good morning, welcome to bbc news, i'm victoria derbyshire, here are the headlines: the chancellor is set to announce the next steps for the furlough scheme which subsidises the wages of millions of people. the health secretary stresses the importance people back to work. it is important that people can get

back to work, because there is a massive, massive economic cost to what we're having to do health reasons. back to school — new guidance for england will see class sizes of 15 pupils, staggered break times and frequent hand washing. the health secretary matt hancock says the number of deaths in care homes from covid—19 is falling. borisjohnson urges people to use common sense as he defends his plan to relax the lockdown in england. more than six million people in the uk will hear today whether their wages will continue to be subsidised beyond june. the chancellor, rishi sunak, is to announce the future of the coronavirus job retention scheme — which is currently due to end on the 30th ofjune.

in other developments, borisjohnson has defended his plans to relax the lockdown rules in england and has issued guidance to clear up some of the confusion. so, from tomorrow, people in england can go outdoors as often as they want and can meet with one person from another household in a public space — as long as they stay two metres apart. anyone who can't work from home is being encouraged to go back to work — although they're told to avoid public transport and more details on that are going to be issued later today. and if you're in an enclosed space, you're advised to wear face coverings. finally, from june 1st there will be a phased return for schools and nurseries in england. last night new guidance was issued which limits class sizes to 15 and calls for staggered drop—off and pick—up times. we're going to focus on that new primary school guidance at 09:15. and if you're the mum or dad of a toddler or primary—aged child,

will you be sending your child back to school or nursery injune if it reopens? message me on twitter @vicderbyshire or email victoria@bbc.co.uk. but first, this is what the health secretary had to say about the furlough scheme this morning. —— about getting back to work. —— about getting back to workli think people understand that it is important that people can get back to work, because there is a massive, massive economic cost to what we are having to do for health reasons and although i don't like that, i am absolutely determined to ensure the health of the nation is protected. but where we can put those guidelines in place to allow safer working, then we should. let's speak to our business presenter, ben thompson. the furlough scheme costs the taxpayer is an awful lot of money but it is preventing a lot of people

from being made redundant, but how long will it go on for? good morning, victoria, that is what we will find out later today. the chancellor expected to announce changes to that scheme which was introduced at the start of april, backdating payments to the start of march for people unable to go to work. paying up to 80% of someone‘s salary up to a cap of £2500 a month. what we expected to happen later todayis what we expected to happen later today is the chancellor announces a reduction in the cap so that £2500 level comes down and the proportion of your salary the government is prepared to pay. we know this scheme has cost a lot of money, initially forecast to cost up to 10 billion, some suggesting that if it goes on much longer, may be until august, it could cost close to a0 billion p, getting on a par with what we pay for the nhs. what the government and treasury will be trying to do is to

encourage more others back to work where it is safe to do so, trying to work out a way to do that, while still supporting those on the lowest incomes but crucially also working out how to manage that without costing the taxpayer more than it shouldn't also making sure the most vulnerable are still protected financially. thank you, ben thompson. further guidance is being published this morning on how to manage social distancing on public transport. the rail union, the rmt, says the government's decision to drop the "stay home" message in england could lead to a surge in passengers, and it has advised its members not to work if they feel unsafe. so how will it work when passenger numbers rise? tim muffet reports. avoiding public transport — easier said than done. this was canning town tube station in london yesterday. adolay filmed his commute for us. he's a security guard.

compared to other jobs, men working in security have the highest death rate from covid—i9, according to research released yesterday by the office for national statistics. later we met eric, who is also a security guard. there were more people on the train than usual. how did you feel about that? uncomfortable. i don't think they understood the two metre distance. the information is not clear. so we don't know who to follow, what to listen to. for people say who avoid public transport if you can, what you say to that? it's not possible. it is not possible. how are you going to travel from gravesend

to london bridge? are you going to walk? this morning, it was a lot busier. the tube was, definitely. some people don't have the luxury of driving. do you feel safe going on public transport? not really, but there's no other option. people in england are now being encouraged to wear face coverings in enclosed spaces such as public transport. scotland has already issued similar guidance and is likely to make commuting feel even more different than it does already. prevention is better than cure. why would you want to cure something you can prevent in the first place? i have kind of taken the view that if it's not being encouraged officially, it's a personal choice and not one i take but if they then go and say we should, why haven't we done it sooner? it was quite busy today, i was quite shocked but i'm not surprised. and we are now all being encouraged to wear masks. there was hardly anyone

on the carriage that was wearing it, apart from me. and how does that make you feel? quite anxious, but i'm not surprised. in some places, public transport hasn't been as busy but on the metrolink tram service in manchester, for example, there are fears that as government guidance takes effect tomorrow, passenger numbers will grow. i think from wednesday, it'll probably grow loads more. that is my main concern, is being on the trams and being packed like sardines. if people listen, we're sweet. if people don't listen, there is nothing you can do. if we're going to get locked down even more, then who is to blame? the first steps towards easing lock down in england are taken. the questions and challenges keep coming. tim muffett, bbc news.

an asian american journalist has confronted donald trump at his daily white house news conference after the president responded to her question by saying that she should ‘ask china'. donald trump has previously made comments regarding weija jiang's background. meanwhile president trump has defended safety measures at the white house after a member of his own deputy‘s staff tested positive for the coronavirus, prompting several top officials to self—isolate. 0ur north america correspondent peter bowes reports.

i don't think the system broke down at all. one person tested positive, surprisingly, because the previous day tested negative. and three people that were in contact, relative contact, who i believe the vault tested totally negative, but they are going to for a period of time self—isolate. so that's not breaking down. it can happen. it's the hidden enemy. remember that, it's the hidden enemy. white house staff must now cover their faces at all times, except when seated at their desks, socially distant from colleagues. mr trump said he didn't need to wear a mask because he kept far away from everyone. in an upbeat assessment of the months ahead, the president said the us economy was on the verge of being revived and next year will be one of the best the country had ever had. as people head back to work, the us government is to provide $11 billion for individual states to ramp up coronavirus testing. this week the united states will pass ten million tests conducted, nearly double the number of any other country. the president's blatant boasting about the number of tests

being carried out in the us prompted this question from a chinese—american reporter. why is this a global competition to you if every day americans are still losing their lives and we still more cases every day? well, they're losing their lives everywhere in the world and maybe that's a question you should ask china. don't ask me. ask china that question, 0k? when you ask them that question you may get a very unusual answer. yes, behind you, please. sir, why are you saying that to me, specifically? i'm telling you. i'm not saying it specifically to anybody. i'm saying it to anyone that would ask another question like that. that's not a nasty question. please go ahead. ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much. appreciate it. but instead of answering another question, mr trump abruptly ended the press briefing and headed back to the white house. peter bowes, bbc news, los angeles. we will talk about primary schools for the next few minutes. guidance has been issued to primary schools and nurseries in england

which could reopen to some year groups from the 1st ofjune. the prime minister says a phased return will begin with pupils in reception, year one and year six. the ambition is to bring all primary year groups back to school before the summer holildays. that is a quota. how could this work in practice? what are the potential risks? and what do teachers make of the plans? let's talk to bryony baynes, the head teacher of kempsey primary school in worcestershire. christina rinaldo is a primary school teacher in denmark — a country that has already reopened its primary schools. that was three weeks ago. dr chris smith is a consultant virologist at cambridge university. he's going to tell us about the risks to children from the virus and the risk of them transmitting it to adults. right, bryony, first double, the government's ambition is to bring all primary school pupils back in england before the summer holidays,

how do you react? i have to be honest, at the moment i am feeling a little bit overwhelmed and a little bit panic stricken. but we are thinking about how we can manage that. we sent out a letter to pa rents that. we sent out a letter to parents as we heard the announcement and said let us know what you are thinking. i have been flooded with responses from parents asking a number of questions, quite rightly. how will it be managed? what about stag at break times, drop—offs, all those sorts of things. lots of concerns. well—being, how will we ensure that staff are staying safe. at the moment i do not have answers to any of that. i am trying to get my head around it and trying to understand the rationale as to why we are bringing back the youngest children first. have you read the

guidance? i get up early in the morning and i have read it all. for the purposes of this conversation. it is on my list for today. according to the guidance, we want to get all children and young people back into education and students scientific advice allows because it is the best place for them to learn, and because we know how important it is for their mental well—being. that is for their mental well—being. that is in the guidance. professor chris whitty said at the downing street daily briefing last night the risks of the virus were, quote, very, very low in children in contrast to other infectious diseases and said the question was whether reopening primaries would lead to a significant upswing or a change in the r, the reproduction rate. he said the view is that if it is done very carefully and very slowly it is very carefully and very slowly it is very unlikely to do that, but it has to be done carefully. those are the reasons. does that make sense or a

change in the r, the reproduction rate. he said the view is that if it is done very carefully and very slowly it is very unlikely to do that, but it has to be done carefully. those are the reasons. does that make sense all seem logical? absolutely and i would agree 100% that it needs to be slow, careful, thoughtful. what i and getting parents and staff is a concern with very young children how you get across the idea that they need to social distance? how do you ensure they are washing their hands properly? you can stand over them but we all know children are not brilliant at that, let alone those aged four and five. if you are a five—year—old and you have not seen your best friend in two months, your natural inclination will be to rush across the playground and embrace them. lots of parents are asking about ppe, will staff be wearing it? i don't think at the moment that is a practical suggestion. according to the guidance, you don't need to wear face coverings or ppe unless you normally would in the course of your

job at school. 0n the small groups of children, we will talk to the teacher in denmark because their primary has 700 kids and we will see how they work at there. they suggest that class sizes are hearts, desks aspect as much as possible, staggering assemblies, lunchtimes, drop—offs and collections —— micro desks are spaced out as much as possible. keeping one small cohort of children together, so they are not mixing with other classes or yea rs. not mixing with other classes or years. that may be difficult at breakable lunchtime but you will have to stagger the breaks and lunchtime. reduce the use of shared items, dividers down corridors, get rid of soft toys, anything you can't wash regularly, loads and loads of hand washing and the guidance says it will create an inherently safer system where the risk of infection transmission is substantially reduced. absolutely. my heart quails as you read that list of things, all of that to be accomplished. dividers

down corridors, i am not sure how we would manage that. we accept that this is an important step, we need to get back to normal and going back to get back to normal and going back to school is an important part of that. just finish that sentence before i bring in christina. when you said throwaway soft toys and all of that, we need to bring children into an environment where they feel safe and happy, not something utterly alien to them from everything they knew when we went into lockdown. let me bring in christina. hello, christina, thank you very much for talking to us. you work in one of copenhagen's city schools, 700 pupils who went back three weeks ago, what are you doing to make it safe for the young peoples and the staff? we had divided the schoolyard into zones where the children play with their playgroups and created of five

children. we also wash hands every second hour. we have taken away all the toys and bought some new toys for each group to play with, balls and stuff like that. yeah. and we have only 15 students in each class. some of the classes are only seven, the youngest are only seven or six students in one class. is that all working? do you feel pupils and staff are able to remain safe? yes, i believe so. and also we have shot we teach outside as much as possible. we have lunch break at different hours, so we used to and half hours a day to have lunch breaks with the children. but it works out perfectly. —— mcgrew reused two and a half others. all

700 pupils washing their hands every two hours, how long does it take? we have rented sinks outside, we have put up lots of sinks in the schoolyard, they have to go down, wash their hands and go back up. for my group it takes 15, 20 minutes. i have created a fitness programme with music and they do sit—ups, push—ups and burpees, and other data we dance, so it is phone rings to stay in the line. some really creative ideas. how old are the children use speech? —— herald other children you teach? what did you think, bryony?” herald other children you teach? what did you think, bryony? i think it is great, i would try some of those. we have lots to learn from other countries who have implemented

school return successfully, the important thing is we approach it very slowly. i think it is a little bit more complicated for us. we have not necessarily got the weather all the time that we can teach outside, but we can certainly do our best. and i think there is a lot to learn from that. i would be really interested in trying some of those ideas ourselves. it is why we wanted to get a teacher from denmark. rachel says i have a child in nursery, one in reception and one in year three, i will send them back, not only because we found it difficult to home—school and ifeel my youngest two will really struggle with any more time off, but i am a student operating department practitioner and i due to graduate next april so i need to get myself back into steady and ready for my next health placement. many people

are saying to wait until september but nobody knows if we will be in a better position by then. if my children can get some sort of normality back, it is a bonus. another viewer says it schools open onjune another viewer says it schools open on june one there another viewer says it schools open onjune one there must be proof it is safe for children and teachers. my is safe for children and teachers. my question is how the social distance and going to be maintained between primary schoolchildren? until i have a satisfactory answer i will not send my year six daughter to school. christina, on the question of young children wanting to hug and touch each other and pay closely alongside each other, is not possible? no, but we have created new ways to say hello to each other. high fives with our feet, using elbows, making a dance from tiktok, so we say elbows, making a dance from tiktok, so we say hello and goodbye each day with new types and they can choose each day, we do that with all the

children in my school, the other teachers do it as well. we have been very creative in saying hello and invented new games for them to play, keeping a distance. how long did it ta ke keeping a distance. how long did it take them to get into the new routine? it took the first week. the first five dates were very rough, they were tough. it sounds incredible. tj on e—mail sites may when mps are brave enough to fill the seats in the house of commons it is time to send children back to school. it is not about bravery, is it? it is social distancing and hand washing and monitoring and publishing risk assessments. if you look at the guidance for us all, including schools, there is plenty of it. i will bring in chris smith, these are some of the questions i wa nt to these are some of the questions i want to ask him on what parents are asking. how are you?”

want to ask him on what parents are asking. how are you? i unwell, you? very well, thank you, a consultant verily adjuster at cambridge university. the green —— i am well, thank you. you may also know him from the naked scientist podcast. what is the risk to children of catching the virus? really low. i think that is the reason the government are taking the steps that they are. children figure really, really low in the order of individuals who have had any kind of even symptoms with this, let alone any complications. they seem to be very lucky, i suspect they catch the virus like anybody else, they probably pass on the virus like everybody else but they don't have the complications. there are a range of reasons why that may be the case but it appears a robust observation, we have seen the same thing in many countries. very, very low, the risk of children catching the virus. what

is the risk of transmitting the virus to adults? just to clarify, because of what you just said, i think they catch it and transmitted, ido think they catch it and transmitted, i do not think they develop severe disease. we know age is the biggest risk factor for getting severe disease, it looks like anybody can catch and potentially transmit this, i would argue children are probably very good at transmitting it because they are less good at remembering they are less good at remembering the various techniques we have encouraged people to observe to reduce the rate of transmission, but i think they are actually low—risk they catch it. i understand, i am sorry, i used the wrong words to misrepresent what you said. in terms of the risk of children transmitting the virus to adults, they can transmit it, so that must be a risk to certain adults? yes, children are a risk to their parents, anybody who has kids, as i have is only too well that children are virus factories, they catch everything, become really

infectious and are really good at giving it to their parents because when they feel unwell they want a cuddle, they want to be nurtured and made to feel better and they come to the nearest adult for that. you give them circa, they give you narrow virus, or whatever it is they had to give them succour. they are a vector and pretty efficient spreaders, but and pretty efficient spreaders, but they will not get severely unwell. but they can transmit it to adults, and that worries people. reading the guidance, children themselves who are extremely critically vulnerable should not go back, they are to shield. the guidance goes on to say that if a child lives with someone who is clinically vulnerable, including those who are pregnant, they can go back to nursery or school. if a child lives with somebody who is extremely clinically vulnerable it is advised they only go back if the strongest social distancing can be adhered to, in the case of children that they can

understand and follow those instructions. is there a difference between going back before the summer holidays and going back in september? i think what they are trying to do is, in a low grade, safeway, trial this. i don't mean to a human experiment, what i am getting at is that when we want to do anything, we don't launch it with both feet first unless we absently have to, we try to do things at a small scale and we get the wrinkles out, we work out how it will work without massively stressing the syste m without massively stressing the system and then scale up. i think this is a very sensible approach, it is this is a very sensible approach, it isa this is a very sensible approach, it is a staged approach, you start with individuals who are at very low risk if they catch the disease, they will benefit enormously from the socialisation and the opportunity to get back into the swing of school. you can then work out with a group that are arguably the hardest to get to observe things like social

distancing how to get it to work, how to get schools to work using some of the wonderful techniques you have been hearing about on your programme so far, have been hearing about on your programme so far, and that will inform how you then take the steps forward to increase cell increase numbers, perhaps in september or perhaps next year, when we hope everyone will be back at school. perhaps next year, when we hope everyone will be back at school! number of parents, laney on twitter, for example, says if it is safe to send my children back, then yes. what is the guide for when it is safe ? what is the guide for when it is safe? i think of michael following an idea that what they want to do is minimise the rates ofjust transmission. they kind of accept that children are reader risk from this —— i think the government are following an idea. if they catch it, the risk they pose is giving it to others. so if we can get in place mechanisms that the children have a very low risk of catching it, that is the safe place to be because even if they catch it we will —— they

will not have a problem, we are aiming that they will not catch it in the first place and they are doing it in a way that means they can try things in a small—scale, get the wrinkles out of the system without taking risks, then you can scale it up when it is safe to do so. scale it up when it is safe to do so. thank you, let me bring bryony back. i wonder if anything you have heard gives you a sense of reassurance? if i am heard gives you a sense of reassurance? ifi am honest, yes and no. some of what has just been said we're assured me, the fact that children themselves won't become incredibly ill. there is still the risk factor of spreading it. as i was listening i was thinking of an e—maili was listening i was thinking of an e—mail i received last night from a parent, one of many, and it said if i send my child back to school, i wa nt to i send my child back to school, i want to know if he silver in the playground he will be comforted. i

have got to keep that image in my head and think how do i manage that? these are very little children. shall we ask christina, it will have happened at their primary in denmark. what do you do in that scenario? we hope the children, of course we do. we hope the children who need it but we do not walk around hugging everyone. —— we hug the children. that might be a game changer, you can still hug the ones who needed but not the rest. good advice, very good advice. we are having this experience from denmark which is so helpfulfrom christina. in switzerland that scientists say that under tens can hug their grandparents because the risk it solo. it is interesting that countries are doing different things. sorry for interrupting, bryony. the other thing i was

thinking is about my staff, i have some staff who are understandably very anxious, who potentially are venerable, who live with people who are vulnerable and i have had e—mails and questions from them and iam e—mails and questions from them and i am wondering how i reassure them about coming back and doing these things and saying to them you are safe. listening to what has just been said, the children can transmit it, so i am asking staff to come back into an environment with increased transmission risk. i know we have to come back, but it is a lot to think about and a lot to process in terms of how we do it with the best for everyone at the forefront of our minds. the guidance says if staff are extremely clinically vulnerable they should

not be going back and also suggests that perhaps with some staff you could move them into a different area of the school, they could do an officejob for a date, there area of the school, they could do an office job for a date, there are suggestions but that does not help you if you need teachers and teaching assistants. christina, how did you reassure staff? they told us the ones of us who were healthy, we had to go back but we had vulnerable staff, they work from home with secondary school students. they are still at home. and then they switch with somebody else. 0k. and that only woodbury presumably if you have a primary school that is linked to a nearby secondary? yes, of course. christina, you've been very insightful, thank you so much for coming on this morning, we really appreciate it, talking to our audience in the uk. teacher in denmark, one of the primary schools

in copenhagen. bryony, no doubt we will talk again to see how your planning goes over the next few weeks. thank you for being so candid, we really appreciate it. briony, who is head teacher in campsie. and chris, thank you for your insight and expertise. no doubt we will talk again. i hope so. thank you for having me. if you are a mum or dad and thinking about whether to send your children back to school in june, if your school or nursery is reopening, tell us what you're thinking right now, particularly having heard the conversation, especially with christina and her expertise from denmark. you can e—mail us, contact us in the usual ways. coming up before 10am. the annual report, you have pretty much ruined the sofa, 913 squirrels chased, none of them called, not a good return. mabel, if you are going to do that, could you switch off the video function so we don't have to

seeit? video function so we don't have to see it? my gosh, i love it so much, the first thing i watched out aam this morning when my alarm went off. mabel and olive, the crisis zoom call with our own bbc sports commentator, andrew carter, his latest amazing video of him and his dogs. they have had about 25 million views, that's just on twitter. let's bring you the weather. here is matt. good morning victoria. another chilly day out there today, not quite as windy, while most are trite with sunshine, less of this afternoon, cloud building, some rushing into the north west midlands at the moment, north wales, one or two more in these areas, some in northern ireland. while southern scotla nd northern ireland. while southern scotland brightness with sunshine, an area of rain spreading southwards which turns to snow, a covering of snow on the most modest of hills, temperatures this afternoon in northern scotland five or 6 degrees, chilly day here, especially in the breeze, colder than yesterday. elsewhere the wind is light at

yesterday, where you have sunshine it might not feel quite as chilly even after the frosty start. this evening and overnight rain, sleet, snow mix across scotland pushes down, wintry across the tops of the pennines for a while, rain showers spreading to england and wales, not as cold here tonight, frosty night for the north, showers in the northern day is tomorrow, not quite as windy. that's it for now.

hello, this is bbc news. there you are! i'm victoria derbyshire. the headlines... the chancellor is set to announce the next steps for the furlough scheme which subsidises the wages of millions of people. the health secretary stresses the importance of getting people back to work it is important that people can get back to work, because there is a massive, massive economic cost

to what we're having to do for health reasons. back to school — new guidance for england will see class sizes of 15 pupils, staggered break times and lots of hand washing. the health secretary matt hancock says the number of deaths in care homes from covid—19 is falling boris johnson urges people to use common sense as he defends his plan to relax the lockdown in england research shows that covid—19 is disproportionately impacting people from ethnic minority groups — with black men and women nearly twice as likely to die from the virus we will focus on that in the next 30 minutes. we have got this breaking news, guidancejust we have got this breaking news, guidance just released for ensuring the department for transport says, the department for transport says, the transport network is safe for those who need to use it in england. i'm just whizzing through it, public are urged to continue to work from home if they can avoid public

transport where possible. if you have to travel forward, consider changing your travel habits including cycling, walking, or driving. avoiding rush—hour. socially distancing if you can, to meet socially distance will come as you know, public transport, only leaves capacity for one in ten passengers for some parts of the network. those driving their own ca rs have network. those driving their own cars have been asked to avoid busy areas, keep two metres apart from others where possible, wearface covering if you can, use contactless payments where possible. avoid rush hour, wash your hands as soon as possible before and after travelling. and all transport operators have been issued guidance on ensuring stations and services are regularly clean, making clear to passengers how to stay two metres apart were possible at stations, airports, ports. and to ensure routes for passengers are clearly communicated. to avoid crowding. just going to skim this to see if there's anything, you knew about the

package of cycling and walking investment, there was an ounce on saturday by grant shapps. government strategy and advice recognises there will be times in settings and public transport or social distancing is not possible, the new guidance outlines how people should try to minimise the duration of this and ta ke minimise the duration of this and take all necessary steps to observe the durations —— measures were possible. no doubt we will talk to our transport correspondent to analyse this further. at your reaction welcome, as always. builders, factory workers and garden centre staff are among those preparing to go back to work tomorrow — but only if the business is in england — and only if workplaces are "covid secure" that's how the prime minister describes companies which have put safety measures in place. our business correspondent sarah corker has been to see some temperature checks at the front gate, to people—passing points on the factory floor.

we would ask staff and visitors to observe the two metres social distancing role. for weeks now, this caravan manufacturer in hull has been drawing up plans for how to restart production here. we've invested in all the extra kits, so the wash stations. we've invested in lifting equipment to make sure people don't have to work close together unless they really need to. so it's slower but it's safer. we do have plans in place so we can start a phased reopening but we can't start 100% from wednesday, it's just not possible and it wouldn't be safe to bring everybody back at the same time. the prime minister has advised those who cannot work from home to return to building sites and factories this week if it's safe to do so, but to avoid public transport. manchester's skyline is dominated by cranes coming back to life. other projects, though, never stopped. social distancing on a construction site can be difficult,

especially when the nature of the job involves working closely together but some measures in place include hand gel stations, one way walking systems, enhanced cleaning of communal equipment and staggered start and finish times. the government has set out its covid—19 secure guidelines for workforces in england to follow. employers need to carry out a coronavirus risk assessment and keep staff to meet apart where possible. assessment and keep staff two metres apart where possible. factories and warehouses are advised to split staff into shift groups and provide drop—off zones for parts and equipment. offices and call centres should introduce one—way systems and meetings should be held remotely as possible. shops are told to limit customer numbers and remove services that require close contact. garden centres in wales were allowed to reopen on monday.

those in england are expected to follow suit tomorrow. we've been working every day, plants have to be watered, we've been spacing plants, pruning plants, cooling them down, just trying to stop them growing so when we are allowed to open, which we thought would be in the middle of may, we were ready. other high street shops could be open from june. for pubs and restaurants, it will be july at the earliest. all our workplaces are changing and for the first time, people in england are advised to wear face coverings in enclosed spaces. the government says no—one will be obliged to work in an unsafe environment and the pressure is on employers to adapt their workspaces, and quickly, for this new socially distant world. sarah corker, bbc news, in manchester.

let's get the latest figures on all registered deaths up until may first for england and wales with the office for national statistics. nick stripe is head of analysis there. we have this conversation this time every tuesday morning, remind us what the figures show, and what we are talking about. good morning, by the way. good morning, the number of deaths registered across the country, local register offices, when a death happens, you register that death. it takes a couple of weeks for us to get the figures. this is for deaths registered in the week ending friday the 1st of may. the total number of deaths across england and wales was just under 18,000. 17,953. about a000 lower thanit 18,000. 17,953. about a000 lower than it was the week before. but it's still 8000 above the average we would expect to see in this week at this time of year. actually the seventh highest weekly total since

this dataset started in 93. we've had four out of the top seven weeks in the last four weeks. can i just polish you, just so i make sure i had this, the total number of deaths registered up to fried it made a first come england and wales, 18,000, a000 lower than the week before. in terms of number of deaths we normally have this time of year, its 8000 excess, that fair? that's right. —— friday the 1st of may. its 8000 excess, that fair? that's right. -- friday the 1st of may. in terms of covid 19 and non—covid 19 debts, shall we go through that breakdown? sure, in terms of covid 19 related deaths, across the uk we've now seen 36,600 covid 19 debts registered across the uk, now over 50,000 excess deaths, if you like, above the five year average, over the last six weeks, 50,8a1 excess deaths across the uk. in the last

week, it was about 3a% of all deaths mention covid 19 on the death certificate, about three quarters of that 8000 deaths above average mention covid 19 on the death certificate, still a quarter that did not mention covid 19. certificate, still a quarter that did not mention covid19.|j certificate, still a quarter that did not mention covid19. ijust wa nt to did not mention covid19. ijust want to check those. the total deaths that mention covid 19 now across the uk 36,000? 36,600, yes. that's up to the 1st of may? up to made a first, excess deaths just over 50,000. 50,000? i don't understand that, i'm really sorry, if the total is 36,000, how can the excess deaths be 50,000? that's the excess deaths be 50,000? that's the excess a bove excess deaths be 50,000? that's the excess above the five year average for each week. i've got you. understood. the last six weeks, now 50,000, 50,8a1 across the uk above

average. understood, 0k. 50,000, 50,8a1 across the uk above average. understood, ok. in terms of the different settings, care homes, hospitals, private homes. in care homes now in the last week, a0% of all deaths that mention covid 19 we re all deaths that mention covid 19 were in care homes. up from 3a% last week, and about four weeks ago when week, and about four weeks ago when we we re week, and about four weeks ago when we were talking it was about 5%, ca re we were talking it was about 5%, care homes is showing the slowest decline, sadly. so whereas hospital deaths, we are now above a0 about a0% above average what we would expect at this time of year, private homes in 90% above average, not many of those mention covid 19 but in ca re of those mention covid 19 but in care homes we are still about three times above the average of what we would expect to see at this time of year, and for the first time that i can remember, there were more deaths in total in care homes than there we re in total in care homes than there were in hospitals in that week. admittedly, only 12 more but there we re admittedly, only 12 more but there were more and i've never seen that

before. so in total in care homes, we've now seen 8300 registered deaths related to covid 19 in care homes by the 1st of may and if we feed in the figures from the care quality commission and the care institute wales for the last week, there is another around 1600 notified to them so that puts us close to 10,000 covid 19 related deaths in care homes by the 8th of may, last friday and the other thing this data is starting to show us is we can look about date of death, not only date of registration and now we are far enough away from the peak we can are far enough away from the peak we ca n start are far enough away from the peak we can start to see rates of increase and rates of decline showing themselves. so the rate of increase was quite sharp and quite fast so from the fourth to the 20th of april we can now see over 1000 deaths on each of those days that were covid 19 related but between the fourth and eighth which was the peak, we

went from 1000 to over 1300 and it's taken nearly went from 1000 to over 1300 and it's ta ken nearly two went from 1000 to over 1300 and it's taken nearly two weeks went from 1000 to over 1300 and it's ta ken nearly two weeks after went from 1000 to over 1300 and it's taken nearly two weeks after that to get back down below 1000 deaths by date of death so the rate of increase is quite sharp and the rate of decline is much shallower, much slower. understood. the health secretary said this morning for england and wales the numbers of those dying in care homes is falling. just to remind people, these are figures that are behind us, a couple of weeks behind us which is probably white matte hancock can say that for england and wales today. anything else or are those the main headlines this morning? they are the main headlines, every region is showing some degree of decline, london a0% of debts, it's been about 50% for the last four weeks, the north west, yorkshire and humber around 35,30 6%, the highest number of deaths of the first week was in the south—east, 966 covid 19 related deaths, about 3a% of all deaths in

this south—east. deaths, about 3a% of all deaths in this south-east. thank you very much and as we always say, we appreciate there are a lot of numbers there and behind all of those statistics are real people and families and grieving relatives. just to go through a couple of those numbers again. in terms of the total debts of up to the 1st of may in england and wales. 18,000 deaths registered in the week up to the 1st of may, the first substantial decrease during the epidemic, down byjust over a000. the total number of uk covid 19 related deaths, up to the 1st of may, 36,600. looking across the six weeks of the crisis, a number of excess deaths, the measure that those of the daily briefings say is the key metric when we are trying to compare with other countries and see how the uk is doing, 50,000 excess deaths across

the last six weeks compared to what we would normally expect to see in the six weeks of this time of year. and nick told us up to the 8th of may, 10,000 covid 19 related deaths in care homes. which is a very staggering and sombre figure, isn't it? the prime minister has been urged to launch an independent public inquiry into the reasons why many ethnic minorities are at higher risk from coronavirus. black men and women are nearly twice as likely to die as white people if they contract covid 19 and the risk factor is also high for other groups including those with a pakistani or indian background. we're looking at the issue in detail across the day — this report by the bbc asian network's shabnam mahmood is from brent in north west london, one of the most ethnically diverse — and worst hit — boroughs in the uk. wembley, home to english football. it's also home to one of britain's

most diverse communities, many now united in grief after losing loved ones to the coronavirus. the underlying issues were just diabetes and stuff, which is common nowadays, but it wasn't enough to take his life. in the shadows of wembley stadium is where mahindra shah from india spent most of his life, surrounded by family and friends. but he died alone in hospital, something his daughter and her family are still coming to terms with. absolutely heartbroken. yeah. i thinkjust still... sorry. ithink... getting to grips with it all, still, trying to understand. driving across wembley, it's not difficult to find other families also suffering the pain of loss. this disease has hit people

from all religions in the area. i wasjust saying, mum, i love you, and she goes, i love you, too. sadia lost her mum and her aunt within days of each other to the virus. herfamily is of a pakistani muslim heritage, which often means hundreds of people gather for a funeral to pay their respects. a month on, i went on friday to the graveyard and it's hard for me to accept not seeing my mum around, or because i haven't grieved, i haven't hugged my brothers or sisters, i haven't hugged my dad, so... i don't feel like i've let it out. she believes government messages on lockdown and keeping safe just didn't reach communities like hers. what is being done for those people, those ethnic minorities? is the word getting out? that's my worry. i don't think it's getting out to them. there isn't a family that will not tell you that they've not lost someone. just a few streets away,

sharon fraser has lost seven people close to her to coronavirus. i've lost my uncle dante, my oldest daughter has lost her grandfather, we've had one family in the area that lost mum, dad and a sister. i worry about what do we do with our grief, you know? experts say the virus doesn't discriminate, but here there's a story of disparity in places where black, asian and minority ethnic communities live. shabnam mahmood, bbc news. stonehenge has been hosting summer solstice celebrations for around five millennia but this year's event has been cancelled because of the coronavirus. around 10,000 spectators usually gather at the ancient monument in wiltshire to mark midsummer, onjune the 21st. english heritage, which runs the site, says the sunrise will be streamed online for anyone who wants to watch it.

0r or you could just get up and look at this guy yourself. now we've all got used to remote working — whether zooming from home, relying on skype calls or even being alone in a television studio. but one man and his dogs have turned it into an art form and taken twitter by storm. these videos have been viewed about 25 million times. andrew normally does sports commentary, tennis, golf. the latest was done last night. have a look at this. right, guys. thanks forjoining us. just keen to have a chat about where we are, the situation at the moment. i think you're both there. 0live, hi, thanks forjoining us. mabel, you are connected but you need to start your video. down at the bottom of the screen. it's a camera, looks like a biscuit, just nudge it with your nose. there we are. you don't have to be so close, you want to move back a bit? all right, thanks.

basically, an update as to where we are. i can see you both look worried, but the good news from head office is that neither of you is going to be furloughed. but we have to try and repay that loyalty with some of our own. i know that's supposed to be a strength of yours. so what we're looking for, what management are looking for are ideas. mabel, this is one of the things we have to address, the lack of focus at times. well, there was the inappropriate stuff with kevin the doberman from accounts, as well. but one thing at a time. there are things we have to try and improve on. i'm uncomfortable with chat as well. mabel, you switched off the camera again, can you switch it back on? right, there we are. ok, the annual report, you've pretty much ruined the sofas, 913 squirrels chased, none caught, so not a good return, so again things... mabel, sorry, if you're going to do that, could you switch off the video function so we don't have to see it? absolutely brilliant. we wanted to talk to him this week, but he is

having a break from interviews. talk to him this week, but he is having a breakfrom interviews. so many views for all those videos, but you can't find him on twitter. andrew carter. for charity, you can get him to commentate on your own dogs activities. —— you can find him. some comments from you, people going back to primary schools, nurseries. 0ne going back to primary schools, nurseries. one theory says i'll be worried that i'll be prosecuted if i refused to send my son, my wife is physically disabled, i have her only career, she has been told to shield for 12 weeks and requires my assistance for daily tasks. is there assistance for daily tasks. is there a possibility my son would bring something back into the home, thus causing a severe threat to my wife? it is talked about, for those children who live with someone who is clinically vulnerable, including those who are pregnant, your child can go back to nursery school but if your child lives with someone who is extremely clinically vulnerable and only you will know that, nigel, it's

advised the children go back if the strongest or the most stringent social distancing can be adhered to and in the case of children, they actually understand and follow those instructions so maybe a year six pupil you would expect them to understand those instructions and you will not be prosecuted, that's what the guidance is, if you make the decision not to send your children back. graham says regarding children back. graham says regarding children going back to school eve ryo ne children going back to school everyone knows schools and school staff are being used as a baby—sitting service so parents can get the economy moving again, jacqueline says i'm the mum of a toddler, i'm not sending my daughter back to school until it's safe to do so. back to school until it's safe to do so. i don't think kids should go back until september. right, let's bring you the weather. here is matt taylor. hello. another chilly day out there but another dry date for the vast majority. 0ne out there but another dry date for the vast majority. one or two showers around, most are staying dry throughout but let me show you the chart how their rainfall totals will tot up through the rest of this week are not likely to see the wettest weather in northern scotland, little bit of rain around the fringes, most places are staying predominantly

dry. that's because high pressure at the moment, showing on the satellite imagery from earlier, this slot of clear skies, rain clouds around, nasty weather to the south of france over the last a8 hours. now in northern scotland has been producing rain, sleet, snow, edging southward through today, away from that, showers and north—west england, northern ireland continuing, most dry but cloudy compared to this morning, the rain increasingly turning to snow across the mainland of scotla nd turning to snow across the mainland of scotland as it heads south through this afternoon. could see a covering in place, five or 6 degrees as the high, colder than yesterday, slightly breezy as well. the breeze lighter elsewhere. accordingly temperatures a little bit higher, certainly pleasant enough when you get the sun but out of it you will notice it is cold for this stage in may. this evening the rain, sleet, hill snow makes pushes across southern scotland, northern england, rain showers across england and wales, or its cloud across the south of the uk, not as cold as last

night, clearer skies across scotland and northern ireland, the chance of frost tomorrow morning. bright start for many, snow flurries in northern scotland, centimetre or two of covering here and there, more in the way of rain through eastern counties of england, much like we saw yesterday, the breeze picking up, not quite as strong as yesterday but still cold, even with the sunshine, temperatures down a little bit away from northern scotland, compared to today. there will be changes through the second half of the week. colder blue colours get shoved away toward scandinavia. the weather map starting to warm with yellows on there, temperatures returning to normal, there is deep starting frosty but starting to feel warmer, wind easing, still a breeze in the south of england, bit of a breeze in the north of scotland, one or two showers, mostly dry, best of the sunshine in the morning, ploughed through the afternoon but sunny spells breaking through. for the end of the week, chance of further rain in scotland, most dry, temperatures

back to where they should be at this stage in may.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the latest official figures in england and wales show a substantial decrease in deaths in the week up to may the 1st. president trump boasts about the number of coronavirus tests being conducted in the us but cuts off his news conference after this exchange with a journalist. ascott china that question, 0k? when you ask then that question you might get a very unusual answer. sir, why are you saying that to me, specifically? the chancellor is set to announce the next steps for the furlough scheme which subsidises the wages of millions of people. the health secretary stresses the importance of getting people back to work.

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