that was the communities secretary robertjenrick. same news conference, england's deputy chief medical officer has said it could be up to six months before life in the uk returns to "normal". it would be foolish of us to start something one day and assume that it was going to have an impact the next. for all of us, was going to have an impact the next. forall of us, it was going to have an impact the next. for all of us, it has taken quite some time to get used to this new way of living, to ensure that we practise social distancing and we to that. as a population, we have evidence that we are getting better at that. people are staying at home 01’ as at that. people are staying at home or as they should, they are using transport less and they are only going to work when it is essential. those measures have now been in place solidly for a week or two. we need another couple of weeks to see that through. as i mentioned earlier, the issue of the three weeks is for us to review where we are and see if we have had an impact jointly on the

first to robertjenrick. the prime minister in his letter talks about levelling with the public, about levelling with the public, about things getting worse before they get better. what do you think they get better. what do you think the coming week is going to look like? and then a question for dr harries. we have had the confirmation of an ent surgeon, —— death, what message does that send to people on the front line? thank you, and can i also give my deepest sympathies to members of his family. the prime minister has written to all of the households in this country setting out clearly the task thatis country setting out clearly the task that is before everyone. we see on the news the difficult scenes in other european countries like italy for example, and the deaths that we are reporting daily in these press conferences are reporting daily in these press c0 nfe re nces a re are reporting daily in these press conferences are very sobering. every death is a tragedy. we don't want to see any unnecessary death

in a minute, robertjenrick will set out the plan in detail.ielding will do more than any other single measure that we are setting out to save life. and that is what we want to do. also, to reduce infection and to slow the spread of the disease. i want to say just a couple of other things. we have to do more to make sure that the existing measures that we are taking are having the effect that we want. so it is crucial that people understand tomorrow that the schools are closed and tomorrow you should not send your child to school, u nless not send your child to school, unless you have been identified as a key worker. and, more generally in view of the way people have responded over the last few days to the measures that we have set out, i wa nt to the measures that we have set out, i want to say a bit more about how we interact outdoors. 0f want to say a bit more about how we interact outdoors. of course, i want, of course i do, people to be able to go to the parks, open spaces and enjoy themselves. it is crucial for health, physical and mental

that was the communities secretary robertjenrick.nd's deputy chief medical officer also spoke at the news conference — our political correspondent chris mason has been giving me more details on what she had to say... perhaps the most explicit setting out of the timeline that is likely that impacts on our daily lives a movement suggests a six—month period there might be a turning on and off of the restrictions we have got used to. she was at pains to point out a distinction between that and a lockdown for the full period of time but the expectation from her at least being you would not be able to suddenly liberalise things in a couple of weeks, that there is a time lag so when you institute a measure it takes a couple of weeks to work out whether it has had the right effect and she thought the next 2—3 months you would need to as she put it be seen to keeping the lid on the growth of the number of cases and then just gradually try to ensure that the peak of cases is kept as low as possible. that is key to ensure that at any one point

and robertjenrick, the communities secretary, was setting out how that will happen.being sent out, 50,000 of them will have been dispatched by the end of this week. and the infrastructure thatis this week. and the infrastructure that is necessary to make that happen that mr tenrec talked about setting up a system across england that has not been seen since the second world war involving the emergency services, local authorities and military command as well to try and ensure that most vulnerable, who may not have relatives who can help them out nearby or friends who are willing to collect medical supplies or deliver food, get the necessities that they require in order to ensure that they don't have to leave the house for many weeks to come. chris mason in westminster, thank you. some care workers supporting the most vulnerable people say they are running out of protective equipment for frontline staff dealing with patients during the coronavirus outbreak. they have called on the government to provide more supplies — including face masks, gloves, and hand sanitiser. wi

first to robertjenrick.lling with the public, about levelling with the public, about things getting worse before they get better. what do you think they get better. what do you think the coming week is going to look like? and then a question for dr harries. we have had the confirmation of an ent surgeon, —— death, what message does that send to

now, robertjenrick, the communities secretary, told andrew marr earlier what would happen this week withting the 1.5 million people who will need to stay at home. many of those people will be looked after by friends, family and neighbours but where they will not be able to do that, and there are some people who are isolated and lonely who do not have that support network around them, we will create a big national effort to help those individuals with the armed forces, councils and volunteers, and they will receive parcels of food from us starting from the end of this coming week. for the rest of us, we need to act responsibly and be thoughtful and considerate when we go shopping. we have a food sector which is resilient. it should be able to provide enough food for all of us. that was the communities secretary in the uk. the british government is urging everyone to do their bit but some people are saying the government has not done its bit in adequately equipping the nhs. it's a two strand strategy, isn't it? there's the stuff we can all do to try and limit the spread of the virus, but t

in a statement to mp5, robertjenrick said he would launch a consultation or white paper on the proposalso announced moves to increase the use of commercial and brownfield sites in towns and cities and a review of building in flood risk areas. we will be reviewing our approach to planning to ensure our system enables more homes to come forward in the places that people most want to live, with jobs, with transport links, and other amenities on the doorstep. this means making the best use of land and existing transport infrastructure. he said his aim was to create a modern, simpler and faster planning system. but he had some immediate changes to announce. we are introducing the freedom to build upwards on existing buildings and today, i'm announcing a new rate to allow vacant commercial, industrial and residential blocks to be demolished and replaced with well—designed, new residential units. and in the wake of the recent widespread flooding... we should seize the opportunity to consider how the built and the natural environments can work together more harmoniously, and in that spirit, i'm

that is the community secretary robertjenrick explaining why they don't want to bring in enforcement what will happen for 1.5 million people in england this week, the nhs will write to them and they will be asked to stay at home for 12 weeks and that means at home, just your house and garden, not going out and doing shopping, getting your friends and family and social networks to look after you and bring things to you. that's to protect the most vulnerable so people with particular medical conditions which mean the nhs think they would be the most likely highest risk of developing a serious illness from coronavirus. the government urging all of us to do oui’ government urging all of us to do our bit, but some people saying the government needs to do its bit in making sure the nhs is fully equipped with all the necessary equipment, especially the protective equipment, especially the protective equipment that it will need cash in the next few weeks. -- in the next few weeks. there are two strands to this, people taking personal responsibility but then also the idea of getting the nhs r

lots coming out of that interview with robertjenrick this morning. with a look at this morning's weather. do you think it is going to be nice out there? should we find out? yesterday we had the warmest day of the year so far. 19.4 degrees was recorded in north wales. today, england and having another fine, settled and sunny day. but for scotla nd settled and sunny day. but for scotland and northern ireland, you still have this weather front. it has been with you all week and it will be with us all really right the way into the weekend. but it is weakening. this morning there is a fair bit of cloud across scotland and northern ireland, some patchy rain. that will move slightly southwards, allowing it to brighten up southwards, allowing it to brighten up later in the outer hebrides. and at times we will see bits and pieces of cloud across northern england. but for the rest of england and wales, parts of eastern northern ireland, we're looking at some sunshine, hazy through the afternoon, with ties between eight and 16. having said that, parts of west a

the housing secretary, robertjenrick, said even those scheduled to move today should try to delay.orrespondent simon gompertz. simon, good morning to you. logic dictates obviously that because of social distancing rules, certain things cannot happen but do you think there could be completions going ahead on house sales that are done entirely online? yes, good morning. you're right, it's all about social distancing. it's also the case that you can pay money online. there's nothing to stop that happening, so much is done that way nowadays. the problem is actually getting close to people during the process of moving house. the government doesn't have particular worries about unoccupied homes, so if you're just buying a home that doesn't have anyone in it, that's not a particular worry. it's where you might come into contact with the current owners of the home who are moving out or with the various professionals involved and indeed with house movers. and house movers, incidentally, their association has said there will be no more service from now on for this very reason. so yes, things

listen to the communities secretary, robertjenrick.hose sites remain safe, and that is the right thing to do. but if you or your employer believe that you can continue to operate safely, within those guidelines, then it is sensible for you to do so. i think it is worth remembering that there are some functions within the housing and construction industry that are absolutely essential to all of us. keeping building safe, ensuring essential maintenance is done to people's homes and workplaces. in terms of the number of tests being carried out, jeremy hunt has said we are no further forward now than we were last week? this is the sharp end of tackling coronavirus. we can have arguments about who is going on going to wear, and who isn't, what shops are open or not, but the sharp end of tackling the virus comes down to testing. we heard from the world health 0rganization eat on monday, test, test, test. they were saying that because they were looking at countries that had successfully contained it, and began to push it backin contained it,

the housing secretary, robertjenrick, said even those scheduled to move today should try to delay.rictions. in italy, the number of coronavirus cases and deaths has risen again, and people now worry the virus is spreading more quickly to the south of the country. 0ne region has announced it will extend the lockdown to april 14, and many others are expected to follow. jean mackenzie reports from rome. hi, alan. hello. how are you? all right. be in no doubt — for italians, this lockdown is serious. in the 18 days since it began, the annini family haven't left their flat once. 0nly alan's been out to get food. you're the brave one? why have you chosen to be so strict about this? because we think it is the only way to overcome this situation. we saw the number of people infected and the number of dead people increasing, day by day. with hundreds more deaths announced here every night, this pandemic is still taking lives at alarming speed. and so, the rules are getting tougher. we're invited to meet the commander of the local police. how often are you finding people breaking the lockdow

suggesting they should not be working inside peoples private homes but today another minister, robertjenricks for construction workers and i would expect that the prime minister will face some questioning on that this afternoon and calls to give much clearer guidance. and there is a sense that normal political hostilities have been suspended given the crisis. today saw been suspended given the crisis. today saneremy corbyn at his last prime minister's questions. what sense do you have of the opposition's stance on the government's policy and strategy when it comes to this crisis? overall, the opposition are being largely supportive of government measures taken. i think perhaps what they see their role as is a kind of critical friend, they see their role as is a kind of criticalfriend, supporter they see their role as is a kind of critical friend, supporter of the government taking measures but questioning perhaps how long it is taking to get some measures in place, we saw questioning about how long it took for the government to decide to close pubs and clubs last week, for example. we are se

communities secretary robertjenrick announced that the number of volunteers who have signed up to helpower to do it. and so, please take part, please play your part, please consider your friends, your family, your neighbours when you are shopping, please call the elderly and support them. when this is done, and it will be done, we all want to be proud of the part that we have played together. extraordinary amount of volunteers, isn't it? let's speak to two people who are working with organistations that are supporting our nhs. alick varma, who's been providing staff with free hot meals, joins us from london, along with cassandra baiano who's been helping health workers with their daily tasks outside work. she's in dundee. good morning to both of you. cassandra, firstly, health ship, i think that's what it's called, give us an idea of how you set it up and why it works. by my medical student in scotland. a fellow student of mine and! in scotland. a fellow student of mine and i thought what can we do and what should we be doing in the next few months and we saw there was a potential for

the housing secretary, robertjenrick, said even those scheduled to move today should try to delay.n an unprecedented surge in the number of people claiming unemployment benefits, as peter bowes reports. now the global epicentre — more positive tests for covid—19 than any other country. in some communities, the number of cases is doubling every three days. more than a quarter are in new york city, where the emergency services say they are overwhelmed by people calling for help. it's worse, they say, than after 9/11. and we're not even started yet. so, if we're doing 6,000 today, it's going to be 8,000 tomorrow. more and more people are going to call. it's — a sustained impact like this, we've never dealt with. at his latest briefing with the white house covid—19 task force, president trump was generally upbeat. beautiful day. he responded to the surge in cases. it's a tribute to the amount of testing that we're doing. we're doing tremendous testing, and i'm sure you're not able to tell what china is testing or not testing. as more and more people fall sick, and with much of the coun