the prime minister appeals to the british public to contain their impatience, saying the uk is now at the moment of maximum risk. as he returns to work after recovering from covid—19, borisjohnson says, thanks to the efforts of the public, we are turning the tide on coronavirus. 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. as the prime minister gets back behind his desk, we'll be looking at the huge questions facing him in his in—tray. also this lunchtime: criticism of the online system for key workers to book coronavirus tests. the bma says they shouldn't be issued on a first come, first served basis. a huge increase in calls to domestic abuse charities,

with fears that lockdown restrictions may be making violence in homes more frequent and more severe. new zealand's prime minister says her country has stopped community transmission of covid—19, effectively eliminating the virus. and a stamp of approval for captain tom, as he prepares to celebrate his 100th birthday — the royal mail's special tribute to the nhs super—fundraiser. and in sport, there will be no fans at the british grand prix — silverstone are in talks with the government over whether they can stage the race behind closed doors. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. the prime minister has urged the british public to contain their impatience over

lockdown, saying we are now at the "moment of maximum risk" from the coronavirus outbreak. he was speaking outside downing street as he returned to work after recovering from the virus. borisjohnson said there were signs the country was passing through the peak but he wouldn't risk a second wave of cases by relaxing restrictions too soon. from westminster, here's our political correspondent jonathan blake. back to the office, back to work. the prime minister arrived at downing street last night, having recovered from his own brush with coronavirus. marking his return this morning, borisjohnson thanked colleagues who'd stood in for him, and the public. good morning. i'm sorry i've been away from my desk for much longer than i would have liked, and i want to thank everybody who has stepped up. 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.

the uk was starting to turn the tide against coronavirus, he said, and he used his own experience to characterise the struggle in a particularly vivid way. 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. after weeks of us all wondering how long the lockdown would last, the prime minister said he knew how hard it was but there was simply too much to lose to ease the restrictions now. 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. the prime minister said he'd stick to the government's five tests to judge when it was safe to open things up, including there being no risk of a second wave of cases. but to those who've been calling for clarity in his absence, he promised more detail within days. all of us want to see a clear path ahead, because if we don't have that clear path ahead, my fear is that the lockdown will begin to wither at the edges, as we've seen over the last few days. the vast majority of britons have been abiding by the guidelines, have been staying at home and protecting lives, but if we don't have that clear sense on where the direction

of the country is, i fear that others will choose to just make an exception for themselves. the freeze and fix, which is stay in the lockdown, that is going to be economically ruinous. it can't happen. but nor can we just surrender it to the virus, because that would not only cost — our latest estimate — 500,000 lives, but it would also be ruinously expensive economically, and it would be a breakdown of our health system. the prime minister's return may bring renewed focus to the government's response, but also new emphasis on the most difficult decisions ahead. jonathan blake, bbc news, westminster. 0ur assistant political editor, norman smith, is in westminster. it's a very strong message from borisjohnson this morning. it's a very strong message from boris johnson this morning. well, we didn't get detail, simon, but a clear sense of direction on the lockdown, and it is that there is not going to be any significant easing of it anytime soon because of mrjohnson‘s fears that virus would

come back, that would mean more deaths, the nhs being overwhelmed, and it would be catastrophic for the economy if you then had to impose a second lockdown. so a firm push back to those vociferous voices in his party calling for an early easing in restrictions, but he coupled that with the promise of a national debate about the lockdown, saying that the government would set out some of its thinking later this week. and my senses ministers have concluded that the old mantra that they cannot talk about easing the lockdown because it would confuse people, people might no longer abide by the lockdown, has been trumped by the very real fear that at the margins the lockdown is already beginning to fray a bit, as people frankly just become beginning to fray a bit, as people franklyjust become weary and fed up. so franklyjust become weary and fed people franklyjust become weary and fed up. so people have to be given a sense of hope, of light at the end of the tunnel, a sense of how we might get out of theirs. added to which, i think, might get out of theirs. added to which, ithink, the might get out of theirs. added to which, i think, the prime minister is acutely aware that if we get to the next review point on may the

7th, there may only be fairly marginal modifications, so he's got to start rolling the pitch, preparing the ground for that eventuality. and lastly, let's be honest, the debate about easing the lockdown, it's already happening anyway, here at westminster, up and down the country, so frankly it would be borderline futile of the government to refuse to take part in that debate. norman, thank you very much, norman smith. the british medical association has criticised the online system for key workers to book coronavirus tests, saying they shouldn't be issued on a first come, first served basis. there's been heavy demand since the new booking site went live last week. more than ten million workers and their households are now eligible if they have symptoms. here's our health correspondent anna collinson. we have now had more than a month of lockdown and self—isolation. to get people back to work on britain back on its feet, it said testing is going to be key. last friday, the government launched a website

allowing essential workers to buy home testing kits for covid—i9, only for the website to close just hours later due to demand. 0ver for the website to close just hours later due to demand. over the weekend, tens of thousands of workers have been unsuccessful. this morning, this was the message at 9:10. we spoke to a key worker who struggled to buy a kit online so had to go toa struggled to buy a kit online so had to go to a testing site. there was no time slot available near where i live, which is leeds, so i had to go to doncaster airport. it took 5—6 hours to go to the process of being tested. where the bottleneck was happening was you have to self administer the test. the government deadline of securing 100,000 daily testis deadline of securing 100,000 daily test is just three days away. to boost efforts, the military has set up boost efforts, the military has set up nearly 100 pop—up facilities across the country and died through test sites are still available, but the british medical association says test should not be allocated on a first—come, first—served basis. test should not be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. the online system, in theory, is good, it allows health care workers to

book a test themselves, including a home kit, but if you find after an hour all the slots have been taken and all the kids have run out, then it isn't providing a service to all of those who can't access it. on his first day back at work, boris johnson has entered the uk is approaching phase two of the coronavirus. widespread testing and tracking strategy is said to be essential in avoiding a second peak of deaths in the future. ministers insist they are on track to meet that target, and there are many ways for nhs staff to access tests. there are two for nhs staff to access tests. there a re two routes for nhs staff to access tests. there are two routes into this, yes, people can self refer through the new online system, but actually front line nhs staff and health care workers, there is a testing programme for them, they can get straight into the system through their work places and through being tested there. testing in care homes are still a serious concern. more than 150 care providers have told the bbc none of their workers have been screened. whatever happens with

testing in the future, there are many in the sector who will argue it was needed far earlier. anna collinson, bbc news. doctors in north london have been alerted to an apparent rise in the number of children being admitted to hospital with an inflammatory condition that may be linked to coronavirus. little is known about the multisystem inflammatory syndrome, which requires intensive care. although the number of children affected is likely to be small, health officials have asked gps to refer those presenting with it as a matter of urgency. the symptoms include stomach pain, vomiting and inflammation of the heart. lockdown restrictions aimed at stopping the spread of covid—19 may be making violence in homes more frequent and more severe. mps on the home affairs select committee are urging the government to draw up a strategy to tackle domestic abuse during and after the lockdown. police and domestic abuse charities have reported a huge increase in calls for help. let's speak to our correspondent june kelly.

this well, simon, this committee of mps says there needs to be an across—the—board strategy mps says there needs to be an across—the—boa rd strategy for dealing with domestic abuse both during the lockdown and, crucially, when it's lifted, when the feeling is there will be a lot of problems uncovered because some people were simply too frightened to seek help. now, on the stats, the committee quotes a research project which has calculated that in the first three weeks of the lockdown, there were 16 domestic abuse killings, that is 1a women and two children. in addition, there has been a 49% rise in the number of calls to the national domestic abuse helpline, and also the men's advice line, and of course men can also be victims of abuse, has seen an increase of 16% in calls. police are also reporting a large increase in domestic abuse cause. now, on the practicalfront, mps are saying that this country should introduce what is known as a cyberspaces system. this has been introduced in pharmacies in france

and has been piloted in pharmacies in the uk, and this involves victims going into shops and being able to use a code word to indicate that they need help. the committee of mps says this could be introduced in this country, both in supermarkets and shops that are open now. in response to this, the safeguarding minister, victoria adkins, said the government had prioritised those two are victims of domestic abuse with practical help and funding. simon., june kelly, thank you. representatives of the uk airline industry have written to the chancellor, asking him to further extend the government'sjob retention scheme beyond june. in a letter, they warn rishi sunak that a "premature withdrawal" of financial support for companies which have put staff on temporary leave would present dangers for the sector. the chancellor will update the commons on the furlough scheme later this afternoon. as britain wrestles with how and when to lift restrictions, the government will be looking at other countries who are already making tentative steps out of lockdown. restrictions in italy will be

partially lifted on may 4th, and new zealand will start to open up from tomorrow after stopping all community transmissions — effectively, they say, eliminating the virus. caroline hawley reports. for weeks now, about half of humanity has been urged to stay indoors. never before has the world shut down quite like this. but in countries that have controlled their coronavirus outbreaks, there is light at the end of the lockdown tunnel. this is venice, the ancient city usually alive to the sound of admiring tourists and venetians alike. but a week today, europe's longest lockdown will start to ease. italian parks, factories and building sites will re—open, as will bars and restaurants — for takeaway only for now. funerals will be allowed, with limited numbers, and people can visit family, as long as they live in the same area and they are wearing face masks. in spain, a small taste of freedom.

spanish children have been cooped up indoors for six long weeks, but yesterday they were allowed out for the first time, for an hour a day. spain has the second highest death toll and one of europe's strictest lockdowns. translation: we have been holed up for a month and a half. it has been really hard, especially for him. i've been able to go to work. he has been really excited since early this morning. in china, where the outbreak began, it is a big day for these children, returning to school in beijing. life is slowly returning to a semblance of normality in big chinese cities. but face masks are part of the uniform now, and against their natural instinct, children must try to keep apart. that question depends where you are. in new zealand, burgers are back on

the menu, at least if they are taken away. yesterday the country had just one new case of the prime minister said the virus was, for the moment, eliminated. we all want to reach the position where we can bring back the social contact that we all miss, but we need to move slowly and cautiously. we must make sure that we do not let the virus run away on us we do not let the virus run away on us again and cause a new wave of cases and deaths. across countries and continents, there is very little yet normal about daily life. lockdowns are likely to be eased with the utmost caution, as governments grapple with the dilemma of what the new normal should be. caroline hawley, bbc news. our top story this lunchtime. the prime minister appeals to the british public to contain their impatience, saying the uk is now at the moment of maximum risk from coronavirus. and coming up... a month after we were first

introduced to them, we re—visit the community volunteers who've been helping vulnerable people in birmingham — to see how they're getting on. and in sport, as the premier league step up plans to resume football on june 8th, the world players union urges caution of leagues returning too early. more than 20,000 people with coronavirus have now died in uk hospitals — many more have died in care homes and in the community, each death bringing grief and misery to those affected. among the deaths, more than 80 nhs workers who've contracted covid—19. josie ekoli from leeds was a nurse for 30 years, but she was also a mum to five children. her family have been speaking to graham satchell. my mum was the most vibra nt person ever. her smile lit up a room.

she was beautiful, she was god—fearing, and she was strong, she was really strong. i'm...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 that nhs front line, fighting every day against the coronavirus, she risked her life for everyone else. josie told her children the protective clothing she'd

been given in her words "wasn't the best." she should have been wearing, like, the face masks, covering the full face and things like that. but she only had, like, the mask and gloves and apron. ijust think, yeah, things like that should have been dealt with better. because she was there, week in and week out, she should have 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... well, it wouldn't have turned out the way that it did. it could have been different. the last thing i want is for other families to go through what we're going through, because it is a tremendous loss. the hospital in harrogate wherejosie worked said they're 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 mourning the loss of loved ones who dedicated their lives to caring for others. she was a very positive woman, and i feel like her passing away has just given me the time to think things through now and, like, continue being the person she wanted me to be. yeah, i'm going to miss her dearly, i can't lie. i love her more than anything on this world. we're trying our best to maintain the high standard she brought because it's a tough act to follow up on. she done a lot for a lot of people, and as her kids, we have an obligation to carry that on and bring the joy that she brought onto the world. doctors at the uk's leading heart hospital are warning patients not to risk their lives by avoiding treatment for non—coronavirus conditions. the number of people arriving at the royal papworth in cambridge

after having a heart attack is down 70% since the start of the pandemic. a government campaign to encourage people to ring the emergency services if they have an urgent health issue is being launched this week. nikki fox reports. an angiogram, or x—ray of the heart muscles, being performed at the royal papworth, the uk's leading heart and lung hospital. doctors are looking for blockages that could cause a heart attack. this is what they excel at — diagnosing and treating urgent conditions. but since the cold virus pandemic, patients have been avoiding hospital. so roughly speaking we've seen about a 70% reduction in the number of patients coming into hospital as an emergency with heart attack. it's clear to us that people are scared to come to hospital, and they're scared to come to hospital because of the concern that they might contract covid—19. and also its clear to us that some people are trying to avoid putting pressure on the health care system, so for altruistic reasons, they aren't coming hospital.

robin macpherson had a clot removed from his artery. my wife said to me, during the discussion about the numbness, "0h, just sit down, just be quiet, just take a rest, it'll probably go away." and then it didn't go away, and i thought, if it's not going to go away in five minutes, i need to do something about it. do you think that your wife told you to sit down and be quiet because she was worried the hospitals might be busy because of coronavirus? coronavirus is one thing, i'm sure, that was in her mind. to be honest, i hadn't thought about it. i thought, this is something that needs professional care. sitting down isn't going to put it away. and i'm glad i did now, you know, because otherwise i probably wouldn't be here talking to you. this area of the hospital before coronavirus used to be really busy. now, as you can see, it's practically empty. and although a lot of elective procedures have been cancelled, doctors are worried if people with serious heart and lung problems

continue to put things off, it could lead to a tidal wave of patients who suddenly need treatment and a backlog that theyjust can't deal with. the number of urgent referrals by gps of people with suspected cancer has also dropped by 75%. so this is a ct scan of sarah's lungs, and here you can see there is a small shadow is what we suspect is a lung cancer. the growth‘s now been removed, sarah is hoping the operation will save her life. the covid virus is so terrifying to everyone that even i thought, what would i do? but then it was a no—brainer, i would rather this out of my body and not growing any more. and get better and fitter for my children. survival rate increased the earlier treatment is given. survival rate increase the earlier treatment is given. with serious heart and lung symptoms, the message —

ignoring problems can have serious consequences. nikki fox, bbc news. many businesses have been forced to close, and those that have stayed are struggling to adapt to social distancing guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic. it's not been all bad news though — a few are booming — as phil mackie reports. there's fresh leeks, butternut squash, sweet potato... this farm shop's never been busier — the phone hardly ever stops ringing. it looks idyllic, but normally churchfields farm in worcestershire would be heaving. it would be pretty busy on a sunny day like this. and as you can see there, all the tables and chairs are stacked up. there'd be young children playing on the furniture there and on the old tractor at the back. and it would normally have a really nice buzz about the place here, but sadly, at the moment, we're not a cafe, we are a click—and—collect farm shop. staff have been furloughed, and the future of the business was under threat, but they've

adapted to the lockdown to keep going. it's given people an alternative to supermarket shopping. they can order online or phone up and place an order, pay online, and then we take it out to the car park, which, you know, really does mean its contactless shopping. lockdown has had unexpected consequences for other businesses. with council sites shut, this private waste—collection firm is booming. flat out, we're doing 12 to 14—hour days quite easily. normally we'd do ten—hour days, we're quite busy anyway, but it'sjust really, really pushed it on. we are fully booked pretty much for a week in advance now. but for many businesses, the outlook is bleak. retailers have really struggled — clothes shops in particular have seen sales fall by 30%, even though online shopping has got busier. the sad thing is that when lockdown does eventually end, a lot of familiar names on the high street won't be there any more. these are plants which had been destined for garden centres. so long as they stay shut, many of these flowers will be given or thrown away. it's cost this nursery

millions of pounds. we'd like to see garden centres get the green light to open their plant areas and start selling some plants. diy stores are doing that at the moment, and we can't see the difference. as long as garden centres practise social distancing, everything should be ok. back at churchfields farm, the orders keep coming. i have an orderfor alistair bird? it's best known for its ice cream, but with most of its customers shut, these cows will remain furloughed for a bit longer. phil mackie, bbc news, worcestershire. arsenal and brighton players are returning to their training grounds with the football clubs insisting social distancing will be maintained. the premier league wants to restart from the eighth june behind closed doors. but the plans will need to be approved by the government and senior medical officials. let's speak to our sports news correspondent, laura scott. how controversial a move is this?

although some people might consider it controversial the clubs are keen to stress these are individual work outs, that the players at tenning the training facilities will be carry out. we have heard from arsenal, for example, that players will be allowed five in at a time. they will be given their own football and be doing exercises and running with football and stretching, being overseen by strengthening and conditioning coaches, but with ten pitches at their base, the intention is that their base, the intention is that the players never come into contact with one another and in fact, what they think is this might be safer than the players training in parks where everyone they are hassled for selfie, this all comes amid accelerating plans for the return of sport, in what is dubbed at project restart in the premier league. they are having meetings, they have another one on friday with the shareholders but they are part of the cross sport meetings which could start this week. but all of this clearly depends on the government

advice changing, for sport to be able to restart. thank you laura for that. thank you laura for that. over the past few weeks communities have pulled together right across the uk. thousands of online networks have been set up to help vunerable people in these difficult times. last month our correspondent sian lloyd visisted the sandwell area of birmingham to meet community volunteers there. now she's been back to see how they're getting on. i use my hands to wash the clothesm which is really stressful any way, because we normally use the laundrette, but because of the lockdown, so i was unable to go out to do that. a gift of a washing machine from a stranger. an act of kindness which has made a huge difference to mo and her two children. it's a lot easier now to do, because where we are lockdown, we normally do the exercise at home, go to the garage, and play them, so i use my time now, at least i don't use my hand to be washing the clothes any more, so i have more time to spend with them.

she is one of hundreds of people in the sandwell area of birmingham who received leaflets from a local community network. we first met adrian johnson a month ago, when he helped set up an online group. by now, 12,00 volunteers havejoined up. lots of people have had some really wonderful offers. mystery cakes have arrived on doorsteps, when people just wanted some eggs, and there's been dog walking for self—isolators, and there's also been some lovely generous gifts for people that you wouldn't have expected. 0nline community networks are firmly established right across the country, often filling the gaps for people who still can't access some services. battling coronavirus with kindness has become part of every day life for many. psychologists are interested in the way that patterns of behaviour are changing. the boundaries that we usually see around us, and that we perceive when we are in our own bubbles

of existence, as it were, have been broken down. and i think that's created more community connectedness, where people are collectivising, and people are having a sense, you know, less of a sense of us and them, because actually there is a sense that we are all in this together. an experience shared by mo, helped by a person she'd never met. so a big thank from my kids as well, they are really happy for that, so we say thank you and god bless them. a surge in good will from a crisis that could change communities forever. sian lloyd, bbc news, birmingham. the royal mail is honouring nhs fundraiser — and world war ii veteran — captain tom moore with a special postmark this week. as he prepares to celebrate his 100th birthday on thursday. captain tom raised more than £27 million for the nhs by walking around his garden 100 times — and even got to number one in the charts with a charity song.

the royal mail is going to celebrate by stamping all letters with a special message. and in his speech in downing street this morning the prime minister also praised captain tom's efforts. and if we, as a country, can 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've 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. time for a look at the weather. here's tomasz schafernaker after a few days of warmth for many, all change. absolutely considerable change in our weather over the next few days, you know it has been a extraordinarily long spelt of warm weather and now rain son the way