you're watching bbc news at nine with me ben brown. the headlines: more signs of growing pressure on the nhs from the new coronavirus variant. three ambulance services in the south—east of england are asking people not to call unless it's a genuine emergency. a leading think tank forecasts that the uk economy will see slower growth next year due to the tightening of coronavirus restrictions. the government warns businesses and travellers to be prepared for substantial changes and possible disruption from new year's eve when new brexit rules come into force. businesses will need to make sure that they're ready for few customs procedures and we as individuals will need to make sure that our passports are up to date, because they need to have at least six months before expiry on them to be able to travel abroad.

president trump signs a coronavirus relief and spending package, after previously threatening to block the bill — saying parts of it were ‘wasteful‘. at least 200 british tourists are reported to have fled the swiss ski resort of verbier to avoid a 10—day quarantine, ordered after the discovery of the new covid variant in the uk. in half an hour i will be looking back at the year that coronavirus hit the uk. it's a story which has left none of us untouched. that's the coronavirus pandemic with me hugh pym. good morning and welcome to the bbc news at 9.

hospitals across the uk say they're facing intense pressure, as the number of coronavirus infections continues to rise. three ambulance trusts in the south of england are urging people to only call 999 if there's a genuine emergency. the london ambulance service said it dealt with nearly 8,000 calls on boxing day — its second busiest day ever. the south central and south east coast ambulances have also been dealing with very high numbers of calls. and, in scotland, doctors say health services could be overwhelmed, if the relaxation of covid restrictions for christmas, triggers a surge in cases. with this report, here's andy moore. health services across the country are under pressure, and in some areas such as wales and london, they are under particular strain. the capital is where the new variant of coronavirus is growing most rapidly. the london ambulance service has reported that boxing day was one of its busiest days ever,

second only to march 16th earlier this year, when the first wave of the pandemic was beginning to surge. 0n the 26th of december this year, the service dealt with 7,918 emergency calls. that's an increase of more than 50% on last year's total for the same day of 5217. in order to meet the rising demand, the service is putting back office staff on the road, and drafting in extra ambulances from neighbouring regions. 0ther ambulance services in the south—east are reporting similar problems. ambulance trusts in particular are coming under extreme pressure, as are community and mental health services. everybody affected by the impact of covid. and talking to trust leaders overnight, they are under no illusion about how challenging this is. in wales, more than half of intensive care beds are now occupied by covid patients.

it's a situation described as unprecedented. the situation across wales is quite sobering. the number of people that are presenting with symptoms of covid that not only require hospital admission, but are so seriously ill that they require intensive care, and that more than 50% of our bed occupancy in intensive care, is now due to covid patients, is very worrying. in scotland, the country's clinical director has denied the system could be overwhelmed. he said measures were in place where extra capacity was needed. but some doctors are warning that a combination of factors could create a perfect storm. the combination of these two occurrences, much more mixing over christmas and the very high transmissibility of the new strain of covid, would result in many more infections. and therefore many more hospital admissions, and necessarily, then,

more admissions to an intensive care unit and more deaths, sadly. but there is some good news on the horizon. another vaccine, the oxford university astrazeneca version, is expected to be given approval soon by the regulator and its roll—out could start early in the new year. the uk has ordered 100 million doses of this jab, and unlike the pfizer vaccine, it doesn't need to be kept at extremely low temperatures. andy moore, bbc news. a leading think tank is forecasting that the uk economy will see slower growth next year, because of the tighter restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the new coronavirus variant. the resolution foundation, which focuses on living standards, says it's likely that government support for businesses and workers will be needed for even longer than previously thought. we can speak now to torsten bell, the chief executive of the resolution foundation.

we hear a lot about light at the end of the tunnel, what is your prognosis, what do you think is going to happen next year economically? good morning. one of the lessons from 2020 is making predictions a long way out is a dangerous game. but we need to think ahead, because we need policy to plan for how 2021 will pan out. light at the end of the tunnel, but a bumpy road getting to the state where the vaccine gets us out of this mess, this is partly because, as we have been hearing, the effects of the new variant are so seve it up mmp of the new variant are so seve it up ramp up restrictions. how will the economic recovery when it does come ta ke economic recovery when it does come take shape? are you saying it will be driven by the hospitality sector, you talked of a roaring 20s

phenomenon, where everyone wants to get back to socialising as soon as they can. most of us want to get back to seeing some other human beings. humans are not meant to spend a year locked away in their houses. that is what we saw in the united states in the 20s as they came out of spanish flu pandemic and there are reasons for thinking that would happen now, the hospitality sector, retail, hospitals, holiday spending will bounce back, because higher income households have saved huge amounts, three times the usual savings rates across 2020 as a whole. so people have money to spend, some people have money to spend, some people have money to spend, the higher income households and they usually spend in restau ra nts a nd and they usually spend in restaurants and hotels. but it is not going to be an even recover y. a lot of people haven't been saving and have been running down their

savings, such as the self—employed or lower income households have taken on more debt to get through the last nine months. we have seen huge amounts of government support, how much longer do you think that will have to go on for? well, the chancellor's set out that the furlough scheme will exist through to april. that will mean although unemployment will be rising slightly, we won't see big rises until later in the year, but we expect significant rises as the sur foe scheme is phased out. the office of budget responsibility expects another million rise in unemployment. so we are talking significant numbers. that is not just about covid, if you look at the effect of the job retention scheme, there have been fewer people flowing out ofjobs, there have been fewer people flowing out of jobs, because there have been fewer people flowing out ofjobs, because the scheme has frozen the labour market. we should

expect rising unemployment. employment. 0ur expect rising unemployment. employment. our view is the government support should continue with more general support and that is how we make sure we have a strong recovery. thank you. meanwhile, countries across the european union have begun mass coronavirus vaccinations, with many prioritising the elderly and health workers. countries such as spain, the czech republic, italy and germany have all begun administering the doses, with the eu vaccination program aiming to reach 450—million residents. 0ur correspondent bethany bell sent us this update this has been seen by politicians, governments across europe as really a sense of light at the end of

tunnel. in austria, the first person to beb tunnel. in austria, the first person to be b vaccinated was an 84—year—old woman who said she wa nted 84—year—old woman who said she wanted to do it, because she wanted to meet with her children, her grandchildren and her great grandchildren and her great grandchildren without having to worry. austria's leader was there watch her being vaccinated. he called it a game—changer. in the italy, the leaderer of italy said it was a day that would never be forgotten. in italy it was a 29—year—old nurse who was first to be vaccinated, who said she believed it was the beginning of the end of pandemic. we are seeing this picture in the eu where they're vaccinating people in care homes, medical staff, but ina people in care homes, medical staff, but in a couple of countries, political leaders were among those getting the first jabs. political leaders were among those getting the firstjabs. the czech

prime minister was the first person to get the jab there and the greek prime minister was among the first to be vaccinated and that also a way of trying to persuade people who may be hesitant to take the vaccine. because there is some hesitancy that people hope can be overcome as the vaccine is rolled out. businesses and people travelling to the european union are being warned to get ready for "substa ntial" changes from new year's eve. a deal setting out the future relationship between the uk and the eu was agreed on christmas eve and parliament is being recalled in two days time for mps to consider it. the cabinet office minister, michael gove, said this morning there'd be "some disruption" and "practical and procedural changes" which everyone needed to prepare for. we are doing everything we can to provide the information necessary to enable people to recognise what we are being faced with. but as we

leave the eu and we are outside the customs union, the new requirements will mean when people arrive at the french border, they need the paperwork in order. we made sure businesses that are sending goods to france are in a position to be able to check to see if they have the right paperwork. if they haven't, we would advise them not to make that journey, because they will only be turned back and so that is what i mean, making sure that everyone has got their paperwork in order and we hope that the information that we are providing will enable people with the where withal to be able to navigate the new procedures. 0n the contentious issue of fishing mr gove insisted the government had secured the best possible outcome.

0ne one of the reasons why it took so long to reach the deal is because we we re long to reach the deal is because we were holding out to get the best possible dealfor were holding out to get the best possible deal for coastal communities and the fishing sector. for weeks now, bbc correspondents have been reminding us how important fish was to the negotiation and indeed you know it was right up until the afternoon of christmas eve that we were negotiating in order to get the best deal for fisheries. now, could it have been better? would i have wanted that short a period? yes, absolutely, but we got eu down from that 1a—year transition to five and a half and made sure that we have a significant uplift in the amount that we can catch next year and the years that follow. it's been a year since the uk left the eu, but it's not untiljanuary 1st 2021 that we are outside

the eu transition rules. here's our political correspondent, helen catt. big ben chimes. this was the moment the uk left the eu. 11pm on the 31st of january this year. and it'll be 11pm again, this time of the 31st of december, when we leave the single market and the customs union. this time the government says we will notice the change. a trade deal was finalised in brussels last week, and it is expected to be in place before thursday. the eu are set to approve it possibly as early as today. the uk parliament is expected to pass the necessary law on wednesday. but even with a deal in place, businesses that trade goods with the eu will still have to file customs declarations, even though they won't pay any tariffs. lorries wanting to use the channel tunnel or the port of dover will need a permit to enter kent. in holyhead, authorities are also

putting in place measures to deal with possible traffic build—up. there will be new trade rules for northern ireland. the government has said there was likely to be some disruption to trade. it has advice for anyone planning a trip to any eu country except ireland. check your passport is valid, double—check your roaming policy for your mobile phone and take out full travel insurance. valid ehic cards will still be recognised. pet owners are also being told if they want to take their animal the government says with a big change comes challenge and opportunity. and that, it's reminding us, starting a few days' time. helen catt, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news: more signs of growing pressure on the nhs from the new coronavirus variant. three ambulance services in the south—east of england are asking people not to call unless it's a genuine emergency. a leading think tank forecasts that the uk economy will see slower

growth next year due to the tightening of coronavirus restrictions. the government warns businesses and travellers to be prepared for substantial changes and possible disruption from new year's eve when new brexit rules come into force. hundreds of british tourists have reportedly fled the swiss ski resort of verbier rather than face a 10—day quarantine. around 200 people are thought to have left the town, popular with uk holidaymakers, during the night. that was after switzerland's government ordered anyone arriving from britain after december 14th to self—isolate, following the discovery of a new variant of covid—19. reports claim tourists were even offered free champagne on christmas day to make their stay more comfortable. let's speak to our correspondent imogen foulkes who's in bern in switzerland. it seems that offer of champagne was not quite enough and at least a

couple of hundred of tourists wanted to get out as soon as possible. yes, if you're a keen skier and you have come to your favourite up market resort and days after you're told to get back to your hotel and stay indoors, probably no amount of champagne is going to compensate for that. and so it appears, at least 200, because at the moment the authorities say there are just a dozen british tourists left in verbier. there were over 400. the tourists have chose on the head home. there are no flights. so it seems many will have hired cars or taxis to take them to the channel and get back home. rather than stay ina and get back home. rather than stay in a hotel room or a chalet in verbier looking out at the snow but not being able to ski on it. what has been the reaction of the authorities, is there anger? the

people seem to have fled under the cover of darkness? there is irritation and some anger and maybe across switzerland. switzerland did decide to keep its ski slopes open over the winter. if you live here, there is a sense that is mainly for local people. i mean, skiing here is like kind of walking to the shops in other countries, people expect to bible to do it. of course, tourists from britain have come as well. but this is also a country which is struggling with really a difficult, difficult second wave of the covid pandemic. so this action from the government irritating though it was if you planned a great winter holiday, was designed to stop the spread of this new strain, which appears to originate in the uk and appears to originate in the uk and appears to originate in the uk and appears to be more infectious. there isa appears to be more infectious. there is a bit of disappointment i think,

specially in verbier where it seems hoteliers were trying to keep eve ryo ne hoteliers were trying to keep everyone comfortable and happy that people should just leave overnight and apparently some when they got to france phoned and asked to have their money refunded. thank you. president trump has signed the covid relief bill that means lapsed payments to millions of americans who are unemployed can be resumed. he'd refused to sign the $2.3 trillion package, because he wanted cheques to individual americans to be increased from $600 to $2,000 — which congress rejected. from washington, nomia iqbal reports. the yeas are 359, the nays are 53. this was a deal that had supported by both republicans and democrats, but not by the president.

a few months ago, congress started negotiations on a new package to get urgently needed help to the american people. it's taken forever. however, the bill they are now planning to send back to my desk is much different than anticipated. it really is a disgrace. as he played golf over the last few days, he was pressured by both parties to sign the bill. the consequences of his inaction were immense. up to 40 million americans face losing their unemployment benefits temporarily and being evicted from their homes. the bill now changes that. very exciting and i hope that it's true so what that a lot of families can get stimulus and relief and all the people who are still struggling with unemployment don't have to face such grim news at the holidays, at the beginning of a new year. the government also faced being shut down, as a lot of money was needed for funding government agencies.

there will now be help for small businesses and money for vaccine distribution amongst other things. well some key elements, you know in addition to the $600 stimulus, there is up to $8,000 perjobless worker unemployment benefits, including a top up that expired injuly. there's also an eviction moratorium. there's money to get schools opened, protective equipment, so really vital aid. in a statement, president trump didn't say why he changed his mind. he said more still needed to be done, including increasing the individual payments to americans. mr trump also pushed the one thing he remains focussed on — claims of election fraud, which are unsubstantiated and demanded action on that too. but he is only president for less than a month and his requests are likely to be ignored. this last minute turmoil he created has now been averted and instead provided much needed help for a country that

continues to suffer under the pandemic. a chinese journalist who reported on the early stages of the pandemic in wuhan has been jailed forfour years. zhang zhan's live reports and articles criticising the authorities‘ initial response to the virus were widely shared on social media. 0ur correspondent stephen mcdonnell is in beijing. does this show how sensitive the chines authorities are to reports they were slow to reaction to the initial emergence of the virus in wuhan? yes, zhang zhan's hearing only lasted a few hours and she was found guilty of picking fights and provoking trouble. this is a crime

that dissidents are often charged with and in factjailed for in her case for four years. that's the sentence she has received. and it is interesting, she has referred to as a kind of citizenjournalists. but her reporting was challenging the government more at the diss dent end ofjourn —— diss dents end of journalism. she was showing the chaos of the early stages of outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic in that city. and you can do many things in china, but one is not challenge the communist party. when it wants s to portray this has been handled well and if somebody should see any mishandling or cover up, it is not something they will accept and for this reason she is being

punished heavily. i gather the authy sensoring any mention of that in china? yeah, i mean for example, i don't think we will see any reporting of her case in the local media. in terms of us for example, well the bbc world, the feed is pulled every time we speak about the subject. so even any discussion at all about her trial, about the mishandling of the coronavirus is something that the party is not going to tolerate. because you know for a little window there, her and other citizen journalists were able to show this stuff, even on chinese social media. it could be the authorities were so busy with the outbreak and took so long to shut them down, now it has been brought

under control and the message is being forward that china is doing much better than other countries and so like i say anybody who would be challenging that message and putting out a sort of different line on how the coronavirus has been held to the chinese people, that is not going to be tolerated by the government here. thank you. now the sport. jurgen klopp said yesterday's draw with west brom felt like a loss. they opened up the scoring through mane. but liverpool failed to turn their domination into clear cut chances and it cost them in the end, as west brom equalised

with ten minutes remaining. you have to use the chances when you have them. so it's not now not a... the end of the world. so it's a football game, which we wanted to win and actually i think we should have won, but now we have the full 95 minutes, i say they deserve the point. totte n ha m i say they deserve the point. tottenham also dropped points against wolves. spurs sat back and could have pushed on more and the home side in the end levelled late on. so leeds are the, were the only winners yesterday, with a 1—0 victory over burnley through bamford's penalty. victory over burnley through ba mford's penalty. away victory over burnley through bamford's penalty. away from football, the six—time champion

roger federer will miss the australian open for the first time in his career at the age of 39, as he continues to recover from knee surgery. he continues to recover from knee surgery. his last match was against novak djokovic. he said being fit for wimbledon and the olympics in the summer are his priorities next year. and australia have it all to do to avid defeat against india in the second test in melbourne. they bowled india out for 326 and the home side collapsed to 99—6. australia closing on 133—6, a lead of just two runs. australia closing on 133—6, a lead ofjust two runs. india with a big chance of winning the match and levelling up the four—match series. and now the darts, there was a huge

upset as the reigning champion peter wright was knocked out by gabriel clemence. that is all from the bbc sport centre for now. thank you. now we will look at the weather. we have a cold week ahead as we see out 2020. it will deliver some snow at times. that is what some of us have seen times. that is what some of us have seen to start the day. this area of rain, sleet and snow affects the midlands and southern england. showers in the west, falling as snow on the hills and very gusty winds in the west. wintry showers around north sea coasts and temperatures struggle to six celsius at best. tonight some wintry showers and an area of sleet and snow affecting

more of north—east england and it will be another cold, frosty and icy night and start to the day tomorrow. we need to watch this area of rain, sleet and snow, as it pushes south. further wintry showers around the coasts. but many of us will have an afternoon of dry weather tomorrow with some sunshine, but it won't feel any warmer.

hello, this is bbc news with ben brown. the headlines... more signs of growing pressure on the nhs from the new coronavirus variant. three ambulance services in the south—east of england are asking people not to call unless it's a genuine emergency. a leading think tank forecasts that the uk economy will see slower growth next year due to the tightening of coronavirus restrictions. the government warns businesses and travellers to be prepared for substantial changes and possible disruption from new year's eve when new brexit rules come into force.