Hello. This is bbc news. Welcome if youre watching here in the uk or around the globe. Im simon pusey. Our top stories almost 1,300 people have now died from coronavirus in the uk, a rise of 209. Deserted roads and empty parks a top official says the uk could face up to six months of restrictions. In the us, a prediction from the leading government expert that coronavirus could kill up to 200,000 americans. Sweden has yet to impose a lockdown despite a growing number of covid 19 cases. Well find out why. Hello and welcome to audiences in the uk and around the world. Were covering all the latest coronavirus developments in britain and globally. The British Government says all parts of the country are now on an emergency footing and it could be six months before life in the uk returns to normal. At the latest downing street briefing, it was announced that millions of items of Personal Protective Equipment were being delivered to nhs staff. Across europe, the number of People Killed by the virus has risen to more than 20,000. Italy has seen the most deaths from coronavirus and the countrys Deputy Health minister says he believes italy is currently experiencing the peak of the outbreak. In the us, the governments leading expert has warned the pandemic could kill up to 200,000 americans and millions more could be infected. Indias prime minister, narendra modi, has apologised to the country for the lockdown, but says there was no other option. More on that in a moment. But first, this report
on the uks response from our science editor, david shukman. The stark reality of fighting coronavirus. From Roundhay Park in leeds, one of the biggest in europe, almost deserted, to Trafalgar Square in london, usually crowded, evidence of social distancing in action. But we wont know how well its working for two to three weeks. In this critically important time, the prime minister, borisjohnson, himself infected, has been chairing meetings while in self isolation. And hes written a letter to be sent to 30 million homes across the uk with a stark message. Its important for me to level with you, he says. We know things will get worse before they get better. But we are making the right preparations, and the more we all follow the rules, the fewer lives will be lost and the sooner life can return to normal. But that wont come soon. The daily briefing
at number ten made that very clear. Over time, probably over the next six months, we will have a 3 week review, we will see where were going. We need to keep that lid on and then gradually, we will be able to hopefully adjust some of the social distancing measures and gradually get us all back to normal. So i think three weeks for review, two or three months to see whether weve really squashed it, but about three to six months, ideally, and lots of uncertainty in that, but then, to see at which point we can actually get back to normal. That idea of a long haul was echoed by scotlands first minister, nicola sturgeon. 13 weeks is likely to be the kind of period that we have to be prepared to have measures in place. Of course, we will continue to keep under review the type of measures and we will not keep measures in place for any longer than we have to do. Police in bristol out reminding people to stay at home. And according to scientists advising the government, measures like this should stay in place until the virus really is under control. Once we start to see a change in the trends and, indeed, a decrease in the numbers of cases, then we can have more confidence in the current measures having an effect. But what we need to remember is, we need to allow this virus to decrease to low levels before these can be completely lifted. All this on a painful day made worse by the loss of an ent surgeon. Amged el hawrani, confirmed to have died of covid i9. He passed away at glenField Hospital in leicester. Hed been volunteering in a e. In a statement, his son, ashraf, said, most of my dads time was dedicated towards his family and the rest of that time was dedicated towards his profession. He taught me the significance
of respect and equality. Weve had confirmation of the very sad death of an ent surgeon, amged el hawrani. What do you think that says, what message does that send to nhs staff on the front line . It clearly is a worrying event. Its worrying for the nation because its another death in our statistics. Its another loss to the family and it will be a loss to an nhs family as well. And tonight, some more optimistic news about the nhs. 20,000 retired doctors and nurses have now offered to return to work, prompting this response from the prime minister. One thing i think Coronavirus Crisis has already proved is that there really is such a thing as society. Once again, a reminder of the incredible importance of everyone making an effort to stop the spread of the virus. A slow and difficult process. David shukman, bbc news. Americas leading Infectious Diseases expert has warned that up to 200,000 people in the us
could die from the coronavirus. Dr anthony fauci, whos a member of President Trumps covid i9 task force, said millions of people in the country would catch the virus. Some cities, including new york, have warned that they may soon run out of medical supplies. The latest figures show thereve been 237 more deaths in new york state over the past 2a hours. President trump responded to this news by extending the countrys social distancing guidelines by another month. I want the American People to know that your selfless, inspiring and valiant efforts are saving countless lives. Youre making the difference. The modelling estimates that the peak in death rate is likely to hit in two weeks. So, ill say it again the peak, the highest point of death rates remember this is likely to hit in two weeks. Nothing would be worse than declaring victory before the victory is won. That would be the greatest loss of all. Therefore, the next two weeks and during this period, its very important that everyone strongly follow the guidelines. We will be extending our guidelines to april 30 to slow the spread. Donald trump speaking there. 0ur north america correspondent peter bowes has the latest. Some very sobering numbers, when you think that they are talking about the possibility of 100,000, maybe 200,000 deaths. Now, the Scientists Say that this is based on the data that they have, and that it is actually unlikely or quite unlikely that that number will be reached, especially considering some of the measures, the social distancing measures that have been brought in. But that was a potential number. It is very clear that over the next few weeks there will be many, many more deaths in the United States
and it seems President Trump has been looking at that data, thats why he has justified extending the clampdown, the guidelines in terms of social distancing, asking people to stay at home, not go to work. A much different story really to just a week ago when he said he was hoping he didnt predict it but he said he hoped that america would be getting back to work in two weeks time, at around easter when he now says there will be a peak in the number of people dying. Theres still quite a lot of criticism about the federal response to the virus and a lack of coordination with the states. Is donald trump admitting any kind of fault in that . Donald trump isnt admitting any fault in anything to do with the governments response to this. One of the interesting things he had to say, and this i suppose highlights a potential disagreement with local authorities talking about medical supplies, ventilators, the supply of masks that many nurses have said are in
short supply donald trump actually questioning whether the huge numbers of masks that are being produced are actually going to the hospitals, suggesting that they could be being hoarded somewhere. And he applied that also to ventilators, suggesting that some hospitals might be keeping those ventilators stashed away in a cupboard somewhere for longer that they need and urging them to essentially share them with other regions after theyve finished using them. Potentially, i think controversial remarks when we hear on the other side a lot of Health Workers saying that these pieces of equipment, these supplies, are in desperate short supply. In spain, the number of coronavirus fatalities rose by 838 in the last 2a hours, marking the countrys highest daily rise in deaths. Much of the country remains in lockdown. 6,500 people have now died from the virus there and there are just under 80,000 confirmed infections. The head of italys Coronavirus Response team has told the bbc
there is now a severe shortage of medical staff in the north of the country, the area worst hit by the pandemic. There have now been almost 11,000 deaths from covid 19 in italy with over 97,000 confirmed infections. Jean mackenzie sent this report. Theyve come from around the world to serve on the front line of this crisis. Doctors from russia, cuba and now albania, and from every corner of italy too. Ijust finished from the hospital after 12 hours. Im so tired giuseppe has never worked in an emergency room. He only qualified last year, but hes left his home in sicily for a Field Hospital at the epicentre. Why did you decide to travel to work up here . The emergency was here and its still here and so im here to get my contribution, my little contribution, and help my colleagues. The force at which this virus struck the north of italy has left it exposed. 300 doctors were flown in from different parts of the country last week, but this wasnt nearly enough. The situation in the north is so acute, so many doctors and nurses have fallen sick now that the government is appealing to people from all over the country to travel up there and help. The north is still in a deep crisis. We have a shortage of specialised people in the Health Sector because they have been contaminated. And so, of course, more of them now are observing a quarantine period. With 4,000 nurses now infected, hundreds more are being drafted in over the next two days. Simona is one of them. The hospital, its full. And so crowded. All the people were hit by that virus like a train, like a tornado. Its terrible. Tonight, theres been an improvement. The rate of new infections and deaths is slightly down. But make no mistake this country is still in crisis, with a long, hard fight ahead. Jean mackenzie, bbc news, rome. Stay with us on bbc news. Still to come the german personal trainer whos lifting weights and spirits during these trying times. The accident that happened here was of the sort that can at worst produce a meltdown. In this case the precautions worked, but they didnt work quite well enough to prevent
some old fears about the safety features of these stations from resurfacing. The republic of ireland has become the first country in the world to ban smoking in the workplace. From today, anyone lighting up in offices, businesses, pubs and restaurants will face a heavy fine. The president was on his way out of the washington hilton hotel, where he had been addressing a trade union conference. The small crowd outside included his assailant. It has become a symbol of paris. 100 years ago, many parisians wished it had never been built. The eiffel towers birthday is being marked by a re enactment of the first ascent by gustave eiffel. This is bbc world news. The latest headlines
almost 1,300 people have now died from coronavirus in the uk a rise of 209. In the us, a prediction from the leading government expert that coronavirus could kill up to 200,000 americans. Lets get more on this story now. Despite the huge rise in cases of coronavirus, there are still a number of states to impose lockdowns, including florida, as Infectious Disease expert dr dena grayson explained to me earlier. Simon, its ridiculous. We had all these spring breakers that came and visited my wonderful state, not all of them bringing the virus with them but equally as bad, a lot of these spring breakers then went home potentially carrying the virus. Its really a very, very disastrous situation. We have a high number of floridians who are elderly as well, we are one of the old estates in the country and many people enjoy
retiring here which is a great thing but certainly not in the case of a deadly virus that unfortunately afflict the older population much more severely than younger. With heard in the last few hours millions will be affected in the us alone, potentially hundreds of thousands of deaths. I think that is a very conservative estimate by dr fauci. These estimates of 100,000 200,000 is conservative, as i mentioned, in the best case scenario, that is what we are looking at and, you know, its really frustrating to someone like me when weve seen this horror show unfold in china, they waited too long to lockdown and many, many people died. We saw the same movie take base in italy and in spain and now you are seeing it there in the United Kingdom and here in the United States and we have still not locked down a fair number of our population. Florida is the third most populous state
in the United States and unfortunately we are not blocked down and i think that is going to lead unfortunately to more infections and more debt. The World Health Organization talks about testing being crucial to work out what is going on. New york has had some raising of testing happening in the last few days but lots of other states have been criticised for a lack of testing. Thats exactly spot on. I think that Governor Cuomo has stepped up and is showing good leadership and trying to make tests available that is readily accessible for new yorkers. They copied the south korean model and they have drive through testing. I know a few other states, maryland as well, but here in florida, its very difficult still to get a test. Ive been screaming the testing, as have several other experts since january, since january, and a reminder for your viewers, the United States and south korea, each of our countries had our first patient diagnosed with coronavirus on the exact same day. South korea had their first test approved one week later and we unfortunately spent most of the month of february wasting time and meanwhile this deadly virus was spreading undetected throughout our communities. Outside of the us, globally, 43 of the worlds population is currently under lockdown. This is such a global issue, isnt it . Its hard to comprehend the scale of it. You know, this is a100 year event. That is one thing to be grateful for, is that we havent seen a pandemic like this since the 1918 flu pandemic so i think that is one sort of saving grace that you are exactly right. I think we should expect those numbers to rise with respect to lot downs. I think many of us and myself included believe its very
likely that as winter approaches in the Southern Hemisphere, we are going to see a real uptake in a number of infections in the Southern Hemisphere and as bad as things are in the United States, as bad as things are in the United Kingdom and the rest of western europe, think about how bad things are going to be in sub saharan africa, places where you cant even wash your hands. This is really going to turn i think, the situation is not going to get better any time soon, at least not globally and i think unfortunately things are going to get much, much worse before they get better. Here, councils and care providers have warned that supplies of Personal Protective Equipment for social care staff are not reaching the front line. Our home editor, mark easton, reports. There are our masks that we are desperate for and are hoping
for a supply very soon. As i say, our mask order has been delayed. Theyre down to one or two days of protective masks at this extra care home in northampton. Just been outside. There we go. Supplies of hand gel are running low, too. Desperate staff fear they wont be able to protect vulnerable residents from a virus that might well kill them. The mask that we are using, were not sure how to prioritise who has a mask first or which service user we go to that has a mask. So were managing at the moment but we dont know where our next supply would come from. The company that runs this centre has repeatedly ordered new masks for their 2,000 carers across the uk. But suppliers have told them that Protection Equipment has been diverted to the nhs. Were really down to the bare bones now of masks and gel in terms of supplies. And were desperate, really, to try to get some more equipment through quickly so our care staff can be fully protected and deliver the Important Service that they do. The government says its working around the clock to give the social care sector the equipment and support it needs. But english local authorities have written to the Health Secretary to say supplies are not reaching the front line. Councils across england are so worried about the shortage of masks for carers that they are appealing to closed nail bars, construction firms, anyone whos got supplies to consider donating them to social services. Jamshal ali died a few days ago after he tested positive for the virus in a london care home. Only a handful were able to attend his burial. The family say more should have been done to protect him. Any family who has someone in a care setting really should make the effort of talking to the care home. They really should find out what measures are in place so that their loved ones are being cared for. Heres a drink for you, love. Ash carby, who has parkinsons and advanced dementia, needs carers four times a day at his home in north london. His wife says they arrive
on Public Transport without masks to protect him or themselves. They have to go within 2m of him and theres no protection. They could be asymptomatic but contagious and give without masks to protect him or themselves. They have to go within 2m of him and theres no without masks to protect him or themselves. They have to go within 2m of him and theres no protection. They could be asymptomatic but contagious and give it to him. If he gets it, i doubt hed survive, to be honest. The government says every social care provider will get the supplies they need and denies the Health Service is being prioritised. But this is a sector that has long felt it has played second fiddle to the nhs. Russia has now also russia has become the latest country to close its borders to slow
the spread of the coronavirus. In moscow a lockdown also requires residents to stay in their homes. The capital has recorded two thirds of the fifteen hundred cases across the country. Sweden has seen more than a hundred deaths from coronavirus but unlike many other countries around the world, it hasnt enforced stringent social distancing measures. It means many restaurants, cafes and bars are still open and children have still been attending school. From stockholm, maddy savage reports. Its just become warm enough to sit outside in the swedish capital and people are making the most of it. Its a beautiful weather outside and it feels important to support the bars and the restaurants and be outside for now. I think that its nice that its open. Like, i try to isolate myself, but, you know, its kind of hard when you see here in sweden people are still running around outside. Gatherings of more than 50 people are banned here. But there are a few strict rules. The focus is still on guidelines, like limiting travel and working from home. Voluntary responsibility is the key to the swedish strategy. Trusting the public to make enough changes to slow down the spread of the virus. But the approach is controversial. I think we have high trust in the authorities in sweden, so i think people
are prone to listen to their recommendations. But at this kind of very critical situation, iam not sure that its enough. But im hoping that it is. Swedes love the outdoors, and keeping people physically and mentally healthy is one reason officials here are so keen to avoid a lockdown. And there are hopes it will limit the economic impact, too. In general, the Business Community i would say, thinks that the swedish government has implemented more rational, sensible policies than in other countries. How much riskier do you think it is for other countries, then, that have closed a lot more businesses and a lot more of society . This will cause great harm. They will see mass unemployment and im dead scared for the societal effects due to that. But, even without a lockdown, business is already
taking a cut. This barbershop is usually packed. Soon, they will have trouble paying the bills. And staff fear they may yet be forced to stay home if sweden follows other countries and changes its style. Maddy savage, bbc news, stockholm. Now, time for something a little more more uplifting, and it involves lifting weights and lifting spirits. Freya cole explains. Meet pato cervantes, the 19 year old Fitness Instructor in hamburg spreading good vibes when theyre needed most. He lunges and stretches, from the street below, even when its snowing. Ready, ready . You dont need any special equipment for this gym class. The main idea is to keep active
and happy while living in self isolation. Translation i saw a wine party on a balcony and i thought, why wouldnt they do sport . If you start the day with sports, music and a good mood, it changes the atmosphere in the whole street. The message is simple 30 minutes a day and it will help keep spirits high at a time when its easy to feel down. Moving together as a community to help pass the time. Freya cole, bbc news. A reminder of our top story. The British Government says all parts of the country are now on an emergency footing and it could be six months before life in the uk returns to normal at the latest downing street briefing, it was announced that millions of items of Personal Protective Equipment were being delivered to nhs staff. You can reach me on twitter
im sipusey. Stay tuned to bbc news ill see you soon. Hello there. Through the first half of last week we had some spring warmth. In fact, last tuesday, temperatures got up as high as 19 degrees. This week, starting on a much colder note. Certainly during sunday temperatures for most of us didnt get out of single digits. And we start monday morning with those temperatures around about freezing. High pressure in charge of the scene, a strong area of High Pressure out to the west. This really has been dominating our weather for the last couple of days, feeding winds in from the north. Weve had really strong winds through the weekend, the wind easing a touch during monday and some notice also some slightly lighter colours of blue coming into the mix, just signs the air might not be quite as cold as it has been. Now, having said that, still quite chilly on monday, still a brisk breeze and some showers across northern and eastern areas across the midlands and even into wales through the day. Any wintriness in the showers becoming confined to the very highest ground in the north with that air turning a little bit less cold. We will see a fairly brisk breeze but not as windy as it was, say, during sunday. And those temperatures justa notch up, 9,10, 11 degrees, although that is still a little below par for this time of year. Now, as we go through monday night well continue to see large areas of cloud feeding down from the north, well see some clear spells as well, one or two showers here and there and as you can see from the green shades on the chart, yes, it will be a chilly night but most places will probably hover just above freezing. So, a change in the feel of the weather into tuesday. Our area High Pressure sinks a little bit further south and that allows us to draw the air in from the atlantic. It cuts off that flow of air from the north, so its not going to be quite as cold with this west or north westerly wind toppling in. Still a lot of cloud, some spells of sunshine, one or two showers, but those temperatures up to nine or 10 degrees. Now, as we move into wednesday, for northern ireland, for england and wales, its a similar sort of day. Large areas of cloud, some sunny spells but we will see a frontal system bringing some showery rain into northern parts of scotland. The winds starting to pick up here once again but those temperatures again just a touch higher at ten or 11 degrees. Now, for the end of the week, some changes. Our area of High Pressure slips away south westwards, a low pressure dives in from the north, another frontal system into scotland, rain and snow with that, another shot of cold air for the north of the uk but for the south of the uk, it looks like it will stay that bit milder. So, to sum up through the week ahead, a chilly start, some rain and snow, particularly in the north, a lot of dry weather as well but it should turn milder from the south later. This is bbc news. The headlines the British Government has said all parts of the country are now on an emergency footing and it could be six months before life in the uk returns to normal. Almost 1,300 people have now died from coronavirus in the uk, a rise of 209. In the us, a leading Infectious Diseases expert has warned that up to 200,000 people could die from the coronavirus. President trump says the us is carrying out 100,000 virus tests a day, which accounts for the high numbers testing positive. Italy, which has registered the highest number of fatalities by covid 19, has seen a drop in the daily number of people dying. The government says they are prepared for a very long lockdown that will only be lifted gradually despite the Economic Hardship and traumatic impact on daily lives. Now on bbc news, hardtalk