this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. 200,000 people are now recorded to have died from coronavirus around the globe. it comes as the number of deaths in uk hospitals passes 20,000. for the nation in particular, this is a deeply tragic and moving moment. all our thoughts and sympathies are with those individuals who have lost family members through this horrendous and absolutely appalling virus. the governor of new york, the us state worst hit by the coronovirus outbreak, authorises independent pharmacies to carry out tests for the disease. coronavirus tests for uk key workers through the government website were booked up within an hour

of it reopening today. the world health organization warns that people who have recovered from coronavirus may not be protected from reinfection. countries around europe pursue options to end the lockdown — belgium sets out a detailed plan to relax restrictions. and — we can't go to the zoo at the moment but we've got the next best thing — a virtual tour round edinburgh zoo — courtesy of it's keepers. hello and welcome to audiences in the uk and around the world. we're covering all the latest coronavirus developments here in britain and globally. first ?the number of people who have died from coronavirus around the globe tonight stands at more than 200,697 — according to statistics from thejohns hopkins

university which tracks the number of cases worldwide. today the number of people known to have died from coronavirus in the uk has now passed 20,000. the home secretary priti patel says the entire nation is grieving after passing a tragic and terrible milestone. but the figure — 20,319 people — doesn't include deaths in care homes or the community in england and northern ireland. the latest figures showed another 813 deaths were registered across the united kingdom. the home secretary said the current restrictions were likely to remain in place for now, and that it was essential people followed the guidelines on social distancing. britain is only one of five countries to have passed above 20,000 deaths from the virus, behind the united states, italy, spain and france. it comes as the world health 0rganization says people who have recovered may not be protected against reinfection, and warned against so—called immunity passports to allow people to travel or return to work. but while the government—imposed

lockdowns continue around the world. some countries — particularly in europe — are considering easing the restrictions. our first report takes a closer look at the number of deaths in the uk — where the government was told last month by senior scientific and medical advisers, that keeping the number below 20,000 would be a "good outcome". here's our health correspondent lauren moss. it is a devastating milestone no one wanted to reach. more than 20,000 people have now died with covid—19. these are deaths recorded in hospitals. the number who have lost their lives in the community including care homes is not yet known. but it's likely to increase. as the deaths caused by this terrible virus pass another tragic and terrible milestone, the entire nation is grieving. my deepest sympathies and condolences go to those who have lost loved ones and i would like to pay tribute to the selfless front line workers who have been struck down

by this virus. 0n the 28th of march, professor powis, you said "we will have done very well if fewer than 20,000 people died during this epidemic. "we have sadly passed that number now. does that mean the strategy should have been different? this, unfortunately, is not going to be something that we will get over in the next few weeks. this is something we are going to continue to have to work our way through over the months ahead. as i have said before, this is not a sprint, this is a marathon in dealing with this virus. test, track and trace are key strategies to tackle the virus. the drive to check key workers with symptoms continued today and there is a big demand. within a couple of hours of the government's booking website opening, slots had been quickly snapped up once again. when we looked earlier, home test kits were unavailable within 15 minutes, and all drive—through sites in england, wales and northern ireland were booked up by 10am. the cough is not as bad as it was.

at one point i was coughing nearly all the time. mandy works in a supermarket. she's been unwell since monday, she has got an appointment but the test centre she has been allocated is 19 miles away and she can't get there. ijust don't understand why, when i know there are test centres closer to me, why they are not on the list of options for me to go to? more than 28,000 tests were done in the last 2a hours. the government is committed to carrying out 100,000 a day by thursday. next week will be our fifth in lockdown but any possibility of it being relaxed has been dismissed. we know that people are frustrated but we are not out of danger yet. it is imperative that people continue to follow the rules, designed to protect their families, theirfriends and loved ones. the uk will continue to find a way through this pandemic, as a nation grieves those

who have been lost. lauren moss, bbc news. joining me now is dr rebecca cooper. she's a doctor, and a public health consultant who is currently advising uk authorities on how to handle the global coronavirus outbreak, she's also the labour group leader, for worthing council. thank you forjoining us. a month ago we were told that keeping deaths under 20,000 would be a good outcome. now deaths have gone past that, we are nowhere near the end as far as we that, we are nowhere near the end as faras we can that, we are nowhere near the end as far as we can tell, was it a mistake to put out an estimate like that is the mistake the set of measures which has been undertaking? thanks wrap me on. i should clarify that i don't advise the uk government at the moment, i'm independent. ithink when that was said, that number, obviously what we do is look at the modelling data and the number of cases. we can see in the population

and the hospital admissions. at the time it was said, the modelling data indicated that 20,000 deaths, if we keep to that, that would be a terrible and horrible outcome, as it was said, but that would be a good estimate. unfortunately, as has now been proven today, it looks like we're going to exceed that 20,000. what i would say is that, and i echo the words that every single one of those this is a tragedy for the family is scraping, absolutely appalling, looking forward, if you look at the hospital desk, it looks like those numbers are coming down daily, which we hope will be the case going forward. with the care home desk, there are rising and that isa home desk, there are rising and that is a serious concern. there is the issue in the nhs has launched those who are facing non—covid—i9 cds illnesses to continue using the nhs.

—— non—covid—i9 serious illnesses. we are about to launch a similar campaign in worthing to encourage people to use the nhs. i have gp collea g u es people to use the nhs. i have gp colleagues are saying the numbers are well down and they are incredibly concerned. we talk about is indirect death,, so death that will happen because of things like stroke, heart attack, things that could be avoided if you will call the nhs, theirgps could be avoided if you will call the nhs, their gps and made use of the nhs, their gps and made use of the health system when they need to. i appreciate that at this point people are very anxious, very worried that if the go to hospital it will catch corunna it is very well set up —— 22. it will catch corunna it is very well set up -- 22. they may be thinking they are safe at home, and going to hospital they stand a chance of getting an ellis on top of their condition. millarfor

chance of getting an ellis on top of their condition. millar for most people their first point of contact is the gp. we can have a safe environment, colleagues of mine are also doing home visits with prospective gear on. if they need to go to hospital, because of the fact we increased i see you capacity, there is room in the hospital at the moment, which is a good news story. in italy we saw the system being overwhelmed, in the uk we don't see that. we are able to separate coronavirus patients from patients who still very much need to be seen. my who still very much need to be seen. my messages, please, if you need to speak to a doctor or phone 999, is an emergency, please do. tells more about the situation in worthing regarding nhs staff. are the capacity? at some point over the summer are capacity? at some point over the summer are the simply going to say they are exhausted i need a break? will reinforcements carry on?” think in worthing at the moment the whole system is coping well. i know

that my colleagues in the hospitals are working incredibly hard. you are right, we need to be mindful of health service staff, that they don't reach burn—out, and we need to make sure there are enough staff. we have called people out of retirement, i'm a clinical doctor by profession myself and my name is on the reserve list if people need to go and take a break. really important to watch that burn—out. capacity differs around the country, but overall our icus are just about coping, albeit summer are more stress tha n coping, albeit summer are more stress than others. government—imposed lockdowns continue around the world as the pandemic shows few signs of slowing. tens of millions of people are having to stay at home and businesses have been told to shut their doors. some countries, however — particularly in europe — are considering easing the restrictions. from berlin, damien mcguinness reports. for the past six weeks, a quickjog in the park has been one of the few ways people in belgium could leave the house.

apart from exercise and essential work and shopping, they have been confined to their homes. belgium has suffered the highest per capita death rate in the world from coronavirus, almost 7,000 deaths so far. but, infection and death rate appears to be slowing. so, the government has now announced a three stage plan to ease the lockdown. in may, most shops will re—open, then a week later children will start going back to school. but, to minimise the risk of another wave of infections, new rules will be introduced. translation: wearing an item of protection that covers both the mouth and the nose will be compulsory when taking public transport starting may the 4th, for travellers aged 12 and over. spain is also starting to ease restrictions. on sunday, children will be allowed to be out for the first time in more than a month, despite a death toll in spain of more than 22,000. there have been worries

about the physical and psychological harm for children cooped up in small flats. so, pressure has been growing to exit the lockdown. translation: despite these measures which will alleviate the current situation for the population, we have to avoid excessive euphoria, because we must maintain collective responsibility in order to stop and control this epidemic. italians are also hoping that some of the toughest measures can be lifted. as the country celebrates the anniversary of the defeat of the nazis in world war ii, there are hopes that the government may announce a plan for lifting restrictions in may. and in germany, where small shops opened again this week, there are rows about which sectors are being allowed to go back to work. larger shops, cafe and restaurants say it is unfair, they can't reopen. in some ways, leaving the lockdown is proving harder and more divisive than implementing it was. and angela merkel has

warned against easing restrictions too quickly. translation: nobody likes to hear it but it is the truth. we are not living in the final phase of the pandemic, we are still at its beginning. we will have to live with this virus for a long time. that is the big dilemma facing all european countries. how to get the economy going again without sparking another wave of infections. the world health organization has warned against countries trying to use what have become known as ‘immunity passports' to enable people who've recovered from the coronavirus to return to work or travel. the who says there's currently no evidence that antibodies protect survivors from a second infection. teams of scientists around the world are currently working on vaccines which it's hoped will produce coronavirus antibodies. imogen foulkes is in geneva. i think the world health organization has been murmuring

about this for but today gave this official advice. countries thinking of issuing people with immunity passports or so—called risk—free certificates really need to think again. because while the current, and there is a wide variety of them, the tests show the breadth of the spread of the virus in the population. they are new tests, not entirely reliable. sometimes they come up with false negatives. sometimes they show somebody has had a coronavirus, but not necessarily this one. the common cold is also a coronavirus. most important of all, and this is really key, there is no evidence so far that having had covid—i9 once means you are immune to it forever, or even temporarily. that means you could get it again, that means you can spread it again, and that means an immunity

passports, really, at the moment anyway, wouldn't be worth the paper it was printed on. the governor of new york says independent pharmacies are to be allowed to carry out tests for the coronavirus. andrew cuomo says he will sign an executive order to allow independent pharmacies to carry out diagnostic tests for covid—i9. samples taken in high street stores will be sent to laboratories to be analyzed. he also added that antibody screenings for the disease would also be expanded, starting with first responders and other essential workers. people across australia and new zealand have been marking anzac day — the day of remembrance for the two nations' wartime casualties. with social distancing due to coronavirus preventing mass services, thousands instead paid tribute at daybreak — by holding a candle outside the doorway of their homes. the low cost airline, wizz air, has announced plans to restart some flights from next month the uk government is still advising against all but essential travel , and some countries are insisting

that travellers quarantine when they arrive. but the airline is introducing what it calls "enhanced" health and safety" measures and will resume some journeys from luton airport next friday. people will be able to book flights to destinations including hungary, the canary islands and israel. the uk government is to hold the first of a series of regular meetings with the medical directors of britain's major sports next week to discuss ways of allowing competition to resume. talks have already been held with officials from the english premier league, which was suspended seven weeks ago with liverpool two wins from claiming the title. the sessions are being viewed as preparatory, to avoid further delays once permission to restart events is granted. can poetry be useful when the world is in the grip of coronavirus? that's a question driving a new international project led by uk poet, carol ann duffy and the manchester writing school at manchester metropolitan university. the initiative "write where we are now", is a poetic response

to the coronavirus pandemic. poets are invited to send in their writing, marking where and when the piece was written. the works are published online in chronological order in the hope of creating a living record of what is happening now, seen through poets' eyes. joining me this evening is award—winning poet— andrew mcmillan and romalyn ante who has written for the project and is currently working as a nurse in the uk's national health service. hello to you both. andrew, i will start with you. you have written a poem called garden. i love it if you could be because your poem, please. absolutely. garden. in the beginning dead, like the first flowers for adam were few enough to name but soon adam were few enough to name but soon they grew too many, the vast

fields of them. andrew, tell us about the meaning of that home and what led you to that. the whole project, this idea of really documenting day by day what was happening. i wrote this poem on the 25th of march, a month ago today, when the death numbers were smaller than they are now, but we were seeing in other countries that they we re seeing in other countries that they were going to get higher, that we we re were going to get higher, that we were going to get higher, that we were going to get higher, that we were going to be faced with these unpardonable numbers. i think that so unpardonable numbers. i think that so much about the pandemic has given us so much about the pandemic has given us is abstract, abstract numbers of dead, the abstract nature of illness. what i tried to do in this very short poem which is growing out on something concrete, think about flowers instead of the deaths, and try and weigh those two things together. thanks, andrew. your poem

is on becoming madam, half a dozen verses but we bash is to just read asa verses but we bash is to just read as a few lines please. of course. look at her now as she puts the pots of ice cream onto the table of a patient in isolation, our nods at the in bed 18, telling tales the underground tunnel turned into a ward, or shares a box of pizza with a doctor has been there all week, until crumbs constantly their fingertips. and the inspiration pineapple? i have been a nurse for eight years now. my mother is a nurse, eight years now. my mother is a nurse , my eight years now. my mother is a nurse, my family are nurses. they all work in the front line. at the moment i work as a nurse practitioner providing psychotherapy treatment for young people. i wrote this after a very difficult session with a young person. when i was invited to write a poem that would

shed a light on our current situation now, i really wanted to shed a light on the nursing profession, especially on the medical nurses. and all nurses really. most of the images i've used here are from my own medical experience and most especially from my mother's medical experience. thank you for reading those extracts. i could almost feel the worries of viewers fading away as we entered into that world. andrew, your suggested isolation and poetry have something in common both about tiny moments with larger meaning. have something in common both about tiny moments with larger meaninglj think tiny moments with larger meaning.” think that's true, we've all been confronted in these last five weeks with their own thoughts, our own creative instincts to want to help, to wa nt creative instincts to want to help, to want to do things, but also a lot of those that aren't front line workers, heroes in the nhs are elsewhere, a lot of us have felt helpless. what can we do a? poetry

asa helpless. what can we do a? poetry as a way of capturing that day by day experience, and we are living, evenif day experience, and we are living, even if its insecure cliche, and incredibly historic times. poetry becomes a way of recording that, bearing witness scouting for future generations. i'm sure there is one question our audience must be dying to ask you, romilly and? you are a nurse and a poet. they don't also together, explain how they mesh.” think as a nurse and a poet, even though you say they don't always go together, i feel that both professions, i wouldn't even call it pubescence, i would call it a calling, both of them are mostly calling, both of them are mostly calling for me. i feel that as a nurse and as a poet, i try to make sense of not only the world around me, but the world inside me and i think that is very related to each other. andrew, there is a stereotype of poets which presumably you must

hate, remote, dreamy figures with their heads in the clouds, but now that real life is turned all of us into a waking dream, presumably poets feel more normal to the rest of the world. i think that's out, poets sometimes feel that the life, this is the life we have been in training for, to be shut away in writing, but it is showing that poets aren't as necessarily removed from the real world is people like to think. i saw a great for the bbc the other day about a pen man that been given a poem by a neighbour is a way of thanking him, and we know that people go to poems for funerals, weddings when they allowed those, and poetry occupies the space where it is a marginalised day—to—day in peoples lives, but actually has is very heightened sense of importance to them. we have seen sense of importance to them. we have seenin sense of importance to them. we have seen in these last few weeks, as people become more scared and anxious, they have begun to write poems again, begun to want to read poems again, begun to want to read poems again, begun to want to read poems again, so this new database,

where we are now is a way of trying to capture that for future generations. my back what are the responsive one is? i have got some friends have read it, they really like it. some of my colleagues to read it. the most interesting part is, even though some of the images i abuse are mostly from my experiences and my mother's experiences —— the images i have used. most of my colleagues can relate to the images i have used. even though we have unique to us, the court feeling of alliance could be felt by everybody, really. —— alliance could be felt by everybody, really. — — the alliance could be felt by everybody, really. —— the court feeling of alliance. zoos, like many businesses and attractions , have had to shut their doors to visitors as a result of the lockdown. keepers at edinburgh zoo say they would normally be packed with visitors at this time of the year. but while the penguin parade is on hold, staff at the zoo

are making sure the animals are still being cared for during the crisis. lorna gordon reports. the animals of edinburgh zoo. there are over 2,500 animals here. the keepers agreeing to film for us to show how the animals are faring while the gates are closed. so, one of the first things we have to do is check on all our penguins and make sure everybody‘s ok. the famous penguin parade is, for now, no longer happening but the breeding season here has started, so both the penguins and their keepers have plenty to do. this is one of our breeding nests for our northern rockhoppers this year. so, we are currently at this moment waiting for this chick to hopefully hatch in the next couple of days. the city's zoo would usually get thousands of visitors every day but the lockdown means the pathways here are now deserted. but obviously today we are. ..empty. however, we've still got a panda.

the solitary creatures are among the most popular animals here. their adoring audience may have disappeared but it has made no difference to them. social—distancing isn't really a problem for pandas, because they quite like being solitary and he certainly doesn't miss having company. a lot of people worry that if he's on his own, he's lonely. he's not. as long as yang guang has got food, he is perfectly happy. the keepers are always careful around their charges but coronavirus means they are taking even more precautions now. we wear gloves when we're handling any food and things like that but we have started wearing facemasks all the time. one of the things that could potentially happen is that we could pass coronavirus onto the chimps. as far as i know, there are no known cases of chimpanzees catching coronavirus but they are susceptible to things like the flu, so we really don't want to take that chance. the zoo is a charity so, like other similar organisations, it has worries now its income from visitors has dropped away. its priority, ensuring the animals here receive the best care possible during this crisis.

insurance companies are warning that the coronavirus pandemic is likely to be the most expensive event in their history — with pay—outs totalling £1.2 billion. the government says it's encouraging insurers to do all they can to support struggling firms. here's our business correspondent katie prescott. not quite business as usual but both staff and customers are back at this sandwich chain in central london with a reduced service on offer. but most companies still have their doors firmly shut. this clinic had bought insurance cover known as business interruption insurance to pay out if they ever had to stop trading, but like many others their claim for closure was rejected. it's a bit galling to realise that over the years we've spent over £10,000 in insurance which was not valid, and when we finally came

to claim, we were told we can't. i think all businesses thought they'd inoculated themselves by buying this insurance, and they have found that this financial vaccine does not work. sonia's now empty clinic. she had a business interruption policy which covered closure due to human contagion. her insurer is disputing her claim 3s coronavirus was not directly on her premises. we've paid our premium, always paid it on time, have done the right thing. there's a clause in that document, which is, in my view, really clear. i think we're going to close. without that payment, we can't continue. the bbc has been inundated with e—mails from business owners like sonia, who feel unfairly treated by their insurers. the treasury select committee of mps and the financial watchdogs are all looking at this issue. but insurers argue that to make this sort of cover widely available and affordable for people would require government subsidies, given the scale of the unprecedented

disruption it's caused. most business interruption policies that most businesses have, up and down the country, are very much designed to protect them from standard things like fire and flood. they're not designed to cover and weren't priced either to cover for a global pandemic. many believe the coronavirus outbreak has exposed poor insurance products, unclear and ambiguous policies. we have to distinguish between the moraljustice of the issue and the legalities. the legalities will need to be decided on the wording of each individual policy in the form of the financial services ombudsman, or the court, but i think the moral justice of the issue is very clear. insurance pay—outs for floods are already covered by a government—backed fund, which all insurers contribute to, and there's speculation that another such scheme could be created for pandemics, but that won't help

those who are looking for pay—outs today. katie prescott, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with susan powell. for the week ahead, the last few days of april, more in the way of wet weather spreading up in the south. when they are from wednesday onwards. however, this evening and overnight, a dry picture once again, so some overnight, a dry picture once again, so some shares overnight, a dry picture once again, so some shares across an overnight, a dry picture once again, so some shares across an office of scotland. winds, clear skies for east anglia and is sideways. mainly a touch of frost here first thing on sunday. a weather front across northern england and north wales, patchy rain come the afternoon, i had a better chance of heavier downpours for south wales, the midlands, parts of yorkshire and lincolnshire, some thunderstorms. to

the north, a killer and pressure feel, some sunny spells around any future errors. —— a cooler pressure. as the week pans out.