this is bbc world news. the headlines. the pandemic has plunged the airline industry into chaos, with passenger flight revenues all but wiped out. tens of thousands ofjob cuts have been announced in what's been called the worst crisis in the history of aviation. the uk provided more than 122 thousand coronavirus tests — passing the government's target — according to health secretary matt hancock. the figure includes home test kits counted when they were dispatched, which may not yet have been taken. us presidential contenderjoe biden has made his first public remarks on a claim of sexual assault nearly 30 years ago, saying the alleged incident never happened. the claim surfaced in a podcast made by a former aide in march. canada has banned 1,500 types of military—like assault weapons with immediate effect. the move comes after the country's

worst mass shooting in nova scotia last month, which left 22 people dead. now on bbc news, annita mcveigh has more information and health advice on the coronavirus outbreak, in this special programme, coronavirus: what you need to know. hello, and welcome to the latest in our special programmes on what you need to know about the coronavirus. i'm annita mcveigh. it's estimated that nearly half of the world's workers could lose their livelihoods because of this pandemic. that's according to the international labour organisation, who say informal workers have already been worst affected.

the bbc population reporter, stephanie haggerty, spoke with people in four different countries who used to get by on a daily wage, but since lockdown, are struggling just to eat. food is not something that these people used to worry about. this pandemic doesn't treat everyone equally. when you are living on a daily wage, being out of work means no money for food. these are not animals, these are angry people. their world is being ripped from under them. the international labour organisation says that 1.6 billion people could be out of work as a result of this pandemic. that's half the world's workers.

rosa and her daughter were let go from theirjobs were let go from theirjobs as domestic cleaners with no pay. now they rely on a food bank. governments all over the world have plans to help people on the bread line, but it's not getting to some fast enough. and there aren't always food banks to fill the gap. it can be a choice of respecting the lockdown or trying to survive.

we wanted to speak to her again, but she left the city to her parents‘s village, where at least she can grow something to eat. he can rely on friends for now, but they are also on the edge. they've had nothing

from the government so far. lockdown restrictions have cut her off from her local markets. stocking up is not an option. as lockdowns go into their second month, the next problem is keeping a roof over their head. the reports of coronavirus patients dying alone,

without their families because of social distancing measures, is tragic, but it's equally distressing for the families whose relatives may be in hospices. there are often strict limits on visitors, meaning those at the end of their lives may be dying without family around, even though they are not affected by covid—19. our special correspondent, ed thomas, has been to a hospice in check share in the north of england. in cheshire in the north of england. every day, they are there for me. every mealtime, they bring beautiful food. they are so kind, so consider it in every way. ——they are so kind, so considerate in every way. dena's been in hospice for eight days. 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 would 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 around, they were always offered a bit of whisky only because it flavours it. at the very end of a patient‘s life, two family members are allowed inside the hospice. it's okay. so only now can they be with her mother, even though she doesn't have the virus. i came last wednesday, at that point, we were told that no visitors. what we haven't had is an opportunity to talk to anyone, because we were always in that stage where she's not able to talk to us in that way, but just listen to us.

it's cruel in many ways. we will eventually have to say goodbye to my mum, and that's a different level of cruelness. gonna have a pipe with my brother. i've just been saying that "we are here, mum". just letting her know we are here for her. and just holding her hand really, that's it. coronavirus has prevented some families from reaching their loved ones. i sat with patient a couple weeks ago, ijust held his hand and said he was quite safe and that his family would send love would send love to him, and ijust told her not to be frightened. just you know, i held his hand

and stroked his hand until 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 completely different to what we are used to doing. it's really hard, especially as most of us are huggers, aren't we? the other day, patient was upset, and i couldn't hold her, and i said, i will send you a kiss, and she said got it. it staff member sera tested positive for covid—i9, five more have suspected symptoms. are you worried about coronavirus? you come of course we are. yeah, of course we are. yeah. the you've got to sort of get on with it really it something to we do, we can'tjust walk out. some here believe moore should have been done to help hospices during this crisis. we were the last to get tested, and we were the last ones to receive ppe,

but we used it in the hospice movement. we package up death and hide it in a box, somewhere in a peaceful setting, so we don't want to have to think about it, welcome you know what? coronavirus has made us all think about it. they are angels. trust me. they are guardian angels, they are guarding over me commit they are guardian angels, they are guarding over me, i know they will be doing everything they can in their power to make me comfortable. i'm very happy. they will always be there right until the end. i know they will. more than 20 million americans have lost theirjobs in the last few weeks because of the pandemic, and for many, that also means losing health insurance. half of americans rely on health insurance tied to theirjobs, so how are they coping? this is susan, she's a breast cancer survivor and has asthma.

until recently, she was a bartender at this new york city theatre. then, the coronavirus arrived in the united states. everything's changed. i lost myjob, i lost my health insurance. that's because susan's health insurance was linked to herjob. half of the country relies on this kind of insurance that is sponsored by an employer, and as us on employment figures climb to us to a historic high because of the pandemic millions like susan are also losing their health coverage. to a system that relies heavily on employment for access to health care. it's actually a historical accident. before the 20th century, there wasn't much need for health insurance because, well, there wasn't much health care to buy. health care was virtually unregulated and health insurance was nonexistent. physicans practised and treated patients in their homes, and the few hospitals that existed provided minimal therapeutic care.

with millions of workers going off to fight in world war ii, the us faced a severe labour shortage in the 1940s, so businesses wanted to raise wages to attract labour, but economists had one big concern. federal government was trying to prevent wages and prices from inflating and going through the roof, so they told employers that there was a way to end price controls. if you needed more workers for your factory because of defence production, let's say, the only thing you could do is offer more benefits. you had to offer them something like health insurance as an extra perk. by 1950, more than 70 million americans had employers sponsored health insurance. today, it's more than 156 million, including the spouses and children of some workers. the us does not have a national health insurance system. we have a patchwork of different types of insurance policies, and that includes...

then we have public sources of cove rage. public sources of coverage are based on eligibility. that can come in the form of medicaid for children in low income families or medicare for people who who are older than 65. if you don't meet either of these requirements, have no insurance through an employer, and can't afford your own insurance, well, you're out of luck, like susan and millions of working class families. it's a scary thing, because i'm at high risk for having a recurring case of cancer. the fact that my follow—up appointments for my cancer treatment are now potentially gone because i don't have a job is insane to me. it doesn't make sense. staying in the us over the last two weeks, groups of people across the country have been protesting against restrictions in place to try to limit the spread of coronavirus. for many, it's about the economy, they say they need to get back to work. but, for others, it's about something at the core

of the us constitution, the right to worship as they please. our global religion reporter has more. a clash between faith and coronavirus restrictions. a vocal minority of christians in the us say "it's their religious freedom." among them, florida based pastor, who says he predicted the demonstrations at. the demonstrations. you say i'm not going to stay like this no more! let me tell you something, if you keep controlling society, and the church, and the nations, that they will come, they will stand up and say "enough of your nonsense!" while many us churches are closed, some are still holding in person services. the pastor says the virus is a spiritual attack that requires a spiritual answer. coronavirus that we know it comes from the devil. there is a spiritual dark force

that is behind sickness, it's behind plagues. the lord takes me through your life. several states like florida have declared church is an essential business, which means they are allowed to be open, while the pastor does observe some social distancing, he says sometimes touching people is necessary. a lot of people will find it difficult to understand why you are still doing things like laying your hands on people. the call that god has placed on my life is to preach the gospel, to lay hands on the sick so that he can heal them. that's my calling. we keep distance. we wash our hands, for the sake of those that are fearful, the bible says he will lay hands on the sick, and the sick will recover. us federal advice recommends cancelling gatherings of more than ten people. stay at home if possible, don't go out on any unnecessary travel or trips. make sure you are staying away from a crowded place is like movie theatres. the pastor says it's important for people to be able to worship

in large groups.