Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News Special 20200401

Now have enough tests to be testing those people in Critical Condition in hospital is. We need the test that will tell if you have got it now, and the new test which will come on stream soon to say whether you have had it. 16,000 staff may be needed when the newly converted Nightingale Hospital in east london reaches capacity. President trump warns the us to expect a rough two weeks and to stick to social distancing saying its a matter of life and death. Italy mourns the thousands of victims of its coronavirus outbreak as some question whether doctors have been given the necessary equipment. The prince of wales who has himself recovered from coronavirus sends a message of support particularly to older people. None of us can say when this will end, but end it will. Until it does, let us try and live with hope and with faith in ourselves and each other, look forward to better times to come. Hello and welcome to a bbc news special on the latest developments in the coronavirus pandemic. Well be crossing live to downing street later for the latest Government News conference, which comes after the uks biggest increase in deaths from the virus. There have been 563 further deaths, according to figures released this afternoon. It brings the total number in the uk to 2,352. 29,104 people have tested positive for the virus. The majority of the deaths have been in england. We know there have been 98 in wales, 76 in scotland and 30 in Northern Ireland. Well have reports around the world on the Global Response to coronavirus but our first report is by Richard Galpin on the uks response. According to a recent estimate, a quarter of all nhs doctors have either fallen quarter of all nhs doctors have eitherfallen ill or had quarter of all nhs doctors have either fallen ill or had to self isolate because of concerns about a Family Member showing symptoms. It is the same for many nurses. Testing them for coronavirus would enable many to return to work if found to be in the clear. But the governments been slow to focus on testing in general, and in particular for health workers. Many doctors reportedly still having no idea where or how they can get tested. What were really calling for now is a National Testing strategy, a strategy to ramp up the Community Testing and Contact Tracing like we are seeing in other countries. Thats how other countries. Thats how other countries have been able to beat this virus will get this virus under control and suppressed. So now nhs england is calling on hospitals to use a 15 of their testing capability on staff. The government is going further, saying hospitals should use any spare Laboratory Capacity they have to test as many nhs staff for the virus as possible. We want to see more people tested very rapidly. We do now have enough tests to be testing those people in Critical Conditions in hospitals, so much so that we can now move forward and test nhs workers, and that is extremely important, because anyone going to work in those situations and doing frankly heroic tasks for us and doing frankly heroic tasks for us should be given the equipment that they need. But at the same time, the government and nhs are claiming shortages of vital material are hampering capacity to ramp up testing. A top nhs executive has said laboratories could be providing around 100,000 tests a day, but because of a shortage of swabs and chemicals, this is being limited to around 13,000 a day. However, the Chemical Industries Association Says it can help. There are three different problems. The first problem is that weve got shortages of swa bs, problem is that weve got shortages of swabs, so i was speaking to one trust today that can only test three members of staff because they dont have enough swabs. There is a second problem which is chemical reagent, andi problem which is chemical reagent, and i was talking to one of the largest trust in the country would like to do three times the number of test they are currently doing but cant because they cant get the reagent, and then third that different trust use different types of equipment, and you have to match the swabs and the reagent to that equipment, so if youve got some Spare Capacity in another part of the country, it is not always easy to actually get the testing done because its on a different platform. Such as the concern about the slow pace at which testing is being increased that today a volunteer network of laboratories has been launched across the country, offering to provide hundreds of labs which could switch to coronavirus testing. These, its claimed, could deliver tens of thousands of tests a week. In this fight, each one of these labs and the people in it i like the fighters and Fighter Pilots of the battle of britain. An awful lot of what we do isjust to give britain. An awful lot of what we do is just to give the britain. An awful lot of what we do isjust to give the gps britain. An awful lot of what we do is just to give the gps confidence that they are not infected, and we have had quite a few that we have tested that have gone immediately into isolation and we were able to either confirm that they were infected or that they were not. Meanwhile today, more problems for the government about the supply of protective equipment or ppe, for health workers. At this hospital in southend, medical staff are warning management they may have to limit services in the Emergency Department because, they say, theyre not being given equipment which will actually protect them. The hospital says its committed to keeping staff safe. Around the country, though, there is no doubt some nhs staff are worried about the risks theyre having to take. Weve seen what its doing to people, and it is frightening. I think when youre on shift, you get on with it. You are looking after patients and the patients are your priority, and it is when you are off shift that you start to worry about what might happen. Among those who have died so far in this outbreak, another tragic development. A year old boy died here at kings couege year old boy died here at Kings College hospital in london from coronavirus. The youngest reported victim of the disease the uk. Temporary morgues are now being set up temporary morgues are now being set up in preparation for a surge in the number of deaths over the next few weeks as we approach the peak. Already today another Record Number of deaths has been announced, 563 people dying between monday and tuesday. Richard galpin, bbc news. 0ur Health Correspondent nick triggle is with me. 563, the biggest day on day increase. Are we getting near the peak of this, our are we a few days or weeks off . It is hard to tell, and Health Officials have been careful not to put exact predictions on this, but we have been told to expect rising numbers of cases and deaths. What is important is not to ta ke deaths. What is important is not to take a single day in isolation but to look at the trend over the past few days. We know the total numbers of deaths are rising every two to three days, and we have seen other countries on similar trajectories, so countries on similar trajectories, so that is to be expected. Yesterday Health Officials were talking about green shoots of recovery, a sign that cases were plateauing. So todays figures are very interesting. We have seen over 4000 new cases announced today, but if we look back over the last few days, it has been hovering around 2500 3000, so whilst this is a big increase today, if you take the past week as a whole, the trajectory upwards is slower than it was some weeks ago. So that perhaps as a positive sign, but we will have to see what happens in the next few days, and i think all eyes will be on that. If we see the figures hovering around 4000, even dropping in the coming days, that could be a positive sign, and if that happens, you would expect a couple of weeks later the number of deaths to start plateauing. So we will have to see, but all eyes will be on these figures in the coming days was white so we are getting increases, but it is shadowing out, that that curve is ever so slightly beginning to be squashed down a little bit . 563 deaths, however. Where are we in relation to our position compared to italy, because the suggestion has always been that we are two weeks behind them that they have had terrible difficulty dealing with this and an increasing number of deaths. Where were we in relation to them . At the same stage of the outbreak in italy, they are perhaps two weeks ahead of us, we are slightly below that level. We are slightly below that level. We are pegging with france, whereas italy and spain had a higher number of deaths per head of the population. So in a sense, that is an encouraging sign. But what the officials were stressing yesterday, and theyve stressed day after day, is that we must not take our foot off the pedal. We must keep to the social distancing rules and guidance the government has given, and if we do, we might begin to see things turn. But it is ever so subtle at the moment. A couple of encouraging signs, but certainly todays rises are still concerning. 0k, signs, but certainly todays rises are still concerning. Ok, lets move on to testing. Test, test, test is the governments mantra. But it isnt happening, certainly not in the numbers that we all expected and hoped, and certainly the government hoped. Why . You are right, there has been a lot of criticism for the government for this. They have pointed to the lack of chemical rea g e nts pointed to the lack of chemical reagents available, also the shortage of testing kits, and there is certainly a lot of truth to that. 0ther is certainly a lot of truth to that. Other countries are struggling too. The likes of france, the us and italy are only testing the same numbers of people per head of population that we are in the uk, but other countries are testing three times as many people, like south korea and germany. That is because they have better infrastructure, more labs, and have planned better. So there is some catching up to do, but todays figures show that there were just shy of 10,000 tests carried out in the past 24 hour is, up from about 8000 a day in the last couple of days, so it is edging slowly upwards but it is still some way short of the 25,000 that the government wants to get to at the end of the month was what we have Chemical Company saying we could produce the stuff, we dont understand what the problem is. You have alluded to this slightly, nick. Is there a breakdown in the planning that went ahead of ahead of all of this . Certainly questions have been asked about that planning. 0ther questions have been asked about that planning. Other countries are struggling to get hold of this kit. You have got to think there are eight National Testing labs, 40 hospital labs. We are now also Getting Research institutes, universities and private Companies Involved in testing. There is a logistical challenge distributing the kit to all these different centres, but the government is adamant they will start to see increasing numbers being tested, and thatis increasing numbers being tested, and that is important because at the moment we are largely testing hospital patients. A few hundred, to date a few thousand nhs staff have been testing, these are members who may be have symptoms themselves or are isolated at home. Many of them are isolated at home. Many of them are not positive carriers of coronavirus, so they could be getting back to work, and the ones that are tested have got back to work. So if we can increase that and allow a lot of nhs staff to be tested, it will help the front line in terms of getting people back to work. Very important. Nick triggle, many thanks. You will be with us later on in the programme as well. Lets speak to doris ann williams, chief executive of bivda the british in Vitro Diagnostics association which represents companies that make diagnostic tests. Thank you very much indeed for joining us. Do you understand why there has been a problem in testing and our response to this coronavirus pandemic . Good afternoon. It really is as everyone has been saying, a complex situation and set of problems, but the chief problem has been availability of the reagent kits which the manufacturers make to work on their instruments. In the clamour of a global crisis, where every country wants these products, the manufacturing capacity are struggling to cope. But british Chemical Companies are saying that they could be producing this stuff, we are hearing. Yes, they can produce reagents that could be used on open systems. The government will need to have an agreement with the manufacturers to have the formulation for the reagents to be able to produce them using chemicals from this country, and i think thats something that theyre discussing right now. One wonders, given that we had clear indications that there were going to be huge problems with this coronavirus back injanuary, problems with this coronavirus back in january, late january, february, why wasnt that done in advance . M is easy to be wise with hindsight. The germans managed it. Yes, the planning has obviously had floors. I believe everything was planned as well as it could be, but i think nobody anticipated quite the amount that there is. And yes, maybe the germans have got better capacity and perhaps they have better stocks ready to go from the onset. There is a suggestion as well that we, or at least the british government, is wa nted least the british government, is wanted to centralise testing instead of trying as well as using whatever government labs there may be around the country, using university labs, private companies, and perhaps that was a mistake . Yes, i think again its very hard. The planning was quite thorough, and its quite hard to get everyone up to speed, no matter. They are very capable in research and so on, but it is difficult in a clinical environment, so difficult in a clinical environment, so it is getting the training in place, and im sure that that capacity will be taken on as we proceed. But we are still very early in this crisis. It seems like it has been going on forever, but we are only still a matter of weeks into it, and the Testing Capacity is being ramped up. Also, the suggestion that perhaps the emphasis solely on testing patients, and not leaving any Spare Capacity for nhs staff, that is a criticism that has been levelled at the government, too . Yes, and again, it isa the government, too . Yes, and again, it is a fine line to tread. Patients need to be tested, and it is a balance to try and make sure that you get the capacity of staff against testing patients. And i think were learning as we go along, certainly, the government are adjusting everything every day, and from the industry side, were doing everything we can to support my in very difficult circumstances. So, what is it you guys can do, then, do you think . Well, or the uk representatives of the Major Companies have been working closely with government, smaller suppliers are also looking at what their capacity is to ramp up. We have one company who might be able to supply several thousand tests a week, in a matter of weeks. But again, its impossible to do it from a standing start, it all takes time to make sure that not only are the tests available, but that they are safe and reliable to use as well. Doris ann williams, chief executive of the british in Vitro Diagnostics association. Thanks for that. Youre watching a bbc news special on the latest developments in the coronavirus pandemic. Well bring you todays downing street Conference Live and in full with the business secretary, alok sharma, and dr yvonne doyle, Public Health englands medical director, in about an hours time. Weve got a bit of breaking news for you. The uks all England Tennis Club has announced that the wimbledon 2020 tennis championship has been cancelled. The announcement follows a series of emergency meetings to decide whether to go ahead with the tournament or cancel it, amid the coronavirus crisis. So, confirmation that wimbledon has been cancelled this year. And frankly, it is to be expected. We will keep you abreast of the latest developments on this when we get more details. 16,000 members of staff may be needed to run the new Nightingale Hospital in east london, when it is at full capacity. It should be ready to receive its first patient by the end of the week. Angus crawford reports. Commentator welcome back to excel arena down in the royal docks in east london. Crowds still pouring into this 10,000 seater. From a time of national celebration. To one of national crisis. The excel has a new role and name. Now, nhs nightingale. An army of civilian contractors, and the military, too, transforming this vast space. Cubicles marching towards the camera. This is my last week in the army well, it was, until i got the phone call. So, ive built hospitals, planned hospitals around the world, ive been a commander in med in afghanistan, ive built hospitals in oman, iraq and the balkans, so this is what ive prepared for. Its what i do. In excels two huge exhibition halls, plans for 80 wards, a pharmacy and mortuary. 500 beds to start with, scaling up to 4,000 if needed, at full capacity, with a team of 16,000 people. It will only admit patients already on ventilators, and should be operational by the end of this week. But there are still questions about whether they will get enough ventilators and staff, and how they will cope with the hundreds, possibly thousands of patients who will come through the doors. Some of them will not survive, despite the treatment they receive here. Senior doctors are aware of how stressful the job may become. Those staff would be quite used to the realities of dealing with this disease, and these types of patients, including the sad fact that not everybody will survive. Its for those staff that might have stepped up to help. They are genuine heroes, that they found it in themselves to actually come and help this facility, and we really need to look after them to make sure that they can cope with the realities of working in an intensive care unit. Nightingale is almost ready. Its empty beds, a sign of the scale of the job which may lie ahead. Angus crawford, bbc news. Perhaps one of the cruelest aspects of the restrictions is for those unable to attend the funerals of loved ones. Cremations are closed to the public, while graveside burials are brief and restricted to a small number of mourners. Funeral directors are trying to find ways to communicate services to amilies. Emma va rdys report from Northern Ireland begins with the testimony of man who was unable to lay his wife to rest. After a lifetime together, her husband of 51 years, now in isolation, was unable to be with her at the end. At least not suffering any more, or in pain, so that is the main thing. Quarantine is a lonely place to grieve. I will put you on speaker, can you hear me . We reached out to fiona in belfast. 0n the weekend, both her mother and father died from the virus within hours of each other. We held their hands and we are hoping that they could hear us and they knew that we were there. At least we got to say goodbye, which we know a lot of families havent had that chance. Her mother, isabelle, will be buried, and her father, christopher, wished to be cremated, which will have to take place alone. We cant even do the normal, my parents, my mum, my dad would love a big celebration, playing elvis. Why did you want to share this . It is not something i would ever normally do but i wanted to do it for their memory, and also to do it for their memory, and also to raise awareness about how real and serious this is because they are not just a statistic anymore, it and serious this is because they are notjust a statistic anymore, it is heartbreaking for the family. And nobody is able to do the natural things they would want to reach out and do . We are alljust in our houses, it is hard enough losing both your parents, especially so close together, but then, you cant do the normal process, so, yeah, it is very, very hard. Normally, in Northern Ireland, large funerals are a common sight. So, the restrictions feel all the more stark. No more than ten people can be at a graveside, with mourners compelled to socially distance, and it is changing the way we are able to grieve. Those who stand beside the bereaved must ensure restrictions are respected. None of us want to do this, we want to assist the bereaved families, we dont want to get to the stage where it isjust going to be us and the gravediggers. Its a ha rd be us and the gravediggers. Its a hard conversation to have, but we feel we can still stand together with the bereaved and help them through it in the most dignified and respectful manner that weve done for years. Mourning the dead is often said to be about a celebration often said to be about a celebration of life, and many people whove lost someone of life, and many people whove lost someone during this time are hoping to arrange a more Fitting Services for their loved ones when the restrictions have passed. But right now, the full grieving process is on hold. Emma vardy, bbc news, belfast. Lets return to that breaking story the all England Tennis Club has announced that the wimbledon 2020 tennis championships have been cancelled. The announcement follows a series of emergency meetings to decide whether to go ahead with the tournament or cancel it, amid the coronavirus crisis. Lets just bring you what the all england club has said. They make it clear that it is with great regret that the main board and committee of management of the charm packs have decided that the 2020 tournament will be cancelled due to Public Health concerns linked to coronavirus. The championships will instead be staged from 28th ofjune to 11july 2021. Instead be staged from 28th ofjune to 11 july 2021. Uppermost in our mind has been the health and safety of all those who come together to make wimbledon happen the public and visitors from around the world. Players, guests, members, staff, volunteers, partners, contractors and local residents. And it is our responsibility to make sure that this Global Challenge to life is not a problem with the tournament. So, lets get some more from our sports reporter, who nowjoins us from south west london. The bottomline is, this is not a surprise, is it . No, this is a decision that weve been expecting and it comes after 48 hours of emergency meetings between the all england club and their key stakeholders, sponsors, broadcasters, so forth. Work on the site actually does not start until the end of april, so in theory they could have waited until the end of this month, but as they said in the statement, they are very aware of the fact of the Health Concerns and the fact of the Health Concerns and the government guidelines and they have decided to take this decision now. An average day at wimbledon a tt ra cts now. An average day at wimbledon attracts 40,000 people to the site. Even though it is not due to start until 29th june, i think even though it is not due to start until 29thjune, i think they have realised in recent weeks and days but even by that point this year, the nhs is still probably going to be under strain and they dont want to add to that strain whilst we fight the covid 19 virus. To add to that strain whilst we fight the covid19 virus. The statement says, the 134th championships will instead be staged next year, so are they effectively wiping this yearfrom next year, so are they effectively wiping this year from the map . Well, there was talk at one stage of holding it behind closed doors, but evenif holding it behind closed doors, but even if you get rid of the supporters and the fans who come through the gates every day, you still have the athletes, the coaching staff, the trainers, medical support, coaching staff, the trainers, medicalsupport, caterers, coaching staff, the trainers, medical support, caterers, ball girls and boys and umpires and any manner of people you need to have the tournament played. And they were saying that even with that, you would need several thousands of people on site, which is not healthy for anyone. They also talked about potentially postponing the tournament, but this tournament is played on grass and there is an optimum window for it to be played, and also it is a tournament which relies on good light. Every week that you push it back, the light gets worse and worse. There was a window made available because of the fa ct window made available because of the fact the olympics had been pushed back until next year, but it was felt that even if you moved it to the end ofjuly, that even by then, the end ofjuly, that even by then, the situation in this country would not be safe enough to bring that amount of people together. So effectively, yes, they have com pletely effectively, yes, they have completely cancelled it from this year and it will roll over into next year. The us open is due to start at the end of august and into september as well, there must be a cloud over that . Absolutely, and one week after the us open is due to finish, that is when the french open would now be, because it has been moved. So, it isa be, because it has been moved. So, it is a congested calendar, and you have to wonder, what will survive, if anything. Tennis is a sport that relies heavily on international travel, so i think there would be question marks over both of those tournaments at the moment. Scotlands first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has said she expects it will be possible to carry out 3,500 coronavirus tests per day in scotland by the end of the month. The first minister said everything must be done to protect health and social care workers and provided an update on the number of people who have died in scotland. We are in no way complacent about this, and we will continue to give all possible support to those who are working so hard on the front line. And its worth stressing again, because it is so important, that what i have just said assumes that people across the country will continue to do the right thing. Every single one of us who follows the Public Health advice is helping to reduce the number of people who will need hospital care in the weeks ahead and is, therefore, helping to reduce the risk of the nhs being overwhelmed. These measures to increase intensive Care Capacity are, of course, part of a wider effort to ensure that the nhs has sufficient beds overall to cope with potential covid 19 patients. So, i can report that as of last night, including those in intensive care, there were 1,153 patients with confirmed or suspected covid 19 in hospitals across the country. So, clearly, expanding General Hospital capacity is also important, and again, i can report to parliament that we are on track with this. Scotlands first minister speaking earlier on today. Msps are debating new Emergency Powers to cope with the covid 19 pandemic. Lets get more from our scotland correspondent lorna gordon. Lorna, what are these powers . Broad, wide ranging, touching on every aspect of government and associated life that perhaps in the past might have been Pretty Simple to perform, but now as a result of the pandemic is often proving quite hard. So there are measures, for instance, to increase protection for tenants from eviction. There were also measures proposed to change the criminal Justice System to bring in trials withjudges, but Justice System to bring in trials with judges, but without a jury. Those proved extremely controversial. Politicians and lawyers both objecting to it, raising concerns, so it was one of the first pieces of legislation that was binned, if you like, first thing this morning. The Scottish Government has said they will go away, they will consult with interested parties and they will come back with new proposals for when parliament next sits, which we think will be in three weeks time around the 21st of april. Do you suspect there will be much public disquiet about these new proposals as they were with the others . There is cross party backing for the Scottish Governments actions when it comes to coronavirus. They are united in many areas, but they are holding the government to account when they have concerns. Scotlands first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said a while back that of course the Scottish Government will make m ista kes Scottish Government will make mistakes as this progresses, but theyre trying to be as open as possible, theyre trying to be as inclusive as possible, and clearly the Scottish Government took heed of the Scottish Government took heed of the concerns that were raised around these proposals to have trials without a jury, and is going away without a jury, and is going away with a blank piece of paper to think again. It is interesting as well Nicola Sturgeon giving the statement to the Scottish Parliament a little earlier today. Most days she is giving a press conference where media can give questions, today was to parliament and msps were able to question her. There were a lot of questions on the matter of testing, the testing of key workers. Nicola sturgeon gave more details of the testing ramp up here in scotland, she said there is a 700 tests a day being done last week, up to 1900 day this week, and they are hoping to get it to 3500 by the end of the month. She says scotland is working at pace to increase the number of tests being done, but everything must be done to protect health and social care worker is, so there was rigorous questioning of her in this area and other areas at the Scottish Parliament today, but definitely not the kind of aggressive level of questioning that perhaps you might have seen in the past. We just heard the news that wimbledons been cancelled. What about the Edinburgh Fringe . Another big event that is the highlight of the calendar. The Edinburgh Festival is plural have been cancelled, this is the first time in more than 70 years this has happened. You are talking huge numbers when you talk about the festival, more than 4 Million People come to scotlands capital to see the performances or listen to writers or look at the fringe performances in the street. You talk about 25,000 performers from 70 odd countries. But this is all off. I think it is not unexpected. You look at the lead in time for events like this, takes pretty much as soon as they finish, they start organising they finish, they start organising the next one, but the festivals this year are off. Some attempts to perhaps move some of them online. But Nicola Sturgeon, scotlands first minister, saying that whilst this was heartbreaking, it was absolutely the right decision. Lorna gordon, thank you. The welsh governments Education Minister says some schools will stay open over the Easter Holiday for Vulnerable Children and the children of key workers. Kirsty williams said Free School Meals will also continue for disadvantaged children. We were the first to provide certainty on this years gcse and a level grades, and we were the first to suspend school inspections. And were the only uk nation to guarantee Free School Meals over the easter period, providing £7 million worth of new funding. A further announcement will be made about a National Scheme for the rest of the school year in the near future. Ki rsty kirsty williams. Some more breaking news for you. A retired doctor who came out of retirement to help deal with the covid 19 pandemic has become the fourth medic to die so far as become the fourth medic to die so farasa become the fourth medic to die so far as a result of all this. Dr sadu is the former medical director of the Princess Alexandra hospital in essex, he came out of retirement. His son, danny sadu, hasjust essex, he came out of retirement. His son, danny sadu, has just posted the Details Online and said that his father had died from the coronavirus, he had been fighting the virus for two weeks, but he could not hang on any more. The nhs has been amazing and did everything it could. My dad was a Living Legend and worked for the nhs for 40 years, saving many lives here and in africa, and the president of the medical association of nigeria across britain has paid tribute as well, saying that they are so sad to announce the death of one of their members. So a retired doctor, came out of retirement to help with a supporting pandemic and has lost his life as a result of contracting the coronavirus, dr alfa saadu. Were expecting todays downing street briefing soon lets go over to westminster and our Political Correspondent nick eardley. What can we expect, nick . It will be the business secretary alok sharma who is chairing that for the government today, and i think that is probably an indication that we are going to hit a bit more about some of the support that the government is putting on for businesses across the uk as a result of the rapid decline in trade that weve seen over the last couple of weeks, particularly since the more stringent measures came in last monday. Really interestingly we will hear from doc to yvonne doyle as well for Public Health england, and i think that we will be asked a lot about the issue of testing. It has been a real political row over the last few days about whether the government at westminster is doing enough to increase the number of tests that are happening across the uk. We know that they want to increase the number to around 25,000 today probably by the end of this month now rather than the middle of the month as had originally been suggested. There is also this issue of the capacity at which the uk can test at the moment being higher than the number of tests that are actually done, so in theory, 12,800 tests can be done a day in england, but yesterday there were only 10,500, or thereabouts, done. But yesterday there were only 10,500, orthereabouts, done. So there is that issue of why there is there is that issue of why there is the discrepancy between what can and what is being done when it comes to testing. The other issue is how many people on the nhs front line eye getting tests. Downing street has said very firmly to Public Health england, you need to be using any extra capacity you have to get out there and test those doctors and nurses who are treating coronavirus patients, who are on the front line of the country because my efforts to try to help those who are sickest. At the moment, though, the numbers are still fairly small, we have seen 2000 nhs front line staff tested over the last few days. That is not as much as the shortfall between the capacity and the tests that are being done, so those questions over testing are being done, so those questions over testing a re really being done, so those questions over testing are really going to continue over the next few days, i suspect. Lots of questions on testing. Alok sharmas presence, as you have alluded to, one hopes, is going to address the suggestion that 800,000 businesses could go bust in the next few weeks because they cant get the emergency loan is the government would be there because of the economic fallout of this crisis. There are huge questions over exactly how quickly some people can get support. Not just exactly how quickly some people can get support. Notjust businesses, but individuals as well. Alok sharma is the man who has to explain to the country exactly how that is going to happen. That 800,000 figure has been bandied about over the course of the day. It is not one at the moment that downing street is recognising and saying that it thinks that the threat level is quite that high. But absolutely, we have all heard anecdotal evidence over the last few days about businesses who may at some point be eligible for some help, they need it a lot quicker than they might be getting it, or some might not be getting all the help they need to stay afloat. There are so many questions the government is facing at the moment. That is why we are seeing all these different ministers popping up everyday and being asked of them. One of the big economic questions is how you are essentially in some circumstances mothballed businesses, so they might not be trading on the same level that they would expect at the moment, but how you make sure that theyre ready to bounce back when this whole crisis is over, so that the economy is in some sort of fit state to get back to normal once coronavirus is under control. And at the moment, as you say, there are Big Questions still remaining about whether that support is coming quick enough and whether there is enough. Nick eardley at westminster, thank you. That downing street update due in about 30 minutes time. Now lets return to the news that wimbledon this year has been cancelled. Joining me now as annabel croft, former british number one. Thank you for being with us. This is no surprise, is it . Not really. I think we were all expecting this decision to come today, but it was one that everybody in the tennis world just did not want to hear. It is devastating news for the tennis world. Honestly the plans, the players, the officials, everyone associated with the sport. It is the pinnacle of our sport, one of the four grand slams, arguably the greatest tennis tournament in the world and on the calendar, but Public Health and safety is paramount, and i think it became an impossible situation. The statement from the all england club says the 134th championships will instead be staged next year. Are they doing what the japanese in the olympic so doing and basically moving 2020 into 2021 . That is the plan and the hope. We are in not quite uncharted territory, because of cost twice wimbledon has not been played. Back in the first world were there was a four year period when it wasnt played and again a six year period in the second world war. The last time it wasnt played was 1945. But this situation just only a couple of months ago when all the players were in australia playing the very first grand slam of the year in the australian open, everybody there at that time was focused on the bushfires and all the terrible tragedy is going on in australia, and everyone rallying round and trying to help there. But i think it was unthinkable that they wouldnt be able to play at wimbledon this year. But hopefully fingers crossed as you say, everything will be shifted back towards 2021, and lets hope this whole crisis is behind us, and the players and all the fans can get into the world of tennis once again. But at the moment we are not quite sure when its going to be back out on tour again. Potentially also, annabel, the us open, which is due to start at the end of august, the beginning of september, and there is a question mark over that . There is, and this was unthinkable just a couple of months ago. Everyone was thinking, we will get to the summer and this will be behind us. Now we are saying, no. This event is such a huge part of british summer time, something everybody kind of almost stopped everything they are doing to focus in on what happens. Now the tennis world is hopefully, fingers crossed, looking toward september and the us open. Of course the french open which should have been before wimbledon, that was pushed back. They are hoping to take a date in september as well. I think all of it is up in the air. Will we get any tennis for the rest of the year . It is like any of these athletes in any sport out there. They train their whole lives to be able to compete on a show for the public, and nobody knows where it sat at the moment. It is just knows where it sat at the moment. It isjust an knows where it sat at the moment. It is just an absolutely terrible situation. We will leave it there. Annabel, thanks for joining situation. We will leave it there. Annabel, thanks forjoining us, thanks very much indeed. Lets talk to another tennis star. Former british tennis player and commentator andrew castle. The french open pulled back on the wimbledon cancelled, us open, a big question over that. Tennis is going to really suffer this year. Tennis is going to suffer, but its time for everybody to grow up and do the right thing, self isolate, initiate social distance and all these things. I didnt see this coming, to be honest, when the pandemic first showed its public face, goodness knows when the chinese first knew about this, but that is for another day. But when this first came around injanuary and day. But when this first came around in january and february, day. But when this first came around injanuary and february, i certainly didnt see this turning into the complete disaster and decimation of our economy, our sporting events, and frankly, a lot of peoples lives as well. So i think its time for to be sensible about this and realise that itsjust to be sensible about this and realise that its just a to be sensible about this and realise that itsjust a sports event and it has to be sidelined this year. Im very, very sad about it, but after everything that has been cancelled from glastonbury through, you name it, peoplejust cant get around. You cant service a tournament like that, you cant look after 500,000 people turning up to watch the event and enjoy it, you cant look after the people who work there. But how on earth are people going to fly in . It would be the most irresponsible thing in the world to run that tournament now, and the bill starts in the next few weeks also, so it looks like it is a definite no. It has been coming for quite some time, very predictable. We just have to look forward to 2021. You are absolutely right, lets keep things in perspective. It is only a sports tournament. But in terms of the athletes themselves, how difficult is it for them now to have to deal with this in terms of their training regime and so on . Well, nobody is playing, it is as simple as that. If youve got a wall in your back garden, youre doing well. You just have to continue as best you can and be ready. International travel, particularly for a sport like tennis, means you have to be ready for something that perhaps you cant possibly put it, and this is certainly one of them. I think we all have to remember that its the same for everybody, in every sport, and in every walk of life at the moment. All elements that have been disrupted, it is tempting to see things from our own personal point of view but actually, everybody is in the same boat, so hopefully, at the other end, everybody will be able to start, really, from the same starting point, and its not going to be easy. But there are people who would have played wimbledon, and all the grasscourt have played wimbledon, and all the grasscou rt events have played wimbledon, and all the grasscourt events leading up to it, because it is the entire summer season, a lot of dreams are made, a lot of people work very hard, and families invest enormously almost from birth these days in getting people ready for these events, and its a chance to achieve something which is really for a lifetime, to be proud of. And they are having that taken away from them, and the prize money as well, which keeps some of the lower ranked players going. So all the tentacles of a cancellation like this, the disruption that we are seeing from covid 19, coronavirus, all of it has to be dealt with, but clive, right now, as you well know, it is first things first, we have all got to stay alive and do the right thing. Absolutely, good to see you, andrew castle, thank you. The fashion industry is trying to come together to play its part in helping the countrys battle against the coronavirus pandemic. Some british designers are offering their workforce to help make personal protective equipment for nhs workers. One of those designers is maria grachvogel. Shejoins me now. Thanks for being with us. How exactly own fashion industry help out in this . Well, i think essentially, right now, pretty much, most of the fashion industry has kind of closed itself down more or less, on government instruction. But what i became aware of is that we have this whole workforce out there, most of whom have a machine at home or the ability to work remotely, and it struck me that, well, we could utilise some of that and really help to be able to make the masks and the supplies that the nhs so badly need. Soi supplies that the nhs so badly need. So i think there has been, there was even a Government Survey which i took and several other i designers know, but the missing link seems to be, obviously the government were very overwhelmed with the responses, and its a very difficult time, but it is, the industry in a way needs to almost come together to put those pieces together, and find what we need, to be able to do that, which would be the access to medical grade fabrics and some sort of patterns and instructions on how to make, and then its easy enough for essentially that willing workforce to be able to make that happen. Have you made represent representations to anyone in government about this . Well, there was a Government Survey which went on and i understand there was a very which went on and i understand there was a very heavy response, so i imagine they are working their way through. But it struck me that if we put the awareness out there, there might bea put the awareness out there, there might be a way of having that information get to the people that need it, because i have factories that are sitting there with nothing to do, essentially, that have a workforce, be able to work from a safe environment, i have an empty studio at the moment. Somebody could go in and do some cutting and be able to distribute that to various people working at home. It is just knowing exactly what we need to do to make that work. But there is definitely a whole community of fashion people out there asking those questions and trying to find out, how do we make the masks or the various things, and what exactly is needed to be able to do that to a hospital grade level . It is a really interesting concept, youre talking about masks, what other things do you think you and your workers could help out in making . Anything at all thatis help out in making . Anything at all that is made of fabric. Masks, gowns, whatever might be needed from the nhs. I think we would like some directions, essentially, if there was some directive from somebody, evenif was some directive from somebody, even if it was some of the usual manufacturers of this equipment that perhaps dont have enough workforce to supply the volume, they could get in touch. You can get in touch on my instagram, andi in touch. You can get in touch on my instagram, and i would be able to put some of those words out to there. Because i have lots of people i have been speaking to in the industry that will have the same view, theyre saying, we want to help but we dont know how. And quite clearly, this is a crisis time, andi quite clearly, this is a crisis time, and i think its time for the fashion industry to get together to support that, and build a Community Around it. You say youve been talking to other designers, who might feel that they could get involved in this as well . Well, there is a network of other designers that are putting things out on instagram, asking the same questions. I saw that vb english was doing something, ive also spoken to a number of my london based manufacturing factories, that had also said that they had replied to that Government Survey and had been waiting to hear back and they are willing to help, but we dont want to make things that are not necessarily useful. Maybe the cloth for facemasks will have some protection but it is not necessarily going to be something that would be used by the nhs, so it is about access to that medical grade fabric and some sort of pattern, template, and some sort of pattern, template, and instructions of how to put it together in the right way, and then a workforce can easily be employed to do that, that can supply, even locally, and built it up through the country. We will leave it there, maria grachvogel, fashion designer. Thank you very much forjoining us. Spain has recorded another 864 deaths related to coronavirus, the highest in one day. More than 9,000 people have now died in spain, we can speak now to dr rafael bengoa, an International Advisor in healthcare. He is a former director of Health Systems at the World Health Organization, a former regional minister of health in the Basque Country government, and a former advisor to barack 0bama. Hello to you, thanks forjoining us. First of all, do you see the situation in spain reaching a peak any time soon, and perhaps, the famed curve being flattened in the next couple of weeks . Yes, and despite the deaths that you just mentioned which are the information of today, which looks very dramatic, and is very dramatic, the peak seems to be beyond close to being reached. Were now seeing some positive signals from other indicators. We know theres less people infected, there is a deceleration of the number of people infected. The numbers of people going into acute care units is decreasing slowly. So, i think were beginning to see that smear going to beginning to see that smear going to be reaching that point and we are going to be able to see that these social isolation measures have worked, and it seems that is the case. Well, it seems like there is a bit of a light of the end of the tunnel there. But globally now, has there been enough of a coordinated effort around the world to deal with this . I dont think so. In 2005, who met with Global Experts, everybody was mentioning at the end of those meetings, these are the protocols you have to follow if theres a pandemic of, lets say, a very big contagious nest. If that happens, follow these steps, be ready, because its coming. Very few countries actually intervened between epidemics. We tend to intervene only during epidemics. Some countries have prepared a bit better than others. I think globally, we dont have yet the International Organisation in terms of governance which allows us to think that one can then intervene with a Global Expert group, notjust a National Expert group, wherever this pops up, wherever there is an outbreak in the world, we should be able to have some International Group going in and trying to block the outbreak at the outset, rather than waiting for National Organisations to receive information through the who, from other places, and a little by little, getting their act together. I think that is far too slow, these viruses go much faster, so we need something which is much more attuned to that speed. Given that we had stars, we had mers, we had the Ebola Outbreak in africa, why do you think there has not been an attempt globally to coordinate some kind of Pandemic Response to deal with any eventuality, including this new coronavirus . Well, i think there is something called the normalcy bias, which, people, we are all hardwired in that way. I was just listening to your programme now, and everybody, one after another, was saying, i didnt expect this. So, what that bias means is that we want things to look like theyve always been, even when were seeing, lets say, science, reporting something else. So, both governments, organisations, industry et cetera, tend to underestimate a menace of this type because of this normalcy bias. That should not be an excuse, we have to find a way out of that bias, in the sense that we have to be able to say, ok, if science is saying something, then we have some quick Decision Making which allows us to intervene much quicker than we are intervening, because theres too much time lag between when science says something and politics intervenes. We will leave it there, dr rafael bengoa, thanks forjoining us, thank you. Well, in italy, figures suggest the rate of new infections is slowing, though the number of deaths remains high. Among them are doctors more than 60 have now died, with unions saying medics lack the necessary equipment to fight the outbreak. Mark lowen reports. Perhaps never again in our lifetime will we see rome like this. The virus is sucking the life out of this country. Three weeks on, italys lockdown is set to be extended today until. Well, until the outbreak stops killing. They lowered the flags to half mast across the country to pay tribute. From florence to rome, from italys south to bergamo in the north, the town worst ravaged by coronavirus. It is a symbol of National Mourning to mark a month that has torn through italys heart. The country with the highest number of deaths from the virus and the highest fatality rate. Italians need to feel there is an end to the daily loss of hundreds of lives, to the constant mourning. Medical unions say the huge loss of doctors here at least 66 shows a failure to protect those trying to cure it. Translation they worked without the right equipment, like proper masks, and they werent given them. Not enough had been tested. We were completely unprepared. China showed us what we needed to do and we didnt follow it. Its like sending soldiers to war empty handed, unable to defend themselves. We could have avoided these deaths. Doctors paid for their commitment with their lives. We developed a valve. So, young, inventive italians have stepped in to help, using 3d printing to develop a valve that turns a sports shop snorkelling mask into a ventilator. The blueprint has been downloaded for free a million times by hospitals in need across the world. Two days ago, it was my birthday and i received a message from brazil in which a doctor said that 100 people were breathing, thanks to my idea. And i was very, very, happy. I cannot receive a better present for my birthday. The health care system, too, is improvising, Milan Exhibition Centre converted into a new hospital, with 200 badly needed intensive care beds. Italy is being forced to adapt to this virus running after it, but still too far behind. Mark lowen, bbc news, rome. 38 critically ill coronavirus patients are being transferred by high speed train out of paris for treatment in less overwhelmed regions of france. The patients are being transferred by high speed train to ease pressure on the capitals intensive Care Capacity, french Health Officials say. France recorded its worst daily coronavirus death toll on monday, taking the toll above 3,000 for the first time, with the country battling to free up space in life support units. A gp surgery in south wales has apologised after sending patients with life limiting illnesses a letter asking them to complete a do not resuscitate form because of the coronavirus pandemic. It said resources could then be targeted at the young and fit. The older peoples commissioner for wales has described the letter as shameful. We are hoping to talk to ours correspondent Hywel Griffith, we will talk to you when we can get him. We will be going live to downing street for the daily update, where we are expecting the business secretary, alok sharma, to be alongside doctor yvonne doyle, and that is coming up in the next few minutes. President trump says americans are in the midst of a Great National trial unlike anything theyve faced before. He said a very difficult two weeks lie ahead. The death toll has now passed 4,000. David willis reports. From the white house came the direst warning yet the worst is yet to come. I want every american to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead. Were going to go through a very tough two weeks. And then, hopefully, as the experts are predicting, as i think a lot of us are predicting after having studied it so hard, were going to start seeing some real light at the end of the tunnel. But this is going to be a very painful. Very, very painful two weeks. Apocalyptic projections from white house advisers point to between 100,000 and 240,000 americans dying from the coronavirus more, if social distancing guidelines arent followed. As sobering a number as that is, we should be prepared for it. Is it going to be that much . I hope not and i think the more we push on the mitigation, the less likelihood it would be that number. But, as being realistic, we need to prepare ourselves that that is a possibility that that is what we will see. With more than 3,800 deaths here, the number of americans killed by the coronavirus has now exceeded that of china. Of even greater symbolic significance here, the death toll has also exceeded that of september the 11th. And in new york, the epicentre of the virus, Charity Workers have now set up an emergency Field Hospital in central park. The citys mayor predicts they will soon need triple the number of hospital beds than are currently available here. And not even those at sea are safe from the virus. The captain of a us Aircraft Carrier has called for urgent help to halt an outbreak among his 4,000 strong crew. When not at war, sailors do not need to die, he wrote in a letter to the pentagon. Having gone from predicting this country would reopen by easter, President Trump is facing the grim reality that the coronavirus is here to stay. With the us possibly on course to become the next italy in this crisis, it looks like posing the greatest challenge yet to his presidency. David willis, bbc news. Nearly a million uk businesses are just weeks from going bust, according to new research. Its found that nearly a fifth of small and Medium Sized Companies are unlikely to get the money they need to survive another month despite promises of unprecedented government support. 0ur economics correspondent andy verity reports. it was billed as the government riding to the rescue of Small Businesses. They can walk into their local bank Branch Next Week and talk to someone about the Coronavirus Business interruption loan that the government is guaranteeing. But since the scheme went live last week, many Bank Branches arent open. 0nline, and by phone, thousands of businesses whose incomes have plummeted cant get through. Or when they do, theyre being told the money will take weeks to arrive weeks they dont have. This nottingham based engineering business was thriving before coronavirus, Offering Services such as High Precision sharpening of tools used by bae to make the f35 and typhoonjets. Production lines halted last week. This is the firm now. With revenue collapsing and bills owing, its owner was heartened by an announcement that emergency loans would be available by monday last week. But since then, hes learned some lenders are charging Interest Rates of up to 30 , and firms have to apply for a normal loan first. At the moment, i think too much control is being given to the banks and lenders, the approved lenders, to make this happen, and i think its still chaotic out three. It seems to be that if youre lucky, youre banking with the right party, if youre not lucky, youll end up having to close your business. The banks professional body, uk finance, says lenders are constrained by the governments rules. Stricken businesses only get the interest free loans if they cant borrow normally, for example by taking a loan out against their property. An Accountancy Network serving thousands of medium sized businesses found that in spite of emergency measures, 18 of their clients either probably or definitely wont be able to get the cash they need to survive in the next four weeks. And if the shut down lasts 12 weeks, thatjumps to 32 . The problem for stricken businesses is that theyre being expected to borrow their way through this cash flow crisis in a way that leaves all the risks with the business owner. Even if they can get a Business Interruption loan, the guarantees protect not the business, but the bank. And if, like many, they cant get one, the directors have to sign personal guarantees, and that means if the loan isnt repaid, they could lose almost everything. Companies with only days of working capital left have inundated mps with desperate calls and e mails. They say the treasury must redesign its scheme. In our view, that process should be reversed, simplified, so people go straight into the Business Interruption loans, so they get cash into their Bank Accounts within days. Further help is coming, with grants from local government for retail hospitality and leisure sectors to a Job Retention scheme to pay wages for firms who cant afford to. But a week and a half after the loan scheme was launched, there is much confusion, and relatively few have been helped. And the need for cash is now. Andy verity, bbc news. I told you a few minutes ago about a Fourth Doctor who has died as a result of contracting covid 19. He was a retired doctor who went back to who went back to help. There has been another death in nhs staff. Yes, the retired doctor had come out of retirement to help in the corona outbreak. His name was dr alfa saadu, and he had been volunteering at the Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital in hertfordshire. His son said he had been fighting the virus for two weeks, but he could not fight any more. The nhs he said was amazing and did everything they could. Meanwhile we have also heard a Health Care Assistant in london, 57, died at home while self isolating with coronavirus symptoms. His daughter has been critical of the lack of protective equipment for staff. She says these front line people are putting themselves before everybody else, putting themselves at risk, she says, and this afternoon, a group of unions including unison and the Royal College of nursing have put together a joint statement very critical of the government and the lack of protective equipment for staff. They say workers are being exposed to unreasonable and unnecessary risk, and the lack of equipment is a crisis within a crisis, they say. Overall, the numbers of deaths today, the highest day on day total so far, i know people are hoping for some good news in all of this. Are we beginning to reach the peak of this pandemic in the uk, or is there still some way to go . Weve been told consistently by the Governments Health experts to expect rises in the numbers of deaths and the numbers of cases. Todayit deaths and the numbers of cases. Today it was announced that there had been 4300 new cases in the 24 hour is up to 9am this morning, that brings the total to 29,474 positive cases. Another 563 deaths, the largest single daily rise, bringing the total to over 2300. Both are big rises, but what is important with these daily figures is not to take one day in isolation but to look at the trend over a number of days, and that is where there may be just a sign of things perhaps moving in the right direction. Yesterday Health Officials were talking about green shoots, a sign cases may plateau. The number of cases were 3400, new cases, that compares to 2500 3000 over recent days, but it is a less steep rise that we saw a few weeks ago. So there is a suggestion that it may just be ago. So there is a suggestion that it mayjust be turning slightly. What matters now, though, is what happens in the coming days. Whether that figure, that 4300 figure, whether we see more cases tomorrow and the next day or whether it stays level or drops, and if that happens, what we can expect is in a couple of weeks, the number of deaths should start plateauing too. So they could be some hope, but we will have to keep an eye on these figures. Nick, many thanks, nick triggle. As the row about testing continues, a drug that could help treat the virus is to be trialled on a small number of patients in england and scotland. The studies, which have been fast tracked by the government, will involve 15 nhs centres. Our Health Correspondent Dominic Hughes reports. Doctors in china treating the very sickest patients. Here, the desperate search for an effective treatment for covid 19 is already under way, including Clinical Trials of the drug remdesivir, an International Project the uk is about to join. What we really need, and what we really want, is a specific treatment against coronavirus that delays the infection, treats the infection, and, hopefully, makes people better. How hopeful are you that this drug is going to prove to be promising . We are hopeful that it is going to be as promising in humans and those with coronavirus. In my heart, im hopeful. But we do need studies such as this in order to establish how well it works, and how best to use it. These trials will take place in 15 hospitals in england and scotland, and may involve a relatively small number of patientss to start with, around 100 or so, at least at the beginning. But they are all part of a much bigger global effort to try to find an effective treatment for covid 19. Remdesivir was first developed by scientists at the Pharmaceutical Company gilead. It was initially seen as a possible treatment for ebola. But it has shown potential against other types of coronavirus. It is a Global Health emergency. We are seeing global cooperation. And the scientists behind the drug hope that potential will now be fulfilled. You have had this drug about a decade. What makes you think it is going to be effective against covid 19 . We have been looking at what we call emerging viruses, so we have been looking at viruses that are not necessarily a problem yet, but could be in the future. So, remdesivir was a product we had looked at against sars and mers and seen that it had some activity. That is why we thought it was important to understand whether it has a role to play treating patients with covid 19, as quickly as we can. Remdesivir is just one of a handful of drugs being tested on covid 19 patients. Approval processes for drug trials that once took months are now being completed in weeks. It is a measure of how urgent it has become to find an effective treatment. Dominic hughes, bbc news. Were expecting todays downing street briefing soon. Lets go over to westminster and our Political Correspondent nick eardley. Nick, alok sharma and dr yvonne doyle will be at the podium. What are we expecting theyre going to be dealing with here . I think there will be more questions again clive on the issue of testing. We have heard a lot today about how the government might have increased its capacity, but isnt testing people to that capacity, real questions as well about why we dont have the ability to test more people after michael gove said yesterday when the government was struggling to get some of the chemical reagents it needs, so dr yvonne doyle from Public Health england im sure will be asked a bit more about that testing issue. Also testing on the nhs front line. We know that the government has lifted the cap on the percentage of tests that can be used for front line percentage of tests that can be used forfront line nhs percentage of tests that can be used for front line nhs workers, percentage of tests that can be used forfront line nhs workers, there is a hope that that can be increased quite considerably over the next few days. The business secretary too, there have been questions over the last few days about exactly how some of the schemes to help businesses through the economic slowdown are going to work, there have been some concerns raised that potentially a lot of businesses just arent getting as much support as they need and may still find it impossible to keep trading in these conditions, so i wouldnt be surprised if we hear a bit more about that in the next hour or so as well. You were talking on ita or so as well. You were talking on it a minute ago about the death figures. 0bviously further shocking, appalling death figures coming out this afternoon, the highest so far. It will be interesting to see todays slides. The government is now putting out a daily set of slides showing the number of hospital admissions in the number of new cases. It will be interesting to see what the tallies for them are and whether that suggestion yesterday that the number of new cases was potentially starting to level out, to plateau, whether that will continue. Going back to the issue of testing, lots of concerns about weather or not nhs frontline staff will be able to get the tests that they need, because if they have the symptoms, potentially, a high fever, high temperature, persistent cough, and so forth, then they are not able. Actually i am going to hold that question, here is alok sharma, the business secretary, with his briefing. Good afternoon and thank you forjoining us for the Daily Briefing in the fight against coronavirus. I treatment at any one time, protecting the ability of the nhs to cope. Throughout our response to coronavirus, we have been following the scientific and medical advice. We have been deliberate in our actions, taking the right steps at the right time. Were also taking unprecedented action to increase nhs capacity by dramatically expanding the number of beds, key staff and life saving equipment on the frontline, to provide the care when people need it the most. The daily figures show that a total of 152,979 people in the uk have now been tested for coronavirus. 0f people in the uk have now been tested for coronavirus. Of those, 29,474 have tested positive. The number of people admitted to hospital in england with coronavirus symptoms is now 10,767, whilst 3915 of those are in london, and 1918 in the midlands. 0f of those are in london, and 1918 in the midlands. Of those hospitalised in the uk, sadly, 2352 have died. This is an increase of 563 fatalities since yesterday. The youngest of them was just 13 years old. All our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of those whove lost their lives. This is more tragic evidence that this virus does not discriminate. The coronavirus pandemic is the biggest threat our country has faced in decades, and were not alone. All over the world, we are seeing the devastating impact of this invisible killer. We recognise the extreme disruption of the necessary actions we are asking people to take, and the effect it is having on their jobs, lives, and the economy. I want to thank everybody across our whole country for the huge effort that is being made collectively in tackling the covid 19 pandemic. To the frontline workers treating and caring for patients, the people delivering supplies to their neighbours and the millions staying at home, thank you. You are protecting the nhs and saving lives. And i want to thank businesses too through your support or your workers and your communities, and through your willingness to support our health service, you are making a real difference. Whether it is ineos building a new hand sanitiser plant near middlesbrough in just ten days, or ucl engineers working with mercedes formula 1 to build new Continuous Positive Airway pressure machines to help patients breathe more easily or broadband providers giving their customers unlimited data, to stay connected, or indeed Londons Excel Centre being converted into the nhs Nightingale Hospital with space for 4000 patients. These are just a few of the examples of businesses across our great nation supporting life saving work. There are also thousands of businesses large and small which have worked with staff to ensure that they are supported in the days and weeks ahead, whether thatis the days and weeks ahead, whether that is through ensuring phd guidelines are followed on site, implement inferno schemes, carrying over annual leave and providing the means to work from home. I want to convey my heartfelt thanks to all of those businesses up and down the country which are working to keep our economy going. So that when this crisis passes, and it will, we are ready to bounce back. Our businesses are doing all they can to support our people, and i want to make it clear that government in turn will do all it can to support our businesses. We have already taken unprecedented action to support businesses, safeguard jobs and protect the economy. From today, businesses will start benefiting from £22 billion in the form of Business Rates relief and grants of up Business Rates relief and grants of up to £25,000 which are being paid into the Bank Accounts of the smallest high street firms. 0n saturday, i said that we had provided funds to councils in england for grants for Small Businesses. As of today, these local authorities have received more than £12 million. This afternoon, i held a call with hundreds of local authorities across england and made clear that this money must reach businesses as quickly as possible. And i know that businesses across england have already started to receive these grants. We know high street banks are working really hard to support the uk through this period. Including through mortgage holidays and increased credit facilities. Loans for businesses are also being issued through the covert Business Interruption loan scheme which came into operation last week. The chancellor, together with the bank of england covid 19 wrote to the chief executive is of the uk banks and urged them to make sure that the benefits of the loan scheme are passed through to businesses and consumers. And it would be com pletely u na cce pta ble if consumers. And it would be completely unacceptable if any banks we re completely unacceptable if any banks were unfairly refusing funds to good businesses in financial difficulty. Just as the taxpayer stepped in to help the banks back in 2008, we will work with the banks to do everything they can to repay that favour and support the businesses and people of the United Kingdom in their time of need. Of course, this is a brand new scheme, and as with all new schemes, it will not be perfect from the outset. We are listening all the time, and in response to concerns that weve heard from businesses, we are looking at ways in which we can ensure that they get the support they need. The chancellor will be saying more on this in the coming days. It is crucial that when we ove rco m e days. It is crucial that when we overcome this crisis, as in time we will, that businesses are in a good position to move forward. Times are tough, and we have harder times ahead of us. But i know that together, we will pull through. Yvonne. Thank you, secretary of state. I would like to present you with some slides, just to give you an update on what is happening across the country, and also with the health system. Could i have slide one, please . This slows a slightly concerning trend, because we have seen an uptake in Motor Vehicle traffic. So called the message here, really, is, people do need to stay at home. And most are doing the right thing, as you can see from the rapid decline in public transport use. So, Everyone Needs to do that. The message here is, we need to save lives and protect the nhs. So, please stay at home. Could i have slide two, please . This shows the numberof i have slide two, please . This shows the number of new uk cases, as of today. It is slightly concerning, it is still too early to say whether the plateau of hospital admissions has ended, but weve now seen three days of increases in a row, and again, we need to protect the nhs, and the best way to do that is to stay at home, to avoid catching the disease yourself, and obviously avoid giving it to anyone else. That is the way the nhs can continue to protect us. Could i have slide three, please . This slide shows of the england hospital admissions. Three, please . This slide shows of the england hospitaladmissions. I think a lot of reporting has been about london, and you can see why, on this slide. That is where coronavirus is most advanced. But the chart shows that the threat is everywhere. We need to protect the nhs everywhere. And the midlands now is obviously a concern as well. And slide four, please . And this is what its all about, it is about saving lives. This slide shows the global death comparisons. We need to save lives. As things stand, it has not been as severe here as in france, and we are just tucked in under the usa, and obviously italy on a different trajectory, and spain as the United States, as we said, but there is no reason to be complacent. Stay at home, protect the nhs, save lives. Thank you. Thank you, i think we will now move to the q a, the first question is from Laura Kuenssberg of the bbc. Thank you very much, secretary of state. The peak of this disease seems to be coming earlier than the government had anticipated, but you are missing the testing targets, there is a huge amount of evidence of staff not having the equipment they need, there are not enough ventilators, do you accept now that the approach and the response from government has been too slow . Laura, thank you very much for that question. Can ijust make it absolutely clear, and the Prime Minister has been clear about this as well increasing Testing Capacity is absolutely the governments top priority. We are now at 10,000 tests a day, we are rolling out additional efforts at la bs rolling out additional efforts at labs and testing sites, and in the last two weeks, 390 million products have been the tribute, and we will continue to do more and work to make sure that phd is available, and there is a 24 hour hotline for nhs staff as well. But if you wanted to come in on this, yvonne . So, laura, there is positive news about this, we committed, the nhs and phe, committed to make 10,000 tests a day available, and we met that by the end of march, early april, and we have some more capacity. 0ur commitment is to go to 25,000 tests a day, and we are confident without Industry Partners that we will achieve that. So, that means patients are getting the tests they need, but there is also some Spare Capacity in that for testing the most urgent healthca re capacity in that for testing the most urgent healthcare workers, and alongside that, as secretary of state has said, there is a second strand, front, opening, and is already testing a couple of thousand healthcare workers in order of priority. So, we are definitely increasing our Testing Capacity. Thank you, laura. The next question is from beth rigby from sky news. Question first of all for yvonne doyle can you give us the number or proportion of frontline nhs staff who have been tested for coronavirus . You said 2000, is that out of half a million frontline nhs workers, and how are you intending to scale that up . And to the secretary of state, the Prime Minister said nearly two weeks ago he wanted to get to a quarter of a million tests per day, that was the virus and the Antibody Tests, the latest figure is 10,000, why has it taken so long for reality to match the rhetoric, and will you give a clear timeframe as to when you will deliver on the Prime Ministers promise . Well, yvonne, could i ask you to take that first . So, the numberof you to take that first . So, the number of tests undertaken in the nhs Public Health england combined Testing Capacity is just nhs Public Health england combined Testing Capacity isjust increasing at the moment. So, that will be a relatively small number, but there is capacity today, for example, for almost 3000, and that capacity will increase as we get to 25,000. The important capacity is in the second strand, where we will have five centres that people can drive through and get their testing done, in orderof through and get their testing done, in order of priority. Nhs chief executives are identifying that priority, and the intention here is to go from thousands to hundreds of thousands within the coming weeks, so we are very thousands within the coming weeks, so we are very committed to our nhs frontline staff. And i think, yvonne has explained the details, in terms of ramping up testing, but you made particular reference to the Antibody Test, and what i can say on that is that we are urgently evaluating that test and it is an absolute priority, and of course this is about making sure that people who have the test can find out whether they have had the virus and are now immune to it. The chief scientific officer has said that the accuracy of this test is incredibly important, so it is important that we get this right before we launch the test. Thank you for that. The next question is from itv, robert peston. Good afternoon. Largely a question, i think, for yvonne doyle. I reported this afternoon that a million Antibody Tests are arriving from china in the coming few days. They have been paid for by the government, the government has said it wont pay for anything it doesnt think works, but iam anything it doesnt think works, but i am told that Public Health england is dragging its feet in giving its approval to the use of these tests. Im also told that these test would be an alternative to pcr and could detect active virus in for example front line staff. When will they be in hospitals for use . Thank you, robert. The important thing about the Antibody Test is it is not a matter of dragging our feet. It is important that the test is valid and it does what it says it does, and as the chief medical officer says, that one thing worse than no test is a wrong test or a bad test. So that is what is being tested at the moment, and in the meantime there is a separate strand which is very important which is called zero prevalence which is where our own labs are testing the validity of whether the blood samples we are getting very generously for people who have had the disease but also from the college of gps surveillance scheme, whether those tests are also valid, and we are very pleased about that. So as soon as we can, we want to be out there doing these tests. Thank you, robert, thank you, yvonne. The next question is from the evening standard, from joe murphy. May i ask yvonne doyle, if 2000 nhs staff have been tested so far and 125,000 are self isolating or thereabouts, that is by my reckoning 1. 6 . Can i pin you to a target for the improvement that you promised in the previous answer . What for example will that number look like in one week from today . And do you think people are getting complacent about measures that have been put in. Mr sharma, a lot of people have not been given a satisfactory explanation as to why germany can test so many more than the uk. Are they making better use of universities or private sector, better labs, or using perhaps a quicker test . And what are the rea g e nts quicker test . And what are the reagents that we are struggling to get . We are looking to work out is this a capacity issue for germany versus the uk, or a Political Choice that has made us test fewer people. I wonder whether you might take that first. I assume you are talking about the Health Care Worker front line testing, and the intention there as i say is to go from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands. That will have to go on the basis of the priority that is identified as to which of these workers are actually needed. When i say workers, they are staff, our colleagues, are neededin they are staff, our colleagues, are needed in which settings, particularly where the circuit patients r. The sickest patients. That will be the intention over the coming weeks. Do you wish me to speak about the reagents . They are generally produced by the manufacturers of the machines, and so manufacturers of the machines, and so the reagents that work best are those that work with the machines that theyre intended for, that is the most efficient. We are working with the industry to ensure that that supply is good and that the machinery is most efficient. But as the head of the industry have said, there is a Global Market in this, but they are committed to working with the uk government and with us to ensure that we get those tests through quickly. And there is complimentary work going on to ensure that we can supplement that if needed, and that is very exciting for the future. And i think you made reference to germany. We of course look to see where we can learn throughout this process, and of course we are working with industry, working with the scientific community, to make sure that we have maximum possible suppliers. But i just go back to the point thatjenny harries, the deputy chief medical officer made some days ago, when she said we are looking to create a Lab Based Test on a scale which is comparable to building a medical equivalent of a car factory. So we are trying to do something at huge scale very fast, but i think as you have heard from yvonne, we are making progress and will continue to make progress, and we are determined to make sure that we have the supplies and provide the support that we can for people across the uk and particularly the most vulnerable and particularly the most vulnerable and those key workers in the nhs. Thank you very much for that. The next question is from the financial times, from laura hughes. Good afternoon. Can i ask, what is the governments exit strategy for getting us out of this lockdown . And what role will testing play in that . Jeremy hunt has called for mass Community Testing. Is it too late for that, or is that the governments policy and one that we will see being carried out over the next few weeks and months . Thank you for that, laura. Let next few weeks and months . Thank you forthat, laura. Let me next few weeks and months . Thank you for that, laura. Let me say a few words before i pass to yvonne on this. People will understand across the country why we have put these restrictions in place, and the Prime Minister was very clear they were foran minister was very clear they were for an initial three week period and we will review them. But what is also really important is that if we stop these too quickly, there is a possibility that that effort, that people have made, that masses of people have made, that masses of people have made across the country, is wasted. We could potentially see a dangerous second peak. We absolutely want to avoid that. But it may be helpful, yvonne, if you amplify on this. Thank you, secretary of state. The Prime Minister has committed to taking review of this after easter, and i think it is important to say that we are looking at this through the scientific lens as well, through modelling and the information we are getting from clinical cases as to how this epidemic is progressing, and we will be guided by that, laura. So we obviously want to make the right call at the right time on this, and it is something that we have to keep reviewing every week, and certainly we are very close to sage and the modelling on that. The testing strategy is to increase the amount of testing done, notjust in Health Care Workers, but in the population. The rate limiting step is not us, its really whether the tests are valid, and how then to get that out and about, and aided by technology. And i think that will change as the phases of this epidemic change. We will perhaps use different techniques. In the beginning, at the containment phase, this was very professional people dependent on the community. We obviously would want this to go faster as we come to a different phase of the epidemic. Thank you for that, yvonne. We have one final question, which is from buzzfeed, from emily ashton. This is a question for both of you, i think. Nhs front line workers across the country are showing extraordinary courage showing up at hospitals day after day in horrific circumstances. You may have seen today a joint statement from trade unions say the lack of personal protective equipment has become a crisis within a crisis. Workers are being put at unnecessary risk. They re a crisis. Workers are being put at unnecessary risk. Theyre also going to work not knowing whether they have been affected by this virus or not, and then wondering why we werent preparing for testing much earlier. The government keeps offering them more words, and we have heard those this evening, but do you accept that you are putting those workers into a dangerous situation cries back and really need to act urgently to keep them safe. Emily, thank you for that. I pay tribute to the amazing work that nhs staff in the front line across the whole of the nhs and indeed across the public service, are doing at this time to support us and to support the population. Specifically on the point of ppe, i said in response to an earlier question, over the past few weeks, we have delivered over 390 million ppe products. We have ensured that these are being delivered to every gp practice, to dentists, community pharmacies, and there is also now a 24 hour nhs one hotline where nhs and social care workers can call and request that ppe if its needed. 0f course, we will continue to do as much as we can to get more of this equipment to the front line, because at the end of the day, youre absolutely right, this is about helping and supporting those who are making a difference in helping and supporting our population. Emily, it is absolutely our commitment to protect front line staff, and we are in touch with a wide range of leaders, clinical leaders, nursing leaders, clinical leaders, nursing leaders, Community Leaders and the trade unions and they are aware of our intention. We are working very rapidly at the moment to ensure that the deliveries to reach where theyre needed and good stock taking on that, and also that our guidance is easily understood, and people understand what they actually need to keep them safe in the circumstances theyre in. |j to keep them safe in the circumstances theyre in. I think that was our last question. I would like to end by saying that we do request that everybody follows the governments guidelines. Ultimately this is about staying at home, protecting the nhs and saving lives, and we will get through this working together. Thank you. Studio the business secretary, alok sharma, bringing to a close todays downing street briefing on the governments fight against the coronavirus pandemic. He was there with dr yvonne doyle from Public Health england. Alok sharma making it clear, lots of questions concerning whether or not small or medium sized businesses are getting the help the government said it would give in orderfor them to survive the economic downturn as a result of the pandemic. He made it clear that local authorities have received £12 billion in grants in recent months, and that money must reach local businesses, he said. He also made it clear that it was unacceptable also made it clear that it was u na cce pta ble if also made it clear that it was unacceptable if any bank refuses to lend to good businesses. Weve been hearing a lot from Small Business owner saying that theyre potentially going to be going to the wall over the next few days. But some good words, hopefully, for them, from the business secretary. Lets get more perspective on this from our Political Correspondent nick eardley in westminster. Those comments from alok sharma on businesses. We heard this morning that potentially 800,000 fear that they could be in difficulty. Do you think what alok sharma said concerning local authorities getting this money for grants will be enough for them . I think there are a couple of clear messages from the business secretary about getting that money to businesses as quickly as possible, so that £12 billion has gone to local authorities in england to make sure that they can help Small Businesses as quickly as possible. And the business secretary was saying, look, weve had these because local authorities and told them get the money out as soon as possible to make sure that businesses have access to the cash they need. Also really interesting that there was basically a political warning there to the bank, saying you were bailed out during the financial crash back in the first decade of the 21st century, it is your chance to repay that now they making sure that loans and capital are available to those businesses who meet the tests that they are required to pass to borrow money. So i think what it is an attempt to do from the business secretary is to try and reassure some of those businesses we have heard about anecdotally, to say to them, look, the money is getting out, we are trying to get it he was quickly as possible. The question of course but a lot of these businesses, is it enough . Lets hear what alok sharma said about what the government is trying to do and looking at ways to improve the support being provided for businesses, and that they would be further information from the chancellor and the next few days. The chancellor together with the bank of england and the Financial Conduct Authority wrote to the chief executives of the uk banks to urge them to make sure that the benefits of the loan scheme are passed through to businesses and consumers. And it would be completely u na cce pta ble and it would be completely unacceptable if any banks were u nfa i rly unacceptable if any banks were unfairly refusing funds to good businesses in financial difficulty. Just as the taxpayer stepped in to help the banks, back in 2008, we will work with the bank to do everything they can to repay that favour and support the businesses and people of the United Kingdom in theirtime of and people of the United Kingdom in their time of need. Of course, this isa their time of need. Of course, this is a brand new scheme, and as with all new schemes, it will not be perfect from the outset. We are listening all the time, and in response to concerns that weve heard from businesses, we are looking at ways in which we can ensure they get the support they need. The chancellor will be saying more on this in the coming days it is crucial that when we overcome this crisis, as in time we will, in ina good this crisis, as in time we will, in in a good position to move forward. Times are tough, and we have harder times ahead of us but i know that together we will pull through. Alok sharma speaking at the last few minutes. Of course, nick, the governments whole strategy, indeed governments around the world, their strategy in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic is for people to stay at home, and we saw a pretty disturbing slide there from dr yvonne doyle of Public Health england suggesting people arent doing that. Exactly, so we have had the slides all week which showed that rapid decline in the number of people using transport and using trains. I think we can see the slide from today, actually, which if you look at the blue line, shows a Motor Vehicle use, and over the last couple of days, its actually gone back up a bit, which is a concern for Public Health england because it suggests that more people are heading out in their cars than were before. The message from the Health Experts and from the government is to still very much what it was a few days ago. Stay at home, dont go out unless you have to, and the more we follow those measures the sooner it will be that the main restrictions can be lifted. So that was one element of concern that was brought up by Public Health england. Weve been speaking a lot today as well about some of the pressure the governments coming under over testing and all the comparatively small numbers of tests being done in the uk compared to countries like germany. A lot of questions on that again today, clive, about why more wasnt being done. We had a couple of promises, one from the business secretary that ramping up testing as he put it was absolutely the governments priority, one from Public Health england saying over the coming weeks they want to make sure that hundreds of thousands of nhs staff have had a test to see whether they have this disease that would allow them to return to work if they were negative but in a household where someone was displaying symptoms. A couple of promises. Im not sure we got much more really in the way of answers about why the uk is in the places and about why the uk is in the places a nd exa ctly about why the uk is in the places and exactly how it is going to get to those upper numbers. The government for example once 25,000 tests a day by the end of the month. There is still a lot of pressure on the government on that, and a lot of questions being asked, and not necessarily being answered. Nick, thank you. Lets talk to our Health Correspondent nick triggle. Picking up on one of those graphs, it showed an uptake in the numbers of cases in other parts of the country, and london is still the upper centre, but showed an uptake, particularly in the midlands and south east of england, do we have any south east of england, do we have a ny clear south east of england, do we have any clear idea. . And the doctor from Public Health england made it clear that the midlands is a particular concern, do we have any idea why this is happening . London was the first part of the uk to see the rise in the number of cases. We heard about 2000 hospital admissions, out of nearly 11,000 across the country, and the south east had also seen rising numbers of cases. We always knew the rest of the uk would be a little bit behind london, the density in london seems to have meant the virus has been transmitted a bit more quickly. But we are seeing rising cases. Now, the total number of patients in hospital is very important, close to 11,000 hospital admissions. The nhs have freed up over 30,000 beds, so that gives an indication of where we are, there is still some headroom there. What we didnt hear about was intensive care beds. There were 4000, we have now gone up to 8000 ventilated beds, that is where the sickest patients needing care taken. And there was beds have been filling up, too. But we are told that there is still some headroom there, and thatis is still some headroom there, and that is going to be needed, because we know the numbers of positive cases are going to be rising. There has been suggestions that they may plateau, and there is some hope, but they are at the moment rising, so that headroom will be needed in the coming weeks. But again, we know what the aspiration is when it comes to testing, 25,000 a day, by the end of april. But no specifics about how they are going to get there . There we re they are going to get there . There were a lot of questions at that press briefing about testing, it is not surprising, the government has been criticised quite heavily. When you look at countries like germany and south korea, theyre testing three times the numbers we are in the uk. Obviously the government highlighted the lack of chemical reagents, the lack of testing kits, which other countries, to be fair, are struggling with, but some countries are still managing to test more. Yvonne doyle said, we are confident we will achieve that 25,000 a day figure by the end of the month. She said the positive news was that we have seen an increase over the last 24 hours, 10,000 tests done, compared to 8000 over the last few days. She highlighted that there are now five drive thru centres for nhs staff. Nhs staff are not getting a lot of testing so far, it has largely been aimed at patients. And this will allow staff who are self isolating because members of their household or they themselves may have symptoms, to drive up, get a test, find out if they have got, the via, and if they havent, then they can get back to work. Alok sharma, the business secretary, said it is the top priority of government to increase the numbers. It was also interesting, they talked about the Antibody Test, to see not if you have got the virus today, but if you have got the virus today, but if you have had it. It is being tested at Oxford University and other sites, we bought a whole load of these tests, and yvonne doyle said she was pleased with how it is going. We do not know for sure but it was interesting that she said she was pleased with the sort of results so far, because that is going to be key in the future. It is, but she made the point that they have got to work and they have got to be reliable, and they have got to be reliable, and that potentially, that is something that they are still working through . Yes, we wont know certainly for another week whether they do work. The chief medical officer, professor chris whitty, has said, a bad test is worse than no test. But it was interesting, there was a question about, what is the exit strategy, and the importance of testing for the exit strategy . That is when obviously at the moment we are in lockdown, trying to suppress the number of cases, but when and if we get them low enough, the idea is then that you test people to try and contain the virus, as you lift the restrictions, you are able to test people quickly, isolate them, isolate their contacts, and we can lift some of the restrictions and get back to something more close to normality. Now, we need hundreds of thousands of tests available to do that. So the government, it is not just about testing today and testing nhs staff, the government has to increase the number of tests so that in the future, we can lift these restrictions. Many thanks for that. Whilst many countries including the uk are grappling with ever increasing coronavirus cases, some in the east are in a different phase of the pandemic. China has for now got a grip on the virus and is harnessing the power of its surveillance state to track, monitor and control people to stop the spread of the disease. Now, some of chinas techniques are being copied by a growing number of countries. But what are the potential pitfalls for privacy and freedom . Our Cyber Security reporter joe tidy explains. Theres been a lot of talk about chinas high tech fight about chinas high tech fight against coronavirus. Robots delivering food in hospitals, facial recognition cameras taking peoples temperatures and drones enforcing lockdowns and quarantines. But what about the tech we cant see . Chinas sophisticated and controversial data Surveillance System is used to track citizens on and offline. And its proving extremely effective during the pandemic. The mass Surveillance Network has taken the communist party decades to build. Theyve faced near constant criticism for it around the world. But as the world tries to get a grip on covid 19, many countries are looking to the model for answers. Heres how theyre doing it in south korea. Theyre using a phone to locate where you are, theyre using your phone to locate where you are, and then theyll send you an Emergency Alert if youre anywhere near where a confirmed coronavirus patient has been. Singapore, israel, iran, taiwan and russia have all adopted some or all of the chinese methods to temporarily harness the power of data. More are expected to follow. So, how does chinas data Surveillance System work, and how is it useful in a pandemic . It all starts with this. A national id card. You need one to pretty much do anything in china, from buying a mobile phone to using any app. Everything you do leaves a data trail linked back to your id. In areas in lockdown, phone location data is being used to monitor movement and enforce curfews. If a patient is meant to be in quarantine, geolocation pings on their phone can alert authorities if they stray out of their homes. Phone location data is also being used to map exactly where that person visited in the two weeks before being diagnosed. A combination of human and automated computer analysis work out who they may have infected. If they went on a train and got too close to other commuters, a text message is sent out through one of the major apps alerting those at risk. Every person is being assigned a coloured qr code depending on the risk they pose. Green, no risk. Orange theyve entered a potential virus hotspot. And red if theyve tested positive for the virus and could still be contagious. None of this cyber surveillance would be any good without the chinese states strict enforcement teams, too. Police and volunteers have literally manned the exits of apartment blocks to keep places on lockdown. But in countries where these data surveillance powers are being brought in to help deal with coronavirus, some people are worried about the long term. My name is adam schwartz. I am a Senior Lawyer at the Electronic Frontier foundation. There is a great concern that when government gets new powers in a crisis, government never gives those powers away even when the crisis ends, so for example in the wake of the 9 11 attacks, the United States created vast new surveillance powers. 19 years later, those powers are still very much in the hands of the us government. Adam and others also have questions aboutjust how much of a difference this data surveillance can make, and if its worth it. What we are basically saying to governments around the world is, before you unveil or unleash a brand new mass surveillance power, its necessary for governments to come forward and really Public Health professionals to come forward and show that these technologies would actually address the crisis. Striking the delicate balance between privacy and security is an age old problem for governments and the public. But perhaps never in history has the dilemma been more pressing and more life threatening. New zealands prime minster has warned it could take britons some time to get back to the uk. Jacinda ardern said that while her country is willing to help, it needed to be done in a way that did not negatively affect people in lockdown. Meanwhile in australia, tens thousands of british travellers are struggling to return home after being told they were low on a list of priorities for repatriation. Shaimaa khalil reports from sydney. These are the lucky ones. Travellers are stuck in australia, finally able to go home. Many are brits heeding the governments call to return to the governments call to return to the uk. It has been weeks of chaos and confusion, with no guarantees of when they could get on a plane. Ive been anxious all week, fearful, firstly, that we were never going to get back, and if we were, it would bejune get back, and if we were, it would be june orjuly or get back, and if we were, it would bejune orjuly or maybe september. It was quite hard to find information, to get clear, concise, accurate, reliable information has beena accurate, reliable information has been a bit of a nightmare. We dont wa nt been a bit of a nightmare. We dont want to be here with all of this going on. And our families back home. And if we go into complete lockdown, i havent got a job no more. For this couple, it is an abrupt end to a year living in australia. But with two flights from syd ney australia. But with two flights from sydney already cancelled, theyre glad to be at the airport. Relief. Even though its a very difficult place to leave, because we love it here, its a beautiful place, beautiful people, but it will be a relief once we get home, because its been a big effort getting this far. The message from the uk government is that there will be no repatriation flights while commercial ones are available here in australia. But we have been hearing from travellers complaining of last minute cancellations and of tickets being too expensive. And while some people are able to get on flights to go back home, tens of thousands of others are trying the same thing, with no success. This person has booked four different flights back to scotland from western australia, but all have been pulled by the airlines. She helps runa pulled by the airlines. She helps run a Facebook Group for britons stranded here. I think the Foreign Office have been absolutely no use whatsoever. People are spending thousands of pounds on tickets, that is the ones that can afford it, and the rest of them are left with no food, no accommodation, no shelter, no help whatsoever. And they are just in dire straits. Brittens high commissioner to australia said emergency laws were available for the most desperate, and that they we re the most desperate, and that they were working with airlines to keep commercial routes going during an unprecedented crisis. But the border closures in key transit points and ever evolving Restrictions Mean that travellers are caught between the urgency to get back home and the uncertainty of when or if that will happen. Brazils president , Jair Bolsonaro, has given another television address in which he gave precedence to protecting jobs and shoring up the economy during the pandemic. President bolsonaro said he wanted to make sure brazilians could continue working. Protests have taken place in cities across the country, after he downplayed concerns over the coronavirus. Russell trott reports. Pots clanging, yelling. The sound of social disharmony, brazilian style. Pot banging protests have been played out on the kitchen balconies in homes across the country for weeks now, with tuesday nights demonstration said to be the loudest so far. Many brazilians are said to be angered by the president s response or lack of it to the coronavirus crisis. In a televised address, Jair Bolsonaro appeared to play down his concerns about the impact a lockdown would have on brazils economy. Translation we have to avoid any loss of human life as much as possible. As the director general of the World Health Organization said, every individual matters. At the same time, we must avoid the destruction ofjobs, which is already causing a lot of suffering for brazilian workers. With soccer stadiums being utilised as makeshift hospitals to treat those infected, the covid 19 crisis is striking at the very heart of brazilian culture. Mr bolsonaro blames his political enemies for much of the fear and anger sweeping across the country. But with the number of positive cases at more than 5500, and with around 200 people having died, he may well have decided to tone down his combative style. The impact of the lockdown is being felt across the uk, and in ruralareas, living miles from the nearest town brings challenges. Volunteers in powys are trying to ensure that Vulnerable People arent cut off, as our wales correspondent Hywel Griffith reports. Social distancing isnt that hard in one of the least populated places in britain. But for the communities dotted around the hills of powys, the pandemic is still changing lives. Gemma is one of the local Young Farmers trying to care for the older generation. They have spent the last week driving food and medication around the county to people who are already remote and now in self isolation. Right into the sticks, really deep into the countryside, really isolated that dont see anyone, any day of the week. And they rely on going to the shops to see people and to do things, and they dont have that now, so even just to see one of us, that probably gives a boost to all those people that are isolated. Many of those that need help live farfrom theirfamilies. Marilyn and john moved here two years ago, knowing there were no shops or public transport. An hourfrom the nearest large hospital, their biggest worry is how john will get the treatment he needs there for a blood condition, next month. How important is it for your health . For me, its probably the single Biggest Issue at the moment. Its a way off. Its not till early may. Who knows what state we will be in by then, but, assuming we are still isolated, if they tell me i cant go, well, thats a bit of a show stopper. Forfarmers, there is real concern over keeping workers well enough to supply the food chain. The local council has been urgently recruiting to keep basic services running, while tourism has shut down, keeping visitors out of the county. Hello. Theres your shopping. Thank you. Some here feel powys may be better prepared than big cities, because people are used to being cut off. Although you cant see anybody here, somebody is always there to help. Let me know if you need anything else. Thats the kind of community it is. You know, you dont live near to anyone, but they are always there. So we are lucky. So far, two dozen cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in powys. Everyone here is braced for that number to rise, and preparing to deal with whatever lies ahead. Hywel griffith, bbc news. A care home in liverpool where nearly three quarters of residents are showing syptoms of coronavirus has received offers of help from agency staff, ex doctors and the Council Following an appeal for support yesterday. Two residents at oak springs home in wavertree have died and another has tested positive for covid 19. Three more are currently in hospital and most of the staff are self isolating because of their contact with those showing symptoms. Speaking to the bbcs dave guest, manager andrea lyon says theyve had a huge response. It has been amazing, absolutely amazing. We are in a much better position today. Weve got all the staffing block booked now for the next three weeks, which is fantastic. We have had ppe delivered, city council has delivered us lots of ppe. We were struggling for the masks, we were going through masks a phenomenal amount. We are using about 300 and 400 masks a day, so as you can appreciate, it is a lot. Weve hit our peak early. So it has been extremely difficult for myself, my staff and residents. The families. The good that has come out of everything, everyone trying to help has been amazing. And there is hope out there just for other care homes. As the coronavirus spreads, so too does misleading information. From fake Health Advice to speculation about government actions. Heres bbc presenter and journalist Zeinab Badawi sharing tips on how to ensure the facts youre getting are reliable. In the midst of the corona pandemic, passing on information can feel like one way we can support our families and friends. Here at the bbc, we are working very hard to make sure that everything we broadcast and publish is accurate and up to date. But there is a whole load of information out there that isnt. And misinformation can spread fast. If a message is sent to a Whatsapp Group of 20, then each of them shares it with 20 other people, and this happens five times, it can reach more than 3 Million People very quickly. Untruths can take many forms. One of the most common we are seeing is copied and pasted messages being passed around on whatsapp or in Facebook Groups, containing bad advice or fake cures. And because these are shared by a friend or trusted source, its not obvious who wrote these messages in the first place. Often they are attributed to a vague source like a friends friend who is a doctor, soldier or works with the government. For example, a voice note has been spreading on whatsapp. In it, a woman is translating advice from a colleague who has a friend working on a hospital in the Spanish Island of gran canaria. Some of the tips are helpful, such as washing surfaces thoroughly, but the voice memo includes misleading advice as well. The speaker suggests sunlight neutralises the virus, and that coronavirus can be killed by taking a sip of warm water every 20 minutes. There is no scientific basis for either of these claims. If you are not sure the whole post is true, it might do more harm than good to share it, and if the source isnt easily identifiable or the story hasnt been reported elsewhere, then it really is worth being sceptical about it. Pictures taken out of context can also be really misleading. A video from italy was posted on twitter, showing military vehicles on the streets. There were rumours they were responding to coronavirus riots. In fact, they were returning from routine exercises that had nothing to do with the outbreak. Some of us may share information with our friends as a joke, or to lighten their mood, but even if they dont take it seriously, others might. For example, a claim that lions were released in russia to patrol the streets was taken seriously by some. It was not true. We all want to share news that we think will help others, but before you do, follow these steps. Has the story been reported anywhere else . Is it from a reliable source . Has the photo or image been taken out of context . If you are not sure, then maybe its fake. And you can stop that information from doing harm by not sharing it any further. If you want to check medical advice, go on the World Health Organization website, and if you feel that a story isnt real, you can always look to a reliable source, like the bbc. You may have seen how the boxerjoseph parker did an impression of hugh grant dancing as his way of coping with lockdown. Well, now hes joined forces with fellow boxer tyson fury and others to show off their dancing talents. Piano plays. Lets go why do you build me up, build me up. Buttercup, baby just to let me down. And mess me around. I went to the door, i cant take any more. Its not you, you let me down again. Hey, hey, hey baby, baby, try to find. Hey, hey, hey a little time and ill make you happy. Hey, hey, hey ill be home. Ill be beside the phone, waiting for you. 0oo oo ooo, ooo oo ooo. Why do you build me up . Build me up. Buttercup, baby just to let me down. And mess me around. And then worst of all, you never call, baby. When you say you will, but i love you still. I need you more than anyone, darlin. You know that i have from the start. So build me up, build me up. Buttercup, dont break my heart. People have been finding ever more creative ways to show their appreciation for the nhs this time in north devon. Matthew alford decided to create this message of gratitude, with a little help from farmer john govier, after seeing other farmers showing their thanks. Located near exmoor, it measurs more than 100 metres high and almost 400 metres wide. And took two hours from planning to mowing. And you can find out more about the symptoms of coronavirus and how to protect yourself against it on the bbc news app and on our website, bbc. Co. Uk news. Now the weather, with darren bett. Hello, there. Tomorrow looks like it is going to be a windier day for all of us, and turning colder across Northern Areas as well. Today, weve still got High Pressure to the west of the uk, were drawing down a lot of cloud, mind you. Still a few showers around, most of the rain is heading southwards across scotland into Northern Ireland on that weather front. By the evening, theres not much rain left, and whats left of that light and patchy rain will move down into england and wales. It will be followed by some showers coming into Northern Ireland, northern and western parts of scotland, eastern scotland and north east england seeing some clearer skies. But because the wind is picking up, its not going to get too cold. No frost across southern england because of all that cloud. For many of us, there will be quite a lot of cloud around tomorrow. Some showers coming in on the freshening breeze, turning wintry in scotland, over the hills in particular, although they should become fewer in the afternoon. But it will be turning windier everywhere, the strongest winds will be across northern scotland, particularly in the northern isles, gusts of 65, may be even more than that, and it will feel cold as well. The top temperatures in northern scotland, only 5 6. A lot warmer than that for eastern england, where it should be generally dry. But even here, we get the colder air on thursday evening as the weather front takes the showers southwards. Eventually were going to find this area of High Pressure building in by the morning, and that means by then, the winds will be much lighter, and that will allow temperatures to fall away across scotland and northern england, perhaps a frosty start on friday morning. Friday should be quieter, much lighter winds, some early sunshine. Cloud will increase and there will be a scattering of showers around as well, wintry in scotland. Temperatures struggling up to 6 9 in scotland. We may make 11 12 across southern parts of england and wales, but a cooler day than thursday, even with the lighter winds. Underneath, an area of High Pressure. The High Pressure is going to move away into continental europe, allowing our wind direction to change to more of a southerly, which will tend to boost the temperatures on saturday and sunday, before later on sunday, we see the weather front bringing some rain into western parts. Saturday looks generally dry, some sunshine. Central and eastern parts will have the highest temperatures on sunday. Possibly up to 20 in the south east. The uk death toll rises by more than 550 in a day, as the government warns there are harder times ahead. The faces of some of those whove lost their lives to the disease in the past four weeks. This virus does not discriminate. The coronavirus pandemic is the biggest threat our country has faced in decades. And we are not alone. Nhs workers queue up to be tested in an ikea carpark as ministers order any spare tests to be used for frontline workers. Masks, aprons almost 400 million items of Safety Equipment have been delivered in the past fortnight. But some nhs staff tell us theyre still running out. Thomas harvey, an nhs worker in his 50s, has died after treating an infected patient. His family say he wasnt wearing any protective equipment. If hed just had the right equipment then maybe we wouldnt have even been in this predicament, maybe it wouldnt have escalated the way it did and he wouldnt have deteriorated the way that he did. After weeks of Strict Lockdown in italy a taste of freedom as some families are able to take their children for a walk. And David Hockney in lockdown in france shares with us some of the ipad drawings that have kept him busy. And coming up on bbc news. Wimbledon cancelled for the First Time Since World War Two because of coronavirus, as this summers entire Grass Court Season is abandoned