good morning, welcome to bbc news. i'm victoria derbyshire, and here are the headlines. boris johnson is back at work in downing street. he'll look at how the current lockdown is working, as ministers warn against lifting lockdown measures prematurely. we're not in a place where the science says it is safe to ease the restrictions. so we need to keep these in place to keep that infection under control. this is the scene live in downing street where the prime minister will make a statement to the country this morning. as soon as he begins speaking, we will take you straight there. italy's prime minister outlines plans to ease the country's strict coronavirus lockdown in stages after seven weeks. the european aircraft company airbus says the survival of the company is at stake, as uk airlines ask for more

help from the chancellor. a warning that people with autism have been forgotten in the pandemic. families say many are struggling to access the care they need. it's been this terrible, terrible... i mean, probably the most stressful week of my life because... oh, sorry! i don't know what's wrong with him. morning. as borisjohnson gets back to work today, let me know this morning what you want to hear from him.

we are expecting to hear from him outside downing street this morning, a month after he was diagnosed with coronavirus. boris johnson is back in downing street to take charge of the uk's response to the pandemic. the prime minister will chair the morning cabinet meeting on covid—19, before holding talks with senior ministers and officials. he arrived back at number ten yesterday evening amid mounting pressure to begin lifting lockdown measures. after seven weeks of tight restrictions in italy, officials there have outlined plans to ease the lockdown. parks, factories and building sites will re—open and people are allowed to visit relatives in small numbers. switzerland is taking similar steps. from today, hairdressers, garden centres, massage parlours and florists are among the businesses allowed to open their doors. swiss schools are to follow over the next fortnight. here, airline industry bosses have written to the chancellor, rishi sunak, asking him to extend hisjob retention scheme beyond june. the treasury is currently paying most of the wages

of nearly four million staff working across the economy let's get more from our assistant political editor, norman smith. we are expecting the prime minister to address us, what might he have to say? well, i don't think we will get the details people have been craving over the past few days, namely an indication of how we will get out of the lockdown, i think it is too soon for the lockdown, i think it is too soon foer the lockdown, i think it is too soon for mrjohnson do now that down. he will want to spend some time, probably a few days in downing street, going through all the options. i expect what we will get is more perhaps evidence that he is well, he is back, he is healthy, he is going to get a grip of the government's approach, coordinate thinking. i suspect he will publicly wa nt to thinking. i suspect he will publicly want to thank the nhs for the treatment he received, and thank the british public too for continuing to abide by the restrictions, despite,

of course, very sunny weekends. i think that will be the tone of it, more general, to show, i am back, think that will be the tone of it, more general, to show, iam back, i am well, i am getting a grip. i think it is not going to be here is how we get out of the lockdown. not to say that debate is not happening, it absolutely is behind closed of number ten, they have been working four days looking at the different ways to try and get out of it, and i think we will see, perhaps by the middle of the end of the week, the prime minister beginning to shape that debate. frankly, it is already happening, it is in the papers, people talking about it, politicians in scotland, wales and northern ireland openly canvassing different options. at the most important thing, i think, options. at the most important thing, ithink, vic, is this options. at the most important thing, i think, vic, is this — up to now, the stance of ministers is that we cannot discuss an exit strategy because it would undermine the lockdown, send out a contradictory message. it would be saying stick to the lockdown but this is how we get out of the lockdown. that balance is

now shifting, i think there is a genuine concern that people are frankly weary, and unless you give them some sense of hope, some sense ofa them some sense of hope, some sense of a plan to get out of it, then the lockdown is going to fray. we have already seen a bit of it at the weekend with a slight pick—up in car usage, people being out and about, so usage, people being out and about, so the balance has changed, and i think, amongst many ministers, the fear is that unless there is a debate and an open conversation with the nation about the options as to how we get out of it, actually, that might be what damages people abiding by the restrictions. yeah. and boris johnson himself, on returning to work, having had this virus that has gripped the world, i mean, he is going to be influenced by his own personal experience indeed, when it comes to working out the plan?” think it would be utterly extraordinary, having had a near death experience, of course it will shape his views, some of which we

already know, we have had briefings from number ten about meetings he has had at chequers. apparent on friday he was quoting cicero, one of whose maxims was the highest duty of the state is to protect its citizens, which perhaps gives you an indication of his bent — in other words, he wants to make sure that public safety comes first and foremost, and before any easing in the lockdown. added to which the science just doesn't seem to be there yet to give us the leeway to ease the restrictions, and that was the message we had this morning from the message we had this morning from the health minister edward agar. i understand the frustration that people are having with these measures, they are restrictive, and they are very difficult. the british public has been amazing in actually following them and complying with them, and it made has a real difference. so i've seen a lot of the speculation in the papers and beyond in recent days, but the reality is we're not there yet. we're not in a place

where the science says it is safe ease the restrictions. so we need to keep these in place, to keep that infection under control and not to lose the games we've all made by the sacrifices that we've made to get that infection rate down. the other reason why this debate has to be held as if we get to march the 7th, when the renewal is due, if it is the case that any changes to the lockdown are going to be minimal, i think we will have to soften the british public for that. i think if we arrive at that point boris johnson announces nothing much will change, i think you will have to gradually make the argument to convince people that come we are probably going to have to persist with large elements of the lockdown beyond may the 7th.” with large elements of the lockdown beyond may the 7th. i am just looking at messages from viewers, darren says, i think that repeating the same message about social

restrictions, social distancing, shouldn't be the only approach now. let people start to plan and picture what the world will be like as restrictions ease. and he adds, i think that would make living with current restrictions easier. one more, there is definitely more traffic on the roads, says this viewer, and people venturing out than in previous weeks. i live on a new—build estate, and construction workers are back today, not sure how they are going to social distance. it does feel, like lockdown is over, says this viewer. we have seen conversations in scotland and wales, with their first ministers, with the public, people asking, you know, we can have the same conversation in england, we can hold more than one thought in our head at the same time. no, i think thought in our head at the same time. no, ithink that is thought in our head at the same time. no, i think that is right, thought in our head at the same time. no, ithink that is right, and i think that argument is beginning to prevail inside number ten, because as well as listening to the scientists, they listen to behavioural scientists, and i'm sure

they will be advising ministers, look, you can only expect people to carry on for so long in, you have to tell them about some light at the end of the tunnel, we can'tjust carry on a long march without seeing the destination at the end. i think that argument is beginning to outweigh the previous argument, which was, we cannot talk about it, it would be counter—productive. all of which said, the science is still not great, frankly. of course, the death toll was down significantly yesterday, really significantly down in the 400s, but then you go back to the previous day, and it was right up the previous day, and it was right up at 800. the numbers are still wobbling all over the place, and the rate of new infections are still at more that 4000 a day, and that is just hospital admissions, it says nothing about what is going on in ca re nothing about what is going on in care homes, which is of course entirely another story, but just care homes, which is of course entirely another story, butjust in hospitals along the rate of new infections are still at 4000. the

thinking, i think, infections are still at 4000. the thinking, ithink, of infections are still at 4000. the thinking, i think, of matt hancock is you have got to get the numbers right down. then you can effectively roll—out this test, track and trace, where you get an army of people, he says around 18,000 who will go around, and if you have symptoms, they will ask you, which shops have you been to, who have you seen, have you been to, who have you seen, have you been to work, what bus route have you been on? and they will be charged with going around, trying to track all those people you have been in contact with to say to them, you have to self—isolate. it is very difficult to do that, if the number of people being infected are still in the thousands, so really you have to get the level of new infections down, well, as low as possible, but into the hundreds, i would suggest, 01’ into the hundreds, i would suggest, or you into the hundreds, i would suggest, 01’ you are into the hundreds, i would suggest, or you are not going to be able to do it. given that yesterday they we re do it. given that yesterday they were still at more than 4000, i think that gives you an indication of how far we are away from being able to move to the second phase of

the lockdown, never mind that we still have to recruit all these people. 18,000, it is not a morgan's job... here is boris johnson. good morning. iam job... here is boris johnson. good morning. i am sorry how i have been away from my desk for much longer than i would have liked, and i want to thank everybody who has stepped up, in particular the first secretary of state, dominic raab, who has done a terrificjob. but once again i want to thank you, the people of this country, for the sheer grit and guts you have shown and are continuing to show. i know that this virus brings new sadness and mourning to households across the land, and it is still true that this is the biggest single challenge this is the biggest single challenge this country has faced since the war. and i in no way minimise the continuing problems we face. and yet

it is also true that we are making progress with fewer hospital admissions, fewer covid patients in icu, and real signs now that we are passing through the peak. and thanks to your forbearance, your good sense, your altruism, your spirit of community, thanks to our collective national resolve, we are on the brink of achieving that first clear mission — to prevent our national health service from being overwhelmed in a way that, tragically, we have seen elsewhere. and that is how and why we are now beginning to turn the tide. if this virus were a physical assailant, an unexpected and invisible mugger, which i can tell you from personal experience it is, then this is the

moment when we have begun together to wrestle it to the floor. and so it follows that this is the moment of opportunity, this is the moment when we can press home our advantage. it is also the moment of maximum risk, because i know there will be many people looking now at oui’ will be many people looking now at our apparent success and beginning to wonder whether now is the time to go easy on those social distancing measures. and i know how hard and how stressful it has been to give up, even temporarily, those ancient and basic freedoms — are not seeing friends, not seeing loved ones, working from home, managing the cage, worrying about yourjob and your firm. cage, worrying about yourjob and yourfirm. —— managing the kids. so

let me say to the british businesses, shopkeepers, entrepreneurs, the hospitality sector, to everyone on whom our economy depends, i understand your impatience, i share your anxiety, andi impatience, i share your anxiety, and i know that without our private sector, without the drive and commitment of the wealth creators of this country, there will be no economy to speak of. there will be no cash to pay for our public services, no way of funding our nhs. and, yes, i can see the long—term consequences of lockdown as clearly as anyone and, yes, i entirely share your urgency. it is the government's urgency. and yet we must also recognise the risk of a second spike, the risk of losing control of

that virus and letting the reproduction rights go back over 1. because that would mean not only a new wave of death and disease, but also an economic disaster. and we would be forced once again to slam on the breaks across the whole country and the whole economy. and re—impose restrictions in such a way as to do more and lasting damage. and so i know it is tough, and i wa nt to and so i know it is tough, and i want to get this economy moving as fast as i can, but i refuse to throw away all the effort and the sacrifice of the british people, and to risk a second major outbreak and huge loss of life and the overwhelming of the nhs. and i ask you to contain your impatience because i believe we are coming now

to the end of the first phase of this conflict, and in spite of all the suffering we have so nearly succeeded. we defied so many predictions, we did not run out of ventilators or icu beds, we did not allow our nhs to collapse, and on the contrary we have so far collectively shielded our nhs so that our incredible doctors and nurses and health care staff have been able to shield all of us from an outbreak that would have been far worse. and we collectively flattened the peak, and so when we are sure that this first phase is over and that this first phase is over and that we are meeting our five test — death pulling, nhs protected, rate of infection down, really sorting out the challenges of testing and ppe, avoiding a second peak — then that will be the time to move on to

the second phase, in which we continue to suppress the disease and keep the reproduction rate, the r but begin gradually to refine the economic and social restrictions and, one by one, to fire up the engines of this vast uk economy. and in that process, difficultjudgments will be made, and we simply cannot speu will be made, and we simply cannot spell out now how fast or slow or even when those changes will be made, though clearly the government will be saying much more about this in the coming days. and i want to serve notice now that these decisions will be taken with the maximum possible transparency, and i wa nt to maximum possible transparency, and i want to share all our work and i was thinking, my thinking, which you, the british people. and of course we

will be relying, as ever, on the science to inform us, as from the beginning, but we will also be reaching out to build the biggest possible consensus across business, across industry, across all parts of our united kingdom, across party lines, bringing in opposition parties as far as we possibly can. because i think that is no lesser than what the british people would expect. and i can tell you now that preparations are under way, and have been for weeks, to allow us to win phase two of this fight, as i believe we are now on track to prevail in phase one. and so i say to you finally, if you can keep going in the way that you have kept going in the way that you have kept going so far. if you can protect our nhs to save lives, and if we as a

country can't show the same spirit of optimism and energy shown by captain tom moore, who turns 100 this week, if we can show the same spirit of unity and determination as we all shown in the past six weeks, then i have absolutely no doubt that we will beat it, together we will come through this all the faster, and the united kingdom will emerge stronger than ever before. thank you all very much. borisjohnson outside boris johnson outside downing street, his first day back after he succumbed to coronavirus, giving a shout out to captain tom moore at the end there, who will be 100 this week. norman smith, i mean the tone was very upbeat but the message very serious. i think we can kind of see where the prime minister is going. he wants to persist with the current restrictions, he was saying again

not to throw away all that we have tried to achieve, turning the tide, in the process of passing the peak, don't risk a second virus, a second peak, he said that would be economic disaster, it would risk overwhelming the nhs, it would risk more deaths. he understands, he says, the impatience of business and the urgency to move on, but that, at the moment, from what he said, does not outweigh his absolute priority, which is trying to ensure there is not another outbreak of these disease. i thought it interesting, two things he did say — in the coming days, we will be setting out more, i think what he means by that, probably later this week they will begin to sketch in some of the avenues that they are looking at when it comes to easing. also interesting, he talked about firing up interesting, he talked about firing up the engines of the economy one by one. i take from that he is looking at different sectors of the economy, different areas being able to return

to normal work before others, and we may get that in the next few days. and, lastly, it is clear he wants this to be a national, or to have a national consensus, a national debate around the easing of the lockdown when it comes. you talked about bringing in the opposition parties, about having maximum transparency, so boiled down, we carry on, he believes we are turning the tide, we will move to a debate on easing the lockdown in the coming days, but that is not going to supersede the absolute priority of getting the number of infections down and ensuring we do not see a second outbreak of the virus. thank you very much for the moment. obviously want to hear what you think about the prime minister has said, send us a tweet or an e—mail. let's talk to two mps, shadow environment secretary and labour mp luke pollard in plymouth, and conservative mp and chair of the

defence select committee, tobias ellwood, in london. good morning, gentlemen. tobias ellwood, first of all, what you think of what the prime minister hasjust all, what you think of what the prime minister has just said? firstly, it is a delight to see him back, he is by far the government's best communicator, the one who introduced the lockdown, he will be pleased at how disciplined the nation has been in helping control of the spread of the virus, and how we have come together under the united girl, but he also articulated that the reality is, until we procure a vaccine, that the reality is, until we procure a vaccine, there is no light at the end of the tunnel, so until then the government must clearly illuminate every step of the way, and that means continuing the mission to defeat covid—19, but also allowing the economy to slowly open up. but he made it very clear there isa up. but he made it very clear there is a collective resolve that we need to continue, he is sympathetic to the pressures of the lockdown, but we are not out of the woods. good work has been done, we mustn't allow that to be undone, but i am pleased

to hear that there will be more to come in the next few days about exactly how we move into phase two. the nation has been very disciplined, very educated, we are ready to continue that discipline, but the next phase will be more complicated — we need to learn what the new rules will be. luke pollard, for labour, what you think of what the prime minister has told the nation? i think all of us are glad that he is back at work, but we need the publication of a clear exit strategy. scotland, wales and other countries have done that, and i think the warm words that he gave to the nation to lift our spirits at a time of crisis now needs to be matched with the detail about which sectors go back post, which businesses can start preparing, how do they introduce social distancing measures in businesses that are currently closed. it is that type of information that labour has been calling for, the publication of an exit strategy so people can start preparing and understanding about

what happens next... he did say that the decisions now that will be made over the following days and weeks, he will do the maximum possible transparency, he said he would reach out to build consensus across party lines. and i hope that is the case. imean, lines. and i hope that is the case. i mean, what we have been calling for is the publication of an exit strategy that sets out that transparent process, and if that is a sign he has been listening to calls, that is welcome, because all of us want to see a clear path ahead, because if we don't have that, my fear is that the lockdown will begin to wither at the edges, as we have seen in the last few days. the vast majority of britons have been abiding by the guidelines and staying at home, protecting lives, but if we don't have that clear sense of where the direction of the country is, my fear is the country will choose to make an exception for themselves, and that could lead to the second peak the prime minister spoke about. so a clear exit strategy, collectively put together with cross—party

support, is something the whole nation could get behind. tobias ellwood, do you agree that the public should be included in conversations about the trade—offs, about the competing risks, and the prime minister should be straight with us? i think the prime minister has made very clear now that absolutely there will be transparency and inclusion of views, but if i can correct luke pollard, for whom i have a lot of time and respect, exit comes with a vaccine. there is no exit strategy from this. restrictions will have to stay in place for many, many months. we need to know how we will learn to live with covid—19, ensure that we do not see a second spike, but part of our economy can come back to work. it is not right that the government will slide across and say, this can happen, that can happen. it needs to set out what other restrictions for any business wanting to open up. the business themselves then proves to or even to an environmental health officer on a local level to say, i

meet these new parameters, i can open up, it will be safe for employee is unsafe for customers as well. that would be a logical cognitive way to go around it, rather than having a long list of things that can or cannot open up. there are, of course, many other consequences to continued lockdown, luke pollard. highlighted today by refuge, who tell us that the number of close to the national domestic abuse helpline in the first three weeks of lockdown has gone up by almost 50%, 50% increase in calls to the national domestic abuse helpline. that is really alarming, isn't it? it certainly is, there are far too many people who were victims of domestic abuse before the virus, but because there are so many people in their homes and lockdown, we are seeing an increase in the incidence of domestic virus really surge, and thatis of domestic virus really surge, and that is why the labour shadow home secretary has called on the government to really ramp up and

publish a strategy that addresses that, making sure that not only the helplines have the additional funding that has been announced but that it funding that has been announced but thatitis funding that has been announced but that it is also passed through to refugees, to the front line services supporting people fleeing domestic abuse. but the message needs to go out loud and clear that if you are subject to domestic abuse, you are not alone, you do not have to stay with that person, there is help available, and we need to make sure that help is properly funded, especially at a time when we are seeing those calls for help which, sadly, will only be a small proportion of those suffering abuse, we need to make sure resources available to help all those people and their families to escape from that domestic abuse, to make sure they get to a place of safety, and people need to know they are not alone in those circumstances. mr ellwood, we have been hearing about

people dying in hospitals with coronavirus, of course it will be much higher than that when we take into account those who have died in ca re into account those who have died in care homes and in their own home. why so many in this country? sorry, are you referring to care homes themselves or overall?” are you referring to care homes themselves or overall? i am referring to the number of people who have died from coronavirus in this country, why is it so hard? well, this is something that we will look back on. i don't agree with some of the numbers that we are seeing in other countries.” some of the numbers that we are seeing in other countries. ijust wa nt to seeing in other countries. ijust want to talk about our country and the reason why numbers are so high. can you get out they are high in comparison with other countries, thatis comparison with other countries, that is what you are suggesting here. what we are seeing is a virus spread that people can pared initially with glue, they thought the contagion rate would be similar to flu epidemics, and the speed with which it came across notjust asia but europe as well has taken everybody by surprise. our numbers

will be very similar at the end of the day to other countries in europe of similar sizes. i the day to other countries in europe of similarsizes. i make the day to other countries in europe of similar sizes. i make the point that germany, though, used as a benchmark to say, look how they are doing it, they don't report all coronavirus deaths in the same way they do. it is not a dig at germany but at the world health organization that has not produced a standard way to report coronavirus deaths. but do you acknowledge that the guidance backin you acknowledge that the guidance back in early march in his country was wrong? no, look, there will be plenty of time to look back at the decisions that were made at the points that were made. what we can say is that thanks to the efforts of this government, our nhs has not been overwhelmed. if you or i was six, we would be able to be given a bed, an icu bed to be able to keep us alive. if there is a question now for the prime minister to look at, it is the fact that the nightingale programme has been hugely successful, but they are underutilised. i would like to see the pressure taken off general

hospitals, to return back to their normal business of saving lives in non—coronavirus illnesses, and in the nightingale programmes hogging the nightingale programmes hogging the wicket, if you like, taking over more of the covid—19 illnesses, allowing hospitals to return to normal. that is interesting. the head of the birmingham nightingale says they haven't treated one patient. would that be an idea? it's certainly an idea with considering. the key thing is we need to make sure the priority is we need to make sure the priority is given to people with coronavirus symptoms that need extra care but there will be tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of people waiting for other operations and other types of medical care that they would otherwise be getting in hospital settings at the moment. having a plan as to how we can address that huge backlog that is building up, needs to be part of the wider exit strategy, that wider plan that sets in train how things will happen in the future but it's important that we don't overlook

what's happening in our care homes because my fear about where we are at the moment is that we were too slow into lockdown, we've been too slow into lockdown, we've been too slow into lockdown, we've been too slow into providing front line with the ppe and testing it needs and the fear we've been too slow to recognise what impact coronavirus is having in our care homes around the country, for whom we have some of our most vulnerable people so there is that comprehensive approach that is that comprehensive approach that is needed and transparency, as the prime minister has laid out, will be the best way of understanding that but swift action, we know needs to be taken and part of that recipe as well, that's why i hope that the prime minister is back at his desk as he describes it, the exit strategy, publishing those first steps that he outlined in his remarks needs to be his top priority because we all need to know what our parties in the wider national effort, staying at home has been an important part of that but there is additional steps that we need to ta ke to additional steps that we need to take to help our economy remain resilient, help people's livelihoods remain protected and slow the spread

of the virus and that is what i think the priority should be for government. thank you both very much. thanks for your messages. about for the prime minister had to say, it was the right message for a change, interesting to see how transparent the government is going forward. phillips is totally behind the prime minister. as all the people i talk to are. and another viewer it says i would prefer accountability for the deaths that could have been avoided, how our government failed us with the science. if you want to message me, you can get in touch on the usual ways. time for a look at the weather. here is matt taylor. good morning. victoria, good morning and good morning to you. changes to the weather compared to what we've seen over the past week, one or two spots staying largely dry and sunny, especially in north—west scotland but the general story is a lot more cloud, cooler than it has been come across england and wales the return of some rain. not a huge amount of

rain around today, sort of the cloud throughout the bristol channel, patchy rain, light towards the south—east, highs of 21 degrees. further north lots of sunshine, isolated heavy showers in scotland but temperatures close to where they should be at the time of year, big drop and would result this time last week. showers in the north largely fading through the night, bit of a breeze in northern scotland, lighter winds further south but the return of some rain which i'm sure will put a bit ofa of some rain which i'm sure will put a bit of a smile on the faces of gardeners and farmers as we head into tuesday. temperatures nine or 10 degrees. frost further north. we stay largely dry in the north with sunshine tomorrow, in the south the rain could become heavy and persistent. hello, this is bbc news with victoria derbyshire. it is coming up to 25 to ten. the headlines...

borisjohnson warns the country this is the moment of maximum risk and urges the public not to lose patience with the coronavirus lockdown. i refuse to throw away all the effort and the sacrifice of the british people. and to risk a second major outbreak and huge loss of life and the overwhelming of the nhs. italy's prime minister outlines plans to ease the country's strict coronavirus lockdown in stages after seven weeks the european aircraft company airbus says the survival of the company is at stake — as uk airlines ask for more help from the chancellor a warning that people with autism have been forgotten in the pandemic — families say many are struggling to access the care they need. we will have a special report on that in the next few minutes. we've heard this morning that the british grand prix is going to be held behind closed doors — what have the organisers said?

let's speak now to our sports presenter sally nugent who's in salford. we've heard in the last hour or so the ticket holders to the british grand prix will have had an e—mail, if you have an official ticket. silverstone site the race which was due to go ahead on the 19th ofjuly will not happen in front of fans, they say they are unable to stage they say they are unable to stage the grand prix in front of fans, it is abundantly clear given the current conditions in the country, the grand prix under normal conditions is just not going to be possible. that's what we know, we know it's not going to happen in front of fans but also, you have to question at this point, is it going to go ahead at all? they say they are working behind closed doors with the government and the viability of an event. but even the fact that it's going to go ahead, we cannot say for certain. i can't tell you fa ns say for certain. i can't tell you fans are going to be able to claim tra nsfer fans are going to be able to claim transfer for their ticket to the event for next year. she did

actually be cancelled in its entirety. —— i can tell you. at the moment silverstone saying it won't go ahead in front of fans. and news about the rest of the formula one season, what's the news, sally? the first nine races of the season had already been cancelled or postponed. we've heard this morning from the french grand prix, due to happen before the british grand prix, that has been cancelled. schedule for the 28th ofjune, that race will not go ahead stop president emmanuel macron in france has been specific about big events, nothing happening he says until mid—july. that would have come under that time frame, not going to happen, the calendar now due to begin with the austrian grand prix, that would have been the 5th ofjuly. they prix, that would have been the 5th of july. they hope prix, that would have been the 5th ofjuly. they hope to stage two races but of course, there is already speculation that might not happen at all. the current plan is thatis happen at all. the current plan is that is due to go ahead but we do of course know that we are awaiting an

announcement for the rest of the season. i think formula one has been hoping they might be able to salvage some kind of season and some races without fans. but at this point, they are not even able to confirm that they can do that. cheers, sally, thank you. nice to see you. the families of people with autism have told the bbc they are being forgotten about in the coronavirus crisis. some say they are struggling to access tests for the disease. others have lost support as their care workers are forced to self isolate. jim reed reports. hi, simon. how are you feeling today? this is the only contact andrea can have with her son, a video sent by his care home. got a message from mum and ali, they want to say that they miss you and love you lots... simon is 52 and severely autistic. a few months ago he started to develop a cough and fever.

i felt sick with worry, because i was just thinking the worst. my my god. what on earth is going to happen to him if he is so ill he has to go to hospital? andrea says her son, whose speech is limited, would be terrified in a hospital ward. she has only praise for the care home staff but says he hasn't seen a doctor or been offered a test for the virus. that is the whole problem, we don't know what we're dealing with and it has been this terrible, terrible, probably the most stressful week of my life, because... sorry. i don't know what's wrong with him. it must be very, very concerning as a mum to go through something like this. it is. very. do you think he understands what's going on? no. no, he doesn't. he wouldn't have any idea at all.

i can't imagine what is going... since we filmed, simon's condition has started improving. he is one of 700,000 people on the autism spectrum in the uk. charities say it is a group that is at risk of being forgotten. unfortunately lots of autistic people and disabled adults in general, feel that they are at the bottom of the pecking order. it is also extraordinarily difficult for care workers and family carers who are living in their own homes to know how to support people through this crisis and we haven't had enough guidance from government. the government has said all care home residents with symptoms will get tested as capacity increases. it says it is continuing to develop autism specific guidance and to create access for online support. chris has a less severe form of autism. he lives by himself but the virus means he has lost

both his long—term carers, one for health reasons, the other to look after her children. his motherjane says her son is struggling. he gets very confused and frustrated with any form of change to his timetable or his daily routine. when situations like this arise, you get a lot of anxiety from him. the family are rallying around as best they can, dropping food at his door, but jane lives with another vulnerable person so she has to keep her distance. what is the biggest fear for you? is it the virus itself or the lockdown and everything that goes along with it? i think it's the lockdown and everything that goes with that. for him not to have contact, he's safe, but at what expense? this crisis, then, is about more than the virus. the impact of the lockdown on public health may be felt for many years to come. well you heard jane harris from the national autistic society in that report — we can speak to her now.

john, good morning. ithink it john, good morning. i think it might be helpful for you to describe what autism is, some people think it is a mental health issue, and it is not. it isa mental health issue, and it is not. it is a lifelong disability, about 700,000 autistic children and adults in the uk. if you are artistic you mightfind it in the uk. if you are artistic you might find it very difficult to communicate, some people who are autistic are nonverbal, they don't communicate through words, they communicate through words, they communicate in otherwise. other people find it very, very difficult to process any kind of change, for someone who is autistic, a bus being late might feel absolutely catastrophic so this level of change is absolutely appallingly distressing to somebody. for lots of people, as your film just showed, it's very difficult to understand what's going on. and we heard in the film, families of people with autism saying they feel like they've been forgotten. do you hear that? absolutely. we've heard from families who are just feeling absolutely stressed, families who cannot visit their loved ones if

they are in a care home. there is another group of families, who had been let down by the system and cannot get care workers and so therefore are ending up themselves taken on much more pressure on dry to ca re taken on much more pressure on dry to care for their loved ones but i think for everybody, there's a huge amount of uncertainty. to be fair, the government has done some things, put more money into social care, we've seen that absolutely continuing and we do need to see more autism specific guidance as you suggested. one of the things it's really difficult, if somebody finds change difficult than the idea of someone coming in with lots of ppe, lots of personal protective equipment on, the autistic person may end up ripping that off them, not knowing how to deal with that situation and similarly someone who needs to be tested might not go and be tested, might not understand what is going on and at the moment the government guidance doesn't cover the situations and we needed to.” have a statement from the department of health who say this is a challenging time for those with learning disabilities and autistic people especially because of social

distancing and disruption to routine and we continue to work with stakeholders to develop autism and learning disability specific guidance and create access to online support. it sounds like they are still working on that guidance. yes, that's right but what we need to know is that guidance will continue to be developed as they have said. we also need to be absolutely sure that the money will continue to come through. there is care workers up and down the country doing an amazing job, the national autistic society, one of our services in neath, for example, they created a p0p neath, for example, they created a pop at mcdonald's because lots of the people there are used to going to mcdonald's. those kind of exa m ples of to mcdonald's. those kind of examples of innovation have been absolutely outstanding by lots and lots of care homes but people need to note that the ppe will be there for them, they need to know testing equipment will be there for them at the care home, not travelling to it and we also need to be sure the money will keep flowing because otherwise those things will not happen. thank you very much, jane, thank you for talking to us. jane harris from the national autistic

society. more now from the prime minister is speaking at number 10 downing street. borisjohnson this morning at the podium outside the doors of number ten. he said the uk was beginning to turn the tide against covid 19 but insisted it was too soon to relax lockdown measures in order to avoid a second wave of the virus. i entirely share your urgency. it's the government ‘s urgency. it's the government ‘s urgency. and yet, we must also recognise the risk of a second spike. the risk of losing control of that virus and letting the reproduction rate go back over one. because that would mean not only a new wave of death and disease. but also an economic disaster. and we would be forced once again to slam

on the brakes across the whole country and the whole economy. and re—impose restrictions in such a way as to do more and lasting damage. and so i know it is tough. and i wa nt to and so i know it is tough. and i want to get this economy moving as fast as i can but i refuse to throw away all the effort and the sacrifice of the british people. and to risk a second major outbreak and huge loss of life and the overwhelming of the nhs. and i ask you to contain your impatience because i believe we are coming now to the end of the first phase of this conflict. and in spite of all the suffering we have so nearly succeeded. we defied so many predictions, we did not run out of ventilators or intensive care unit beds. we did not allow our nhs to collapse. and on the contrary, we

have, so far, collectively shielded our nhs so that our incredible doctors and nurses and health care staff have been able to shield all of us from an outbreak that would have been far worse. and we collectively flattened the peak and so, when we are sure that this first phaseis so, when we are sure that this first phase is over, and that we are meeting our five tests, phase is over, and that we are meeting ourfive tests, deaths falling, nhs protector, rate of infection down, really sorting out the challenges of testing and ppe, avoiding a second peak, then that will be the time to move on to the second phase. in which we continue to suppress the disease and keep the reproduction rate, down, but begin, gradually, to refine the economic and social restrictions and one by

one, to fire up the engines of this fast uk economy. thanks for your messages. one theory says i agree with the prime minister but i have yet to receive the £10,000 small business grant and i have no money left to pay shop staff during orders today. after 28 years i see our beautiful shop sliding away. that also is grief. and colin says i want to see a clamp—down and to close diy stores and stop garden centres from opening. hundreds are still dying every day, we need to get stricter not open nonessential shops. thank you for those. lifeguards who would usually be patrolling beaches this season may be forced to find work elsewhere because the government furlough scheme doesn't extend to them — which means when lockdown is lifted — there will be nobody patrolling the beaches. a group of over 430 seasonal lifeguards, growing every day, have launched a campaign to appeal for support from the government to tackle the problem.

with me is tom houghton who is in newquay and darren lewis, life—saving manager, of the royal national llifeboat institution, in bournemouth tom, why don't you qualify for the furlough scheme? the problem we face, because we started too late to qualify, we are not covered by the scheme. and as returning professionals, the most experienced people, that deliver this work, we need to be retained to be able to keep the public safe so when these restrictions left and people flood back to the beaches, we need to be there so we can keep everybody safe. 0k. there so we can keep everybody safe. ok. in the meantime, can i ask how you and your family ok. in the meantime, can i ask how you and yourfamily are ok. in the meantime, can i ask how you and your family are surviving? sure. we are getting through, probably similar to most people, day by day. the worry for us is the

uncertainty of what is going to happen next. and as we carry on campaigning we are really hoping that we will be recognised as people that we will be recognised as people that are essential. and hopefully we can resume our work and that's what we are aiming for. darren, you normally employ about 1600 people i think come across 350 beaches in the uk but you had to write a 1000 of them saying you simply could not pay them? yes, that's right, unfortunately we were able to furlough some, some we've been able to offer a support package to have already started with us but yes, well already started with us but yes, we ll over already started with us but yes, well over 1000 lifeguards, we had to say we don't know when or if we will be providing lifeguard services this year, very dependent on the government advice, and we come out of lockdown but essentially, we've said, we would love you to work for us but we understand if you need to go and get work elsewhere. which puts a threat underneath the

employment services this year. you mean when restrictions are eased, there might be fewer lifeguards to go round? exactly. we are very much looking at the moment at the number of beaches we can go on, financial restrictions we are under as a charity, reductions in income, but then also, will there be a there if and when need them? tom, i think you say a financial package is being put in place for about 50 lifeguards, is that right? i think you are probably best to ask darren about the exact figures, i know it only covers a small amount of the guards and i know there's not really certainty about how that's going to carry on from this point onwards. so it doesn't match the furlough in any way. and it won't really retain enough people, we feel, to keep the public safe because we are probably going to see a lot of people wanting to go to beaches once these restrictions left so if we are in other work, made other commitments,

our worry is, how will that service happen? well, a statement from the treasury, the chancellor has outlined an unprecedented package of measures to protect millions ofjobs and incomes as part of the national effort in response to coronavirus. we recognise the crucial role lifeguards play, those are two jobs over the winter it may still be able to be furloughed by their winter employers and those who are not eligible to access the job retention scheme may also be able to access other support including with mortgage payments, protection from eviction and universal credit and working tax credits. gentlemen, thank you for coming on the programme and we wish you all the best. thank you. president trump has been widely criticised for his remarks about injecting disinfectant for protection against covid—19 at a news briefing last week — despite insisting later that he was being sarcastic. the republican governor of maryland says hundreds of people have called his administration asking about injecting disinfectant — larry hogan told the cbs tv network that the president should make sure his news conferences were "fact—based".

u nfortu nately, unfortunately, some of the messaging has not been great. i mean, the mixed messaging, i've raised concerns multiple times about conflicting messages. we had hundreds of calls in our hotline here in maryland about people asking about injecting or ingesting these disinfectants, which is, you know, ha rd to disinfectants, which is, you know, hard to imagine that people thought that was serious. but people actually were thinking about this, was this something you could do to protect yourself? captain tom moore has been honoured with a special postmark, to acknowledge the 29—million pounds he's raised for nhs charities. the war veteran who turns 100 on thursday did it by walking laps of his garden. all post up until friday will be marked with the words "happy 100th birthday captain thomas moore, nhs fundraising hero." in addition, the queen is expected

to send him a personal message to mark his birthday the terrible milestone of 20,000 deaths from coronavirus in uk hospitals was passed over the weekend — many more have died in care homes and in the community. we have spoken to lots of families who've lost someone, and they've all told us the same thing, that they don't want their loved one to just be a statistic. josie ekoli worked as a nurse for 30 years, but she was also a mum to five children. here's graham satchell. my mum was the most vibra nt person ever. her smile lit up the room. she was beautiful, she was god—fearing and she was strong, she was really strong. lam...

so proud of her, like i can't even explain it. i am too proud of her. and she is my role model. i feel proud to call her my mother. she died helping people and she died doing something that she enjoyed. josie ekoli was a mum of five and a nurse in the nhs for more than 30 years. she risked her life for everyone else, really, like being in the nhs front line, fighting every day against the coronavirus. she risked her life for everyone else. josie told her children the protective clothing she had been given in her words, "wasn't the best." she should have been wearing the face masks. covering the full face. she only had, like, the mask and gloves and apron.

i just think yeah, things like that should have been dealt with better. because she was there, week in and week out she hadn't been given the appropriate equipment to deal with everything. i don't want to blame anyone, but i feel like if the people in charge did theirjob correctly, it wouldn't have been, it wouldn't have turned out the way it did. it could have been different. the last thing i want is for other families to go through what we are going through. because it is a tremendous loss. the hospital in harrogate wherejosie worked said they were following national guidance on the use of protective clothing and doing all they can to retain provision of ppe, but more than 80 nhs staff have died in this outbreak, leaving families like the ekolis devastated. mourning the loss of loved ones who dedicated their lives to saving

others. she was a very positive woman and i feel like her passing away, has given me the time to think things through now and continue being the person she wanted me to be. yeah, i miss her daily. i love her more than anything in this world. we are trying our best to maintain the high standard she brought because it's a tough act to follow up on. she had done a lot for a lot of people and that — as her kids we have an obligation to carry that on. and bring the joy that she brought onto the world. thank you for your messages. for those not following the advice, patient is not a virtue, the advice, patient is not a virtue, the public is prioritising diy over saving lives. right, let's bring you the weather. here's matt taylor. hello. some in western scotland you might get through the week dry and sunny but for the rest of the uk, big changes to be seen over the last week or so, lots more cloud around, feeling cooler and it has done and

particularly for england and wales, the return of rain. the rain courtesy of low pressure systems, each one bringing a bout of rain across the southern half of the uk in particular. because the north we got largely easterly winds, that tends to put western parts of scotla nd tends to put western parts of scotland in shelter. let's deal with today first. across scotland there will be a few heavy showers around, not too many of them but where they come they will be on the sharp side, spreading south. much of northern ireland, northern england staying dry and bright after a cloudy start for some in the north of england. though their hair compared to last temperatures where they should become a cloudy from the south—west through to lincolnshire with patchy rain and drizzle. sunshinejust about holding on for some in the south, highs of 21, high pollen levels, pollen levels dropping to a relative of late. this evening and overnight come sit showers in the right to begin with, fading, the return of rain which could put a bit ofa return of rain which could put a bit of a smile on the faces of gardeners

and farmers. keeping temperatures up to nine, 9—10d, frost across the north, clear skies and sunny weather taking us through tuesday. due to come across the north, it's right for most, i charms, low pressure system in the south ringing outbreaks of rain. the rain becoming persistent across some southern counties, spreading to the middle and through the day. how far north it gets, little bit of a question, could get as far as the m 62 corridor but generally north of that, brighter skies, one corridor but generally north of that, brighterskies, one ortwo sharp showers, most dry and temperatures again, like today, maybe down a little bit perhaps across the north but more at substantially three midlands and the south—east, around 10 degrees compared to last week. that first weather system clears as we go through tuesday and wednesday, frost in the north, the next one waiting in the north, the next one waiting in the wings. this one set to push further north, starting the day dry and bright in the north and east, cloud and rain spreading northwards, followed by sunshine and heavy showers, the rent lasting for a few

hours, maybe reaching the fat south of scotla nd hours, maybe reaching the fat south of scotland and into northern ireland as we head through this afternoon. temperatures close to where they should be at this stage in the year.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. back at work — borisjohnson warns that the uk is at the moment of maximum risk and urges the public not to lose patience with the coronavirus lockdown. i refuse to throw away all the effort and the sacrifice of the british people, and to risk a second major outbreak and huge loss of life and the overwhelming of the nhs. italy's prime minister outlines plans to ease the country's strict coronavirus lockdown in stages after seven weeks. the prime minister of new zealand says coronavirus has been eliminated in the country for now. a warning that people with autism have been forgotten in the pandemic.