this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. a new test designed to check whether people have ever had coronavirus gets the green light — as england follows the us and europe. we are keen to get as many as we can and get them out, primarily to the front line first, nhs and social care and then more widely. because this really will be, this has the potential to be a game changer. the government will outline plans to provide more support for care homes in england — as senior health figures warn the sector has been neglected during the coronavirus outbreak. the number of people visiting a&e units in england has halved since the pandemic started, figures show.

concern in spain about the high number of medical workers who've been exposed to covid—19 — nearly 50,000 health staff are known to have been affected. businesses gci’oss new zealand reopen — with the easing of restrictions introduced nearly two months ago to prevent the spread of the coronavirus — no new infections have been recorded there for several consecutive days. and the tottenham and england midfielder, dele alli, suffers minor facial injuries after being held at knifepoint during a burglary at his home in north london. good morning and welcome to bbc news for our viewers in the uk and around the world. i'm annita mcveigh.

in the latest developments on the coronavirus outbreak in the uk, and globally a test which can tell whether you've ever been infected with coronavirus has been approved by health officials in england. the test looks for antibodies in the bloodstream to see whether a person may now have immunity. at the moment, tests in the uk can only check whether you are currently infected. antibody tests have already been approved in the us and europe. it comes amid warnings from three think tanks that re—starting nhs care, including cancer care and routine surgery, could take months due to the effort of reorganising services ppe and extra cleaning. it comes as the latest figures show the number of people visiting accident and emergency units in england has halved since the pandemic started.

in spain there are concerns about the number of medical workers who've been exposed to coronavirus after almost 50,000 spanish health staff have reportedly been affected by the virus. new zealand is phasing out its lockdown, with thousands of businesses including shops, and restaurants welcoming customers for the first time since late march. and the world health organisation has warned that coronavirus "might never go away". at a briefing on wednesday, dr mike ryan added that it was unwise to try to predict when the virus would disappear. back in the uk, the government is expected to set out details today of how it plans to provide more support for care homes in england, where thousands of residents have died with coronavirus. charlotte rose reports on the latest in the uk's response to the virus. an antibody test has long been seen as an important part of the toolkit for plotting a route out of lockdown. until now, officials said tests like this shown here have not

been sufficiently reliable. but one made by swiss company roche could be the first 12 to offer serious potential. it means for the first time people could find out if they have had covid—19 and develop the immune response to fight it. meanwhile the government has been looking at its response to the epidemic in care homes. it led to this exchange between the prime minister and the labour leader yesterday. until the 12th of march, the government's own official advice was, it remains very unlikely that people receiving care in a care home will become infected. does the prime minister accept the government was too slow? it wasn't true the advice said that and actually, we brought the lockdown in care homes ahead of the lockdown in care homes ahead of the general lockdown. the advice did say infection was unlikely until mid—march, but number ten said keir

starmer had quoted it out of context. the government yesterday announced £600 million of new funding for residential homes to stop the spread of infection. it is to purchase protective equipment and stop staff rotation and the use of agency carers, to reduce the chance of covid getting into care homes. while some believe the cash is coming too late, the government insists it wasn't forgotten. even prior to that testing, there was a policy whereby an individual who is moving into a care home would be retained, if you like, in safe isolation within the care home because it was recognised this was a risk group. so they are having a test now, but they that had been treated in much the same way for quite a few weeks before this. meanwhile, the bbc learned about the increased risk of the virus facing people with a learning disability. this programme has been told by the ca re this programme has been told by the care watchdog for england, last month there was a 175% increase in

the expected death rate in the places where they live, compared to the same period where —— j. places where they live, compared to the same period where ——j. the places where they live, compared to the same period where —— j. the data on care homes will be published later this week. and it is those workers we will be thinking of again tonight as the country comes out to clap for carers in an act that has now become a national ritual. a show of togetherness against a virus which still keeps us apart. charlotte rose, bbc news. so what's different about the test developed by swiss pharmaceutical company roche? it works by testing the blood for antibodies. these are proteins produced by the immune system to help stop viruses or bacteria from harming the body. if you have these antibodies, it means you have previously had

covid—19 as the antibodies stay in the blood after you've recovered. previous antibody tests have been found to be unreliable, and it is still not known whether having the virus gives you immunity against the disease. the tests currently being offered to key workers and others who are showing symptoms of covid—19 are different. these use a swab of the nose and throat. the swab is then sent to a lab, where it is tested for genetic material matching that of the coronavirus. it tells you if you have the disease at that particular time. our medical correspondent, fergus walsh, told us more about the antibody test. this is a different test, so this involves having blood drawn, so it's not something you can do at home, and then it is sent off to a laboratory for very sophisticated analysis. public health england has approved this, it has sent the test to its reference laboratories in porton down in wiltshire

and found that it was almost 100% accurate. so this test really will tell you if at some point in the past you have come across coronavirus and now have antibodies in your blood. now, the next big question which i think everybody will want to know the answer to is — is a reliable antibody test the same thing, essentially, as a reliable immunity test? well, that is the big question and at the moment i'm afraid i can't give you a definitive answer. it is likely, it is likely, that if you have antibodies to this and you have a good, strong antibody response and, in fact, we are finding in laboratories that some people have stronger and some people are having weaker antibody responses, but if you have antibodies to coronavirus, it probably will give you some protection. whether or not it completely

protects you is another thing and how long that immunity lasts for is also questionable, but those sorts of questions will become clearer in the months ahead. there are lots of labs around the world that are looking into this question of reinfection, but it hopefully will give you some level of protection. it could be very important to front line health workers. and also it will help us get a really firm grip on how many people in the uk have had coronavirus. the current estimates are somewhere between 4% uk wide and may be up to 10% in london. niall dickson is chief exeutive of nhs confederation which speaks on behalf of the health and care system. good to have you with us today. some positive news with the news of this antibody test, what hopes do you have for it? this is very good news

because everyone will remember in the early days, there was quite a lot of optimism and talk about this antibody test coming over the hill and saving us all, as it were. then it was clear the early antibody tests simply didn't have the reliability and putting in a bad testis reliability and putting in a bad test is worse than having no test at all. i think it has been something we have been hoping for and the really good news is, this looks like it isa really good news is, this looks like it is a very reliable test. the caution, one has to say, is around the point fergus hasjust made, if you have antibodies, does that mean you have antibodies, does that mean you are immune and for how long does it make you immune? the key point is, if we know more and more people are immune from the virus then of course, it is easier to come first of all, in the nhs terms identify those staff, make sure those staff

know they have antibodies to it and therefore they will still need protection and so forth, but it certainly enables the health service to deploy its staff more effectively going forward. secondary to that, in terms of the lockdown, with knowing which people have had the virus and therefore should be protected from it, we will need to know more about thatis it, we will need to know more about that is good news and should enable us that is good news and should enable us to understand, apart from anything else, how the virus is spread and where it has spread to across the population. that knowledge is really important in terms of fighting the virus and building on what will still be required, this test, track and trace programme. we will explore that in a moment, but picking up on the immunity question, you are obviously urging caution on that because there are still unanswered questions despite this being a reliable antibody test as in what is the extent of someone's immunity, how

long that immunity might last for? does the level of your immunity very whether you have had coronavirus without any symptoms or if you have had a really bad case of coronavirus? yes, i am not a virologist, so in terms of the viral load, seems to be quite important. i think we will need to adjust, in the next few days, we will hear the level of uncertainty which is around in relation to this. but i would say that in any event, having a reliable testis that in any event, having a reliable test is useful and as i understand it, the science suggests if you have antibodies you may well have a degree of immunity. it is not a worthless thing, as it were. absolutely, it is good news to hear this this morning, and i was asking you that from the point of view of finding out how far your caution extends when it comes to news of an antibody test and the nhs and other

areas getting back to work, getting up areas getting back to work, getting up and running in a relatively normal way. let me ask you first of all then, if this test is delivered, what does the government need to do, what does the government need to do, what does the nhs need to do to actually get that testing up to the right sort of numbers to make it meaningful? again, it depends on how the test is administered and how easy it is administered and how quickly the results of that test are able to be given. because those have been some of the logistical issues we have faced in the past. i don't wa nt to we have faced in the past. i don't want to prejudge that material which will no doubtless come out today. we are hoping this will be an easy test to administer and very quick to get results. those are the key things you want going forward and that there are adequate supplies of it and the distribution, which again has been a significant problem up until now, is overcome. your wider question about the health service,

we cannot underestimate the point about how difficult it is going to be to try and jack up services again. just as he found it was easier to put the lockdown in place thanit easier to put the lockdown in place than it has been to unlock it. likewise, trying to build up the services again will be quite a challenge. it will be a challenge in pa rt challenge. it will be a challenge in part because it is not a reversion back to normal, we have still got a service that is distorted, if that is the right word, coping with significant numbers of covid patients. it is running two systems in one. it is back to more normal services, alongside this system whereby we have still got very large numbers of covid patients. when you see those figures, a&e attendance is down a 50% approximately in march on the same period last year, it is clear the health service needs to be able to deal with non—covid related matters as well for the good of

everyone's hell. i hope you can still hear me, your picture has frozen. let me check you can still hear me? ifearwe frozen. let me check you can still hear me? ifear we have frozen. let me check you can still hear me? i fear we have lost that connection with the chief executive of the nhs confederation. apologies for that, although we had pretty much got through most of the interview. good news, he said about the antibody test, that it looks like a reliable test. let me tell you at 11.30 we will be answering your questions on how the antibody test might work on what the results might mean for us and how the country tackles the pandemic going forward. please send us your questions using the hashtag bbc your questions using the hashtag bbc your questions or e—mail your questions to our website. we look forward to your questions. in spain, the pandemic is being brought under control, but there are concerns about the sheer number of medical workers who've been exposed to the virus.

almost 50,000 spanish health staff are known to have been infected and they now account for one in two new cases being detected in the country. 0ur europe correspondent damian grammaticas reports. in madrid's puerta de hierro hospital, applause, not to thank the medics, but from them. to console the family ofjavier ruiz, a porter, one of two workers here who've lost their lives to covid—19. in this hospital, 200 out of 5,000 staff have caught the virus. across spain, more than 50 medics have died. two months into this crisis, what's becoming evident in spain it's notjust the toll covid—19 has taken on patients, but on medical workers too. spain has started testing them all and is revealing just how many have been infected. when there was such a pressure coming from the people that got

infected in the community, they did not test us, but now the whole country is testing, every single one. even if we haven't had any symptoms at all. so now that's why there's a lot of cases being reported. covid—19 patients require close contact. it's why the risks are so high. the line on the floor is how the doctors try to stay safe. no doctor can cross it without full protection. while they tend to patients, staff in the clean zone pass over what they need. and leaving every room, they disinfect hands. these are procedures that have had to be learned since the outbreak began, and they're followed scrupulously every single time someone comes out of one of the rooms, so there's no contagion spread from the dirty areas over there to the clean ones here. it's helped ensure no intensive care staff are among those who've caught the virus.

elsewhere, where it's harder to control things, the risks are even greater. 0scar rodriguez, an emergency doctor, had covid—19. he's one of around 50,000 medical workers in spain to catch it. now back on callouts to old people's homes, he takes the same precautions as the intensive care doctors. translation: i feel bad. we don't want to be the european champions when it comes to infected medical workers. it's because we have been exposed so much. at another hospital, a protest. medics who believe they've been failed. the black bing bags they had to wear to try to stay protected. this is you? hector castineira says more than 1,000 staff at the hospital caught the virus. his photos include masks issued to medical workers then withdrawn as unsuitable. we are afraid to go to work because we don't know if the mask is good or is fake,

or if we are appropriately protected against the virus. back at the puerta de hierro hospital, ordinary wards take the extraordinary precautions too. full safety gear for every covid patient. translation: they make miracles, the staff. we're here on our own without family. these hands consoled us. we don't have the words to thank them. thanks shared by a grateful nation as spain's medics continue to risk their help to save others. damian grammaticas, bbc news, madrid. some good news, from new zealand — which has ended its lockdown and is re—opening its economy for the first time since late march. shops, restaurants, and hairdressers have begun welcoming customers again, while thousands of students will return to schools from monday.

new zealand has fared comparatively well from the coronavirus, with less than 1,500 total cases. 0ur correspondent shaimaa khalil reports. ready? taking the plunge into a new—found freedom as new zealand eases restrictions and opens up for business. a fitting move for the mayor of queenstown, known for its adventure sports. the end of lockdown means businesses across the country have been allowed to reopen, with strict hygiene and social distancing measures. with people finally able to shop and sit together in cafes, it almost looks like a normal day here in oakland. it's magic and great to just reconnect and actually be in a different environment, that has been the biggest bonus, i think. good view, lovely day, so, itjust helps that someone else makes the coffee for a change. it's fantastic. barber shops have been working through the night as customers queued outside,

desperate for that haircut they had been waiting for after weeks of lockdown. pupils across new zealand are expected to return to school from monday. in christchurch this college is one of the first educational facilities opening their doors. absolutely delightful. this is what schools are about, the chatter and energy of the girls, smiles all around from teachers and from students and, not surprisingly, from parents as well. while life slowly and cautiously goes back to normal, there are still many restrictions. people are allowed to visit family and friends, but social gatherings are limited to groups of ten. those travelling domestically have to keep a record of where they have been and who they have been in contact with. new zealand has fared much better than many countries, notjust in suppressing, but in eliminating the virus. but the lockdown has had a devastating impact on the economy. the government has announced a $50 billion covid—19

recovery plan to save nearly 140,000 jobs nationwide. we have never sugar coated what the future will look like, but nor will we pretend that there is nothing we can do about it. governments have choices, just as we did when we faced covid—19, and those choices are between sitting back and hoping, or sitting up and taking action. as the country eases into normality, many will have to get to grips with the economic impact covid—19 will have on their daily lives. for now, some are enjoying the first day of happier times and truly being together again. let's speak now to dr siouxsie wiles, who's a microbiologist at the university of auckland. you've been advising new zealand's government.

good to have you with us. what has been the key to the country getting to this point do you think?m been the key to the country getting to this point do you think? it was absolutely to move really fast and act really harshly. we could all see what was happening in late february around the world and what we knew in new zealand was we didn't have many intensive care beds, we didn't have many ventilators and we had lots of vulnerable people. we moved from the strategy other countries were using to flatten the curve and spread out the infection is to actually eliminate the virus. we are nearly there, but not yet. are you saying new zealand is nearly there on eliminating the virus, notjust flattening the curve? yes, that was absolutely our strategy. it wasn't just to allow the virus to run its course, but very slowly. it was to actually try and stop all cases altogether. that has required some very harsh moves, the closing of the

boarders and close to everybody but citizens so people coming to the country had to go into quarantine for two weeks. it is also required this complete lockdown of the country we had. we have this four level alert system, we spent 11.5 weeks at level four, which was the strictest and then we have just had over two weeks at level three and today we moved into level two, which is still not back to normal but it is still not back to normal but it is an easing of many of the restrictions. as we have been seen in the report from our correspondence. looking at scenes we can only dream of here in the uk at the moment. there has been a high level of compliance in new zealand with those guidelines set out by the government? certainly at level four, that was lots of compliance with that. level three was pretty good, i think there were a few issues in the first weekend, so level three was said to be locked down with ta keaways. said to be locked down with takeaways. so there was a little bit

of trouble doing social distancing when the takeaway is first opened. how did you come out of it, to go into it, as most countries are finding? everybody is very excited. the important thing is, we won't know how successful this has been, or how level three has been for a couple of weeks. we have had three daysin couple of weeks. we have had three days in a row where we have had no cases, but if we do have some viruses we are not aware of, it will ta ke viruses we are not aware of, it will take another week or so before we see those cases start to rise again. you are originally from the uk, your pa rents, you are originally from the uk, your parents, i understand, are still here had he wanted them to come to you in new zealand when they were still able to? i know you are looking at the situation here in the uk very closely and comparing how new zealand was handling the situation vis—a—vis the uk? new zealand was handling the situation vis-a-vis the uk? yes, we did have a call and i said, situation vis-a-vis the uk? yes, we did have a calland i said, i need you to pack your bags right now. but things progressed so fast that by the time we had got to discussing it

a few days later, our borders were closed. i certainly wanted them to be here because i felt they would be safer. it is a very difficult situation, those countries that did not act fast enough are now seeing huge numbers of cases and it becomes much more difficult to recoverfrom that, i think. are you saying the uk did not act fast enough? clearly didn't act fast enough. allowing people to come into the country, more introductions of the virus and the fact there is so much community transmission means it is very, very ha rd to transmission means it is very, very hard to stop that from happening. really good to talk to you, thank you for your time today. from the university of auckland. we have some news from japan. let me bring you the latest details, japan has lifted the latest details, japan has lifted the coronavirus state of emergency in most regions. that has been announced by the prime minister shinzo abe. however, not in tokyo, which has been a focal point of a

high number of infections. some more detailsjust coming in high number of infections. some more details just coming in from japan's largest news agency, which is saying that the government there has decided to lift a national state of emergency for 39 of the country's 47 states where covid—19 is currently not spreading widely. but urban regions, such as tokyo and osaka, will remain under the state of emergency to ensure a newly reported cases continue to fall and the burden of hospitals eases, says the prime minister. so that news just coming in from japan. the world health organisation is warning that covid—19 may be something that people have to learn to live with and "may never go away". there are currently more than 100 potential vaccines in development. but the organisation's emergency director says even if one is found to work, it may not be possible to completely eliminate the virus.

the england footballer dele alli has thanked fans for their support after he was robbed at knifepoint. police say two men broke into the 24—year—old's home in north london in the early hours of yesterday morning and stole jewellery. alli later tweeted saying it was a "horrible experience but we're all ok now." the us will announce its weekly unemployment figures later today, but economists have already predicted that the country is facing its worst unemployment rate since the great depression, with a predicted rise of 14.7%. here in the uk, the british economy declined by 2% in the first three months of this year, the worst since the financial crash of 2008. economists are predicting that the current quarter will see a far worse hit. let's speak now to simon macadam, the global economist for capital economics, an economic research. thank you very much forjoining us

today, simon. let's begin with the united states and many economists in the states thinking that the government needs to go even further thanit government needs to go even further than it already has. what tools does the government have their to actually try to deal with the financial, the economic crisis this pandemic has unleashed? the thing is with the us government and governments around the world, what is critical here is about throwing lifelines to businesses. so they don't go bankrupt. the problem is, the virus and the social distancing measures and lock downs that have come along with that, have meant businesses have been having two fellow workers are shut down production for many weeks and many will continue to be constrained in the coming weeks and months. the task for the government at hand is to just keep those businesses alive so that when the virus is brought under control, if it is brought

under control, if it is brought under control, if it is brought under control in fact, the economy can begin to bounce back and there can begin to bounce back and there can begin to bounce back and there can bea can begin to bounce back and there can be a slow and gradual return to normal, whatever that post virus normal, whatever that post virus normal will beer. president trump has talked about negative interest rates, but i think that is something the federal reserve in the states, it is not a road it is keen to go down? no, that is quite right. there are all sorts of potential costs that come along with negative interest rates. lots of economies in the world have dived into the negative territory, the ecb in the eurozone, the nordic countries as well have done that. the fed have been resistant to it and it is more unlikely and far more likely to beef up unlikely and far more likely to beef up some of the large—scale lending programmes they have enacted in recent weeks. so they have been announcing unprecedented support for the private sector economy. the federal reserve and us, the us equivalent of the bank of england in the uk, they have announced they are essentially printing money to lend

directly to businesses. in this country we have got governments guaranteeing loans to businesses via banks, but we have in the us, they have actually printed money, set up new lending facilities so businesses can apply to commercial banks for the special fed loans. they are, along with the us federal government, offering a lifeline to businesses there. as we look at the picture globally, we mentioned in the introduction to you, simon, the situation in the us predicted to be possibly the worst, or worse than the great depression in terms of the unemployment rate, at what point does a recession become a depression? these things do not have particularly strict definitions attached to them. a recession can mean different things to different people. strictly speaking, in a technical sense, when two

consecutive quarters of negative gdp growth happen, it is a recession in many cases. the depression is a rather large and protracted downturn in the economy, that could mean gdp is far lower than it was when we went into the crisis, notjust a couple of percent, but 20% lower. unemployment rates in double digits for many months and quarters to come. the question really is it all hinges on several factors about whether we stave off the risk of a depression and get the economy back to work as quickly as possible. partly that is about the virus and can we bring it under control? is there a vaccine around the corner? are there treatments available that would be widespread and enough to be useful in tackling the virus and help people get back to work? can we get the unemployment rate down? it is quite possible that if the virus is quite possible that if the virus is brought under control later this

year, it is true the unemployment rate has shot up, but it could shoot down. it is worth remembering the unemployment rate in the us that shot up to 14.7% in april and is rising now, worse than the great depression, that is largely because of temporary lay—offs. that is not because of permanent job of temporary lay—offs. that is not because of permanentjob losses, which is what is typical in a recession. when the economy is doing badly, people lose theirjobs and they have lost thatjob and will have to reapply for otherjobs somewhere else in the economy for many months to come and that is not the case at the moment. people may have the chance of regaining the jobs they lost recently. finally, simon, in order to get the economy back and working and people back to work and to give confidence, how important is it that the economy, whether it is employers or employees, or large scale, knows that the debts being incurred right now will be paid back over a very

long period of time? i am talking decades and decades rather than an expectation that somehow this money would be clawed back in the shorter term. how important is that in terms of confidence for businesses going forward to re—employ people? extremely. the hit to business balance sheets and the income flow at the moment has been unprecedented. the collapse in reve nu es unprecedented. the collapse in revenues and the surge in debt they are taking on, they will want to rehire workers and take on investment projects if they are expected to pay back creditors any time soon. it is quite reassuring that institutions like the federal reserve have made it clear that on the loans they are offering two businesses directly they are saying they do not have to pay any of the debt back or interest payments at all for at least six months and they can be flexible on that and extend that if necessary. commercial banks will be expected, ordinary high street banks for business, they will

be expected to engage in widespread forbearance, basically being very accommodating to businesses who are struggling and to give them a lot more headroom to deal with this unprecedented hit to their finances. good to talk to you. simon mcadam, a global economist. simon mcadam, a global economist. president trump has criticised his adminstration's top infectious disease expert antony fauci for warning states of the dangers of reopening their economies too soon. dr fauci had said in testimony to the us senate that if federal guidelines were not followed the country ran the risk of seeing "little spikes" becoming big outbreaks. president trump has encouraged state governors to lift lockdown restrictions in order to increase economic activity, which has seen some states reopen without having met white house guidelines. responding to dr fauci's testimony, the president described his warning as ‘unacceptable'. look, he wants to play all sides of the equation. i think we're going to have a tremendous forth

quarter, i think we're going to have a traditional third quarter and i think we're going to have a phenomenal next year. i feel that we are going to have a country that's ready to absolutely have one of its best years. 0ur north america correspondent, david willis, says dr fauci's comments have been interpreted as being critical of the president. dr fauci appeared before a senate committee in the week and he warned of the dangers of reopening this economy to quickly, economy too quickly, particularly regarding schools. he said that it was a mistake to think that although children had fared better, generally speaking, than adults, it was a mistake to think that children were immune from the virus. president trump said that he totally disagreed with that. he said it would only be acceptable to him for teachers and professors to stay away if they were of a certain age and more susceptible to the coronavirus. otherwise he wanted schools to reopen. it's all part of this rush to reopen the us economy to get things as back on their feet as they can be in time

for his re—election campaigns and his re—election in november, if it happens. let's get more now on those accident and emergency figures in england which have shown a substantial fall in attendances during april. we also heard that urgent cancer referrals by gp's in england were down by nearly a fifth during march. our health correspondent nick triggle is here. i think you also have figures for routine operations as well. let's begin with a&e will stop what impact is this pandemic having on people going to accident and emergency? there have been suggestions for a number of weeks that not as many people were coming forward to a&e that have done previously. today's figures confirm that. before the pandemic they get about 2.1 million people a month coming to a&e for treatment, but that has now dropped

to under a million in april. in march it was 1.5 million, in april it dropped again. this is causing real concern among nhs bosses. they are concerned people with strokes and heart problems are not coming forward , and heart problems are not coming forward, they are staying away frighten that coronavirus is in hospitals. they are saying, you must come forward. a&e has always been open and has not been affected by coronavirus. they must come forward for help, they say. what is the impact on cancer diagnosis and treatment and on those routine operations as well? we know before the peak of the pandemic the nhs did have to make some significant changes. services were scaled back and staff had to be redeployed. we have got the figures for march, the counselling routine data, and in march we note that the numbers of urgent referrals by gps for cancer ca re

urgent referrals by gps for cancer care dropped by a fifth. you would normally have over 300,000 referrals. they dropped to just under 200,000. for routine operations they dropped by a third. this is things like knee and hip replacements. again, the nhs was told to scale back to stop that routine work ahead of coronavirus, but now obviously, now the peak has passed, the hospitals are being urged to restart that. but health experts warn it will take time to do that. exactly, we have been hearing about that today. while we can understand routine operations and treatments that are often nonurgent have been slightly put on hold, doctors very much want people who think they may have cancer, they have symptoms of cancer, or who are concerned about a heart issue, stroke, so on, they really want those people to be turning up for

appointments or going to seek help, don't they? how will they get to that point? what sort of measures are needed now to people confidence? a group of leading health think tanks, the kings fan, the nuffield trust and the health foundation, have been looking at what the health service must do to get back to some normality. they say one thing is staff will need more access to ppe. we need to think about social distancing, whether in the gp surgery or in the hospital waiting room. there are lots of changes that need to happen and they say it could ta ke need to happen and they say it could take some time to tackle the backlog that has been developed. i think to give people the confidence to get back using health services, get those early signs of cancer spotted so gps can refer them on for treatment, but they say it must happen soon. nick, thank you very much. nick, thank you very much. let's return now to the warning from the world

health organisation that despite work continuing on a vaccine, covid—19 may be something that people have to learn to live with. the who emergenices expert explained that the new coronavirus strain may never go away. we have a new virus entering the human population for the first time and therefore it is very hard to predict when we will prevail over it. this virus may become just another endemic virus in our communities and this virus may never go away. let's go live to our global affairs correspondent, naomi grimley. hello to you. many countries around the world are in the process of using lockdown is. we have heard about japan, for example, using lockdown is. we have heard aboutjapan, for example, in the last few minutes, in most of its regions. what are they going to take from this warning from the who, do you think? i think the who is worried about prematurely seeing

societies opening up without a proper track and trace community surveillance and testing in place. i think that is why they have issued this warning. it is notjust yesterday, it has happened over the last few days. they are warning us that we are in for the long haul. let me give you a little bit more of a flavour about what mike ryan was saying. he was warning against magical thinking, that societies can suddenly open back up and everything would be ok. he also said it would not be a sensible way to go to judge how well a lockdown had worked, whether it had delivered results or not, by counting the bodies in the morgue. he uses very not, by counting the bodies in the morgue. he uses very colourful language, but what he is trying to say is that this is not necessarily the case that societies, countries, can go back to normal, but a second wave is very likely in some cases. we have been talking about the

antibody test today that seems to have been produced by roche, the swiss pharmaceutical company. what is happening on the search for a vaccine because the world health 0rganization also is saying there is not any positive news from the who, that even the vaccine might not be the panacea we are all looking for. that is right, mike ryan with his no nonsense language was warning that it isa nonsense language was warning that it is a massive moonshot. what he is talking about is notjust the science of trying to find a vaccine that works, but then having to distribute it across the world. just vaccinating one country and one bit of the world will not work. you have to make sure that everyone has access to it so that in our globalised world you do not then get more infections that then circle back around the world as the un has warned us. if you are looking for good news, remember there are still

very positive language coming out of the oxford team in their search for a vaccine. they still think they might have one later this summer, and they are saying they think there is an 80% chance that they will be able to find one. but what doctor ryan was trying to warn us is there are still many diseases out there like measles, we have a vaccine for that but it still exists in pockets in the world, and also hiv, another disease where we have not yet found a vaccine, even though there are now very excellent ways of managing it and trying to keep transmission rates down. thank you very much. thank you very much. people with learning disabilities in england, could be at greater risk during the pandemic, according to figures seen by bbc news. data from the care quality commission, which focuses on care settings where people with learning disabilities may live, shows an increase in the number of deaths last month, compared with the same period last year. but while elderly people are automatically entitled to be tested for covid—19,

people with a learning disability are not, as our reporter jayne mccubbin has been finding out. when they were born they both defied the odds. i've always described him as the nicest person i've ever met. and we miss him already. i bet you do. the families were told they'd never be able to live full lives. she just absolutely blossomed into an independent young lady who everybody loved because she had such a kind, caring nature. but with support they had lived happy lives. nigel married anne, laura worked in a charity shop. but then covid struck and they both died farfrom home in hospital. well, he said on the day he died he wanted to come home and, you know, we couldn't do anything about that. it's very sad. as a mum, that's the hardest thing

i've ever had to do, you know, when your child is ringing to say "will you please come and see me," and you can't go. but... i have stop there. sorry. nigel and laura arejust two people with learning disabilities who've died from covid—19, but the question being asked is how many more? we've learned that there were 175% more deaths in places that can support people with learning disabilities last month than reported in the same period last year. that compares to a 75% increase in deaths in the total population. hello, everybody! gillian introduces me to the people who share this house in leicester. they are part of the community integrated care group which says there is just not enough protection for emma and the rest of the residents here. it's just the testing is just really, really difficult, jayne. i mean, we've had one site,

for example, last week, a learning disability site, it took seven days for the results to come through. and that site it's only been staff that's been tested. and still they're saying that there's no testing for the people that live there, yet there's people with learning disabilities that live there. and so what i think what they have offered them to offered them to old people's care homes, in terms of that we've seen testing for both residents and care staff, that needs to be extended to other vulnerable groups within the social care sector. buy why — if it's yes for old people, why no for learning disabilities? there's been no reason given for that. and when it comes to the very fight to save lives, there are also concerns and questions. nigel and laura's families were both asked what they wished for their relatives' care. i don't even know the name of the doctor spoke to. just said to me, you know what interventions you want put in place for laura? and i said absolutely everything.

they wonder is that a question they would have been asked if they had not had a learning disability? no, i don't think it would, i don't think it would. we've seen exclusive research by learning disability england which shows do not resuscitate orders are appearing in medical notes without families even being consulted. and most of those people are non—verbal. and people who are non—verbal can't actually speak out. it has to be said these families are full of praise for the compassion of nurses who cared for their loved ones when they could not be there. but they are aware this is a vulnerable group facing huge health inequalities and covid has hit hard. how hard we don't yet know. the government has promised to publish data later today. itjust seems like the people with learning disabilities have been put to the back of the queue and they will be the last group to be looked into. they want full respect for this community —

in life, in care, and in death. and as hard as it was that i never got to say goodbye to her, i new that the nurses were with her and they were playing disney songs, because she loved disney. and they were just wonderful. and a couple of developing stories around the world. a powerful typhoon has hit the central phillipines, focing an evacuation for tens of thousands of people. with winds of up to one hundred and eighty kilometres an hour, it's forecast to be heading for areas that are home to tens of millions of people. due to the coronavirus, shelters are only accept half their capacity, and evacuees are having to wear face masks. lebanon has re—imposed its nationwide lockdown just after lifting it. (00v)shops,

restaurants and hair—salons had been after recording a second spike in coronavirus infections just after lifting it. shops, restaurants and hair—salons had been given the go ahead to re—open, but the government now says they'll have to close again. the efforts to fight the virus have had a crushing impact on the economy, which was in a dire state even before the pandemic struck. in england, the easing of the restrictions in england yesterday may have meant a return to work for some people — but it also offered the chance to see a friend or family member for the first time in weeks. how does it feel to be back at work? it feels great. this is all the tools that our drivers brought back yesterday. ajob, very often, isn't just about the money. it is a big relief to actually escape the confines of the home. it's good to be alive among the living, and it is excellent to see our colleagues again. premier plant hire in south london, where tools and machinery can finally be hired out. what's it like to come back to work?

it's very strange. usually there's about 20 of us in the yard. there's four of us come back due to furloughing, and it'sjust a very strange, surreal situation. we need to work for stability and structure in your life, and from a financial point of view. so, glad to be back, put it that way. new balls, new rules. but sebastien and jordan have finally been able to return to the tennis court. it's really important. i've been stuck at home for seven weeks and feeling like i'm going a little bit crazy. the fact i can be out here and talking to people, even those on the other side of the court, feels really nice. it's brilliant, it's great to be back. it's vital for mental well— being, physical well—being, to get people out of the house, exercise again, and yes, just to do things again, to live again. the lawn tennis association says players should stick to singles. doubles should only be played by members of the same household. and balls should only be picked up

by the player who brought them. so, sebastien you're not going to pick the ball up, are you? no, i cannot, so i'm going to use my racket and foot to do that or something like that, but not using my hands. and you're not allowed to serve either? no serving, i'm afraid. for many, this isn't a return to normality, but a first glimpse of what a new normality might look like. at the jcb factory in staffordshire, there were temperature checks upon entry and face masks on the factory floor. to see people — just their eyes — it's very difficult to comprehend that this is reality. it does feel initially a little bit like a chess board and that we are chess pieces moving around the factory. however, this has got to be done. in hastings, steve's plumbing an bathroom business reopened yesterday with one of the shower unit doors he sells but to new use. we take the orders through the glass

here, then we put the orders out the side and they collect them. so there's actually no real contact whatsoever. wendy hadn't seen her son pierce in person since lockdown began. i'm really excited. i can't wait. it's been at least seven weeks, so looking forward to a nice picnic in the sunshine. with meetings between two people from different households finally permitted in england, in a park near bingley in west yorkshire, a reunion between mother and son. amazing. video calling can all only do so much. just being able to see her has been lovely. hugs will have to wait. there's nothing more important than keeping the ones you love safe and healthy. a big step forward, but normality as we knew it is still a long way off. tim muffett, bbc news. with so many of us being forced

to live under one roof for weeks, even average—sized families are bound to find things difficult from time to time. well, the shaw family from nottingham are managing with 1a in the house. quentin rayner reports. they are the 1a who live at number 1a. tom and stacey shaw had planned for six and say it was just one of those things — more came along. now under one roof there are three girls, nine boys, and two long—suffering parents. oh, it's fine. it's easier than normality. how come? less running around to do. it's kind ofjust like the start of the school holidays where you'r4just kind of change from mayhem to calm, but we're stuck in this kind of groundhog day circle of the first few days of summer holidays. the family live in an eight bedroom house and are self isolating. lockdown has unlocked some revelations. with this staying at home malarkey we're having to, i think, get to know each other more. so, i've said before, more of them are quite more intelligent than i assumed,

because i'm having to talk to them more — for a start. i was like, "oh, 0k, you're like that." the focus is on hobbies, especially gaming. well, collectively we all play games on the computer. we actually built a new computer out of an old one just so the kids could use it and we all play together like that. the family's fleet of vehicles hasn't moved in weeks. normally they'd be driven for up to three hours a day on school runs to three different schools. there's one big food shop a week coming in at about £150. two trolleys at the moment. you do get stared at a lot. like we're bulk buying. now, there are bound to be fall out and bust ups, how do you sort those out? there has been. but they get dealt with and moved on. soon resolved. so nothing different from normal? no, just like any other family. there's a few arguments but for the most part we stick to our clicks and there's not that much drama, really. and it could have been even more crowded for the 1a at 1a. there are two other girls living

elsewhere at the moment. quentin rayner, bbc news, nottingham. you are watching bbc news. and at 11.30 this morning, we will be answering your questions on how an antibody test might work, and what the results would mean for us and how the country tackles the pandemic going forward. send us your questions to hashtag bbcyourquestions or email yourquestions at bbc.co.uk. now it's time for a look at the weather with matt taylor. hello there. it's going to feel a bit more like mid—may should over the coming days, but this morning certainly began on a cold note. for northern ireland it was the coldest may night in almost a0 years, with temperatures dropping below minus six at katesbridge. but, the day is a dry one and whilst most sunny, a little bit more cloud building, you see this here on the

horizon in scotland. it's across scotland, northern ireland where we see more cloud into the afternoon. already seen showers across the north and west of scotland pushed down by the breeze, they will work a bit further southwards. a little bit more cloud for england and wales later, but most will stay dry. still breezy through the english channel, breezy in the north of scotland but elsewhere with lighter winds, a touch warmer than yesterday after that cold start — 16 the ultimate high across parts of south wales and south—west england. this evening and overnight, showers continue in scotland, even some longer spells of rain for shetland, one or two showers for northern ireland. most will be dry but a bit more cloud around through tonight. not quite as cold as last night, certainly nowhere near for northern ireland. and whilst the frost is a little bit more or less widespread, there'll still be some around, particularly across southern areas where this area of high pressure is nosing in so the winds are lighter, skies clearer here and this is where we start friday with the sunniest but also potentially the frostiest of the weather. more cloud though forjust about all of you on friday. still some sunny spells, best of which towards the south—west.

a few showers across scotland, northern ireland and most though will be dry again and temperatures creeping back close to where they should be for this time of year, 13 to 17 celsius. still a chilly feel though across shetland and 0rkney in particular. and that colder air here continues to push through into the rest of northern europe. we've lost that for most of the uk and bringing in south—westerly winds as we go through this weekend. the consequence of that, though, will be more cloud, these weather fronts add a greater chance of rain but that will be limited for the north—west of the country, as i will show you. for saturday, most will have a dry day, still a few showers in scotland as we will see over the next few days. the odd isolated one in northern ireland, maybe northern england. for most though, after a sunny start a bit more cloud through the afternoon and temperatures not that far off friday's values. but as we go through saturday night and into sunday, just watch what happens, the rain starts to becomes more persistent across the west of scotland. the highlands could see a good couple of inches, 50 millimetres or more of rain, to take us through 2a—hours. some splashes of rain for northern ireland, northern england too. further south though, blue skies are back and temperatures back into the low 20s.

bye for now.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. a new test — designed to check whether people have ever had coronavirus — gets the green light — as england follows the us and europe. we are keen to get as many as we can and get them out, primarily to the front line first, nhs and social care and then more widely. as the prime minister said, this has the potential to be a game changer. new figures reveal the number of people visiting a&e units in england has halved since the pandemic started. the government will outline plans to provide more support for care homes in england — as senior health figures warn the sector has been neglected during the coronavirus outbreak. concern in spain about the high number of medical workers who've been exposed to covid—19 —

nearly 50,000 health staff are known to have been infected. businesses across new zealand reopen — with the easing of restrictions introduced nearly two months ago to prevent the spread of the coronavirus — no new infections have been recorded there for several consecutive days. and the tottenham and england midfielder, dele alli, suffers minorfacial injuries — after being held at knifepoint during a burglary at his home in north london. good morning and welcome to bbc news for our viewers in the uk and around the world. in the latest developments on the coronavirus outbreak in the uk, and globally. a test which can tell

whether you've ever been infected with coronavirus has been approved by health officials in england. the test looks for antibodies in the bloodstream to see whether a person may now have immunity. at the moment, tests in the uk can only check whether you are currently infected. antibody tests have already been approved in the us & europe. it comes as the latest figures show the number of people visiting accident and emergency units in england has halved since the pandemic started. in spain there are concerns about the number of medical workers who've been exposed to coronavirus, after almost 50,000 spanish health staff have reportedly been infected with the virus. new zealand is phasing out its lockdown, with thousands of businesses, including shops and restaurants, welcoming customers for the first time since late march. but the world health 0rganization has warned that coronavirus "might never go away". at a briefing on wednesday, dr mike ryan added that it was unwise to try to predict when the virus would disappear. back in the uk, the government is expected to set out details today of how it plans

to provide more support for care homes in england, where thousands of residents have died with coronavirus. charlotte rose reports on the latest in the uk's response to the virus. an antibody test has long been seen as an important part of the toolkit for plotting a route out of lockdown. until now, officials said tests like this shown here have not sufficiently reliable. but one made by swiss company roche could be the first 12 to offer serious potential. it means for the first time people could find out if they have had covid—19 and develop the immune response to fight it. meanwhile the government has been looking at its response to the epidemic in care homes. it led to this exchange between the prime minister and the labour leader yesterday. until the 12th of march, the government's own official advice was, i'm quoting, "it remains very

unlikely that people "receiving care in a care home "will become infected." does the prime minister accept that the government was too slow? it wasn't true the advice said that and actually, we brought the lockdown in care homes ahead of the general lockdown. the advice did say infection was unlikely until mid—march, but number ten said mr starmer had quoted it out of context. the government yesterday announced £600 million of new funding for residential homes to stop the spread of infection. it is to purchase protective equipment and stop staff rotation and the use of agency carers, to reduce the chance of covid getting into care homes. while some in the care sector believe the cash is coming too late, the government insists it wasn't forgotten. even prior to that testing, there was a policy whereby an individual who is moving into a care home would be retained, if you like, in safe

isolation within the care home because it was recognised that this was a risk group. so they are all having a test now, but they that had been but they would have been treated in much the same way for quite a few weeks before this. meanwhile, the bbc learned about the increased risk of the virus facing people with a learning disability. this programme has been told by the care watchdog for england, last month there was a 175% increase in the expected death rate in the places where they live, compared to the same period last year. nhs england say the data on care homes will be published later this week. and it is those workers we will be thinking of again tonight as the country comes out to clap for carers in an act that has now become a national ritual. a show of togetherness against

a virus which still keeps us apart. charlotte rose, bbc news. so what's different about the test developed by swiss pharmaceutical company roche? it works by testing the blood for antibodies — these are proteins produced by the immune system to help stop viruses or bacteria from harming the body. if you have these antibodies, it means you have previously had covid—19, as the antibodies stay in the blood after you've recovered. previous antibody tests have been found to be unreliable, and it is still not known whether having the virus gives you immunity against the disease. the tests currently being offered to key workers and others who are showing symptoms of covid—19 are different. these use a swab of the nose and throat. the swab is then sent to a lab, where it is tested for genetic material matching that of the coronavirus. it tells you if you have the disease at that particular time. our medical correspondent,

fergus walsh, told us more about the antibody test. this is a different test, so this involves having blood drawn, so it's not something you can do at home, and then it is sent off to a laboratory for very sophisticated analysis. public health england has approved this, it has sent the test to its reference laboratories in porton down in wiltshire and found that it was almost 100% accurate. so this test really will tell you if at some point in the past you have come across coronavirus and now have antibodies in your blood. it is likely, it is likely, that if you have antibodies to this and you have a good, strong antibody response and, in fact, we are finding in laboratories that some people have stronger and some people are having weaker antibody responses, but if you have antibodies

to coronavirus, it probably will give you some protection. whether or not it completely protects you is another thing and how long that immunity lasts for is also questionable, but those sorts of questions will become clearer in the months ahead. there are lots of labs around the world that are looking into this question of reinfection, but it hopefully will give you some level of protection. it could be very important to front line health workers. and also it will help us get a really firm grip on how many people in the uk have had coronavirus. the current estimates are somewhere between 4% uk—wide and maybe up to 10% in london. in about 20 minutes this morning, we will be answering your questions on how an antibody test might work, and what the results would mean for us and how the country tackles

the pandemic going forward. send us your questions to #bbcyourquestions or email yourquestions@bbc. co. uk. we'll be answering those at 11:30am british time. new nhs data shows the number of people going to a&e at hospitals in england fell by 57% in april compared with the same month last year. that's the lowest figure on record. nhs england, which published the figures, said the fall was ‘likely to be a result of the covid—19 response' — a sign that people have been staying away from a&e departments because of the coronavirus outbreak. separately, urgent cancer referrals by gps in england were down by nearly a fifth during march. 0ur health correspondent nick triggle gave us more details. there has been suggestions for a number of weeks that not as many people were coming forward to a&e that have done previously and today's figures confirm that. before the pandemic, you generally get above 2.1

million people a month coming to a&e for treatment but that has now dropped to under1 million in april. in march, it was 1.5 million so then in april it dropped again. this is causing real concern amongst nhs bosses. they are concerned people with strokes or heart problems are not coming forward, they are staying away frightened that coronavirus is in the hospitals and they are saying you must, must come forward. a&e has always been open, hasn't been affected by coronavirus and going forward, they must come forward for help, they say. nick triggle, our health correspondent. the world health organisation is warning that covid—19 may be something that people have to learn to live with and "may never go away". there are currently more than 100 potential vaccines in development. but the organisation's emergency director says even if one is found to work, it may not be possible to completely eliminate the virus. we have a new virus entering

the human population for the first time and therefore it is very hard to predict when we will prevail over it. this virus may become just another endemic virus in our communities and this virus may never go away. doctor michael ryan of the who. 0ur correspondent in bern, imogen foulkes explained that coronaviruses are particularly hard to make vaccines for. i think what the who, what mike ryan is trying to do, is manage expectations, global expectations. let's not forget, we started into this pandemic with a lot of people saying, "we got a vaccine for ebola faster than any time in "history and we are working on a vaccine now." unfortunately, this virus belongs to the coronavirus family, which is the same as the common cold, although this one obviously is more serious. now, scientists have been trying to get a vaccine for the common cold for decades and decades and haven't

found one, so what the who is now trying to say is, "maybe we will have "to learn to live with it," as mike ryan said there, like hiv aids. those of us born before 1980 will remember there was a time before hiv, when we didn't have to learn to live with it, and this may be what will have to happen here, but it is a hard thing to have to absorb for billions of people living under lockdown, worried about theirjobs, worried about their summer holidays, worried about their kids are missing out on education, but it may be that that is what we are looking at. imogen foulkes there. in spain, the pandemic is being brought under control, but there are concerns about the sheer number of medical workers who've been exposed to the virus. almost 50,000 spanish health staff are known to have been infected — and they now account for one in two new cases being detected in the country. 0ur europe correspondent damian grammaticas reports.

in madrid's puerta de hierro hospital, applause, not to thank the medics, but from them. to console the family ofjavier ruiz, a porter, one of two workers here who've lost their lives to covid—19. in this hospital, 200 out of 5,000 staff have caught the virus. across spain, more than 50 medics have died. two months into this crisis, what's becoming evident in spain it's notjust the toll covid—19 has taken on patients, but on medical workers too. spain has started testing them all and is revealing just how many have been infected. when there was such a pressure coming from the people that got infected in the community, they did not test us, but now the whole country is testing, every single one.

even if we haven't had any symptoms at all. so now that's why there's a lot of cases being reported. covid patients require close contact. it's why the risks are so high. the line on the floor is how the doctors try to stay safe. no doctor can cross it without full protection. while they tend to patients, staff in the clean zone pass over what they need. and leaving every room, they disinfect hands. these are procedures that have had to be learned since the outbreak began, and they're followed scrupulously every single time someone comes out of one of the rooms, so there's no contagion spread from the dirty areas over there to the clean ones here. it's helped ensure no intensive care staff are among those who've caught the virus. elsewhere, where it's harder to control things, the risks are even greater.

0scar rodriguez, an emergency doctor, had covid—19. he's one of around 50,000 medical workers in spain to catch it. now back on callouts to old people's homes, he takes the same precautions as the intensive care doctors. translation: i feel bad. we don't want to be the european champions when it comes to infected medical workers. it's because we have been exposed so much. at another hospital, a protest. medics who believe they've been failed. the black bing bags they had to wear to try to stay protected. this is you? hector castineira says more than 1,000 staff at the hospital caught the virus. his photos include masks issued to medical workers then withdrawn as unsuitable. we are afraid to go to work because we don't know if the mask is good or is fake, or if we are appropriately protected against the virus.

back at the puerta de hierro hospital, ordinary wards take the extraordinary precautions too. full safety gear for every covid patient. translation: they make miracles, the staff. we're here on our own without family. these hands consoled us. we don't have the words to thank them. thanks shared by a grateful nation as spain's medics continue to risk their health to save others. damian grammaticas, bbc news, madrid. the headlines on bbc news: a test to find out whether people have been infected with coronavirus in the past has been approved by health officials in england. new figures reveal the number of people visiting a&e units in england has halved since the pandemic started. there's concern in spain about the high number of medical workers who've been exposed

to covid—19 — nearly 50,000 health staff are known to have been infected. let's just take you to china for a second and take a look ijust how heavy the traffic is in wuhan. this is the city where the coronavirus pandemic began all those weeks ago. wuhan was in strict lockdown for 11 weeks as you will recall by dipping and reopening on the 8th of april. and here are people going nowhere very fast. businesses have slowly started to reopen. public transport operations have resumed. schools are reopening as well. but they have been a number of new cases that have been a number of new cases that have been found in wuhan and only a couple of days ago authorities in the city started to draw up plans to test their whole population of 11 million people for covid—19 because

six new cases had been recorded last weekend but at the moment people are trying to get back to normal, whether that will continue, we will wait and see. some good news, from new zealand — which has ended its lockdown after no new infections have been recorded for several days and the authorities say the risk of transmission is now very small. shops, restaurants, and hairdressers are all welcoming customers again, while thousands of students will return to schools from monday. 0ur correspondent shaimaa khalil reports. ready? taking the plunge into a new—found freedom as new zealand eases restrictions and opens up for business. a fitting move for the mayor of queenstown, known for its adventure sports. the end of lockdown means businesses across the country have been allowed to reopen, with strict hygiene and social distancing measures. with people finally able to shop and sit together in cafes,

it almost looks like a normal day here in oakland. it's magic and great to just reconnect and actually be in a different environment, that has been the biggest bonus, i think. good view, lovely day, so, itjust helps that someone else makes the coffee for a change. it's fantastic. barber shops have been working through the night as customers queued outside, desperate for that haircut they had been waiting for after weeks of lockdown. pupils across new zealand are expected to return to school from monday. in christchurch this college is one of the first educational facilities opening their doors. absolutely delightful. this is what schools are about, the chatter and energy of the girls, smiles all around from teachers and from students and, not surprisingly, from parents as well. while life slowly and cautiously goes back to normal, there are still many restrictions. people are allowed to visit family and friends, but social gatherings are limited to groups of ten.

those travelling domestically have to keep a record of where they have been and who they have been in contact with. new zealand has fared much better than many countries, notjust in suppressing, but in eliminating the virus. but the lockdown has had a devastating impact on the economy. the government has announced a $50 billion covid—19 recovery plan to save nearly 140,000 jobs nationwide. we have never sugar coated what the future will look like, but nor will we pretend that there is nothing we can do about it. governments have choices, just as we did when we faced covid—19, and those choices are between sitting back and hoping, or sitting up and taking action. as the country eases into normality, many will have to get to grips with the economic impact covid—19 will have on their daily lives. for now, some are enjoying the first day of happier times and truly

being together again. dr siouxsie wiles is a microbiologist at the university of auckland and has been advising new zealand's government. she said new zealand's success in slowing the spread was down to the speed with which the country had reacted. it was absolutely to move really fast and to act very, very harshly. so we could all see what was happening in late february around the world and what we knew in new zealand was we didn't have many icu beds, we didn't have many ventilators and we had lots of vulnerable people. so we moved from the strategy that lots of other countries were using to flatten the curve and try to spread out the infections to actually try to eliminate the virus and we are nearly there but not yet. a microbiologist at the university of auckland.

president trump has criticised his adminstration's top infectious disease expert anthony fauci for warning states of the dangers of reopening their economies too soon. dr fauci had said in testimony to the us senate that if federal guidelines were not followed —— the country ran the risk of seeing ‘little spikes' becoming big outbreaks. president trump has encouraged state governors to lift lockdown restrictions in order to increase economic activity, which has seen some states reopen without having met white house guidelines. responding to dr fauci's testimony, the president described his warning as ‘unacceptable'. look, he wants to play all sides of the equation. i think we're going to have a tremendous forth quarter, i think we're going to have a transitional third quarter and i think we're going to have a phenomenal next year. i feel that we are going to have a country that's ready to absolutely have one of its best years. 0ur north america correspondent, david willis, says dr fauci's comments have been interpreted as being critical of the president. dr fauci appeared before a senate

committee in the week and he warned of the dangers of reopening this economy to quickly, particularly regarding schools. he said that it was a mistake to think that although children had fared better, generally speaking, than adults, it was a mistake to think that children were immune from the virus. president trump said that he totally disagreed with that. he said it would only be acceptable to him for teachers and professors to stay away if they were of a certain age and more susceptible to the coronavirus. otherwise he wanted schools to reopen. it's all part of this rush to reopen the us economy to get things as back on their feet as they can be in time for his re—election campaigns and his re—election in november, if it happens. in other news: the england footballer, dele alli, has thanked fans for their support — after he was robbed at knifepoint. police say two men broke into the 24—year—old's home in north london in the early hours of yesterday morning, and stole jewellery.

alli later tweeted saying it was a "horrible experience "but we're all ok now." the online media firm, buzzfeed, is to close its uk news operation. the website said it had taken the decision for "economic and strategic reasons". buzzfeed has won widespread acclaim for its investigative journalism and reaching young audiences. the ride service uber has announced that it will spend fifty million dollars on personal safety equipment and supplies for its drivers, to protect them from the coronavirus. beginning on monday both drivers and passengers will be required to wear face coverings. a powerful typhoon has hit the central philippines, forcing an evacuation for tens of thousands of people.with winds of up to one hundred and eighty kilometres an hour, it's forecast to be heading for areas that are home to tens of millions of people. due to the coronavirus, shelters are only accepting

half their capacity, and evacuees are having to wear face masks. if you've ever wondered what it looks like to demolish a nuclear power station...then take a look at this. i'm sure you have wondered that very thing. i know that i have. these are the cooling towers at the philippsburg nuclear plant in germany, which was taken out of service in 2019. the controlled explosion took place just after dawn on thursday — with no publicity, so no crowds would gather. the site will now be re—puposed as an electricity relay station. you'll wonder has been satisfied. ——your wonder has been satisfied. back to coronavirus: a full lockdown is to be reinstated in the capital of chile, santiago, after a surge in cases of covid—19. in the last 2a hours, more than 2,500 new infections have been identified. residents have been urged to report anyone not adhering to social distancing, or wearing a mask in public.

freya cole reports. 0fficial official said they have no option but to bring back a strict lockdown. translation: the battle for santiago is crucial in the war against coronavirus. that is why we have to beg and plead that all the necessary measures be taken seriously. from friday, the city of 7 million people will revert back to staying indoors u nless will revert back to staying indoors unless it is essential to leave for food and medical supplies. people aged over 75 has been urged to take extra ca re. translation: we are facing a serious threat, it means our health system

is extremely in demand and overstretched as a result of this pandemic. the virus has put a sudden halt to widespread anti—government protests in the capital. the social tensions remain unresolved and could worsen as the lockdown continues. the easing of the restrictions in england yesterday may have meant a return to work for some people — but it also offered the chance to see a friend or family member for the first time in weeks. some sports can now be played, and two people from different households can meet outdoors in public as long as they keep two metres apart. tim muffett reports. how does it feel to be back at work? it feels great. these are all the tools that were brought back yesterday. a job very often tools that were brought back yesterday. ajob very often isn't just about the money. it is a big relief to actually escape the confines of the home. it is good to

be alive amongst the living and it is excellent to see our colleagues again. premier plant hire in south london where tools and machinery can finally be hired out. what is it like to be back at work? it is very strange. usually there is about 20 of us in the yard but only for of us have come back due to furloughing. it isa have come back due to furloughing. it is a very strange and surreal situation. you need work and stability and structure in your life and from the financial point of view so and from the financial point of view soiam and from the financial point of view so i am glad to be back, put it that way. new balls, new rules. sebastian and jordan have finally been able to return to the tennis court.|j and jordan have finally been able to return to the tennis court. i have been stuck at home for seven weeks. i was going a bit crazy. i can talk to people even those from the other side of the courts. it is really nice.

brilliant. it's great to be back. it's vital for mental well— being, physical well—being, to get people out of the house, exercise again and, yes, just to do things again. to live again. this tennis association says players should stick to singles. doubles should only be played by members of the same household, and balls should only be picked up by the player who brought them. sebastian, you're not going to pick the ball up, are you? no, i cannot pick it up. that is why am going to use my racket and my foot to do that, or something else, but not using hands. and you're not allowed to serve either? no serving, i'm afraid, unless it is the same person all the way through. for many, this isn't a return to normality, but a first glimpse at what a new normality might look like. at the jcb factory in staffordshire, there were temperature checks upon entry, facemasks on the factory floor. to see just people's eyes, it's very difficult to comprehend that this is reality. it does feel, initially, a little bit like a chessboard in that we are chess pieces moving around the factory. however, this has got to be done.

in hastings, steve's plumbing and bathroom business reopened yesterday, with one of the shower unit doors he sells put to new use. we take the orders through the glass here, then we put the orders round this side and they go out and they collect them. so there is actually no real contact whatsoever. wendy hadn't seen her son pierce in person since lockdown began. i'm really excited. i can't wait. it has been seven and a bit long weeks so, yeah, looking forward to a picnic in the sunshine. with meetings between two people from different households finally permitted in england, in a park near bingley in west yorkshire, a reunion between mother and son. amazing. video calling can only do so much. just being able to see them is lovely. see ——her is lovely. the hugs will have to wait. there is nothing more important than keeping the ones you love safe and healthy. a big step forward, but normality is we knew it is still a long way off.

tim muffett, bbc news. hello this is bbc news. the headlines: a test to find out whether people have been infected with coronavirus in the past has been approved by health officials in england. the government will outline plans to provide more support for care homes in england as senior health figures warn the sector has been neglected during the coronavirus outbreak. new figures reveal the number of people visiting a&e units in england has halved since the pandemic started. there's concern in spain about the high number of medical workers who've been exposed to covid—19 — nearly 50,000 health staff are known to have been infected. businesses across new zealand reopen, with the easing of restrictions introduced nearly two months ago to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. no new infections have been recorded there for several consecutive days.

and the tottenham and england midfielder, dele alli, has spoken of his "horrible experience" after being punched by armed raiders who stole watches and jewellery from his london home. now it's time for your questions answered. lots of very good questions been sent to us by viewers about this antibody test which the government has said will be used in england. our science correspondent, pallab ghosh, joins me. the first question, what is the difference between an antibody test and an immunity test? the simple a nswer and an immunity test? the simple answer is that an immunity test will tell you whether you are immune to a

certain disease, in this case, coronavirus, and the antibody test, which we have, will tell you whether you have got antibody against it. normally, if you get a disease a body has the immune response and it has antibodies which fight the virus and defeat it. should you get reinfected, it will defeat it again. in this instance, coronavirus is unusual in that there are cases of reinfection. just because you have had it or have antibodies, it does not guarantee that you are immune. that is crucial, because boris johnson described the arrival, the potential arrival of this test back in march, as a game changer. now that it in march, as a game changer. now thatitis in march, as a game changer. now that it is about to arrive, public health england described it as a positive step forward. the reason of the change in superlatives is the fa ct the change in superlatives is the fact that because having antibodies

to coronavirus doesn't necessarily guarantee immunity, it is much less useful to individuals because you do not know if it is safer for you to become reinfected. who gets to be immune and who doesn't? does it depend on the severity of the infection that you suffer perspective with this particular one, with a lot of diseases, if you are vaccinated against it, you are immune and you will not become ill in most cases. with this, there is no guarantee that you won't become infected. we do not know whether there are some groups that are more susceptible to infection or not. what we do know is that the older you are, the more likely you are to get severe symptoms and also the fa ct get severe symptoms and also the fact that young children develop very mild symptoms. as to immunity,

we haven't got a clue what is going on. will the tests pick up the presence of antibodies for all strains of coronavirus? coronavirus isafamily strains of coronavirus? coronavirus is a family of viruses, and there are all sorts of diseases. it refers to the shape of the spikes of the virus that you see any graphics that we use. anything with spikes is a coronavirus. the particular coronavirus. the particular coronavirus that is keeping us all indoors, covid—19, is a particular type. that has mutated a little bit, but not much. this particular antibody test will test for a slightly different versions of covid—19. what this test is reliable for is to tell you whether you have had covid—19 or not.

for is to tell you whether you have had covid-19 or not. how much work is being done on the various aspects on this particularform of coronavirus, because you said that there is so much that we don't know about it and whether it mutates. there was also talk of a super covid—19 that had formed in europe are particularly north america close as you might imagine, that is the bill game changer. once we understand more about the virus, why it seems to affect certain groups of people more than others and, in particular, immunity, then we can make more informed decisions about how it is locked and measures. at the moment, all we can really do is to look at any increase of hospital admissions, by which time it is probably a bit too late. and then undo some of the easing if it looks like the virus is getting out of control. if we know that certain groups of people are really immune

to covid—19, then we can make more informed decisions as to who can safely go back to work. if people had the virus but were asymptomatic, would the test still work? that is one of the really useful things about the antibody tests because another unknown is how many people in the population have had the virus without knowing about it. that, in turn,is without knowing about it. that, in turn, is important because those people may well, and probably do, be able to transmit the virus. that can be in the mathematical models to give a more informed indication of the r number as to what is likely to happen in relation to the spread of the disease. this particular test, as it is rolled out, will not be

that useful to individuals. it will be an enormous benefit to scientists because it will begin to answer some of the unanswered questions and make some of the mathematical models more reliable. we can monitor which of the lockdown measures are working, which are not and ministers can take a more informed decision as to whether children can go back to school or not. or whether certain shops or restaurants, whether it is safe to open them or not, rather than trying it out and seeing what happens. the world health organization has warned against the idea of using antibody tests to issue what has called an immunity passport to say that you have had it, you have got some antibodies in your system, because they said it isn't a guarantee that you won't get it again? it might give you a false sense of security. there was talk of

having immunity passports. that was if the antibody tests does show that you have it. you could safely go about your work. you might have had it, not suffered severe symptoms, but we do not know whether a repeat infection would mean that you will develop severe sentence. that's why this immunity test, this antibody test, at the moment, is of limited use, and she certainly cannot be given an immunity passport if you are found to have antibodies against the virus. even if you have got the antibodies against the virus, can you still carry it, transmit it and infect other people? very much so. there is a kind of limited period during which you can transmit the virus. the chances are that if you have had symptoms, that is the time that you are most infectious. if you

are nowadays stage you are testing positive for the antibodies, you probably are not at risk of transmitting. when the protests likely be rolled out? —— will the tests. they say it will be rolled out to help staff and other workers first, and then to the wider community. at the moment, the government is trying to negotiate with the company that has made the test to see how many it can buy. once that deal has been done and they know how many they can afford and how prickly they can get it, i am sure they will give some indication of what, how it will be rolled out. —— how quickly. home

tests fou nd rolled out. —— how quickly. home tests found not to be reliable, what it involves is sending blood away to a lab or it involves is sending blood away to alabora it involves is sending blood away to a lab or a testing facility and having the results sent back to you. one way of doing it simply and quickly is to have it available at gp surgeries. as to whether gp surgeries have got the capacity to cope with that, that is not known. there are a lot of details yet to be worked out. this might also for that category. apart from nhs care and key workers, will be tested be readily available for all the general public, or just readily available for all the general public, orjust a select proportion? when the government was talking about it back in march, the idea was to have it available for the general population. one wonders how useful it will be for the

general population if you are not going to get an awful lot of information out of it. i think what is more likely is that once we do know where we stand with immunity, thatis know where we stand with immunity, that is the point at which it might become more usefulfor that is the point at which it might become more useful for the general population to have. at the moment, we can tell very little about it on a personal basis, but it is of huge use to scientists who are trying to track the spread of the virus and give advice to ministers as to what they can and cannot do in relation to ending lockdown. some antibody tests are being advertised, you can buy them privately and they cost £99 and upwards. companies allowed to sell at this price? how reliable are they? they are not reliable enough to guarantee that you have had the

antibody. as we have been discussing, even this test, which is 100% reliable to show whether you have developed antibodies to the disease or not, if you have had it or not, it is of limited use. countries are allowed to sell them, but as to whether you want to spend £99 on something which doesn't give you very much useful information, thatis you very much useful information, that is a decision for yourself. last one. could identifying antibodies play a part in creating a vaccine to combat the virus? not directly, but it will help in looking at whether certain groups of people, certain ages, are more immune to the disease or not, who the people are that have had the virus but not shown any symptoms. so that could be another lead for vaccine developers to try and find a

way of finding out why they are immune and other people are not. white back there is a suggestion that oestrogen might be one of the reasons that women tend to get it less frequently or less severely than men? that is one of the many strands that researchers are looking at, and there was a whole gene survey of people that was announced yesterday to get to the bottom of why different people seem to have different reactions to being infected by this virus, which does seem to be one of the most puzzling viruses that scientists have come across. thank you to everybody who sendin across. thank you to everybody who send in questions today. the headlines on bbc news... a test to find out whether people have been infected with coronavirus in the past has been approved by health

officials in england. new figures reveal the number of people visiting a&e units in england has halved since the pandemic started. there's concern in spain about the high number of medical workers who've been exposed to covid—19 — nearly 50,000 health staff are known to have been infected. lebanon has also been forced to re—impose its nationwide lockdown after recording a second spike in coronavirus infections, not long after the measures had been lifted. shops, restaurants and hair salons had been allowed to re—open, but will now have to close again. the bbc‘s correspondent in beirut, carine torbey, joins me now. it was only last week that the government thought the new infections had full and at a rate that meant the lockdown measures could be eased. this is definitely a

setback. a few days ago, we got to zero new infections, which we thought was the light at the end of the tunnel. suddenly, numbers surged again. the government says that people have not been as vigilant as they should have been and have not been observing all of the instructions that the government kept communicating to them. at the same time, we have had a large number of lebanese working abroad who have come back to the country. among those lebanese returning, there was a group there who tested positive for coronavirus and, from this group, there were a handful of people who did not respect or did not abide by the self isolation that is required in such cases. these people were the source of new infections in the country. that is why the government has reimposed the

shutdown and, probably, they will try and assess by the end of these four days which will expire by monday morning, how this is being handled in the country over all, whether they can identify the source of each infection and whether they think this can be contained again. or whether we are facing a new threat of total outbreak and things going out of control again. threat of total outbreak and things going out of control againm threat of total outbreak and things going out of control again. it is being described as a total lockdown. how many sectors will it cover and will it not cover? it is a lockdown as far as all businesses are concerned. supermarkets are open. everything that has to do with foods and food industries are still operating. you can though on specific days, according to the right number of the cars, still go to the supermarket, do your

shopping, come back home. but gatherings are banned and normal businesses are shut completely. what effect is this having on the country's economy which was struggling already? some economists say that bouncing in and out of lockdown is more harmful than staying in lockdown and easing your way out of it? this is a country thatis way out of it? this is a country that is already on the brink of colla pse that is already on the brink of collapse and, probably, the economy has already shown signs of total collapse. that was before coronavirus, and then this came to compound the problem. there is a lot of frustration, especially among the people who earn their living by working on a daily basis. this is a large group of people. we are talking about one third of the population who just found themselves without any source of income. there area without any source of income. there are a lot of businesses that are

shutting and there are a combination of reasons. the economy was struggling already, now the coronavirus and the total standstill of any business activity in the country. all of this is creating a very big frustration and some people have been even protesting on the streets, saying that the threat of dying from coronavirus measures is greater than the coronavirus and the disease its self. thank you. japan's prime minister shinzo abe has partially lifted a state of emergency which was imposed in response to a surge in coronavirus cases. the measures were due to expire at the end of the month, but will now be removed early in 39 of japan's 47 prefectures. however, they remain in place in some of the biggest cities, including tokyo and osaka, where new cases are still emerging.

as lockdowns continue around the world, what does a day in the life of a teenager look like now? we asked young people in 1a different countries to record their day from when they woke up to the moment they went to bed to find out how they are coping with coronavirus. this is a day in lockdown life of a teenager. music plays. today marks 48 days of being quarantined due to covid—19. and you're about to see how i'm spending... ..a day in quarantine. my time in lockdown. it is going to be a really different ramadan. we cannot go outside, we cannot go to the mosque, we cannot have a gathering prayer,

which is really, really sad. last night, we got out of the strict lockdown which hasn't allowed us to surf for five weeks. we are in level three now and we can finally surf. i'm so pumped to be out there. i'm in physical education class. we are doing workouts together by zoom. and as you can see, i'm just lying here on my bed, hibernating away. generally, everyone does this in our class. our school teachers are trying to help us feel more motivated that coronavirus will end soon, they are trying to uplift us that there is still a future, that we will still be able to do things eventually.

at 12:30, i have got a phone appointment with the psychologist. because of the quarantine, our appointment came to an end and they were interrupted. i call another psychologist who does appointments online, videos, calls or by the phone because i have found that the time i'm having, counselling mainly for my anxiety helps me manage with social isolation. ijust woke up, it's like 2:30pm and i slept last night at 2am, and i can positively say that my friends do the same. every teenager in mumbai does this. we are recording a tiktok video. i'm posting it on social media just for something fun to do.

my dad and me go to the cafe and we make food for the underprivileged people and the people who can't afford food. we feed 850 people per day. it has been really hard adjusting to this lifestyle of staying at home but i know it is for everybody's safety and precautions. we are at our daddy's workshop. we usually come here to help him in some work. the coronavirus pandemic has really affected businesses. i am with my family the whole day and that is pretty great because before we didn't spend all that much time together. i think being together now is something we should really appreciate. i really hope that when i wake up tomorrow, this pandemic is over. the life you thought was boring is the life you are hoping to get back to right now and hopefully when the coronavirus ends, we will start to look at our world from a different and better angle.

with so many of us being forced to live under one roof for weeks, even average—sized families are bound to find things difficult. well, the shaw family are managing with 1a in the house. quentin rayner reports they are the 1a who live at number 1a. tom and stacey shaw had planned for six and say it was just one of those things — more came along. now under one roof there are three girls, nine boys, and two long—suffering parents. oh, it's fine. it's easier than normality. yeah. how come? less running around to do. it's kind ofjust like the start of the school holidays where you just kind of change from mayhem to calm, but we're stuck in this kind of groundhog day circle of the first few days of summer holidays. the family live in an eight—bedroom house and are self isolating. lockdown has unlocked some revelations. with this staying at home malarkey, we're having to, i think,

get to know each other more. so, i've said before, more of them are quite more intelligent than i assumed, because i'm having to talk to them more, for a start. i was like, "oh, ok, you're like that." the focus is on hobbies, especially gaming. well, collectively, we all play games on the computer. we actually built a new computer out of an old one just so the kids could use it and we all play together like that. the family's fleet of vehicles hasn't moved in weeks. normally, they'd be driven for up to three hours a day on school runs to three different schools. there's one big food shop a week coming in at about £150. two trolleys at the moment. you do get stared at a lot. like, we're bulk buying. now, there are bound to be fall—outs and bust—ups, how do you sort those out? there has been. but they get dealt with and moved on. soon resolved. so nothing different from normal? no, just like any other family. there's a few arguments but for the most part we stick to our cliques and there's not

that much drama, really. and it could have been even more crowded for the 1a at 1a. there are two other girls living elsewhere at the moment. quentin rayner, bbc news, nottingham. for northern ireland, it was the cold est for northern ireland, it was the coldest may night normal is a0 yea rs, coldest may night normal is a0 years, with temperatures dropping below —6. the day is a dry one. more cloud building. you see this in the horizon in scotland. in scotland and northern ireland, more cloud into the afternoon. a little bit more cloud for england and wales later, but most will stay dry. breezy to the english channel and the north of

scotland, but elsewhere, lighter wins and a touch warmer yesterday after that cold start. this evening and overnight, showers continuing in scotland. longer spells of rain in shetland. a bit more cloud around tonight. not quite as cold as last night. certainly nowhere nearfor northern ireland. the frost is a little bit more or less widespread. an airof high little bit more or less widespread. an air of high pressure coming in. the sky is clear here, and this is where we start friday, with a sunny but potentially frosty day. still some sunny spells, the best of which are towards the south—west. summers in scotland and northern ireland. most dry again and temperatures creeping back to where they should be for this time of year. still chilly across shetland and orkney in particular. calder are to clearly pushes through northern europe. ——

colder air. a greater chance of rain here, but this will be limited to the north—west of the country. on saturday, most will have a dry day. still a few showers in scotland. the odd isolated one in northern ireland and northern england. a bit more cloud in the afternoon and temperatures not that far off friday. as we get a saturday night and into sunday, watch what happens. the rain starts to become a more persistent, the highlands could see a good couple of inches of rain to ta ke a good couple of inches of rain to take us through 2a hours. splashes of rainfor take us through 2a hours. splashes of rain for northern ireland and northern england too. temperatures back into the 20s.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. a new test — designed to check whether people have ever had coronavirus — gets the green light, as england follows the us and europe. we are keen to get as many as we can and get them out, primarily to the front line first, nhs and social care and then more widely. this really will be, as the prime minister said, this has the potential to be a game changer. new figures reveal the number of people visiting a&e units in england has halved since the pandemic started. the government will outline plans to provide more support for care homes in england, as senior health figures warn the sector has been neglected during the coronavirus outbreak. concern in spain about the high number of medical workers who've

been exposed to covid—19 — nearly 50,000 health staff are known to have been infected. businesses across new zealand reopen, with the easing of restrictions introduced nearly two months ago to prevent the spread of the coronavirus — no new infections have been recorded there for several consecutive days. and the tottenham and england midfielder, dele alli, suffers minor facial injuries, after being held at knifepoint during a burglary at his home in north london. hello and welcome to bbc news for our viewers in the uk and around the world. i'm martine croxall. in the latest developments on the coronavirus outbreak

in the uk, and globally: a test which can tell whether you've ever been infected with coronavirus has been approved by health officials in england. the test looks for antibodies in the bloodstream to see whether a person may now have immunity. at the moment, tests in the uk can only check whether you are currently infected. antibody tests have already been approved in the us & europe. it comes as the latest figures show the number of people visiting accident and emergency units in england has halved since the pandemic started. in spain — there are concerns about the number of medical workers who've been exposed to coronavirus — after almost 50,000 spanish health staff have reportedly been infected with the virus. new zealand is phasing out its lockdown, with thousands of businesses including shops, and restaurants welcoming customers for the first time since late march. but the world health organization has warned that coronavirus "might never go away". at a briefing on wednesday, dr mike ryan added that it was unwise to try to predict when the virus would disappear. back in the uk — the government is expected to set out details today of how it plans to provide more support for care homes in england,

where thousands of residents have died with coronavirus. charlotte rose reports on the latest in the uk's response to the virus. an antibody test has long been seen as an important part of the toolkit for plotting a route out of lockdown. until now, officials said tests like this shown here have not been sufficiently reliable. but one made by swiss company roche could be the first one to offer serious potential. it means for the first time people could find out if they have had covid—19 and develop the immune response to fight it. particularly important for those on the front line. meanwhile, the government has been looking at its response to the epidemic in care homes. it led to this exchange between the prime minister and the labour leader yesterday. until the 12th of march, the government's own official advice was, and i quote, "it remains very unlikely that people "receiving care in a care home will become infected."

does the prime minister accept the government was too slow? it wasn't true the advice said that and actually, we brought the lockdown in care homes ahead of the general lockdown. the advice did say infection was unlikely until mid—march, but number ten said keir starmer had quoted it out of context. the government yesterday announced £600 million of new funding for residential homes to stop the spread of infection. it is to purchase protective equipment and stop staff rotation and the use of agency carers, to reduce the chance of covid getting into care homes. while some in the care sector believe the cash is coming too late, the government insists it wasn't forgotten. even prior to that testing, there was a policy whereby an individual who is moving into a care home would be retained, if you like, in safe isolation within the care home because it was recognised this was a risk group.

so they are having a test now, but they would have been treated in much the same way for quite a few weeks before this. meanwhile, the bbc learned about the increased risk of the virus facing people with a learning disability. this programme has been told by the care watchdog for england, that last month there was a 175% increase in the unexpected death rate in the places where they live, compared to the same period last year. nhs england say that data on covid related deaths in people with disabilities will be published later this week. on wednesday, the official death toll in the uk in care settings rose by a9a. and it is those workers we will be thinking of again tonight as the country comes out to clap for carers in an act that has now

become a national ritual. a show of togetherness against a virus which still keeps us apart. charlotte rose, bbc news. now, let's look in more detail at the different types of coronavirus tests that are available. our reality check correspondent chris morris explains. to beat the coronavirus, we have to know how many people are becoming infected. where, when and how? that is why testing for the virus is one of the most important things we can do. it can tell us who might be infected with the virus, who might have been infected in the past and who might need to be in stricter isolation to stop the virus spreading. there are two types of tests. the first type, usually a nasal swab, tests for the presence of the virus, to find out if you are infected right now, even if you're not displaying any symptoms and are feeling perfectly well. if you are infected, you can be isolated and treated, if necessary, and people you have been in contact with can be traced and tested as well. that way, we can stop covid—19

from spreading so fast. countries like south korea and germany tested lots of people early on in the pandemic and they seem to have been the most successful at keeping their death rates relatively low. other countries, including the uk, are scrambling to catch up. but you need to be able to get hold of the right chemicals, have the right expertise and make sure you have enough laboratories to be able to process tens of thousands of tests per day. the second type of test looks at whether you have been infected in the past and whether you might now have some immunity. it does this by searching for antibodies in the blood, which you're immune system uses to fight off bacteria and viruses. it will be a huge help if a reliable antibody test that can be mass produced can be developed soon. if we know someone has some immunity, it should be easier for them to get back to work. if we know that lots of people have some immunity, it should be easier for us to start lifting lockdowns in safer and more sustainable ways.

but there is a problem. the presence of antibodies may provide some immunity, but not necessarily complete immunity. and it is still unclear how long any immunity might last. so testing can help us put other data, like the number of confirmed cases or the number of deaths, into context. but we are going to have to wait some time before a vaccine for covid—19 provides immunity. until scientists crack that, testing is key to help us deal with this pandemic. chris morris. new nhs data shows the number of people going to a&e at hospitals in england fell by 57% in april compared with the same month last year. that's the lowest figure on record. nhs england, which published the figures, said the fall was ‘likely to be a result of the covid—19 response' — a sign that people have been staying away from a&e departments because of the coronavirus outbreak. separately, urgent cancer referrals

by gp‘s in england were down by nearly 8% compared to the same time last year. our health correspondent nick triggle gave us more details. there has been suggestions for a number of weeks that not as many people were coming forward to a&e that have done previously and today‘s figures confirm that. before the pandemic, you generally get above 2.1 million people a month coming to a&e for treatment but that has now dropped to under1 million in april. in march, it was 1.5 million, so then in april it dropped again. this is causing real concern amongst nhs bosses. they are concerned people with strokes or heart problems are not coming forward, they are staying away frightened that coronavirus is in the hospitals and they are saying you must, must come forward. a&e has always been open, hasn‘t been affected by coronavirus and going forward, they must come forward for help, they say. nick triggle. the world health organization is warning that covid— 19 may be something that people have

to learn to live with —and "may never go away". tx there are currently more than 100 potential vaccines in development. but the organisation‘s emergency director says even if one is found to work, it may not be possible to completely eliminate the virus. we have a new virus entering the human population for the first time and therefore it is very hard to predict when we will prevail over it. this virus may become just another endemic virus in our communities and this virus may never go away. doctor michael ryan. our correspondent in bern, imogen foulkes explained that coronaviruses are particularly hard to make vaccines for. i think what the who, what mike ryan is trying to do, is manage expectations, global expectations. let‘s not forget, we started into this pandemic with a lot of people saying, "we got a vaccine for ebola "faster than any time in history and we are working "on a vaccine now."

unfortunately, this virus belongs to the coronavirus family, which is the same as the common cold, although this one obviously is more serious. now, scientists have been trying to get a vaccine for the common cold for decades and decades and haven‘t found one, so what the who is now trying to say is, "maybe "we will have to learn to live with it", as mike ryan said there, like hiv aids. those of us born before 1980 will remember there was a time before hiv, you know, we did have to learn to live with it, and this may be what will have to happen here, but it is a hard thing to have to absorb for billions of people living under lockdown, worried about their jobs, worried about their summer holidays, worried that their kids are missing out on education, but it may be that that is what we are looking at. imogen foulkes in bern.

in spain, the pandemic is being brought under control, but there are concerns about the sheer number of medical workers who‘ve been exposed to the virus. almost 50,000 spanish health staff are known to have been infected — and they now account for one in two new cases being detected in the country. our europe correspondent damian grammaticas reports. in madrid‘s puerta de hierro hospital, applause, not to thank the medics, but from them. to console the family ofjavier ruiz, a porter, one of two workers here who‘ve lost their lives to covid—19. in this hospital, 200 out of 5,000 staff have caught the virus. across spain, more than 50 medics have died. two months into this crisis, what‘s becoming evident in spain is notjust the toll covid—19 has taken on patients, but on medical workers too.

spain has started testing them all and is revealing just how many have been infected. when there was such a pressure coming from the people that got infected in the community, they did not test us, but now the whole country is testing, every single one. even if we haven‘t had any symptoms at all. so now that‘s why there‘s a lot of cases being reported. covid patients require close contact. it‘s why the risks are so high. the line on the floor is how the doctors try to stay safe. no doctor can cross it without full protection. while they tend to patients, staff in the clean zone pass over what they need. and leaving every room, they disinfect hands. these are procedures that have had to be learned since the outbreak began, and they‘re followed scrupulously every single time someone comes out of one of the rooms, so there‘s no contagion spread

from the dirty areas over there to the clean ones here. it‘s helped ensure no intensive care staff are among those who‘ve caught the virus. elsewhere, where it‘s harder to control things, the risks are even greater. oscar rodriguez, an emergency doctor, had covid—19. he‘s one of around 50,000 medical workers in spain to catch it. now back on callouts to old people‘s homes, he takes the same precautions as the intensive care doctors. translation: i feel bad. we don‘t want to be the european champions when it comes to infected medical workers. it‘s because we have been exposed so much. at another hospital, a protest. medics who believe they‘ve been failed. the black bin bags they had to wear to try to stay protected. this is you? hector castineira says more than 1,000 staff at

the hospital caught the virus. his photos include masks issued to medical workers, then withdrawn as unsuitable. we are afraid to go to work because we don't know if the mask is good or is fake, or if we are appropriately protected against the virus. back at the puerta de hierro hospital, ordinary wards take the extraordinary precautions too. full safety gear for every covid patient. translation: they make miracles, the staff. we‘re here on our own without family. these hands consoled us. we don‘t have the words to thank them. thanks shared by a grateful nation as spain‘s medics continue to risk their health to save others. damian grammaticas, bbc news, madrid. the headlines on bbc news: a test to find out whether people have been infected with coronavirus in the past has

been approved by health officials in england. new figures reveal the number of people visiting a&e units in england has halved since the pandemic started. there‘s concern in spain about the high number of medical workers who‘ve been exposed to covid—19 — nearly 50,000 health staff are known to have been infected. a recently published review has found that children and adolescents are likely to experience high rates of depression and anxiety during social isolation and after it ends. it found that social distancing and school closures are likely to result in increased loneliness in children and adolescents whose usual social contacts are interrupted by the disease containment measures. joining us now to tell us more is dr maria loades, a senior lecturer and clinical psychologist at the university of bath who studies the effect of social isolation and loneliness in young people.

thank you very much forjoining us. we think these days that so many children are forever on their phones, they are socially connected by all sorts of platforms so why are they suffering in this period of isolation? i think this period of isolation? i think this period of isolation is particularly difficult for young people because in our teams, hard drives are to separate from ourfamilies teams, hard drives are to separate from our families of teams, hard drives are to separate from ourfamilies of origin teams, hard drives are to separate from our families of origin and spend more time with our friends and those things are what is particularly curtailed by physical distancing measures so we are in a situation where young people are at home with their families, very intensively, and they are not able to see their friends in the normal way that they do. that is really very difficult for teenagers, particularly, who are particularly prone to feeling the impact of not seeing theirfriends. prone to feeling the impact of not seeing their friends. so how much of

an inadequate substitute then is social media contacts? we don't know for sure. we have never really investigated that. what we think and what young people are telling us is that it makes up to some extent for not seeing their friends in that it makes up to some extent for not seeing theirfriends in person. but it isn‘t the same sense of connection. we expect that whilst it will mitigate to some degree the impact of lockdown, it won‘t mitigate fully for that. what are the consequences then and the impact of this isolation is having? also, after this isolation leaves? sure. we expect there will be this increase in mental health problems for young people. young people are vulnerable to developing mental health problems. it is the time of life that we see mental health problems tend to emerge. of course, lockdown is also enforced upon us a number of things that often relates

to and trigger mental health problems, including decreasing social support and decreasing the amount of physical activity we do and decreasing the structure to our day. all those things are things that are normally protective for our mental health and they have been removed by the process of lockdown. we do expect that mental health problems will increase but also that actually there has been a huge impact on the lives of young people in terms of the things they were moving on to next, things like gap yea rs moving on to next, things like gap years and university, and the changes and impact that will have is also going to be very difficult for young people to manage. just very briefly, what should parents look out for and how should they mitigate against it? i think keeping structure in place and keeping social contacts in place wherever possible in whatever ways possible really supporting and listening to

what their children and young people are saying about what is difficult. thank you very much for your time. lockdown has been lifted in wuhan and things are getting back to normal with rush hour traffic almost at a standstill this morning. wuhan in china was the original epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak — and had its strict lockdown lifted in early april — but local authorities reported new cases on monday — the first since the lockdown was lifted in the area. japan‘s prime minister shinzo abe has partially lifted a state of emergency which was imposed in response to a surge in coronavirus cases. the measures were due to expire at the end of the month — but will now be removed early in 39 of japan‘s a7 prefectures. however, they will remain in place in some of the biggest cities, including tokyo and osaka, where new cases are still emerging. some good news, from new zealand — which has ended its lockdown after no new infections have been recorded for several days and the authorities say the risk

of transmission is now very small. shops, restaurants, and hairdressers are all welcoming customers again, while thousands of students will return to schools from monday. our correspondent shaimaa khalil reports. ready? taking the plunge into new—found freedom as new zealand eases restrictions and opens up for business. a fitting move for the mayor of queenstown, known for its adventure sports. the end of lockdown means businesses across the country have been allowed to reopen, with strict hygiene and social distancing measures. with people finally able to shop and sit together in cafes, it almost looks like a normal day here in oakland. it‘s magic and great to just reconnect and actually be in a different environment, that has been the biggest bonus, i think. good view, lovely day, so, itjust helps that someone else makes the coffee for a change. it‘s fantastic. barber shops have been working through the night

as customers queued outside, desperate for that haircut they had been waiting for after weeks of lockdown. pupils across new zealand are expected to return to school from monday. in christchurch this college is one of the first educational facilities opening their doors. absolutely delightful. this is what schools are about, the chatter and energy of the girls, smiles all around from teachers and from students and, not surprisingly, from parents as well. while life slowly and cautiously goes back to normal, there are still many restrictions. people are allowed to visit family and friends, but social gatherings are limited to groups of ten. those travelling domestically have to keep a record of where they have been and who they have been in contact with. new zealand has fared much better than many countries, notjust in suppressing, but in eliminating the virus. but the lockdown has had a devastating impact on the economy. the government has announced

a $50 billion covid—19 recovery plan to save nearly 1a0,000 jobs nationwide. we have never sugar coated what the future will look like, but nor will we pretend that there is nothing we can do about it. governments have choices, just as we did when we faced covid—19, and those choices are between sitting back and hoping, or sitting up and taking action. as the country eases into normality, many will have to get to grips with the economic impact covid—19 will have on their daily lives. for now, some are enjoying the first day of happier times and truly being together again. shaimaa khalil, bbc news, sydney. dr siouxsie wiles is a microbiologist at the university of auckland and has been advising new zealand‘s government. she said new zealand‘s success

in slowing the spread was down to the speed with which the country had reacted. it was absolutely to move really fast and to act very, very harshly. so we could all see what was happening in late february around the world and what we knew in new zealand was we didn‘t have many icu beds, we didn‘t have many ventilators and we had lots of vulnerable people. so we moved from the strategy that lots of other countries were using to flatten the curve and try to spread out the infections to actually try to eliminate the virus and we are nearly there but not yet. doctor siouxsie wiles from the university of auckland. in other news: the england footballer, dele alli, has thanked fans for their support — after he was robbed at knife—point. police say two men broke into the 2a—year—old‘s home in north london in the early hours of yesterday morning, and stole jewellery. alli later tweeted saying it was a "horrible experience "but we‘re all ok now." a powerful typhoon has hit the central philippines, forcing an evacuation for tens

of thousands of people.with winds of up to 180 kilometres an hour, it‘s forecast to be heading for areas that are home to tens of millions of people. due to the coronavirus, shelters are only accepting half their capacity, and evacuees are having to wear face masks. the online media firm, buzzfeed, is to close its uk news operation. the website said it had taken the decision for ‘economic and strategic reasons‘. buzzfeed has won widespread acclaim for its investigative journalism and reaching young audiences. the ride service uber has announced that it will spend $50 million on personal safety equipment and supplies for its drivers, to protect them from the coronavirus. beginning on monday both drivers and passengers will be required to wear face coverings. if you‘ve ever wondered what it looks like to demolish a nuclear power station...then take a look at this. these are the cooling towers at the philippsburg nuclear plant in germany, which was taken out of service in 2019.

the controlled explosion took place just after dawn on thursday — with no publicity, so no crowds would gather. this is bbc news. with so many of us being forced to live under one roof for weeks — even average—sized families are bound to find things difficult. well, the shaw family from nottingham are managing, with 1a in the house. quentin rayner reports they are the 1a who live at number 1a. tom and stacey shaw had planned for six and say it was just one of those things — more came along. now under one roof there are three girls, nine boys, and two long—suffering parents. oh, it‘s fine. it‘s easier than normality. yeah. how come? less running around to do. it‘s kind ofjust like the start of the school holidays where you just kind of change

from mayhem to calm, but we‘re stuck in this kind of groundhog day circle of the first few days of summer holidays. the family live in an eight—bedroom house and are self isolating. lockdown has unlocked some revelations. with this staying at home malarkey we're having to, i think, get to know each other more. so, i've said before, more of them are quite more intelligent than i assumed, because i'm having to talk to them more — for a start. i was like, "oh, ok, you're like that." the focus is on hobbies, especially gaming. well, collectively we all play games on the computer.

there has been. a