the fatal legacy of coronavirus becomes evident — the number of people dying in the uk has doubled. and care homes are seeing a huge increase — they now make up a third of coronavirus related deaths in england and wales. she wasn't eating or drinking and then itjust came that they said to come and see her. and i knew then that that was the end of her life. and the new figures today mean the uk could be on course to have the highest death toll in europe. also tonight... scotland moves ahead of the rest of the uk and recommends everyone wear face coverings. british airways announces plans to make a third of its workforce redundant. 12,000 people could lose theirjobs.

a minute's silence falls across the uk to remember the essential workers who've died. and bad news forfootball fans as fifa's medical chief warns against restarting the season until after the summer. and coming up on bbc news... as the top two leagues in french football are declared over, will the premier league follow suit? good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. the enormous human cost

of the coronavirus crisis is becoming increasingly evident with the number of people dying in the uk during the week after easter double the usualfigure. and it's care homes that have seen a huge increase. deaths there now account for a third of all coronavirus related deaths in england and wales and they've been rising at a terrifying rate. in the week of the 17th of april, nearly 2,400 people in care homes died with coronavirus across the uk — twice as many as the week before. the number of deaths in hospitals though is going down overall. 586 deaths have been announced in the last 2a hours bringing the total number of coronavirus deaths reported in this daily tally to 21,678. these figures don't include deaths in the community in england or northern ireland. representatives of the care sector are saying it is now the true front line in the battle against the virus. with more, here's our social affairs correspondent alison holt.

at saint cecilia is nursing home in scarborough as in many homes across the country they believe the fight that they'd been waging against coronavirus for weeks is only now being reflected in officialfigures. this is the area for anyone being nursed. they lock down area and they had area set aside for coronavirus residents. people stick to the rooms but still across three homes in the group that had 11 deaths and four of those confirmed as covid—19. group that had 11 deaths and four of those confirmed as covid—19i group that had 11 deaths and four of those confirmed as covid-19. i was called and i did see here on the last day that she died. one of the residents who died was the wife of reginald kemp, liz. they were married for 50 years and she loved to spend time with her grandchildren. he says that staff did all they could for her.” grandchildren. he says that staff did all they could for her. ijust hope the ministers to recognise the

wonderful work that has gone on and that goes on up and down the country in nursing homesjust like where liz was. by doing a job equal to anyone in the national health service. latest official figures from england and wales combined with numbers from scotla nd and wales combined with numbers from scotland show that in the week ending april the 17th there were almost 8000 deaths in care homes an increase almost 2500 from the week before. almost one third of those linked to covid—i9 the equivalent figure is not available for northern ireland. the information collected by the care regulator up until last friday suggest that deaths in care homes are still rising. even so homes are still rising. even so homes like this one continue to struggle to get the testing and protective equipment that they need. there are far more people being cared for outside the nhs than inside and they all need looking after and deserve better than they've got. the government says it is ramping up testing with mobile

units visiting places like scarborough and that it is providing billions of pieces of protective equipment. but that offers no comfort for some. i sure is struggling to explain to a two—year—old granddaughter why her mother, a care worker, is not coming home. 26—year—old sonya died of coronavirus and her family say that she loved herjob looking after others but they want people to understand the anguish and the questions that they are left with. they showed us the mask that she had bought online to protect herself.” believe what my sister has confirmed that they arrived when she was in hospital so too late for her. sonya was one of the kind hearted people who cared for others and she loved to live for others. there are many questions that this family and others will in time need answering about the impact of the virus on

ca re about the impact of the virus on care homes. there's been much discussion in recent days about whether we should be wearing face masks. now the scottish government has taken a step further than the rest of the uk and is recommending people wear a face covering in enclosed public spaces such as supermarkets or on public transport. first minister nicola sturgeon said people should continue to follow social distancing guidelines, but that covering the mouth and nose with a scarf or a cloth would provide extra protection to others. so far , the uk government say they don't think the advice on masks should change. here's our scotland editor sarah smith. some do and some do not, face masks are becoming more common and now you are becoming more common and now you are advised and in fact expected to wear one are advised and in fact expected to wearone in are advised and in fact expected to wear one in scotland in busy places. a move that may help protect others but will not necessarily stop you getting the virus. i have been thinking about it especially in supermarkets, i do not like helpless people are so probably i will start wearing them in the supermarket but

not out here. i do not feel comfortable wearing it but i would. nicola sturgeon sees the same scientific advice as the uk government. she is happy to eat your own conclusions and make different recommendations. there may be some benefit in wearing a face covering if you leave the house and enter an enclosed space where you would come into co nta ct enclosed space where you would come into contact with multiple people and a safe social distancing is difficult. would you say it is our duty to do that if we are in crowded spaces? right nowl duty to do that if we are in crowded spaces? right now i believe we all wa nt to spaces? right now i believe we all want to do all we can to protect each other from this virus and this is an additional way that we can do that. on public transport or anywhere it is hard to keep distance the hope is that face covering. people who are infected but do not yet know it from spreading coronavirus. the advice from the scottish government is to wear a face covering and definitely not a medical mask so you could just pull a scarf of your face or make one

yourself with any piece of fabric, some kitchen towels and a couple of elastic bands. it is not compulsory to wear a face covering in scotland but the government say that it could become so. the scottish government say that to cover your face in addition to staying at home and social distancing. is it a concern that people wearing masks might think that they're better protected than they really are and start to ta ke than they really are and start to take risks? there is no study that shows that that happens and it is a bit like arguing if you wear a seat belt you will drive dangerously. uk government is considering the scientific advice on face coverings and would prefer all the devolved nations to follow the same script but the scottish government are confidently moving in a different direction. the health secretary has rejected

as "not fair" claims in a bbc panorama investigation that the government ignored warnings from its own advisers about its supply of personal projection equipment. 0ur health editor hugh pym has more. hospital staff treating the sickest coronavirus patients need appropriate personal protective equipment, known as ppe, including gowns. but surveys of some doctors suggest a proportion of them still feel they cannot always get the right kit. i have been in a position where i know where i'm coming towards the end a shift and i know that as things stand, or stood at that moment in time, that the gowns that we had at that time would run out at some point during the next day. i have been lucky because my trust has managed. hospital managers say supply problems are easing, though it is still difficult to find gowns and visors. the government has been accused of not building up stocks early enough and allowing guidelines to be altered to protect supplies. the bbc‘s panorama programme revealed that injanuary, covid—i9 was designated a high consequence infectious disease.

but in march, this was changed, and a lower level of ppe was required with aprons rather than gowns for some staff. the government says this was based entirely on scientific consideration as to the nature of the infection. what assurances can you give front line staff that there will be adequate supplies of ppe in the days and weeks ahead? we have been moving heaven and earth to get the amount of ppe that we need to the front line, both buying it from abroad and also then distributing it. that system is getting stronger all the time. doctor abdul mabud chowdhury died earlier this month soon after urging the government to give nhs staff more ppe. today his son challenged the health secretary on a radio phone in. do you regret not taking my dad's concerns seriously enough? my dad that we have all lost. intisar, i'm really sorry about your dad's death. we took very, very seriously

what your father said and we have been working round the clock to ensure there is enough protective equipment. more ppe is arriving. this flight landed with a consignment today. with a very clear message to those who are going to use the equipment. hugh is here. coming back to the government statistics when it comes to overall deaths which have jumped dramatically now that a care home deaths and deaths in the community are being included and we had a terrifying graph showing this just in the last hour. as we've said the daily reported death figures that we get are from hospitals only and some in the community in scotland and wales proposes picking hospital deaths. what really counts is the overall number of deaths including ca re overall number of deaths including care homes and community settings as well. so the graph that we got today at the downing street media briefing

gave an international comparison which was interesting, this is measured from the first day that each country had reported a of 50 deaths and that is the way they do it. you can see the figure for uk hospital deaths has gone up broadly in line with france and italy but when you look back and it is a bit further back because the data is a couple of weeks old, you see all deaths in all settings including ca re deaths in all settings including care homes in the uk has risen faster than france and italy or germany and sweden. i think that is a very telling statistic, the fact it is rising faster than those countries. and the new announcement today about testing, expanding the number of people who can have tasks. matt hancock said at the briefing would be expanded for everyone in ca re would be expanded for everyone in care homes, staff and residents even if they did not show symptoms. for the other 65 is and their hassles and anyone who had to leave him to go to work. if they had symptoms. they said 33,000 tests had been

carried out yesterday and there was capacity for more than 73,000 but of course his target is 100,000 by this thursday. we shall see, thank you. a minute's silence was held across the uk this morning to commemorate the essential workers keeping the nation going but paying with their lives. more than a hundred nhs and care staff have died with coronavirus, as have many transport and other key workers. daniela relph reports. it is the familiar marker of remembrance. in unfamiliar times. they paused for those dying now working to protect and look after us.

political leaders from all four nations also stopped to reflect on lives lost.

at derby and britain nhs trust three members of staff have now died. co nsulta nt members of staff have now died. consultant alf irani, fellow consulted man should sing and at the weekend hospital cleaner eileen landers. she had been with a long time and was well loved and described as someone with a heart of gold who always went extra mile. the silence today was for each and every health worker who has died, attributed their bravery. the fact that they come to work every day despite that fear and do the very best that they can. for someone in a vulnerable position who's depending on them, it is just a wonderful thing. after one minute the silence was broken. applause. todayit was broken. applause. today it was about remembering but also another chance to say thank

you. british airways could make up to 12,000 workers redundant. its parent company, iag, announced job cuts as it revealed that revenues had plunged 13% in the first quarter of the year. british airways has currently furloughed its 22,500 employees. 0ur transport correspondent tom burridge is here. basically their revenue has been slashed down to very small numbers. so british airways made this announcement now and it is

symptomatic of the industry more widely. it will be a tricky negotiation between the airlines now and unions in the next few weeks. once you've had the coronavirus, a key question is can you get it again? or does your body develop immunity meaning that you can't? there's evidence that those who have had coronavirus have some of the antibodies to protect them, but it's not clear whether anyone is immune. 0ur science correspondent rebecca morelle explains. it's the virus that has mobilised the world's scientists. and a majorfocus now is how the immune system responds to it, because understanding this could help us to stop covid—19 spread. and the big question is, if you've had the virus, are you immune 01’ can you catch it again? how does immunity work? the coronavirus is covered in spikes which allow it to dock onto a structure on the surface of our cells. it is like a key opening up a lock, so the virus can enter and affect the cell.

to fight this off, we produce antibodies. these block the spike. it is like a cap covering the key. it means the virus cannot get in and replicate, so eventually it is killed off. the antibodies, though, stick around. the idea is if the virus comes back, they can rally an immediate response. a small study revealed that monkeys who had the virus didn't catch it again a month later. for humans, though, there's still much we need to learn. early data's showing that there are antibodies being generated, but it is really important to follow up with more in—depth studies where there were these are the right kind of neutralising antibodies, because those are the ones that can then give protection if there is enough of them and they last long enough. building up antibodies is just the first step. what scientists want to find out is how long any immunity last. because covid—19 is so new, scientists are having to look at the viruses it is related to.

from everything we know so far, it would be very hard for me to reassure you with any certainty that if you've been exposed to the virus you will definitely have protective antibodies in one or two or three or four years' time. so that makes it very hard to know how we would mitigate against a second wave if it comes along. coronavirus affect people in different ways. but does the severity of symptoms alter immunity? some people with covid—19 are so ill they end up in intensive care. but others have very mild or even no symptoms. scientists are trying to understand what difference this makes. people who've got severely ill make a lot of antibody in general and people who haven't got so ill make a lot less. what that means may be that people who've only had a mild infection might lose their immunity faster than others and might not be protected if the virus comes back.

scientists say we need answers on immunity urgently to determine the next steps to take in the fight against covid—19. rebecca morelle, bbc news. the government's scientific advisors say some social distancing measures will be with us until the end of the year, and perhaps beyond. amongst the businesses most likely to be affected longer term is the hospitality sector, with pubs and restaurants badly hit already. our business editor simon jack has more. the closing bell. five weeks since the coronavirus rang the time on the hospitality injury and the government says venues big and small across the uk could be among the last to leave the lockdown. social distancing of two metres will be here for months and venues like paper coal‘s cafe in chester are barely two metres wide in places —— pippa cole. we are such a small cafe, and even if we did take the

ta bles cafe, and even if we did take the tables out and tried to reconfigure the layout, it would be extremely difficult to keep the social distancing required. we have to think about our customers as well as our staff. remember this? it seems like a long time ago. fuller's operate 400 pubs and restaurants and the boss says even in bigger venues, social distancing will make life difficult and frankly miserable.“ you think of the practical problems of going to the loo, being served at the bar, being served a plate of food at your table, and then you align that with the fact that you go toa pub align that with the fact that you go to a pub to socially interact with friends, it simply wouldn't be the same having a two metre gap. it would be a very soulless experience. would that be financially viable? would be a very soulless experience. would that be financially viable ?“ would mean our revenue would be down as much as 80% and our costs would go up, as much as 80% and our costs would go up, so it is potentially more catastrophic to the sector to operate under social distancing

guidelines than it is with us being closed down at the moment. fullers has 5000 workers the government is paying the wages are under the job retention scheme until the end of june, but then what? we visited this east london venue the day the job retention scheme was announced. it has worked up until now but there are grave warnings about the very near future. at the start of this we had a hundred employees and we put 90 onto the furlough. if the retention scheme is not extended beyond the end ofjune i doubt we will have more than seven employees still working in the business, it's that serious for us. i think more than half of hospitality businesses and as many as 2 millionjobs than half of hospitality businesses and as many as 2 million jobs are at risk. this is notjust about missing a night out, it's about large parts ofan a night out, it's about large parts of an industry going missing. but the wages tab untiljune could hit £50 billion in the government knows it cannot pay for ever. simonjack, bbc news. hospices providing vital end—of—life care to thousands of people every day are having to radically transform how they deliver that care, often meaning stringent restrictions

on visiting relatives. the government says it's working around the clock to ensure hospices have the equipment and support they need. this report from our special correspondent ed thomas starts with the story of 57—year—old dina, who was a patient at east cheshire hospice. everyday they're there for me, every meal time they bring me beautifulfood. they're just so kind, so considerate in every way. dina's been in east cheshire hospice for eight days. a much—loved grandmother, mother and sister. coronavirus restrictions mean her family can't visit. these guys have replaced my family. i'm very happy, very at peace. my family are a little bit devastated they can't come. i've got six brothers and sisters. and i thought i'd never see them ever again.

so these guys here have kept me going. dot taylor is 96. she's a great—great—grandmother. anybody who went round, they were always almost forced to have a bit of whiskey in their tea. only because it flavours it! at the very end of a patient‘s life, two family members are allowed inside the hospice. so only now can chris and nigel be with their mum, even though she doesn't have the virus. mum came in last wednesday. at that point, we were told no visitors. what we haven't had is an opportunity to talk to my mum because we're almost now at that stage where she's not able to talk to us in that way. butjust listen to us. it's cruel in many ways. we'll eventually have to say goodbye to my mum.

and that's a different level of cruelness. can't have a pint with my brother. i've just been saying that we're here, mum. just letting her know we're there for her. i'm just holding her hand, really. that's it. coronavirus has prevented some families from reaching their loved ones. i sat with a patient a couple of weeks ago. ijust held his hand and said he was quite safe and that these family had sent their love to him and just told him not to be frightened. and just, like i say, held his hand and stroked his hand as he actually passed away. the hospice told us that five patients have died with suspected coronavirus symptoms. now all medical staff wear ppe.

it's really hard, especially as most of us are huggers, aren't we? we are huggers, yeah. and the other day a patient said to me, she was upset and i couldn't hug her, and i said, "i'll send you a kiss." and she went, "caught it." eight staff members here have tested positive for coronavirus, five more have suspected symptoms. are you worried about coronavirus? yeah, of course. absolutely, yes. you've got to get on with it, really. it's something we do, we can't just walk out. we're not able to have visitors... some here believe more should have been done to help hospices during this crisis. we were the last to get tested and we were the last on the list for the ppe. but we're used to it in the hospice movement. we package up death and we hide it in a box somewhere in a peaceful setting. so we don't want to have to think about it. well, you know what? coronavirus has made us all think about it. they are angels. trust me. they're god's guardian angels. they're guarding over me.

i know they're doing everything they can in their power to make me comfortable. i'm very happy. they will always be there, right to the end. i know they will. that report from our special correspondent ed thomas. in the last few weeks, the nhs has cancelled most non urgent procedures, such as hip and knee replacements and cancer treatments, as it focussed resources on coronavirus. waiting lists were already rising before the pandemic and now those procedures — known as elective surgery — are going to take place again how will the nhs catch up? 0ur health correspondent dominic hughes reports. michelle gray is living with constant pain. a slipped disc means she relies

on powerful painkillers. a simple operation to correct it was cancelled because of the coronavirus crisis. and now this previously fit 73—year—old is struggling. i can't go anywhere. i can't do anything. ijust feel as if i'm losing muscle power and things like that, and things that you like to keep up, especially at my age. you don't have many opportunities. and i just feel that one small operation would change all of that. visits from her son, alistair, help. i've got your shopping for you. but he's noticed a big difference in how his mum is coping. thank you. the sparkle is not there. i think psychologically, it's kind of affected her. also, physically, the pain, it's very difficult when you're in pain to be happy and smiling, as you normally are. the cancellation of operations and procedures has affected thousands of people who might have been waiting for anything from a hip operation to cancer treatment, even heart surgery. now, it's not that they don't

appreciate that the fight against covid—19 needs to be prioritised, but it's still having a very real impact on their lives. i think that it will take us many years to get back to a good position. we need more operating facilities. we need more beds. we've got to keep the independent sector going. we may need to rely on keeping some of the nightingale hospitals open. hospital bosses are planning to reopen some services, including cancer and mental health. but every three months, the nhs in england alone would normally carry out around two million planned operations. there were already four million people on the waiting list. so how can the health service possibly catch up? one method of dealing with this is to create hospitals that just do investigations and surgery, which will be covid free. and patients and staff would be tested there and no covid patients would go there. it would need some very careful management and it would need

really rigorous testing. michelle is one of tens of thousands who simply don't know when they'll get the help they need. as long as the nhs is battling coronavirus, they're unlikely to get an answer. dominic hughes, bbc news. the medical chief of fifa has warned against restarting the current football season in the coming weeks for fear of causing a second wave of coronavirus. michel de 0oge believes football should not resume until the ‘end of august or beginning of september'. starting earlier, he said, could have life or death consequences. our sports editor dan roan reports. some premier league footballers were back at work this week. arsenal are one of a number of clubs to partially reopen their training ground for the first time since the season was suspended last month as hopes of a resumption gathered pace. but today came a stark warning from the most senior medic in world football. there is a risk and it is not a risk that has small consequences. it can have consequences of life and death.