on your feet afterwards. the next one is from philip who says, my employer says any accrued leave during filo, roughly two weeks for him, must be taken during furloughed. how can i do this when i am technically not employed by him at the moment. employers enforcing

this, so, if you're taking two days leave, they have to give him four days notice. so, they have to pay annual leave in full if they do not ta ke annual leave in full if they do not take it on furlough. so, they cannot claim those days on the job and that will be an administrative headache for them, frankly. they can request accrued holiday is welled up to a maximum of two years to help spread the cost. i am guessing this is why they are doing this. this is a tough time for employers. they do not often know the rules and they are worried they will lose a lot of money because of this. any employer who says annual leave during furlough, a few have got two take that, they have to be painful pay for annual leave days. my advice to

your employer would be, just don't. it will cost you more in administrative headaches and money thanit administrative headaches and money than it is worth it, frankly. i would just ignore it and put it later. michelle, what is your take on this conundrum? it is difficult. we can see it from both sides. difficult for both the employee, and the employer. yes. also, to the question, he is technically employed by them still, you are still a member of staff and there are restrictions on employees during the furlough. it is important he thinks of himself is still part of the company and i think that helps when having that conversation with the employer. also, the thing i would stress as well, this is both for business owners and staff is that this is a really stressful time and actually it is quite good to ta ke and actually it is quite good to take a bit of a break at some point, to give yourself a bit of time.

there is a huge mass of stress and concern, there is a huge mass of stress and concern, anger, there is a huge mass of stress and concern, anger, worry. there is a huge mass of stress and concern, anger, worry. a few can ta ke concern, anger, worry. a few can take a little bit of a break, weather you call it a holiday or not, that will probably help you weather you are a business member —— owner or weather you are a business member —— owneror memberof weather you are a business member —— owner or member of staff. it is strange to think about leave during this current time. as a colleague said, it is more like stay than leave because we are not going anywhere. but it is a break from the usual routine if you're still having to into work. here is someone who was hoping to get away, miriam. she says, i had a sabbatical preagreed with work. i had booked flights and tours already. they have now said i am unable to take it on the agreed date and will need to give a minimum of three months notice when i intend to ta ke three months notice when i intend to take it. can they change things like that? they have to give you quite a period of notice if they are going to do

so. of notice if they are going to do so. so, idon't of notice if they are going to do so. so, i don't know how long you are supposed to be away. if it is a sabbatical, maybe you are away a few months. if it is two months, they have to give you notice, two months's notice to do that. it depends on weather your contract is paid, unpaid, suspended, terminated, with the guarantee of re—employment on your return. particularly as you're using some annually to receive payment as part of this sabbatical. i would suggest you speak to acas specifically for advice on this. again, it is complex and it is quite possible your employers do not actually know the rules. it does sound complex, another issue and there are many of them that employers and employees will have to navigate their way through with,

hopefully, a bit of goodwill on both sides, i guess. you are quite right. goodwill is the most important thing. there are a lot of scenarios that haven't even been imagined yet that could come up, witha been imagined yet that could come up, with a sabbatical, you said you had booked flights and tours already and who knows weather they will still be able to take place themselves. the most important thing right now is to not sit at home as stu, obviously we had to sit at home, but have that conversation with your employer. understand the issues they are facing, understand they may not know what the right thing to do is either. and if we can find some flexibility on both sides, that would be really helpful. a question from terry who is an agency chef, not self—employed he says, as the agency pays his taxes for what he earns. the office staff are on furlough paid but he has been told he is not entitled, please can

you tell him why. it depends here. i personally do not see why he is not entitled to it. michelle is nodding in agreement with you. if the agency is paying his tax and national insurance, basically it is a paye, they are essentially for what a feeling purposes his employers. if the others are being furloughed, he should be. the only way i would assume he would not be furloughed is if he could be redeployed somewhere else. for example, there is an industrial place where they are creating food where he could be employed there, then, fine, they can send him there and he can be paid properly there. apart from that, no, i think you should be furloughed. terry should talk to the agency again. one more thought or question. we have just received the latest

information on how much money banks have provided to small and medium—sized companies under the government backed scheme to help businesses survive the lockdown. we are hearing banks have provided £2.8 billion, the uk total lending under the business interruption loan scheme had grown by £1.5 billion in the week from april 14. some businesses have said they had struggled to use the scheme to get access to cash quickly. michelle, a quick thought from you on that as we are almost out of time. the businesses you work with, how are they finding the scheme? a very mixed bag i would say. a lot of businesses waited for three or four weeks to get a response but are now starting to see some progress on that, which is encouraging, but there is still a huge number of businesses who either haven't heard from the bank or are being turned

down for a number of reasons and a feeling like they are falling through the net. the big chunk that is struggling are the smaller businesses because the minimum loan of £25,000 is more than they want to ta ke of £25,000 is more than they want to take a more they can afford. it can't be more than a quarter of your revenues. so, they are falling between the gaps, it is the micro businesses that are really struggling. we would like to see more movement from the banks to accommodate those businesses. sounds like still some issues to be ironed out. thank you so much for answering these questions today. and thank you for sending your questions in. she's known on the small screen, the big screen — and now, your phone screen. damejudi dench has been using lockdown to get to grips with technology, and regularly posts on tiktok with her grandson, sam. she's not the only one using her time indoors

to learn new skills and keep in touch with the younger generation, asjohn maguire reports. why do you tell an actor to break a leg? because every player has to have a cast. from m to various hms, damejudi dench is one of ourfinest and best—loved actors. star of the stage, the small and the big screen, she is now taking to the tiny screen making short tiktok videos with her grandson. i thought it would be a good laugh to get us both involved as we are so close but we are not together. it's really, really hard. and it's just something both of us didn't know anything about and so we both chucked ourselves in it at the deep end. dame judi is learning new skills and loving the time spent although, at a distance, with herfamily. we are living through such a strange and unprecedented time and it's difficult to know how to approach

each day, i think. i have found, and i'm not at all technically—minded, but i have found that the laptop when you can get your family on facetime, it makes an enormous difference and then you see them and you feel as if you've actually had a quick visit, which is wonderful. and i've also learned from my grandson about tiktok, which is something i didn't know about, so i've been having to rehearse my so—called dance with him and we recorded it and i enjoyed it enormously, enormously. i'd be terrified to direct her or tell her what to do. i mean, she's game for anything so i'm like, if i come to her one day with one trend, she tries to do that trend. like, we try to film it. i try to teach her dances on facetime. it's really, really difficult. but she likes a bit of a challenge. at the moment, i don't think

she's got any scripts that she is learning or anything, so she can kind of chuck herself in as much as she wants, which is lovely. i'm absolutely loving doing it with her and kind of seeing the response from people. it's great. and theo, as well? nice to see him. is he behaving himself? he's very good. we were lucky, really. when theo was born a month ago, he came home from hospital to a very different world, one where his parents, natasha and scott, were cut off from family support at least physically anyway. for me, it's been absolute torture, really. i'm very close to my mum. on a usual week i would see her most days. and when you do something as big as this, the first thing you want to do is show your mum. of course. so we decided to have a family reunion with natasha's parents and sister and, after the gremlins that are such large part of daily life now,

we were joined by scott's mum. you've seen him. not had a chance to touch him yet. what's that been like? horrible. very heartbreaking. absolutely. ijust can't wait. it's very frustrating. it is, isn't it? yeah. we can be thankful of the modern technology that we can watch him develop over the last month on whatsapp. without that, we would be lost. not only that, he's long—awaited, this young man. it's hell for both families. our first great—grandchild. nephew. all the family. can't wait to meet the little man. gosh, he's not going to want for cuddles when this is all over. so who have we got now, scott? great grandad jeff and great grandma pat. and theo's great—grandparents join in.

for many, lockdown would have been much harder without this technology so we may not be able to touch, to kiss, to hug, but in the meantime, we are able to smile and to laugh and to share. john maguire, bbc news. good to see lots of happy faces there. the duke and duchess of cambridge's son prince louis has been photographed to mark his second birthday — making a rainbow tribute poster. it's one of several photographs released by the royal family to celebrate the occasion. similar artwork created by children have appeared in windows across the uk. the photos were taken by his mother the duchess of cambridge in norfolk earlier this month. what's coming up for you, including

ramadan in lockdown, and talking to guests about the european union's plans to exit lockdown, and what that might look like. now it's time for a look at the weather. i think you know the weather story, it has been a dry week which continues today. a little more high cloud which means the sunshine is hazy. for many, the weather chart says it all. and it will feel warm and this afternoon, 25 to the west of london. the 20s for england and wales. eastern england and scotland, a little bit cooler but it will keep pollen levels down. into tonight, staying dry but eastern counties of england, mist and staying dry but eastern counties of england, mistand no staying dry but eastern counties of england, mist and no cloud forming into friday. the small chance of frost across scotland and northern england. for most, frost—free. another dry day. some fog to begin

with in the east of england which will clear. the small chance of a shoutin will clear. the small chance of a shout in the channel islands and shetland later. for most, dry, sunny and warm.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the first human trials in the uk for a coronavirus vaccine are starting at oxford university today — a stage which can often take years to reach. uk government scienctific advisers look set to say the public should not wear medical face masks, but should feel free to cover their faces with scarves. the german chancellor angela merkel says germany should be prepared to pay more into the eu's budget to help foster economic recovery, as european union leaders prepare to thrash out a huge financial rescue package worth over half a trillion euros. president trump plays down concerns about a second wave of the pandemic.