Tonight at 10pm. The policy of social distancing will be needed until at least the end of the year, according to the governments chief medical advisor. The forthright message is that highly disru ptive social distancing will need to be in place for really quite a long period of time. I think we have to be very realistic that if people are hoping that it suddenly going to move from where we are now, in lockdown, suddenly into everything is gone, that is a wholly unrealistic expectation. Well have more on the impact of the pandemic in care homes, and the immense pressures on the staff involved. And the governments experts warn there is only an incredibly small chance of a vaccine or treatments being ready for use this year. Also tonight. Cancer charities are warning that
thousands of new cancer cases could be going undetected every week because of the ongoing crisis. Because of the lockdown, victims of Domestic Abuse are unable to seek the help they need, unable to flee abusive partners. And, after the big match at anfield days before the lockdown, calls for an official inquiry into why it was allowed to go ahead. And coming up on bbc news, snooker makes plans for its World Championship to go ahead injuly. But will fans be allowed into the crucible . Good evening. The policy of social distancing will be needed until at least the end of the year and any thought
of a return to normal in the short term is totally unrealistic. Thats the forthright warning from the governments chief medical advisor, who explained there was only an incredibly small chance of a vaccine or treatments being ready for use this year. He spoke as the latest figures were released, showing 763 deaths were recorded in hospitals across the uk in the last 24 hour period. That brings the official total so far to more than 18,000 people, without counting deaths in care homes and the community in england and Northern Ireland, as our science editor, david shukman, reports. Weve been warned repeatedly of a long haul, that the momentous restrictions to try to contain the virus cannot be lifted soon. And now were learning more about what that really means. Everything hinges on a Massive Research effort to try to develop vaccines, to create immunity, and also drugs to
manage the disease. And, at the moment, we dont have either. So, at todays government briefing, the chief medical officer for england said that social distancing would have to continue while we wait for those vaccines and treatments. Until we have those, and the probability of having those any time in the next calendar year is incredibly small, and i think we should be realistic about that, we will have to rely on other social measures, which of course are very socially disruptive, as everybody is finding at the moment but, until that point, that is what we will have to do, and it will have to be the best combination that maximises the best combination that maximises the outlook, but its going to take a long time and we need to be aware of that. Professor whitty pointed to this graph to show that even though the rate of deaths is falling in britain, and in other countries, its a very slow process. This disease is not going to be eradicated or disappear so we have to a cce pt eradicated or disappear so we have to accept that we are working with a disease that we will be with globally for the foreseeable future. If people are hoping that its suddenly going to move from where we are now, in lockdown, suddenly into everything is gone, that is wholly unrealistic. We will have to do a lot of things for really quite a long period of time. The question is, what is the best package, and thatis is, what is the best package, and that is what we are trying to work out fell. What that means is learning to cope with the disease, rather than trying to beat it. And mass testing is a vital step to doing that, to know whos got it, and where its spread. Using apps to track peoples contacts will help work out how the virus is being transmitted, so any future outbreaks can be isolated. For the moment, the scenario of quiet streets is set to continue and the governments challenge is that every option for easing restrictions
carries the risk of a resurgence of the virus so right now its hard to see when or indeed if we will get back to normal. For businesses, large and small, this means more anxious times. This chain of bars in manchester has a 600 staff, almost all now furloughed. It will be pretty disastrous for our restau ra nts pretty disastrous for our restaurants if we open them. I think they would barely be profitable and, with our bars, it would be impossible. The capacity of the bars and impossible. The capacity of the bars a nd restau ra nts impossible. The capacity of the bars and restaurants have been reduced so much by social distancing measures that i think it will cause us to be closed rather than open and then we would lose less money. Tonight among the public, disappointment but also a sense of resignation. Its not nice but we have to do it because otherwise the virus is going to be bad for people, you know . We have to do what we have to do. If you have parents or grandparents, you have to
look after them. It seems a bit extreme, but if its necessary, maybe we have to go that way. The struggle against the virus is exacting a very high price. Vaccines and treatments cant come soon enough, but no one can predict when we will get them. Laura joins me from westminster. People have been asking for clarity and openness in these briefings, and professor whitty certainly provided that today. Yes, it was striking to hear him talking so plainly, but his a nswer hear him talking so plainly, but his answer wasnt necessarily that surprising. If you go back a month, of which documents put together by their scientists said plainly, in black and white, the kind of measures we are seeing now could last for 12 months or so. Remember, he is also not talking about everything staying exactly as it is right now. This status quo, this lockdown. I think we can still
expect in the coming weeks the government to come forward with some kind of tweaks or promises of tweaks and ways of lifting some of the restrictions on and off. For now though, in westminster, ministers wa nt to though, in westminster, ministers want to stay tight lipped about what those changes might be, because the data is evolving day by day and they dont want to raise expectations or, indeed, to be overly pessimistic. I dont think downing street therefor will be very perplexed by what chris whitty has said tonight. If anything, he has been valued by politicians for his ability to talk plainly to the public. Its worth noting that tomorrow we will hear from nicola sturgeon, the Scottish First minister, who will publish her own framework of how scotland thinks it might be able to move forward with tweaking or changing some of the restrictions, but, just like politicians here and the chief medical adviser for the whole of the uk, iwould medical adviser for the whole of the uk, i would expect her to emphasise the message that, whatever small
changes there might be in the current weeks, we are in this for the long haul. In the coming weeks. Plan, thank you, Laura Kuenssberg. The scale and the impact of coronavirus on care homes across the uk is becoming clearer. The office for National Statistics and the Care Quality Commission will publish exact figures next week, but heres what we know so far. Just over 1,000 residents had died in care homes in england and wales up to the 10th of april. But, in the five days after that, the regulator believes the total could have doubled up to 2,000 in england alone. The picture in scotland is clearer. Its been confirmed that a third of people who have so far died of covid 19 passed away in care homes. The relevant figures for wales and Northern Ireland are not yet available. 0ur social affairs correspondent, alison holt, has the story. Care home by care home, weve been told of many lives lost in recent weeks. From the 0aklands nursing home in hove to castletroy in milton keynes, and onto st ives lodge, on the outskirts of london, where six residents have died. Five of them died from covid 19. 0fficialfigures have lagged behind the sad realities of those losses, but todays announcement suggesting a doubling of deaths in england in five days underlines the pace of whats been happening. At st ives, they hope they have now managed to fight off the virus. We have no patients, no residents with it and all of our staff have been tested since last week. And we still have a couple who are going to be tested over the next couple of days. But it is just really frightening, the numbers mounting up. The care regulator in england has altered the way it collects information about people whove died in residential and nursing homes. Since april the 10th, its asked if the death is linked to confirmed or suspected coronavirus. Its preliminary findings suggest about 1,000 people could have died in homes in five days. She was lovely, my mum. She was, erm. She had the starts of dementia, but she wasnt severely disabled with that. Christine mullin was moved from her care home to hospital, where she died. Her death will be reflected in nhs figures. But for herfamily, like many others, the central question is whether vulnerable residents have been well enough protected. I think the elderly people, obviously, from the beginning, were said to be the most vulnerable cohorts of people with this virus and they should have been focused on immediately as a priority for prevention of the spread of the virus and for protection. In scotland, its estimated a third of covid deaths are in care homes. The first minister insists that is not inevitable. And in england, the government says its doing all it can to protect people. In a virus that targets the elderly and the vulnerable,
do you see that as inevitable . No, i dont think anythings inevitable. Were fighting tooth and nail, striving every sinew to make sure we minimise the life lost in all contexts. Look, we are conscious that theres a challenge with care homes ive said that in my earlier remarks but we are doing everything we can, the situation is improving, we are getting the ppe to those places that need it. Those care staff who are still struggling to get the protective equipment and testing will want ongoing reassurance that those promises will be fulfilled. As weve reported frequently in recent weeks, the government has set a target of 100,000 tests a day across the uk by the end of the month thats in eight days time. At present, theres capacity for 40,000 tests a day, but only half that number mainly nhs staff and other key workers are actually being tested. 0ur political correspondent, alex forsyth, has been speaking to carers about the challenges
they face in getting a test for covid 19. Inside the countrys closed off care homes, its a fight to keep the virus from the most vulnerable. Testing is key knowing whos got it to stop the spread, keep people safe. Care workers can now get tested, but staff at this home in bath have been told theyd have to travel to worcester a three hour round trip. If youre suffering from signs of covid 19, youre basically going to be made to drive to halfway up the country. Many care workers, like anne, dont drive at all. It would be impossible for me. So, you couldnt get to worcester to be. . No, not at the moment, no. The manager here says he needs to know if staff can safely work. My staff are coming in, they are front line staff, they need to be protected. Yes, we can get staff tested, but to test them, weve got to drive 80 miles each way to get to the nearest test centre, which isnt practical. Across the country, similar cases carers directed to test sites miles away. 27 drive through centres are open, with more due soon. 20 20 eight drive through centres. 28. But some seem quiet, hard to reach without a car. Some days, less than half the number of tests on offer are actually being carried out. The Health Secretary was asked again today about more local provision. Im really pleased that weve managed to roll out the testing to staff in care homes. Hes absolutely right that that can helpfully be done through mobile units and through the home testing kits that are increasingly available, especially for care homes that arent close to one of the drive through centres. Care providers welcome efforts to increase testing, but warn those giving care at home cant be forgotten concerned carers are self isolating without being tested. Only a handful of care workers in each district, each local authority area, have had the opportunity for tests, and some of them have had to travel quite substantial distances. Take amy, whose daughter started showing symptoms last week. As a home care worker, she needed to know if it was the virus, but was told shed have to travel more than 250 miles from cumbria to Stansted Airport because her daughters under 18. Its not appropriate to take a sick child whos possibly infected with coronavirus halfway across the country, and its clearly against government guidance on reducing movement and virus spread. After a social media storm, a local hospital stepped in to offer amys daughter a test. Shes waiting for the result. The government says its working to make sure across the country, everyone who needs a test can get one. But so far, provision is patchy. Carers welcome the fact more tests are available, but say they must be able to access to them. Alex forsyth, bbc news. Cancer research uk is warning that more than 2000 new cancer cases could be going undetected every week. The charity says theres been a 25
drop in urgent referrals by gps because of fears that patients may contract the virus in hospitals. Screening services for more than 200 thousand people a week have also been disrupted, as our correspondent lauren moss reports. When the working day is done. Taking part in a fundraising video for charity mum of two laura flaherty, from wigan, has been clear of Cervical Cancer for four years and hopes every day that itll never return. She was diagnosed following a routine screening when she was just 29 and had to have a hysterectomy. I said, i cant die, ive got two children, they were two and six, and ijust kept thinking, they wont remember me. Laura was due her first annual screening this month to check that shes still free of cancer, but its been postponed. How long could you be waiting for your next screening . I dont know. You start thinking, well, what about if it is there . Its had 12 months to grow, because i havent been checked in 12 months, and now i dont know when im going to be seen. Doctors are concerned that delays like this could lead to thousands of Cancer Patients being missed. The consequences are really quite severe. I mean, most of the modellers working on this at the moment across the uk, their estimates are showing the excess of deaths is going to be way greater than were going to actually see with covid 19. And you have to remember, as well, were often dealing with a patient cohort which is much younger. Cancer research uk says itll take a monumental effort to get screening and diagnostic Services Back to normal, and the charitys calling for more clinics to be set up away from covid 19 patients, and anyone who is concerned about possible cancer symptoms is still really urged to contact their gp. Breast, bowel and cervical screening programmes have been paused in Northern Ireland, wales and scotland. Nhs england is advising urgent treatment continues, but there are some delays. Mags, in reading, was diagnosed with skin cancer after a mole was removed. Further surgery and investigations she was due to have are suspended and shes now considering paying to have it done privately. Its notjust skin cancer, it can kill you. So, to be not able to have the treatment that i feel i should be getting, i didnt really have any choice but to do Something Else about that. But, yeah, its scary. The government insists the nhs is still open for non covid care. Its hoped the patients missing out now wont become the unintended casualties of the virus. Lauren moss, bbc news. The new labour leader sir keir starmer has used his first Prime Ministers questions to criticise the governments response to the pandemic. The house of commons has been reopened, but with limits on the number of mps allowed in, and many others taking part online. Sir keir told dominic raab,
who was deputising for the prime minster, that the government had failed to deliver the number of coronavirus tests needed, and had not provided enough protective equipment for health workers. 0ur Political EditorLaura Kuenssberg has the story. Time for the Serious Business of Prime Ministers questions. But not quite as you know it. Not borisjohnson, but dominic raab leaving number 10. The usual hour, but not the usual look of the green benches. 0rder, order. Id like to welcome everyone, both membersjoining us remotely from their constituencies up and down the uk, and members here in the chamber. And a new opposition leader, in position for the very first time. With question after question on the governments handling of the coronavirus, kit for medics, the number of tests on the pace of the response. And there is a pattern emerging here. We were slow into lockdown, slow on testing, slow on protective equipment and now slow to take up these offers from british firms. The Prime Minister has said this
is a national effort. And hes right about that. So, in that spirit, can i ask the first minister to commit to working with the opposition to identify and take of these offers for british many factors . Take up these offers from british manufacturers. I dont accept his premise that weve been slow. We have been guided by the scientific advice. The chief scientific adviser, the chief medical officer, at every step along the way. If he thinks he knows better than they do, with the benefit of hindsight, then thats his decision. That is not the way we perceive it, and it is not the way we will in the future. With mps also keeping their distance, plenty of them, like plenty of us, are working from home. So, we arejust starting the session. Balancing tablets on trainers for a decent shot. Crossing theirfingers, hoping the technology would work. Looking forward to making history. Very excited, and, to be honest, probably a little bit nervous, too. It did, mostly. I hope the secretary of state could make the most of the question. The line did go down. A welsh minister wasnt so lucky and is under pressure to quit, forgetting to press mute and letting rip at a colleague. I think vaughan needs to turn his microphone off. Bleep. Vaughan gething needs to turn his microphone off. The government is taking some huge decisions on all our behalf during this crisis. And, in the main, in there there is broad support for most of the dramatic measures. But on some vital specifics, the oppositions impatience is starting to show. Parliament had been away for a few weeks, and its absence mattered. Now its back, and the political pressure will rise, too. Not least on the man in charge of the Health System. Matt hancock, happy to pose for a pat outside number 10. Far too soon for any final verdict, but tough judgment, day by day. Laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. As weve heard, the government remains under intense pressure over the supply of Personal Protective Equipment for health and careworkers. An raf plane carrying supplies of protective gear from turkey arrived in the uk overnight, but ministers say theres a global shortage. More than 8,000 businesses in the uk have responded to an appeal to manufacture products locally, but the government says not all those offers can be taken up. 0ur health editor, hugh pym, has more details. A consignment of Personal Protective Equipment arrives on the wirral, for use mainly by local care workers. It is organised by a partnership of Emergency Services and local councils, part of the rush to secure supplies at a time when there has been a massive increase in Global Demand because of the pandemic and reports of shortages. Some gp practices say they arent getting
adequate supplies through official channels. Weve run out of these com pletely channels. Weve run out of these completely in the last couple of days. I have had to go out and buy some of those. Gps here feel especially vulnerable, because they runa especially vulnerable, because they run a coronavirus assessment centre. Its quite terrifying, its notjust a risk to yourself, its a risk to eve ryo ne a risk to yourself, its a risk to everyone around you. We know the bad effects covid 19 can carry. Its scary. You feel like you didnt really sign up for this. Many hospital staff have to change their ppe several times a day. So supplies can run down quickly. 0ne trust in lincolnshire revealed just how much ppe they get through. At three main hospitals, they use almost 73,000 items each day. Things like surgical masks, gloves and gowns. Based on the trusts size on the number of coronavirus patients it is dealing with, bbc analysis suggests total daily usage at english hospitals would be in the range of 1016,000,000 items would be in the range of 10 16,000,000 items per day. The
government says around 1a Million Units have been distributed daily in england. Since the virus threat became clear, the uk authorities have struggled to find enough supplies overseas, and experts say there is a lesson there. We relied on being able to buy all of these things from low cost countries, like china, on the assumption they would a lwa ys china, on the assumption they would always be available. So, we have lost our domestic industry in many areas that are really important for the government for different parts of government. Companies like this one in yorkshire are keen to help. It started making more than 10,000 face shields every day. It has applied some local hospitals, but has had no Firm Commitment yet from the government. We would really like to help the nhs first. It is our country, and we need to all help. But with the amount of money that the company has spent so far, it might have to come that we will supply to the us. Ministers say
thousands of offers from companies are being assessed, and ensuring that the right equipment is provided is the priority. Charities representing victims of Domestic Abuse say theyre concerned that people are unable to seek the help they need, because theyre having to spend the lockdown with violent and controlling partners. West Midlands Police have made 400 arrests for Domestic Abuse in the past fortnight, but officers fear more crimes may be going unreported. 0ur correspondent, phil mackie, has been following a team of Specialist Police officers, who are trying to deal with the problem. Its first thing in the morning in birmingham, and a Team Dedicated to dealing with Domestic Abuse are following up a 999 call. So hes wanted for three assaults on his partner and his two children. Its a very nasty assault, very high risk, and its owed to the victims to get this person in custody. The people in the house say they dont know where the man is and have warned the police not to come in. Could you open the door . Hes telling us that hes got
symptoms of coronavirus and doesnt want us in the house. Thats not going to stop us. We still need to go in. This could be a Family Member thats holding or looking after the guy that we want. No, were coming in. No, no, we are coming in. Go and stand by the fireplace for me. Screaming the man they want to arrest is hiding in the bathroom. Open it or else well kick it in stay where you are, stay where you are stay there. Officer and taser. Officer and taser oh, no, my shoes. Hes been arrested and is being taken away to be interviewed. Jamie was the victim of a violent and abusive partner and now helps others like her. Lockdown makes it even harder to get help. So, so frightening. You cant get access. Its very difficult to get access to people. Youre constantly monitored, under surveillance. Everything is being checked. And to try and find somewhere where you can make a call would be
extremely difficult. In birmingham alone, theyre making up to 30 arrests every day in connection with cases of Domestic Abuse. Well, this man is alleged to have been in breach of a restraining order. His ex partner has told the police that hes been sending her offensive messages and threatening pictures over the last couple of days, so its another arrest for somebody who is involved potentially in Domestic Abuse. If people cant access online support, they can dial 999. If its not safe to speak, the advice is to key in the number 55 when prompted, and that should trigger a police alert. Phil mackie, bbc news, birmingham. Until recently, japan had been one of the Success Stories in controlling the spread of covid 19. The authorities there succeeded in suppressing early outbreaks, and in keeping total infections
in the hundreds. But now the capital tokyo appears to have a developing epidemic, with nearly 3,500 cases confirmed. Nationwide, there are now close to 12,000 cases. 0ur tokyo team have been inside one hospital south of the capital, which has built a makeshift emergency unit, in just ten days, to try and deal with the crisis. This is the red zone. Inside the St Marianna University hospital in kawasaki, dr Shigeki Fujitani shows me the new covid unit, built from scratch in the last two weeks. This is their new control room. This is the airlock through the window, here . This is the green area. This is green zone, this is the airlock, and that goes into the red zone in there . From here, dr fujitani and his staff can monitor the patients from a safe distance and preserve their dwindling stocks of protective equipment. This hospital has 1,000 beds. But the covid unit has just 15, and already 11 of them are filled with very sick people. Dr fujitani says, if the outbreak in tokyo isnt controlled soon, these beds will not be enough. Because tokyo is a pandemic, with sick patients. And the number of icu beds are limited, compared with other countries. So we are reaching the limit, especially in tokyo. 0n the monitors, we see nurses attending to an extremely ill patient. All of the patients here are men. All are under 60. Dr fujitani says too many people in japan still think this virus will not get them. People think the younger generations, if they suffer from this covid, the symptoms is not so bad. But thats not true at all. Many patients in the hospitals are in their 40s and 50s. But, out on the streets of tokyo,
lots of people dont seem to be getting that message. When you come out onto the streets of tokyo, like this, it is very strange. Because it is still very busy. So are the parks, so even other beaches. Why dont japanese people have more fear of this virus . Why dont they think it could get them . Well, part of the reason is the number of deaths from covid 19 here are still relatively speaking very low. The other is that the japanese governments communication about the threat from the virus has been very confusing. When he called the state of emergency, Prime Minister shinzo abe made it clear it would not be a european style lockdown. Life would go on. And so it does. There is no two metre rule here. No one in, one out atthe supermarket. Many here believe wearing a mask will be enough to protect from the virus. Medical experts say that is a huge mistake. We need a further concrete message to stay home, and dont go out, and keep a distance of two metres away if you have to go out. These messages are not very effectively delivered, and a lot of people believe that wearing a mask is the solution. Which it is not. Japan has been attempting to control the virus, while keeping the economy open. The result is a Health System that is now struggling to cope. Rupert wingfield hayes, bbc news, tokyo. Buckingham palace has cancelled one of the major royal events of the year, the order of the garter ceremony at windsor. Its the latest public event, including big sporting occasions, to be cancelled because of the pandemic. There are now calls for an independent inquiry into the decision to allow some major events to go ahead before the lockdown, such as the match between liverpool and Atletico Madrid at anfield
on march 11th, when thousands of fans travelled from spain a country badly affected