4 group needs to be funded so using. current will be believed in this room. welcoming our viewers from around the world live from central london this is our to u.k. . and the u.k.'s health service is under pressure despite plans for a brand new hospital and an army of volunteers as reports emerged of abuse to be directed at and h.s. workers. hotel 'd chain travelodge even homeless families with just hours to spare blaming the government advice over the coronavirus crisis i'll be talking to a london councillor. the u.k. stands isolated as the prime minister refuses the e.u.'s offer to bulk buy key equipment like ventilators to get reaction from my europe correspondent. and fears

grow over a potential mental health crisis triggered by the government's social distancing break elations ali talking to a psychiatry. welcome to r.t. you can be grown a virus crisis is ramping up pressure on the health service as the u.k. death toll continues to rise and it comes amid reports of n.h.s. workers suffering abuse with some becoming a target for muggers were in this r t u k shabda evers dash he joins me know how that shot he is so as we heard there some pretty dramatic developments absolutely as state's 3 of the national emergency situation plus a lockdown sonoran the death toll is now at $465.00 which is up $43.00 in the last 24 hours on the number of cases then the united kingdom has got 9 and a half 1000 cases 100000 people though have been tested across the united kingdom

yes say those with the highest number since the outbreak began so things really are still expected to get a lot worse before they get better particularly for the n.h.s. who is bearing the brunt of this crisis but now. they are preparing for what is to come yesterday though the government didn't markable near half a 1000000 people volunteered themselves to help alleviate the strains on the n.h.s. those people are putting their names forward for things like escorting patients back from hospital bringing their medicines from pharmacies and also providing essential support to them on the telephone however now of course we know that london is the epicenter of this crisis the highest death toll across the united kingdom plus the highest number of cases and now there is the construction of a new hospital in the london xcel center one of the key workers on this site filmed a video as he walks through what will soon be called the nightingale hospital the emergency facility is in east london and will eventually hold 4000 critical care

beds spread across 2 wards as you can see on your screen it is huge and just to give you an idea the center has 87000 square meters of space one whole being a whole kilometer long reports say the doors could open as early as monday with an initial 500 beds being made readily available for use now the facility is planned to be just one of maybe 10 crisis centers across the whole of the united kingdom all designed to deal with the huge surge of patients with breathing difficulties needing access to ventilators so on this matter of ventilators then last week the house secretary. issued a call for manufacturers and produces to produce this much needed equipment and dyson today has answered that call so the government has placed an order for 10000 ventilators however the prototypes will have to go through extensive medical tests and scrutiny with professionals before able to be readily available so it could be

a few more weeks until they are then available that all comes though as n.h.s. staff have been told to hide their work identity badges when they're coming in and out of hospitals because believe it or not there's been a spate of incidents where staff have been targeted by. marcuse they want to get access to their free food and drinks being offered to the medical professionals on the front line while in an effort to say thank you to the n.h.s. tonight the u.k. will follow the lead of other european countries and pay tribute to the n.h.s. workers the clock for carers campaign wants people to stand outside at 8 o'clock in the evening to report all those on the front line it is a small act but it hopes to have a massive impact to say thank you to the n.h.s. yes hear hear shout i thank you very much and thank you want to discuss the situations n.h.s. staff are facing in and out of work i'll be joined in the next hour by dr the heavy . now boris johnson has suggested that m.p.'s consider

new laws against black market profiteering during the pandemic it comes amid reports of recent panic buying and the raising of prices on essential products come i wrote on girlfriend the prime minister assure me that he is in regular contact with supermarkets and food supplies to be sure that goods are getting to the shelves where they are needed and will he join me in calling on people to only take what they need not to stockpile and just dump out the disgusting scourge of black market in profiting bear yes yes indeed this is because i think the profiteering is something that we should be looking at from a legacy point of view in this houses as has happened before in this country and but i can tell him that the supermarkets do have adequate supplies of supply chains and as mobile friend knows are very good relaxed delivery hours but it is very very important that everybody in their shopping reasonably and considerately. well boris johnson's call comes a staff at retailer sports direct train the company has significantly raise prices

on a number of its lines among the items include skipping ropes raise from just under 3 pounds to or most 5 while a set of dumbbell weights or an increase of 20 pounds to $6499.00 even those looking for less strenuous activity have to pay more $1.00 of their dart boards has increased by 10 pounds to just under 40 was forced i reckon say the increases were planned and have nothing to do with the pandemic while some goods have seen an increase in price at sports direct this is not the complete or accurate picture not only were these goods originally discounted but even now they are under the recommended resale price or online marketplaces have also been told to do more to cope profiteering of key items on their platforms digital thermometers that usually cost around 40 pounds have been seen on sale for as much as $300.00 while the price of hand sanitizer has increased $10.00 fold selling for around 10 pounds

with sanitary products that normally retail for around 3 pounds have doubled and increases for baby formula have been found online for 4 times their original shop price well the government's call to crackdown on profiteering comes as $1.00 of the companies selling covert 19 testing kits has a tory m.p. as a consultant i mean paterson around 100000 pounds a year advising randolph's laboratories whose kit is marketed at $120.00 pounds we have yet to receive a comment from paterson or run docs but the company has previously defended its position. as a private company with over 40 years investment in and commitment to the diagnostics industry ran docs quickly developed a code 19 test and were able to provide that test with a home sample collection capability at a very competitive price that price is a matter of public record. now the travelodge hotel chain is under fire

for citing the coronavirus crisis as a reason to evict homeless families they've been placed in their rooms by local councils travelodge sent a letter to hundreds of residents including homeless families to inform them that hotels were closing down due to the government's coronavirus restrictions they instructed these people to vacate the hotel within hours of the letter being sent or critics of the new restrictions took to twitter to express their outrage with people dropping the move to evict those with nowhere to go a scandalous others said they would boycott such change when life does return to normal while some have defended the move placing the responsibility on local authorities as it's not financially viable for hotels to remain open west banks 1st and for the hotel train service they were following government advice travelodge has been obliged to commence for temporary closure of its hotels in line with the instructions from the government on 24th of march 2020 we do expect to remain open

in selected critical locations across the country to support accommodation for emergency workers and other groups we are reviewing daily which hotels are best positioned to support the needs of a rise of a government while ensuring we comply with the new restrictions in place to protect the public. allotting council of mars macleod joins me now to discuss the mayor by travelodge. morris thank you very much indeed for joining us and can you really blame the hotel chain that i guess following government advice. and it does seem to be. mistakes that secular theys is a bit concerned it's all shows that i think that the some of the way this guidance is coming out is quite piecemeal and it's it's creating mixed messages because that the. the hotel chain claim that it was right that the government did say that i'm so chains make the plays and the fact that they were already providing a service. for many local authorities that took place people in temporary covered

ation that you know that they were already being used for that that was kind of missed maybe when putting out information where you know it was decided stuff i can understand how that the the hotel chain say that they they they didn't they you know that they made a mistake return it shows how important it is at the moment for the government really to be clear i think in its message and gray davis talking about how to i mean it is a case that is the local authorities priority isn't it to house these people. of course yeah of course and as you know as a as a local councillor i know how hogs the offices down hair in that anyone's local weather can make and show that you know it will rust state because you know. that no one's missed from the met it's really important. you know something about this that it's ended up being counterproductive and is a real shame but look like

a side art and i'm greatly reticent to basic critical to be honest even maven of the government i mean this is massive conversations to be had when this is finished but i think that this moment there's not really a time a name to be to be looking for things to criticize i'm going to put it down to a miscommunication that now needs to be sorted out at the moment what we need to do is focus on the can offer up a website and talking on practical matters that i mean where are the families going to go not actually how many people do you think this affects several. i don't i don't know about the numbers to going to i have no idea how many people this this impacts a group they want it what it does and again it's not an issue for now but for late says just how many families would be it would be an os to live in this way to be an honest to live you know being put top in and hotels temporarily because the councils just don't have the housing stock that they should have to give people a permanent you know ye ye the difference between moving from place to place and no

tell rooms hotel room and actually having a permanent housing is 7 important what one thing this is going to highlight is how many people that that was an accident and i don't know the numbers i will try to tatum us about it as you say something to take out for the future but the meantime what do you think the government should do short term out long term to protect these families. well we're we're in a moment where in a moment when i say things that were politically impossible just a couple of months ago i'm now inevitable so. you know i didn't think even may even be in the end i mean i left the i didn't think we'd live to say a country that was joking you know about universal breaks a king comes and really reaching out and making sure that the welfare system is fit for purpose and you know this is. one of so so what i would like to see happen is that these families that well while we're reaching out to small businesses while

we're actually today you know there's going to be an announcement about the self employed that we don't forget you know that week that we state everybody out that nobody's left behind in this that is you know if we if we end up with a society where there aren't rough sleepers anymore 'd and there aren't people in temporary accommodation anymore because we bail out that's not something that's acceptable that can make some good will come from this most mcleod thank you for joining us. public health england has announced a $3500000.00 coronavirus tests will be available in a matter of days that says the u.k. government faces criticism for not running out widespread testing much sooner. he reports as the fight against the chrono virus continues the world health organization couldn't have been clearer off about the best strategy to get the global pandemic on the control test test test. countries which have rolled out wide scale testing like south korea have managed to

get on top of the outbreak but the government here in the u.k. has been behind the curve initially saying it needs to prioritize the few tests available for those most in need while promising to increase the numbers quickly on our own testing just to reassure him we're moving up 225008 day public health in the now says mass testing will be available as soon as possible with 3 and a half 1000000 test kits on their way but that will come as too little too late for many frontline n.h.s. staff this is the time of year where having a bit of a sniffle having a bit of a cough a bit of a runny nose is relatively normal and what we haven't seen is brilliant guidance on exactly what symptoms are imports and we've talked about temperature we know temperature isn't brilliantly predictive of how ill someone is so it may be that i suspect not 50 percent of the population but it may be that a fair number of health professionals have already had it what would that mean for them if they were able to get this test it would mean a degree of confidence would be reinstalled it would mean that they would still

quite rightly use the personal protective equipment but there'd be less fearful for their own safety it might mean that they're more able to do more hours or more work and it may well mean that their mental health is better in the long term it's not to start off patients displaying symptoms have been refused tests being told that the only way it's possible is for them to be admitted to hospital where they're at higher risk of contracting the virus if they didn't have it before. and then all of a sudden it just creeps up on you again. and she's starry strange like that like this morning i wake up. and i will suddenly get on really hot sweats and in. benton so the internet well the what what was that i got for you to some but they put me streets are clinician. base and they just said oh i so like you so

until you can't deal with your symptoms anymore and then if it gets to that point you just ring no i know 'd knowing of sleep i asked if we could if i could be tested. because of his looks at the. same life family except through a very worried about set. an offshoot minds at rest if we kind of knew actually what it was and then or sorry about that could be tested as well while some try to recover at home there are others that don't need to fit the criteria it would seem world to get treated like royalty and the rich are also in luck with tests absolute private harley street clinic available for the modest sum of $375.00 pounds so while the government is calling for an army of volunteers to help fight the virus there are still a few guarantees that those on the front line and those that they treat will know if they're at risk the saudi ot the london. coming up after the break. the u.k. refuses east help to bulk buy ventilators

a sum any piece criticized the response of 7 member states to the qur'an a fire is pandemic probably joined on europe correspondent. and concerns are raised about a potential mental health crisis juge the government social distancing measures i'm talking to a psychologist. world is driven by shaped by. the day or thinks. we dare to ask.

as the election cycle rages on the media highlights or even invents what they deem to be important even radical what they don't tell you is how the political center is collapsing in one case campaign is what voters think about the status quo.

welcome back to the u.k. appears to be self isolating as boris johnson refuses e.u. help to bulk buy medical equipment to fight the coronavirus it comes as some any piece have criticized the response of certain member states to the pandemic well arty's europe correspondent peter oliver joins me now with. that peter so division between the u.k. and the but also within the limits self. well that's right in brussels they're currently well they've been debating the plan that's being put forward it's being called the new marshall plan the marshall plan of course what was put in place post world war 2 to rebuild europe after that conflict they're suggesting and certainly it was mentioned in the parliament

chamber on thursday that they wouldn't be rubble buildings for generations to come but that this coronavirus this covert 19 pandemic would have a lasting effect on europe and that measures need to be put in place now one of those measures includes the the bulk buying the joint buying and distribution of medical equipment things like masks globes and of course those all important ventilators now lawmakers in europe gone to london and said you could be part of this if you want to well it does seem at the downing street have said no they don't want but they're going to go it alone in their own direction what we did hear on thursday though was sort of underlying the european commission president stand up in parliament there has been a lot of criticism leveled particularly at the european commission for a lack of union basically within the european union she says that now they have a unified plan and they're ready to step up but the story from the

last few weeks is hardly a painful one to tell. when europe really needed to be there for each other too many initially looked out for themselves when europe really needed an all for one spirit too many initially gave only for me response and when europe really needed to prove that this is not only a fair weather union too many initially refused to share their umbrella europe is now really stepping up but the people of europe are watching what happens next and we all know what is at stake what we do now mattress for today as well as for the future and we all

welcome the news that hospitals and sex anees took patients from lumber day while others from the grandest in fast and now bearing being treated in the gandu she and luxemburg this only goes to prove. that it only it is only by helping each other that we can help ourselves. the european commission president as the bond ally and they're saying this well we can all work together to help one another in europe it does seem that britain has said no to that offer of help they're going to go it alone but also standing out in the european parliament in brussels on thursday was the french any p manon or bre now what she didn't just stand out because of her let's face it frankly quite cultural language that you chose to walk for while describing the urgency with which frontline health care workers need need masks and other equipment but she also stood out by making

a big point of scolding those across europe who would use this crisis as an attempt to either seize power or to try and profit. in mind this to mess you also put us through when we see that germany is following the guidelines for example some other states are just waiting for people to turn up at their hospital was it to all but is doing well unseemly in terms of talent deafening silence in the rest of us on the czech republic and italy are actually fighting over little italy have masks of this is the shameful face of europe which is terribly our knighted no single state can do of this solidarity of people has to be something which provides a reason that train of europe for saying she's going to burn your house or counted them all. of the european parliament is set to vote later on thursday evening pushing through this bill these bills these measures that are being called the new marshall plan to try and cope with covert 19 but also to try and rebuild following

the virus and once it's basically passed us by the the marshall plan how incredible named peter oliver thank you for joining us. well across the globe there are growing concerns about how the coronavirus crisis is affecting people's mental health it's a merge that a health worker in italy has committed suicide after working on the front line 34 year old daniela threat c worked on the intensive care unit of the sun jet are the hospital in long body the 1st region in italy to be hit by the virus according to reports the health worker was traumatised by what she saw in hospital and later found out she tested positive for the virus more than 7000 people have died in italy after contracting corona virus it's the worst affected country outside china . well in the u.k. mental health groups have raised the alarm about the effects self isolation could have on people who suffer from depression and anxiety the charity mind has issued

advice for those who suffer with mental health problems top tips include staying as active as you can and getting plenty of fresh air the group also encouraged people to take up a creative hobby and make use of video calling services to combat social isolation or war on this issue i'm now joined by consultant psychiatry is dr j. s. bama dr barry thank you very much indeed for joining us as we probably gather the next 3 weeks ago to be hard for all of us but could you tell us what those already struggling are going through. i could often order it well i think understandably the physical effects of the virus of bringing longstreet the captivate to everybody about sedation but there is no doubt that history will teach us through the best absolves of all these pandemics that we have had that meant how is particularly important. because the isolation quarantine precious. important though they all lead to severe mental house hardships all people not just

those who have mental health problems existing problems but also who've had no history of mental illness or told people with serious mental health issues already need care and support obviously but is that going to be harder to get now what we yes i mean those things already issued to do with that was already a shortage of beds and going to be a shortage of community it was also is it better health that you're well and that is even more 'd difficult because imagine being on the court having to be called in to utah isolated imagine being in the community paying depressed psychological 6 idle and not being able to access directly the help that you deem so of course it does impose particular particular those with existing but limits but as i said. we know now from the previous epidemics that i wish we could learn the lessons

early all. we need good clarity good connection good education really for a national health plan not just one roadblock but a national helpline the root aid to those who are suffering the effects of thanks psyche stress and trauma well as we don't have that help on at the moment though what advice would you give to individuals who are getting through this period of social distancing. well i think in the in this standing which but we are particularly fortunate because that there are any means off connection but you are calling as mine said the girl code of psychiatrists. put out guidelines peel and all that i say medical is also put out guidelines on its website so those busy who have particular issues hoping socially isolated and those so that keep yourself busy this is a good time for people to catch up with a lot of stuff that don't catch up on that you're calling catch up on some exercise

if only out to the gotten or you know house do some yoga. some pull out is such sort of saying keep yourself physically active because the danger is we will all over indulge in eating drinking it online stuff that is some of it is good and some of it may not be that good. and so there are any means of actually being able to connect and if i do i also with the physical activity you get the endorphins about it which is also very good for you how did that end up with a mental health crisis across the nation. or we know that impulse to history as i said it. does tend to happen often what people feel stigmatized from employers from families from their bosses from the neighborhood from having been caught and teamed . so that sickening submit to race you call strikes is traumatic stress disorder from seeing a loved one dying but being able to support them through the illness not being able

to attend the funeral even because you yourself are a quarter team so all of these things have lasting effects on people's mental health unfortunately yes indeed but how do you think people could reasonably expect to be able to socially isolate for how long can they keep going for. well if we're such teachers assignee think i think we can cope with core team who also show isolation sometimes they use it as. interchangeably but actually they slightly different concepts we can cope with out for up to 10 to 12. history teach us that is that if it's bull the. solution depression sucks it is so we the idea was to keep it keep video corning keep communicating with people and to keep active that's pretty good advice dr james bond rough think you very much indeed for george herbert like. we're about with more news in just over half an hour see him again.

when i want to show him wrong but all wrong just don't call. me ali yet to seep out the active. and engaged me because betrayal. once on many find themselves worlds apart we choose to look for common ground.