if new details of the shocking toll of coronavirus in care homes, with more than 12,500 people dying between march and may. so, what will the government do to support care homes and stop the spread of coronavirus in them? any decision comes too late for 101—year—old thomas port, who lived through dunkirk and died of coronavirus. his family say they feel let down. they were more concerned in making sure the nhs could cope rather than saving lives in nursing homes. as the infection rate rises due to the situation in care homes,

how might the governemnt‘s easing of the lockdown in england be affected? also on the programme: ministers say some primary school children in england will go back in class in two weeks‘ time, as talks with teaching unions continue. welsh beaches destined to stay deserted for a while longer, as the first minister announces a cautious route out of lockdown. the power of public opinion — how uk climate change policy could be dictated by the masses. and we hear how one family's heartfelt tribute to a wife and grandmother inspired others affected by coronavirus. league 2 clubs agreed to end their season league 2 clubs agreed to end their season due to the coronavirus pandemic, but ligue one in the premier league are still to reach a decision. good evening and welcome

to the bbc news at six. there are more revelations of the shocking effects of cornavirus in care homes. latest figures show that more than a quarter of deaths of care home residents in england and wales — including some who died in hospitals — between march and may, involved coronavirus, that's more than 12,500 people. of those, nine out of ten victims had at least one pre—existing condition, most commonly dementia and alzheimer's disease. in the last hour the government has been giving details of it's next steps on helping care homes in england. meanwhile, 384 deaths have been reported in the past 24—hour period, in hospitals and the wider community, as well as care homes. the overall number of those who have died in the uk now stands at 33,998. our social affairs correspondent, alison holt reports. thomas port was 101. he was ex navy, frail but still determined even in a pandemic.

his reaction was, i picked up survivors on the arctic and atlantic convoys and i survived all that so i'm going to survive this. but in april, he became one of the 116,000 care home residents who have passed away in the past two months. his son peter believes coronavirus arrived and his father's nursing home with a patient discharge from hospital. he is angry more was not done to protect residents. i believe that they made a fundamental error at the beginning. that care homes and the work done to soften the coronavirus because of their enclosed environment. or they did not really care about it or even think about it. this care home in sheffield managed to keep the virus out by having staff move in. it has worked but now

they have a again. ——it has worked but now they have unlocked again. like the majority of care homes, this is a small family run business and the strain on this is huge. staff are tired. it is long hours, long days, long weeks. it's not a measure you can put in place for six, nine months. it is physically and emotionally and mentally not possible to do for that long. without constantly changing your staff. today the health and social care secretary gave details of bringing money to improve infection control in homes including more support from councils and the nhs. we are putting in place a named clinical lead for every care home england. these leads are already connected and will check in regularly to assess residents and support care home staff with clinical advice. the measures you have introduced today, aren't they too little, too late?

what i've set out today are the things we have been doing throughout this crisis to support people and care homes. but worried by the number of deaths in care homes, some families are moving their relatives out. they are looking more at what is happening in the next month or two so they are actually not seeing people book long term but just to ensure that their parents are safe. hi, mum. rosa who has dementia was having respite care in her home but ——rosa who has dementia was having respite care in a home but when other residents developed covid—19, her son who would already have the virus, moved her out. they have is self isolating together. she has been a great mum and we want to not put her in harm's way. but maybe a stroke of luck that i picked up the virus and was recovering and it gave us the option of taking her out... had a bit of luck on our side. she is not showing any signs. and we are onto... yes, very...

there you go. at such a time, knowing that families are safe or that they are with us or in our home could not be more important. alison holt, bbc news. the rate at which coronavirus can be spread across the uk has gone up, and is close to the point where infections may rise again. the reproduction or r number, needs to stay below one to control the spread, but rates vary across the uk, and could result in stricter lockdown measures in some areas. here's our science editor, david shukman. some areas are hit harder by the virus than others. the north east of england seems to have one of the highest rates of infection. it's thought that one factor could be deprivation. but whatever the cause, the council in gateshead wants to move more cautiously than national government. we don't have same powers as scotland and wales and northern ireland. if i had those powers, if we had those powers here in gateshead, i'm absolutely certain

that we would be imposing the same restrictions as in scotland and in wales and northern ireland. the so, our social media message from the local authority has stayed exactly the same — it's "stay at home". where possible, stay at home. that pressure for different approaches across the uk is driven by different estimates for rates of infection, what's called the r number. one new study says london now has the lowest rate. at one point, it was suffering the worst of the outbreak. then the midlands. anything below one means the virus is declining, but the south east, east, south west and north west are all closer to that threshold of one. with the north east and yorkshire having the highest rate of all regions in england. scotland is thought to be in the range of 0.7—1, and wales and northern ireland 0.8—0.9. there is a geographical march of it really, a spread of it georgraphically from london and the cities outwards. so, the north east isjust perhaps later than other regions

in acquiring the virus and then having the epidemic. but there may be other factors. and we do know that disadvantage has certainly, in hospitalisation and in admissions with severe disease, disadvantage and in certain populations, it seems to have a severe effect. the scottish government was the first to declare that its restrictions would stay in place for the time being. and like everywhere, there's a struggle to work out exactly how fast the virus is spreading. there may well be differences between urban and rural, but the further we go into small geographic areas, the greater the uncertainty that there is in making those assessments. but at the moment, the advice i have is that the most reliable way of reporting the r number is in the range we report it and at a scotland—wide level. the uk government says restrictions may be relaxed at different rates. but that could be difficult to manage if some people are free to move around and others

are still in lockdown. david shukman, bbc news. as we saw, the north east of england now has more confirmed cases of covid—19 than any other region in england. charities and health experts say the government must solve the longterm health and financial problems of many across the country, that can leave them vulnerable to the virus, problems the british medical association says are a "disgrace." fiona trott reports from middlesbrough. i think we should be noticed. 0ur voices should be heard, rather than being made to feel invisible and not important enough. i definitely don't think the government understands. the odds, health—wise, were stacked against areas like middlesbrough. covid—19 has really shone a light on that. coronavirus is finding the poorest communities. everyone that suffers are still the ones at the bottom of the food chain. in a town with some of the country's highest child poverty rates, mums like gemma need help.

hello. your dress is lovely. her eldest daughter is shielding away from home. shall we go and have a sit down? her family is divided. and when i can't be there for her, ifeel like i'm letting her down, you know? and she's in agony and i can't take the pain away. that's when it... i couldn't give her a cuddle because we were kept apart. she'll be sat the step while i'm sat on the grass. but then, walking away... covid is taking an emotional toll, and a financial one. the cost of living has gone up, but your money hasn't. i mean, little hand sanitiser is, they used to be 69p, and now they are £3.99. no matter which way you look at it, you can try going around each way and saying, well, we'll give you a £10 voucher, but what is £10 going to get you when your prices are going up to £3.69? charity worker pat is responding to this crisis. quick they used to deliver donated food at christmas. now, it's every week.

usually, when we respond to people in a crisis, they recover from the crisis and they come back to support us. but that's not going to happen this time. food poverty, fuel poverty, housing poverty. inequality here has existed for years, but it's never been more keenly felt. what we've got in middlesbrough has been previously chemical industry. up here in the north—east, people know about coal to newcastle and shipbuilding and so forth, all those industries, combined with the housing, the education, the penalty which can go with it has had a detrimental effect upon patients and people's health. those people had a higher infection rate and, very, very sadly, indeed tragically, a higher death rate than more comparable more affluent areas in england. now, it's unfair, it is unjust, it's really something which is preventable.

if you want to have a memory for this lockdown? let it be a good one. let's see if they can do it as a nation where they've got the poorest first and they made us matter and they made us count. that would be nice. our health editor hugh pym joins me. . the .ther . the r number has gone up. how significant is the rise? the range where they think the are number is has gone up to a range of 0.7 — one. that is when it is exhilarating. this slight upward move is not because of what has happened in england since the weekend with the beginning of the easing of the lockdown restrictions. it reflects what happened a couple of weeks ago because the data is lagging. the experts look at hospital admissions and deaths, and they infections picked up a couple of weeks before. the other point being made is that it reflects the slightly higher levels of infections in care homes and hospitals than they expected. they have made it clear at the briefing that in the wider community of the infection rate doesn't

necessarily seem to have picked up, and the point being made is that infections tend to accelerate in an epidemic but come down rather more slowly on the other side. the important thing is has been made clear this evening is that it must not be allowed to go above one and it is not above one, as matt hancock made clear. the top end of the range is one. the margin for errorfor ministers is pretty tight in terms of the easing further of lockdown restrictions in england. it is being watched carefully, and the information will be published weekly for the public. teachers‘ unions say their meeting with the government's scientific advisers has raised more questions about whether it will be safe to allow more children to return to schools in england next month. some teachers argue social distancing will be difficult, particularly for young children. the government says its given schools the guidance and support they need for a phased return of pupils from june the 1st.

0ur education editor bra nwen jeffreys reports. at the heart of a village, trusted by its families, a school working out how to reopen. this is our early years environment. and for the youngest, all would change. the rugs, the soft chairs, the soft cuddly toys are things we're probably going to have to probably get rid of. the head says this can't be made safe byjune. does it smite your heart a bit that this is all going to have to go? notjust a bit. we're asking them not to interact with each other, not to play together. is it child care or are we still continuing to develop those children? this is our corridor which takes us through to key stage two. she'll try to open for years one through six. ——she'll try to open for years one and six. not even two metres‘ width. that‘s going to be one way, surely. you‘d think, but how do we manage that? almost every day, new government advice. parents have to leave by a new exit.

more changes to be put in place byjune the 1st. i‘m worried about how close that is. there are still very high rates of new cases. high rates of deaths across the country. i feel that it has all been very rushed. each school is trying to work out what it can manage in a couple of weeks‘ time. and in many cases, that could be less than the government‘s suggesting. and then it‘s up to parents whether they choose to send their children to school. jenny‘s boys have been in school. she‘s a key worker. some of isaac‘s year six friends will return. overall, it's been a positive experience for them. there is some real value, ithink, for a child's mental health to be out of their home environment for some time. but heather doesn‘t want isabel in nursery. she thinks her girls are safer at home. the risks are just too high. she's too little to understand about the social distancing measures that are out there. and i think it's more important that she stays at home where she's

safe and she's happy. liverpool council said today schools don‘t have to reopen, but some academy schools think they should. if you‘re living on floor ten of a tower block, if you‘re not going out, if there‘s not a park nearby, you don‘t have digital access, then the mental health issues are considerable. with each passing day, more changes have been made, but tonight teachers‘ unions said doubts remain. the rest of the uk is watching. england is the only part hoping to reopen schools within weeks. branwen jeffreys, bbc news. wales‘ first minister has promised a cautious route out of lockdown, that he says "puts people‘s health first." mark dra keford outlined what he called a "traffic light" system, but warned he couldn‘t give a clear timetable

for when restrictions would be lifted. 0ur wales correspondent hywel griffith reports. what would a second wave of the pandemic bring to a place like aberystwyth? largely sheltered from the first, in this county, they‘ve had the lowest infection rate in wales. the national lockdown arrived just in time to save us. at the local hospital, they feel they‘ve been spared for now. the lockdown slowed the spread of the virus from east to west, but lifting it could mean they would be hit much harder. it would not take a large number of cases to take up all our resources. so, we certainly survive on a limited bed base. we also have a limited number of physicians. we‘re not close to other hospitals to bring people, staff, physicians, nursing staff from elsewhere if there was to be a major outbreak amongst the staff. the plan set out for wales today means aberyst prom will remain empty for now. it‘s a road map with destinations,

but no dates attached. only when the scientists say it‘s safe will wales move from the current red phase to amber, allowing some pupils back to school and people to meet in small groups. the green light for unrestricted travel seems very far away. the journey has begun. but for all of us, that journey needs to be a journey taken carefully, ta ken cautiously, with a limited number of steps to suppress the circulation of coronavirus and to keep us all safe. that slow, almost static pace is frustrating for some. this caravan park has had a flurry of calls this week from people desperate for a holiday this year, but they still don‘t know when or even if they‘ll be able to open. to close all tourism businesses for the entire season would be devastating not just for ourselves, but for people who rely on the business that we bring. pretty much all businesses in town

and across the county. this spring shutdown may well spread into the summer, with lives and livelihoods here both still in the balance. hywell griffith, bbc news, aberystwyth. this weekend is the first since lockdown restrictions were eased in england, allowing unlimited exercise, and travel, in order to enjoy the open air. but the rules vary, depending on where you live in the uk. so, while you can take longer journeys in england to facilities like tennis courts and golf courses, in northern ireland you can drive somewhere to exercise but you can‘t stray too far from home, while in scotland and wales you have to stay in your local area. and you can‘t meet up with members of different households — a rule that applies in northern ireland. whereas in england, you can meet one other person outside, adhering to

social distancing rules. well, the easing of england‘s guidelines has been welcomed by some, but others in tourist areas worry about a possible big influx of people, as sian lloyd reports. these residents of stratford have been a fixture for generations, but, for the past eight weeks, their surroundings have been significantly quieter than usual. the historic town is a magnet for tourists from far and wide, and the economic impact of the lockdown has been felt here. but after the government advice was changed for people living in england, visitors are beginning to return. this couple have travelled some 50 miles from their home in leicestershire. because boris said we can go further afield, we‘ve made the most of it. this is our normal life. we like to get out and about. so, we're just going to have a walk around the river and we brought our own flask of coffee, and we're going to have that and then we'll have a steady ride home. we are sensible, but i think these two just needed to blow off a little

steam and have a little bit of a change of scenery really. this family live within the same county, now able to visit one of their favourite places. set up a picnic. a little picnic and feed the ducks, and it'sjust been nice to just get out. especially since lockdown‘s been a bit eased a little bit more. as long as sticking to the guidelines. the countryside in england is beginning to reopen. the national trust will unlock the gate to this car park tomorrow morning. but people are already parking here to walk, and the charity says it expects a huge influx over the weekend. they‘re urging people not to travel long distances to their favourite destinations and to visit places closer to home for the time being. you have to understand, i think, as a visitor that obviously local communities near places you like to visit are rightly concerned about huge volumes of people arriving, so we ask you to be extra thoughtful and respectful about their concerns. and obviously if a footpath goes past a house, make sure you're really mindful of that. many restrictions are still in place, and fines are imposed

when rules are broken. authorities here are welcoming people to the town, but warn it‘s not business as usual. sian lloyd, bbc news, stratford—upon—avon. the government has confirmed that it will not be extending funding to help rough sleepers in england stay off the streets. in march, councils were given more than £3 million to pay for hotel rooms for thousands of people who sleep rough each night. now that money is spent, ministers are urging councils to spend some of the £3.2 billion extra funding they have been allocated for the pandemic. 0ur social affairs correspondent michael buchanan joins me now. the initial scheme seems to have been successful. it was hugely successful. effectively it meant that about 5500 people were given temporary accommodation, many of them in hotels, and what happened at

them in hotels, and what happened at the end of march ministers have effectively given councils a few days to get rough sleepers off the streets and we will give you £3.2 million to pay for this scheme. while some other government schemes have been extended, like the following scheme that was extended earlier this week, ministers have decided they are not going to ring—fence any further money to help with rough sleepers. instead they are seeing to councils we have given you £3.2 billion to help with all the costs of the pandemic and reminding then they have a duty to help rough sleepers and then encouraging them to help rough sleepers but councils have an inordinate amount of pressure on that money, social care, loss of income from other services, so a homeless charity rc angus is com pletely u na cce pta ble homeless charity rc angus is completely unacceptable and say the virus is still out there and they say the government have chosen to return to what they call the failed business as usual policies the past.

important to note the governance in scotla nd important to note the governance in scotland and wales are continuing to fund their specifics and, schemes. the congestion charge in central london, which was suspended during lockdown, will return from monday. the mayor of london says it‘ll help prevent a build—up of traffic, after the government‘s easing said that people going back to work should avoid public transport. a refund system for nhs workers is being extended to care home workers. the uk‘s chief brexit negotiator, david frost, says "very little progress" has been made in the latest talks with the eu on future trade arrangements. he accused the eu of including proposals which would unfairly bind the uk to european laws. his counterpart, michel barnier, described the talks as disappointing. at the beginning of this year more than 100 people were gathered together, to create a citizen‘s assembly, hoping to find ways of reducing

carbon emissions to virtually zero in the uk by 2050. but with the coronavirus lockdown prohibiting in—person sessions, the group has been meeting online, and the last session is this weekend, to finalise recommendations to the government. 0ur science correspondent rebecca morelle has that story. i don‘t think climate change was something that i was very concerned about. i was a little bit concerned about it but it definitely wasn‘t something i thought about every day. leah could have a big impact on the way we live our lives. she spends most of her time looking after horses, but, since the start of the year, she‘s been taking part in the uk‘s first climate assembly. we need something that will work, notjust a pipe dream.

there are 110 assembly members, chosen from randomly selected people to represent all walks of life from across the uk. they are being asked to work out how the uk can reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, looking at everything from how we generate electricity to choices about transport. there's a lot of different opinions of how we should go about getting to net zero, and we don't always agree. you could be in london and public transport could be all electric, and you could be in a rural area where there may be no public transport, so you have no choice but to have a car. so, what personal choices would these assembly members make to cut emissions? i would probably look to eating less meat and probably get better cuts. i was looking at electric cars. but, living in a flat, there is no charging places. go with quality over quantity. i would buy clothes that were more expensive and last longer. there is no financial benefit of improving your house more environmentally. it doesn't add value to your house. turning the heating downjust by a couple of degrees and making the kids put theirjumper on. the climate assembly was supposed to have concluded back in march,

but then the coronavirus pandemic struck, so, like meetings up and down the country, the assembly has moved to video conferencing. how has the coronavirus changed the way you think? it has proved that a lot of people can work from home if need be. we all know if you stop flying and driving cars, the air is going to get greener, but i think at some point the money will run out. so, will a green recovery be possible? the key fear is that the climate change policies or... would all be pushed to the background. this is a brilliant opportunity tojust restart in an entirely different way, focusing on more green jobs, retraining people with the assembly nearly complete, a report will soon be submitted to mps. leah hopes it will make a difference. if we get a chance to influence how government policies are made, it‘s really important that the government hears the voice of the people. rebecca morelle, bbc news.

football clu bs football clubs in league 2 have agreed to finish the season under a framework that includes tables being decided on points per game with the play—off remaining as planned. decided on points per game with the play-off remaining as planned. any move needs to be ratified by the english football league and the football association. league 1 side to face further talks after failing to face further talks after failing to come to an agreement over their season. communities across the uk have found different ways to come together during the pandemic — from the clap for carers to teddy bears and rainbows in windows. now, one family hit by coronavirus has come up with a poignant way of remembering many who‘ve died — as jon kay reports. sheila died with coronavirus last month. she was 83. she was a kind and open person and she loved being in the mountains and forests. i think becky is somewhere as well. her husband david and granddaughter becky told me they wanted sheila

to be remembered for how she was — not just as another statistic. she was always smiling, laughing, right to the end. she definitely had a lot of people in fits. i think that isjust credit to her beautiful personality, really. unable to have the funeral they wanted, the family put this yellow heart in the window in sheila‘s memory and then shared a picture of it on social media. within hours, hundreds of other grieving families across the uk were doing the same for their loved ones — every heart representing a victim of coronavirus. we have hit a nerve. as people walked around their neighbourhood they could see the extent of the suffering throughout the general population. soon the family‘s facebook page was receiving not only photographs of hearts but pictures of those

who have died. it‘s become an online shrine — a place where the grieving can gather, share and support. everybody that met them always said how lovely they were. it's just been devastating. michael and meg died with hours of each other. their granddaughter says the yellow hearts have helped her reach out at a time of isolation. itjust means i'm not on my own. i can talk to other people that are going through the same thing and it'sjust a lovely idea. why do you think this is so important at a time like this? because you feel lost and anonymous sitting at home in isolation grieving about your family. here you feel you're part of a different community. itjust shows that this is something that can really help support