tonight at ten — the united kingdom becomes the first country in europe to record more than 30,000 deaths linked to coronavirus. the uk is now second only to the united states in the world's highest number of deaths caused by the pandemic. and it's yet another day when the government's target for testing has been missed, as labour pointed out. the uk was slow into lockdown, slow on testing, slow on tracing, and slow on the supply of protective equipment. the ambition, clearly, is to get up to 200,000 a day by the end of this month, and then to go even higher. we'll have the latest as the prime minister prepares to make a statement on sunday setting out his plans to ease the lockdown. also tonight... there's intense pressure to get business and the economy moving again — we'll have details

of the kind of relaxation that ministers are considering. in germany, it's a different story. shops are to re—open, football can restart and schools will gradually open in the summer term. and as we approach the 75th anniversary of ve day, a permanent memorial to the caribbean nations who fought with british forces in the second world war. and coming up in sport on bbc news... the german bundesliga is set to become the first major european league to restart the football season. will the premier league be following suit? good evening. the uk has now become the first country in europe to record more than 30,000 deaths linked to coronavirus. the prime minister said that as part of the government's approach, there would be 200,000 tests a day

by the end of this month. he was challenged in the commons by the new labour leader, sir keir starmer, who said that the uk's high death rate was the result of being too slow on the lockdown, testing and the provision of protective equipment. the latest figures show there were 649 recorded deaths linked to coronavirus in the last 24—hour period. that brings the uk total so far to 30,076, and that figure which was announced by the government includes people who tested positive in hospitals, care homes and the wider community. the prime minister signalled that some lockdown measures could be eased next monday, and he'd set out his intentions in a statement on sunday, as our political editor, laura kuenssberg, reports. small clusters of commuters. westminster quiet, masks sometimes. but not lonely any more. one new normal has begun.

weeks after keir starmer became the labour leader, the first of his weekly chance to put the prime minister under pressure. i'm looking forward to it and i'm glad to see he's back in parliament. how are you going to handle the new labour leader? with borisjohnson back at work, back at the dispatch box, too. i would like to welcome the prime minister back to his rightful place in the chamber. but no hiding place from the rising coronavirus toll, now tipping 30,000. that's now the highest number in europe. it's the second highest in the world. that's not success or apparent success, so can the prime minister tell us how on earth did it come to this? he is right to draw attention to the appalling statistics not just in this country, but of course around the world. at this stage, i don't think that international comparisons and the data is yet there to draw all the conclusions that we want.

comparing different countries‘ statistics is difficult, but it's not irrelevant. and every number is another heartbreak. just nine members of ron beard's family bade farewell to him at a tiny funeral this afternoon. he passed away in hospital last week after contracting the virus in his care home, where his family had been told there was no infection and they say staff had no protective kit. my mum, sadly, had to go to the car park and say goodbye to her dad through the window, which was pretty heartbreaking for her after having been by his bedside for so long. i think that's been one of the hardest things for the family to deal with, not being able to hold his hand in times when he needed it, and i know especially from my mum and her sisters, knowing that he died alone after they had been at his side for so long was the particularly heartbreaking thing to come to terms with. the priest did an amazing job

and it was a wonderful sendoff, albeit slightly strange. his last song as the curtains closed was you'll never walk alone. what was happening behind closed doors in care homes, now very much in public and political view. deaths in care homes continue to go up, 12 weeks after the health secretary declared that we're in a health crisis. i have to ask the prime minister, why hasn't the government got to grips with this already? there's an epidemic going on in care homes which is something i bitterly regret, and we've been working very hard for weeks to get it down. in the last few days, there has been a palpable improvement. there's no consistent evidence that situation is improving. but the prime minister suggested some lockdown measures could ease from monday. we will want, if we possibly can, to get going with some of these measures on monday. in a sparse chamber, mrjohnson sometimes looked around

for cheerleaders who were not there. in this new contest of opposites, in the end, it's one—on—one. boris in the end, it's one—on—one. johnson and the gove under borisjohnson and the government are under a lot of pressure on lots of fronts, whether it is missing the testing targets, trying to get a grip of what is going on in care homes, or winning the race that no country wanted to come first in, being right now number one in terms of the death toll in european countries. but we are about to enter the next phase of how the government is trying to manage all of this, the prime minister confirming that on sunday, he will announce something ofan sunday, he will announce something of an exit strategy, and he hopes that some changes could come into force from monday. but i think we will also hear a lot of what minister described to me as prodding, as an example, robert jenrick already saying today that construction sites and infrastructure projects in england should be getting going, if they can

do so safely. so, we're not expecting next week, and we can't say this enough, any kind of grand unlocking, throwing the doors open. this will be the start of a gradual rolling back of the measures, the stay at home message will disappear, but this is not a process that is going to happen fast, and every bond needs to be prepared for that. ministers acknowledge that mass testing is crucial for controlling the pandemic so that cases can be isolated and the spread can be restricted. but for the fourth day, the government missed its daily target of 100,000 tests, which was hit once last friday, and even that measure was disputed by some experts. but the prime minister has now pledged to increase testing to 200,000 a day by the end of this month. 0ur health editor, hugh pym, looks at the state of the testing strategy and whether the right people are being given priority. a busy testing station today, run by military personnel, and there was a range of essential

workers wanting to know whether or not they had the virus and whether it was safe to get back to work. i am a nanny. i have to make sure before i go back to work — i have four children to look after her, and i have to make sure that i am fine. i'm working in freight forwarding at the moment, so i'm still working. so, it's important for me to obviously be safe for myself, family... i'm a teacher, a primary teacher, and i've been feeling a bit up and down, and a bit sort of concerned, if i am now thinking of whether we might go back to work. the government has greatly expanded the list of people eligible to be tested over the last few weeks, using drive—in centres tested over the last two weeks, using drive—in centres and sending out home test kits, and there's been a big increase in laboratory capacity to analyse the swab samples. a week ago, just over 80,000 tests were provided, and the next day, that figure went above the government's then 100,000 a day target. since the weekend, it's fallen back

to below 70,000 yesterday — it's not clear why that happened. this is the entrance to fairfield residential home. for care homes, it's vital to get residents tested if they have symptoms, so they can be kept separate from others. but at this home, they've tried several times to order tests for those who are unwell, and have had no response. i'm very angry and somewhat frustrated when i hear the ministers telling us that everyone in care homes can be tested. the government believes that the testing has happened, however, on the ground, it's such a big logistical proposal, people can't do it. and it's been argued that there's no way for care staff to get fast—tracked through the online booking system. the government has made very clear announcements about the fact that health and care workers should have access, all health and care workers should have access to testing, and yet the system that it's built doesn't have that prioritisation in—built. hospital leaders say, even with the extra capacity, it's still difficult to get nhs

staff tested quickly if they need it. there's not much point in having a test that takes up to five days to turn around if actually the individual member of staff is then spreading infection in the meantime. so, we absolutely need to ensure that every member of staff who's showing symptoms that they can get a test quick enough, and that's not happening at the moment. the department of health says tests were now available to more than 25 million people, and there had been a rapid increase in capacity, allowing tests for more workers who need them. hugh pym, bbc news. as we mentioned, the prime minister will make a statement on sunday on his plans to ease the lockdown, measures that he says will come into force the next day. ministers have hinted that the construction sector should return to work wherever possible, and that offices, public spaces and transport systems should be adapted to maintain safety and distancing. 0ur political correspondent alex forsyth has been talking to businesses, residents and local traders in moreton—in—marsh in gloucestershire.

the market town of moreton—in—marsh is far from its bustling self. life for many is largely on pause. it's been strange. it's been a bit tough. dave's had a stall here for more than 30 years. he's managed to trade enough in recent weeks to tick over, but only just. i don't think it'll be as good as it was ever, ever. butjust got to be thankful for the trade we've got now, really. in the cotswold countryside, this town relies on tourism as well as local trade. tea shops, cafes and pubs, nervous about the future if social distancing is here to stay. at this hair salonjust off the high street, there's similar concern. the owner's trying to stay positive and plan for a possible reopening, but conscious you have to be close to cut hair. i'm not sure what the guidelines are going to be, and i don't think we'll be working at full capacity, which is obviously not good after being locked down, but until they turn round and tell us what it is, i can't get

a plan of action going. many businesses and families are wondering what comes next. the official review of the lockdown is tomorrow, but don't expect to hear much about government plans until sunday, and increasingly it's a question of how ministers balance concerns about the country's health with worries about its wealth and general wellbeing. today the prime minister signalled some measures might ease from monday, but it's likely to be gradual. 0n the edge of town, anna's two sons are keen to return to school, finding work here at home hard. i want to go back because i can see my mates. it'sjust stressful. the pressure‘s on, isn't it? ijust find it hard to sit down and start doing the work. it'sjust tricky. iwake up, go on a bike ride, come back, go on the xbox, go to bed. say it like it is, jamie! most in moreton are simply finding ways to cope, staying upbeat. these neighbours meet every morning for some distant company. i live on my own, see,

so it does break the day up no end. just outside town, the garden centre's tentatively begun trading because of essentials on sale, but the past few weeks have been tough. from thinking that we might actually lose the business to coming through the other side, and we're now trading. and it looks as though, you know, hopefully, fingers crossed, that we might survive. here now they want clarity from government about long—term business support and to give customers confidence. i need a clear message one way or other of what's going to happen. the lockdown is an easy one to impose, and taking the handbrake off is difficult. how that happens will be decided farfrom here, but felt across this town, where many are trying to be optimistic, but feeling the personal and economic cost. alex forsyth, bbc news, moreton—in—marsh. the government's job retention scheme, supporting the salaries of over 6 million workers,

is estimated to cost £39 billion byjuly. given the heavy expense, the chancellor has to balance the needs of the economy against the state of the government's finances. 0ur economics editor, faisal islam, is here. let's talk about the balancing act, and what is he measuring? the government has got a series of delicate dilemmas. i thought it was very telling that the prime minister in the house of commons said that there could be an economic disaster, not if the economic downturn was prolonged, but if there was a second wave of the pandemic. that tells you that what we get on sunday is going to be step—by—step, baby step by baby step, even, in terms of how the lockdown will change. and i think there are other trade—offs and dilemmas. they haven't decided between the unions and the business what is a safe workspace yet. and on thejob retention what is a safe workspace yet. and on the job retention scheme, what is a safe workspace yet. and on thejob retention scheme, the following scheme, you can see that the government on the one hand wants

to send out a signal that employers should not get too used to this scheme, but on the other hand they do not want to precipitate anybody taking action on jobs too soon, they will only take it away very gradually. all of these dilemmas, on costs, onjobs, on health, ithink will be put into sharp relief tomorrow morning when we get the most thorough look at the economy, we had hoped it would be a vichy to bounce back, it may not look like that when we get the new forecast from the bank of england tomorrow morning. faisal islam, our economic editor, thank you. one of the biggest challenges for ministers in all nations of the uk is how to get children and staff back to school in a way that's safe and minimises risk. the bbc has seen research exploring the views of more than 250,000 families in england, wales and northern ireland. more than 80% of them told the website parentkind that they would be unhappy if schools reopened soon after lockdown was eased. 0ur education editor, branwenjeffreys, has more details.

dean jones is grappling with one question — how can he keep children safe if they come back? having looked at our staircases, they're not sufficiently wide, so they would have to be one way, up here, down elsewhere. to keep corridors clear, it will be teachers moving wherever possible, rather than students. here's a fairly typical classroom that would normally hold around 30 children. typically, now, we expect it to hold 15. for the key workers' children at this sheffield secondary, a taste of how it might be in the future. it'd be unusual because, like, you wouldn't see your friends and you wouldn't get the support from your friends that you usually get. do you think people are missing school? yes, because, like, it's that sense of, like, normality and going to school on a weekday and seeing your friends. dean thinks they could manage just half the pupils. 0ne—way corridors are a must, considering staggering the entry and exit times to lessons.

we want to make sure that everyone in the firth park family feel that we've reached a point where it's going to be safe to come back. so, spaced—out classes for a few, but still a lot of learning online and at home. taylor is 11. her mum wants to keep her home until the autumn. i feel that the government should perhaps think about ending this year now and restarting maybe in september, when we know more facts. six—year—old marcus‘ mum agrees. if my child goes to school and is mixing with other children, other adults, then that could... he could then come home and bring that into our home and, at the moment, our home is a safe place for him to be. this primary school has tried setting out one classroom. so, this could be the new normal. instead of children working together, sharing things around tables, each child at their own desk, working in isolation.

but what about the youngest? with just riley and frankie, it proved hard. usually, children can roam free in reception. we have children from two through to five using these rooms here, and explaining to a two—year—old how they cannot come up to us and how they cannot be with their friends, that's going to be really, really difficult. if a child becomes upset, you're going to want to go and give them some comfort. if a child falls over and hurts themselves, again, you're going to want to help them out. not being able to do that is going to be very, very challenging. simple precautions go a long way, but what schools want is clear advice and plenty of warning. branwen jeffreys, bbc news. the pandemic has forced health providers to rethink some of the services for older patients. part of the strategy is to provide more care at home, avoiding the need for frail and vulnerable people to go into hospital and face the risk

of being infected with coronavirus. doctors say they realised urgent changes were needed when they saw the plight of so many older patients in hospitals abroad. 0ur health correspondent sophie hutchinson has been exploring how it works. so, this lady i'm going to see was referred into the home treatment service yesterday. in the midst of the coronavirus emergency, doctors and nurses are taking to the road here. sat nav: you have reached your destination. they call it their virtual hospital, delivering high—level medical care to frail, older people in their own homes. they're keeping the vulnerable out of actual hospitals to shield them from covid—i9. hi, i'm helen, one of the nurses. they've come to check on maureen matthews. they treated her the day before we filmed, after her husband roger called 999. i heard a crash upstairs and she was lying on the floor. maureen matthews has lung cancer,

and the treatment she's received puts her at particular risk of covid—i9. i didn't want to go into hospital and my doctor thought that was better as well, so... yeah, and to have this team of people coming in as well is great, i think. i've had marvellous treatment. i can't fault it. margaret, her name is helen and she'll be coming in the next couple of hours, i'd have thought. sheila 0'riordan set up this new service in east kent in just two weeks, ahead of the uk's coronavirus peak. they now treat 85% of their patients at home. we all saw on the telly what was happening in other countries for frail and older people. particularly, we saw it in italy and spain. and we had an opportunity, because we were a little bit further behind, to think, how can we do this differently? this was our attempt to provide better services for our frail population. a quarter of people aged over 70 end up in hospital if they get covid—i9, according to research

from imperial college london. and of those, a high proportion need treatment in icu. providing hospital—grade care in people's homes is something that senior clinicians here have wanted to set up for many years. they never dreamt they could achieve it in just a couple of weeks. but hospital—at—home services like this, run by doctors, are rare in the uk, according to research from last year. here in lanarkshire, in scotland, where they have one of the oldest, they're trying to double the number of patients they can treat at home because of the virus. hospital at home is pretty much what it says on the tin. we're essentially providing hospital—level care, specialist—led, but in the patient's own home, so we deliver interventions, assessment, into the patient's house, and the only thing that's really different from the building behind me is the bed that the patient is in. my wife will tell you that as soon they say hospital, i say no. here, around 80% of acutely ill

older patients like terence ball are being kept away from hospitals. just as in east kent. 0pposite ends of the country, but the same determination to protect those most at risk from this virus. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. well, the picture in germany is rather different. chancellor merkel says the goal of slowing the spread of coronavirus has been achieved, so all shops can be re—opened as the lockdown restrictions are eased and schools will gradually open their doors in the summer term. germany's federal states will take control of the timing and operate a so—called emergency brake if there's a new surge in infections. 0ur berlin correspondent jenny hill has the latest. jenny, what does all of this meme now for germany? well, this is, huw, a significant day for germany, with angela merkel announcing it has come through the first phase of the

pandemic. the country is in a good place, with infection rates falling steadily and good hospital capacity, but that has meant angela merkel has been under pressure from the leaders of germany's i6 been under pressure from the leaders of germany's 16 states who are desperate to restart their local economies. after a meeting today, are reportedly rather stormy one, they came up with a plan which includes among many things that we are opening of shops, hotels and restau ra nts, are opening of shops, hotels and restaurants, albeit with very strict social distancing measures. they are also letting the bundesliga, germany's professional football league, start up again. the matches will be played behind closed doors. it's not quite life back to normal just yet. people here will have to wear masks on public transport and in shops. the authorities will continue to test and contact trays as aggressively as they can. and additionally, angela merkel has got those regional leaders to agree to an emergency brakes, meaning that if an emergency brakes, meaning that if an infection number breaches a

prescribed target anywhere in the country, local authorities will have to impose restrictions immediately. jenny hill in berlin, many thanks. in brazil, there's growing pressure on president bolsonaro over what's been described as his chaotic response to the pandemic. south america's largest nation has seen iia,000 cases and almost 8,000 deaths, with rates still increasing. but despite this, and a health system under immense strain, the president continues to deny there's a serious problem. 0ur correspondent katy watson reports from the east of sao paulo, the country's worst—affected area. lives are precarious in brazil's poor and violent favelas, but covid—i9 is a new kind of killer, weaving its way into these narrow streets. alini used to earn $5 a day as a cleaner. now both she and her husband are unemployed, bringing up three little girls

on hand—outs and donations. social distancing isn't an option here, and authorities aren't around to enforce any rules. they're angry with how their president's dealing with this crisis. translation: bolsonaro is wrong. he tells people to go to work, then people die. and then he'lljust say, another one died, well, it's not my son. what he should say is, stay at home. jair bolsonaro isn't dubbed the tropical trump for nothing. as the crisis here escalates, so too does denial. yesterday he said the worst was over. then came a record jump in the number of deaths. with families in the amazon burying their dead in mass graves, and public health systems on the verge of collapse nationwide,

many who voted for him feel they were fed a lie. state governors are ignoring the president, introducing quarantine and lockdown to protect the public. the man in charge of brazil's wealthiest state has become bolsonaro's biggest critic. you have two virus to combat, coronavirus and bolsonaro virus. it's not time to discuss ideology, politics, campaigns or individual positions. wrong. this is the wrong way. the right way to save lives is to respect the science, to respect the medicine. but in sao paolo's eastern suburbs, quarantine offers little opportunity. poverty makes sure of that. the most vulnerable are waiting in line for government hand—outs, and in doing so, they're the most exposed. brazilians are confused. do they listen to their local politicians saying stay at home, or to their president saying get back to work. increasingly, rules are being bent here and ignored, and it couldn't come at a worse time

for the country. even rio's most famous landmark has been enlisted in the fight against coronavirus. if christ the redeemer can't persuade devout jair bolsonaro to finally don a mask, nobody can. katy watson, bbc news, in sao paolo. coronavirus is having a devastating impact on african wildlife, according to experts. the tourism industry, worth billions of pounds, has collapsed, and thousands of people have lost theirjobs. with fewer visitors and safari guides, there's been a surge in the number of animals being poached, and conservationists say decades of progress are being undone. 0ur environment correspondent claire marshall has the story. humans leave a unique scent. this anti—poaching unit checks for trails. filmed exclusively for the bbc, the rangers of the lewa conservancy in northern kenya.

they are a small team protecting 250,000 square miles. the pandemic has just made theirjob much harder. since this pandemic of covid—i9, the threat has gone high in terms of people wanting to do poaching. tourism has collapsed overnight. many people have no money. there has been a dramatic surge in poaching forfood. this is what the rangers have found just over the last few weeks. lewa isjust a snapshot of what the rest of africa is facing. we are hearing constantly from our partners in east, south and central africa. just when more rangers are needed, the pandemic has badly hit donations to the charities that support them. this is definitely the biggest threat that we've seen to the conservation world. we've had the real pressure from the illegal wildlife trade, and that is ongoing.

these are the vast plains of north west province, south africa. the calf is still alive, so that we can rescue it and take it to the orphanage. this organisation helps transport injured rhinos to safety. the calf is two months old. her mother was found dead, her horn hacked off. bring the backside... a real fear is this could become more common with no safari tourists or guides out and about. these guys are our eyes and ears on the ground. they drive through the parks, they see wounded animals. i think it will be devastating to the parks and the reserves in south africa if this situation continues. they may look wild, but it costs a lot of money to keep these animals safe. the key question is when will tourists and their wallets be able to return? claire marshall, bbc news. this week marks the 75th anniversary of the end of the war in europe, and as part of the commemorations,

the contribution of thousands of people from caribbean nations who volunteered to serve with the british armed forces is to be marked with a permanent memorial at the national arboretum in staffordshire. 0ur correspondent sian lloyd has been speaking to some of those involved. her report was filmed before the current lockdown was imposed. albert jarrett, aged 18, one of around 10,000 people who left the caribbean to join the war effort. we were needed at this height of the war. our services were needed. and we were very anxious to give our service to the country that protected us, because we were british citizens and this was our mother country, we were told. the place they set sail for was very different to home, on board ships that were cramped and uncomfortable.