Transcripts For BBCNEWS Coronavirus 20200517

Torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they are doing. The italian Prime Minister admits his country is taking a calculated risk by using a number of lockdown measures from next week. Spain records 87 deaths in the past 2a hours. The first time it has been under 100 since lockdown began. People are still being urged to stay away from tourist destinations and follow the lockdown rules for each pa rt follow the lockdown rules for each part of the uk. And injust follow the lockdown rules for each part of the uk. And in just over half an hour will be bringing you todays uk government briefing where we will hear from the business secretary. Welcome to bbc news. Well be bringing you the latest Coronavirus Briefing from downing street at 11. 30. Todays main developments the uk government is pushing for the phased re opening of Primary Schools, but today one of its most senior ministers said he coudnt guarantee safety for teachers returning to work. Michael gove said there is always, in any loosening of these restrictions, a risk of people catching coronavirus. Former us president barack obama has criticised his successor Donald Trumps administrations handling of the Coronavirus Crisis for the second time during the outbreak. In an online address to graduating college students, he said it had revealed that many in the Us Administration arent even pretending to be in charge. The italian Prime Minister, giuseppe conte, has admitted that his country is taking a calculated risk by rolling back lockdown measures from next week. And in spain, 87 further deaths have been reported in the past 2a hours the first time that number has been below 100 since the lockdown began there. Well have more on all the latest developments in a moment. But first, this report from our policical correspondent Jessica Parker on the political row in england over the planned re opening of schools. Back to school in denmark looks like this, hand washing and then cut into small groups. Being taught by one teacher. Its a model the government has followed closely, but is a staggered return for Primary Schools in england safe . The truth is you cannot absolutely guarantee teachers wont catch coronavirus but you want the school is to be open. That is the truth. None of us, none of us can guarantee that anyone will be entirely safe unless they are perpetually imprisoned in their own home, therefore what we need to do is make sure that people are as safe as possible and in any widespread understanding of the word, schooling for a limited understanding of the word, schooling fora limited numberof understanding of the word, schooling for a limited number of children with social distancing is a safe environment. A warning as well that you cannot keep schools and the economy locked up forever. But some Councils Like liverpool and hartlepool say early june is Councils Like liverpool and hartlepool say earlyjune is too soon to reopen the gates, so could some areas do things differently . There was a lack of consultation about the 1st of june there was a lack of consultation about the 1st ofjune date and its about the 1st ofjune date and its a little inflexible, i think, to say it must happen by then because there are different issues in different places. Again, listen to people locally, work with them, and i think we can find a solution but i think its the way its being done that is creating that kind of reaction, particularly here in the north where the infection remains higher. Labour wa nts the infection remains higher. Labour wants more information on the science underpinning the plans and says ministers must deliver on a schools Testing Programme, but while children so far appear to be at low risk of becoming very ill from coronavirus, how much do they carry it . What we have seen in countries where schools have remained open is that they have not been outbreaks in schools, and where there have been its been associated with events, where there are a lot of people gathering, not in regular classrooms and its often been associated with and its often been associated with an adult who has had the infection and spread it. Keeping their distance in denmark, the plan for england is conditional on the science. Schools in wales wont reopen on the 1st ofjune and may not restart at all before the summer in scotland or Northern Ireland. But in england, two weeks until more children could be back behind a desk. Jessica parker, bbc news. Were expecting the latest downing street News Conference in a half an hour. 0ur Political Correspondent Jessica Parker is here. What are the chances of resolving the row over the planned reopening of schools in england . There will be more conversations over the next couple of weeks and a couple of weeks is all there is because it is a conditional plan if the Scientific Data is right, the plan is currently for this staggered return of Primary Schools from the 1st ofjune in england, so its reception years, year one and year six and a plan to bring more children back into Primary School, but no plans to bring anyone back for secondary school until after the summer holidays, just some face to face time with students who have exams next year. The unions have obviously been expressing their frustration as the row has rumbled on this week and then you have the intervention yesterday from the childrens commissioner, and longfield, saying both sides, the government and unions need to stop squabbling and think about the interests of children and one of the Main Elements of this debate but i think a lot of people agree on is that there are venerable children out there are venerable children out there who might not be in school who would really benefit from being in school, but the unions are saying it needs to be safe and they have their own tests they have laid out in terms of what they want to see. The government and we were hearing from michael gove, is saying you cannot eliminate all risk unless you lock yourself up indoors on ongoing basis, but they think they have put in place measures and guidelines that can make schools relatively safe, so social distancing for children, limited class sizes, groups will not mix. You will have one teacher, regular hand washing and they say the guidelines will help schools be a safe environment. And there is a lot of emphasis being placed on the government by a country like denmark which has reopened its schools and not seen a significant increase in infection rates since doing that. Denmark they are looking at really closely. We saw pictures in the report of what they are doing there and i think they are doing there and i think they are doing there and i think they are following the progress of what is going on there very, very closely, and as i say, that is the kind of thing you have seen and you saw the children in their pictures washing their hands a lot, staying in the groups, staying apart where possible, but i think there are still concerns. Labour has said today that they think the test, track and Trace Programme really needs to be up and running in order to make sure these things are safe so they are calling on ministers to deliver on that. Michael gove was saying that the government is now on target to get these 18,000 contact tracers recruited by next week and said just over 17,200 had been recruited, so they should hit their target next week, but there is still more work to be done, more assurances that need to be offered and, of course, we are to be about unions and the labour party and the government but parents are going to make this decision because parents in england and it isjust england, they are not going to be fined if they are not going to be fined if they dont send their children back to school, so there is more of an element of choice than usual with the government saying they are strongly encouraging parents to send children back to school but there will be parents who want more reassu ra nces will be parents who want more reassurances as well. On that point about the Contact Tracing, it looks like they have the numbers up in terms of recruitment but they still have to be trained. Yes, and michael gove said 17,200 had been signed off andi gove said 17,200 had been signed off and i dont think we have a breakdown of how many have been trained. 0f breakdown of how many have been trained. Of course, you have seen the nhs Contract Tracing app being trialled on the isle of wight and the plan is to roll it out nationwide but we dont have a precise timetable as to when that will happen, but thats an important element of the whole project because yes, you need to test people and they have ramped up testing but you also need that software in order to have the effective Contact Tracing, so if somebody comes into contact with somebody with symptoms they can be alerted and potentially self isolate if it is deemed necessary to do so, so lots of elements need to fall into place before a sufficient number of people feel reassured, and of course, you have certain Councils Like liverpool and hartlepool saying that they think the date ofjune the 1st is too soon because of concerns about slightly higher r rating areas of the north. Well these are all amongst the issues during the course of the News Conference that we expect to see begin in almost exactly half an hours time and we will be hearing from the business secretary, alok sharma who will be the government minister taking the helm at the News Conference. Its a little later than usual because normally it started at 4pm at the weekends but it will start today at half past four. We are watching bbc news, welcome to viewers joining we are watching bbc news, welcome to viewersjoining us on bbc world news and in half an viewersjoining us on bbc world news and in halfan hourwe viewersjoining us on bbc world news and in half an hour we will have the latest update from the uk government about the measures it is taking to tackle coronavirus, but we will also be getting a sense of what is happening in different parts of the world as well. We are going to spain where the number of deaths has dropped below 100 for the first time in many weeks there. Borisjohnson has called for more patience, as the country tries to ease its way out of lockdown and return to normality. Writing in the mail on sunday, he said he backed what he called the publics fortitude and common sense. Lets speak now to former supreme courtjustice lord sumption, who today has written in the sunday times about lockdown and the governments approach to easing restrictions. Welcome. Good afternoon. Your piece today has called ministers to meet for the approach they are taking. Why . Because they seem to me to have no real purpose in continuing the lockdown other than to spare themselves public criticism. Now, one does understand why politicians dont want to be criticised, but it is the mark of a statesman that you are prepared to stand up for the National Interests and not simply to run away before Public Opinion, especially when you have in a sense created that Public Opinion yourself by frightening the daylights out of people over the last eight weeks and trying to persuade them that this is a much more virulent epidemic than it actually is. The current rationale for the lockdown is incoherent. I say that because the old rationale was you must spread the infection so over a longer period to allow the nhs to catch up, so that was why there was the slogan, save the nhs, well, they have dropped that part of the slogan and they have dropped it for good reasons which are explained in the paper that they published on monday. Currently the nhs has more than double its intensive care capacity. Its an impressive achievement by the government but they need to follow the logic of it. The crucial fa ct follow the logic of it. The crucial fact is that their paper accepts that covid 19 is going to be with us long term, that is the likely outcome. And it is consistent with the science that once a virus has taken hold in the population, it doesnt just taken hold in the population, it doesntjust go taken hold in the population, it doesnt just go away. Taken hold in the population, it doesntjust go away. Not until enough people have been exposed to the disease to enquire immunity or a vaccine turns up, so when the lockdown ends, whenever that is, the virus will still be there waiting for us. Indeed, so right at the beginning of this interview when you said there was a lack of purpose, the purpose right now for the government is to keep the infection rate down to levels that the nhs can cope with, and we are at a point whereby the end of april there were 50,000 excess deaths in this country, about 36,000 of which were directly related to covid 19 and its difficult to know what the cause of the others were, but the evidence is clear that this virus has taken a terrible toll on the population. No, the evidence is not clear to that effect. More than nine tenths of the deaths are cases in which the death certificate shows that there were multiple causes of death and coronavirus was only one of them. This is a virus that attacks people with really serious pre existing vulnerabilities, and thatis pre existing vulnerabilities, and that is consistent with all the statistical analysis. But it wouldnt have necessarily have killed them at this point. They might have lived with them for many yea rs. Might have lived with them for many years. No, not many years. Almost all of these people are very old and suffering from quite serious conditions, conditions are serious enough to be mentioned as a cause of death on the certificate. The overwhelming majority of them would have died a bit later, but not much later anyway. So what are you advocating now . You said the current approaches to mid and lax purpose. What approach would you like to see . Is what approach would you like to see . Is timid and lacks purpose. I am suggesting the lockdown should be entirely voluntary. It is up to us, not the state, to decide what risks we are going to take with our own bodies. Now, the traditional answer people give to that is, well, but by going out in the streets and in shops and things, you are infecting other people. But you dont have to ta ke other people. But you dont have to take that risk. You can voluntarily self isolate. We dont have to go into the streets, you dont have to go to the shops. People who feel vulnerable can self isolate and the rest of us can then get on with our lives. We have never lived in it risk free world and we will never live in a risk free well. We are going to have to live with covid 19 because it is going to be around for a long time unless somebody successfully invents and trials a vaccine. Can i ask you then what choice would you make in that volu nta ry choice would you make in that voluntary system you put forward question but what choice would you make for your and members of your household . I make my choices and members of my household make theirs, but my choice would be i would live a perfectly normal life. If the pubs we re a perfectly normal life. If the pubs were open now, i would go to a crowded pub with no hesitation, if the theatres would open were open now, i would go to the theatre with now, i would go to the theatre with no hesitation. Because the overwhelming majority of people with no serious underlying conditions, for them, this is a very mild epidemic. In these Cabinet Office papers published with the National Risk assessments, they have listed all the pandemics since 1918 the mortality of this one is right down the bottom, lower than any of the others. And i would happily take that risk. Lets imagine you were carrying the virus and you were asymptomatic and you carried on your daily life and she went to the theatre and you sat next to someone who did catch the virus from you and died from it, would you think that is part of an everyday risk and that it was fine for them to have taken that . Well, it is up to them whether they want to take it. I would be running the risk of catching the virus from them if they are asymptomatic and i am prepared to ta ke asymptomatic and i am prepared to take that risk. They dont have to go to the theatre if they are not prepared to take it. Presumably, they want to go to theatre. We are entitled to take risks with own lives. Especially when basically, life is only worth living if you are prepared to engage in social activities which inevitably involve risk, that is part of life. Have you observed the rules of the lockdown today . Yes. Completely . Yes. Grudgingly, it sounds like. Well, i disapprove of the lockdown, you can call that grudgingly if you like, but i can play with the law because i dont wish to place a weapon in the hands of people like you. I dont wish to place a weapon in the hands of people like youlj i dont wish to place a weapon in the hands of people like you. I am merely interested in whether what you are putting forward is how that co m pa res you are putting forward is how that compares with the way that you have lived your life in these last few weeks. But i wonder if you do think. I am not a spokesman for a particular point of view and i am not going to undermine my open position by disregarding the law. |j just wonder whether you think in an entirely voluntary system whether people would make sensible decisions. The Prime Minister has placed an emphasis on the good sense of the british people, but do you think we are a society that can make sensible decisions as individuals while protecting Public Health as a whole . Yes, of course we are. We are grown ups. We are a sophisticated society. And undoubtedly, there will bea society. And undoubtedly, there will be a few people who do not make sensible decisions, but you cannot imprison the entire population simply because a small minority is not being very sensible with their safety. So what would you say to the people who have been at anti lockdown protests at places like hyde park in london . anti lockdown protests at places like hyde park in london . I think that if they are opposed to the lockdown, i have some sympathy with them. This lockdown is destroying livelihoods on a massive scale. It is doing enormous damage. And in my view, it has never been a price worth paying for the not very impressive results that can be directly attributed to the lockdown. Lord sumption, thank you very much. Lets ta ke lord sumption, thank you very much. Lets take a moment to look at the developments elsewhere in the world. The former us president barack obama has strongly criticised the Trump Administration over its response to the coronavirus pandemic. Its unusual for a sitting president to be rebuked by a predecessor, but mr obama said the pandemic had shown that those in charge dont know what theyre doing. 0ur washington correspondent, david willis, sent this report. Class of 2020, this is for you. In the age of the coronavirus, this is what it means to come of age. Graduation ceremonies, a rite of passage for youngsters here, now virtual, rather than actual experiences. The future for those graduating more uncertain than at any other time in modern history. The world is yours now. This star studded televised event had as its keynote speaker the 44th president of the united states, and he was withering in his criticism of his successors handling of the crisis. More than anything, this pandemic has fully, finally, torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what theyre doing. A lot of them arent even pretending to be in charge. Since leaving office injanuary 2017, barack obama has largely avoided criticism of his successor, although earlier this month, in remarks leaked to the media, he was heard describing the Trump Administrations handling of the coronavirus pandemic as a chaotic disaster. All those adults used to think were in charge and they knew what they we re in charge and they knew what they were doing, turns out they dont have all the answers. A lot of them are not even asking the right questions. So if the world is going to get better, it is going to be up to get better, it is going to be up to you. Barack obama says he intends to you. Barack obama says he intends to hit the 2020 campaign trail hard, in hope of unseating donald trump. The differences between them, both in substance and in style, could hardly be more obvious. David willis, bbc news. The daily death toll from coronavirus in spain has dropped below 100 for the first time in two months. According to the Nations Health ministry, 87 people died on sunday. That brings the total number of deaths in the country to 27,650 people. 0ur correspondent guy hedgecoe is in madrid. It must be quite a relief to see figures dropped to this level . Yes, very much so. And i think this confirms the trend we have been seeing really since early to mid april. A steady, constant drop in the number of daily deaths. And also a drop in the number of new infections each day. Go back to the beginning of april, there were nearly a thousand people dying each day due to coronavirus so that number has come down now below 100. The authority so you have to be cautious about these weekend figures as ever because there can be a spike again often early in the week following those figures, but even so, there is a feeling that the very Strict Lockdown that the country has been seeing for the last two months is working. And is it continuing as it has for some weeks . I know there was a change in the ability for people to exercise outdoors, but what other changes have there been . Well, it is a very complex, gradual, multi phased lifting of the lockdown. So half of the country, for example, has been in phase one of this 3 phase lifting of the lockdown, expected to last probably a couple months. Where i am for example, in the madrid region, we are still not even in that first phase, so we are behind much of the rest of the country. But having said that, there are certain restrictions being lifted here in madrid, people can go out and exercise, children can go out and exercise, children can go out and exercise, children can go out and play to a certain extent. In other parts of the country, further into that lifting of restrictions, they can gather in groups of to ten people for example in restaurants, you can be served at tables. You cant go into those restau ra nts a nd cafes a nd tables. You cant go into those restaurants and cafes and the government wants the gradual lifting of restrictions spreading to the coming weeks, but it will be a process which differs according to different parts of the country. Have they attached dates to it, do you know in madrid to you are likely to get the easing that other parts of the country have seen . No. There has been no fixed calendarfor the lifting of restrictions and in that sense, spain differs from other countries, i think, sense, spain differs from other countries, ithink, rather. But what the government is saying is that each province across spain will move into the next phase of lifting of restrictions according to both figures in terms of daily deaths and new infections, but also its capacity in terms of hospital beds and the pressure on intensive care. So that, those will be the big factors that decide if you can move into the next phase. But for example, those areas of the country which have already moved into phase one are going to be there for at least two weeks and then, they will be evaluated and they can move into phase two and further restrictions will be lifted until finally moving into phase three which most of the country could be in by the end of june. That is a sort of optimistic estimate, but the government hopes to see most of the country, if not all of that, more or less back to normal by the end ofjune, that is the idea. Guy hedgecoe, in madrid, thank you very much. The italian Prime Minister, giuseppe conte, has admitted that his country is taking a calculated risk by rolling back lockdown measures from next week. The countrys daily death toll from covid 19 has now fallen to its lowest since the 9th of march. Mr conte said that there could be another rise, but the country could not afford to wait any longer. Donna larsen reports. Italys wait is almost over. From monday, day to day freedoms will slowly resume, and by 3rd june, there will be even greater movement, such as domestic and international travel. But the process comes with a warning. Translation we are facing a calculated risk. To put it frankly, we know the contagion curve may rise again. Preparations are taking place across the entire country. Beauty salons and shops can resume trade on monday. Gyms and swimming pools will open on 25th may. Cinemas and theatres will follow in mid june. But measures must be taken to make sure people are kept as safe as possible. Translation we must accept the risk. Otherwise, we will never be able to start again. We should wait until a vaccine is discovered and distributed, but we cant afford this. Italy has suffered immensely during the coronavirus pandemic. More than 31,000 lives have been lost the third highest total in the world. The rate of new infections has now dropped, providing a pathway to start opening up the country. The Worlds Largest church is also opening on monday, after a weekend of deep cleaning. A diluted chlorine solution was used to protect the 16th century marble. Worshippers will be welcomed back to st peters basilica, but numbers will be reduced, as the church adapts to a new way of life. Donna larsen, bbc news. The uk is likely to have a slow economic recovery from the coronavirus shutdown that is the warning from the head of the countrys Public Sector finance watchdog. The head of the office for budget responsbility, robert chote, told the bbc it will take a long time for Economic Activity to return to normal. In practice, i think you are likely not to see the economy bouncing back to where we would have expected it otherwise to be by the end of the year, which is part of that assumption. But instead, a rather slower recovery, and that will depend first on the pace at which Public Health restrictions are loosened but, also, of course, on the way in which peoples behaviour responds. So, if you allow people back into the workplace, back into shops, back into restaurants, will they actually go, will they feel too nervous . So, you would expect, i think, a slower recovery than the v shape that you simply make for that assumption. In the last hour, Scotlands Health secretary Jeane Freeman has been giving an update on the fight against coronavirus. 0ur correspondent Alexandra Mackenzie explained the scottish governments new plans to support care homes, and introduce a test and track scheme. She talked a lot about residents in care homes. Care homes have been a real concern across the country. We are talking about some of the most vulnerable old, frail people in our society. And in scotland, the latest figures show that 57 of covid deaths in scotland are in our care homes. Last week, 238 elderly people lost their lives in our care homes as a result of covid. That was down on the previous week, but that is still a lot of families and a real concern in scotland. So that was one of her main focuses today and she has said that new arrangements will be put in place tomorrow to help care providers deal with this pandemic. This is what the Health Secretary had to say. Today, we have published details of arrangements that take effect from tomorrow to ensure enhanced, professional, clinical and care oversight. The publication today sets out a very clear role for the nhs. In partnership with the relevant local authority and local health and social care partnership. To actively and proactively ensure that every care home has the Additional Support and, if necessary, intervention to make sure that clinical care, Infection Prevention and control, ppe and testing arrangements are what we need them to be. Now, some people say this may be too little too late and there have been concerns from care home providers and the Scottish Tory Party today for all people in care homes to be tested. Even those care homes with no cases of coronavirus. Now, currently in scotland, it is only care homes where there are cases of covid that residents and staff are all tested. Now, Jeane Freeman was asked about this at the press Conference Today and she said that is constantly reviewed, but she has not said that that will happen. One of the other issues she did talk about today was test, trace and isolate, as we move towards the next phase of this pandemic. And she did announce that three health boards, five three health boards, fife, lothian and highland will be piloting the technology that we are going to need for this to take place. 600 staff have already been taken on from the Health Service to deal with this and we are expecting around 2,000 staff to be involved in this. And later this week, we are expecting the first minister Nicola Sturgeon to talk about the next phase of beginning to very slowly ease some of the restrictions. Were not sure exactly what she is going to say but we are likely to hear from her early next week, either monday or tuesday. Thank you very much. In south africa, the coronavirus outbreak has prompted the authorities to take an unusual step. For the last seven weeks, theres been a ban on selling alcohol and cigarettes. Health experts say the new prohibition has helped reduce crime and injuries, but some argue the ban is playing into the hands of criminal gangs, and damaging south africas fragile economy. 0ur africa correspondent Andrew Harding reports from johannesburg. Patrolling the dark streets ofjohannesburg south africas police trying to enforce much more than just the lockdown. Theyve spotted a woman with something in her hand. Could she be selling cigarettes . Shes bundled into the van. The sale of cigarettes and alcohol is now strictly prohibited here, and the Security Forces are cracking down hard, in response to what many see as a pointless, counter productive new law. Well, this is how south africas new prohibition is being enforced police on the streets at night, seeking out anybody dealing or carrying alcohol or cigarettes. It is a deeply controversial part of this countrys lockdown. The South African government says its prohibition is working and, by restricting alcohol, theyre reducing public violence and keeping hospital beds free for coronavirus patients. But the ban is also fuelling organised crime. These schoolchildren are now selling contraband cigarettes on behalf of powerful gangsters. These people are quite scary, are they . Yes. They are very scary. They carry guns around. They cant trust anyone. Do you feel ashamed of doing this criminal activity, or do you think this is a stupid law . I feel ashamed. Its not ok. Youd rather have a properjob . Exactly. As for bootlegging, it seems like everyones at it now. Kitchen gin being distilled for sale in the suburbs. And home brewed pineapple beer, the only source of income now for a mother of three who lost herjob because of the lockdown. What would happen to you if you were caught . The police would catch me and theyd put me in the jail. Are you afraid of that . Yes, im afraid. Because my kids, who can look after my kids . And those who arent breaking the new law are in danger of going out of business. In the stunning wine lands around cape town, dozens of vineyards are going bust and thousands of workers losing theirjobs. Its already difficult for young people to get work. For older people, its even more difficult for them because there isnt going to be jobs to apply for. And then theres this. Seven million litres of beer are being poured down the drain, to clear a nations clogged breweries. Another unintended consequence of south africas divisive coronavirus prohibition. Andrew harding, bbc news, johannesburg. Footage has emerged of the Prime Minister of belgium getting the Cold Shoulder from healthcare workers. Sophie wilmes visited St Peter Hospital in brussels of saturday, but some staff used the occation to express their opinion about the governments handling of the coronavius outbreak. Upon arrival, they turned their backs on her ministerial car. Since being shared online, the video has gone viral. Religious services are resuming in parts of australia, under strict conditions, as lockdown measures are gradually being eased. But many churches, synagogues and mosques have decided to stay closed over concerns for older members. 0ur correspondent in sydney, phil mercer, told me more about how australians are adapting. Across mostjurisdictions in australias states and territories here in new south wales, for example, places of worship can now be attended by ten people. So limited numbers, fewer than members of a Football Team but, for many parishioners, it is a start. There are churches here in sydney who are asking people to phone ahead to book a spot because of those limited places available. As you say, there are large numbers of synagogues, mosques and anglican churches, certainly here in the state of new south wales, who have decided to stay closed because of concerns for older members of their congregations. And also, some of those authorities controlling those churches and mosques thinking that to open just for ten people isnt really worth it. So, they are hanging on, many of them delivering services, Live Streaming and recording them online too. So, that will continue until further restrictions of australias coronavirus lockdowns are announced in the coming weeks. In the last few weeks, weve seen all too clearly that while covid 19 can infect anyone, being poor increases the risk of catching it. So, you might think that the developing nations of the caribbean are more vulnerable to the disease than other, richer parts of the world. In fact, the death toll there has been miniscule compared to europe, asia and north america with just 84 fatalities across 20 nations. 0ur cuba correspondent, will grant, reports. The cuban government hasnt changed its message from the start. Dont leave home unless its strictly necessary, says this doctor in a village outside havana, and lists the symptoms of coronavirus one more time. They also do shoe leather epidemiology, two person teams of medics going door to door with a clipboard. The survey helps the authorities map the state of health of the town and anyone showing symptoms of covid 19 is closely monitored. Its largely worked. Cuba had no coronavirus fatalities on one day last week. And its been a similar Success Story across the caribbean. Most island nations locked down early to ensure the outbreak stayed within the capacity of their healthcare systems. When the first cases came, the leaders acted very decisively, so, by and large, responded within a week or two of each other with lockdowns. Almost in all cases before the first death and in some cases before the first case. The caribbean has established protocols for zika and other infectious diseases, and has ten laboratories carrying out extensive testing and Contact Tracing for coronavirus. And these labs have been doing a fantastic job and turning around results, sometimes within hours, almost always within a day. So youre able to identify persons, youre able to do the Contact Tracing, so that is the sine qua non for executing a containment strategy and the caribbean was very well prepared. The caribbean is also used to disaster management, like in late 2017 when Hurricane Irma wreaked havoc across the region. Although coronavirus isnt a hurricane or an earthquake, there were parallels in preparing for it which certainly saved lives. Nowhere in the world is as dependent on tourism as the caribbean. Its the regions economic lifeblood and without it, many island nations would go under. But as a cautious, gradual reopening beckons, the regions authorities face a difficult balancing act. Talk to me in a month and see if i am just as happy, because coming out of this first wave and also trying to have a foundation for economic viability, while saving life, like i said, is the hardest challenge in my career. The caribbeans covid 19 response may have been simple but its been effective. With just 84 coronavirus related deaths in 20 different caribbean nations, the results speak for themselves. Will grant, bbc news. Were expecting the uk governments daily update from downing street shortly. 0ur Political CorrespondentJessica Parker is back with us. Where do you expect the emphasis in todays briefing to be . Its being held by the business secretary alok sharma and hes already been talking today about this plan for a vaccine manufacturing innovation centre, so they are investing up to £93 million to accelerate construction of this centre in 0xfordshire that was already under construction and it is to develop and advance the mass production of vaccines. 0f to develop and advance the mass production of vaccines. Of course, many people hope that some sort of vaccine, and there is a lot of work going into it, can be found for coronavirus but its interesting that Boris Johnson coronavirus but its interesting that borisjohnson has written a piece for the mail on sunday today where he has been quite frank that whilst there is a lot of work going into finding a vaccine, it may not come to fruition and that we could have to live with the virus for a very long time and that is something that government scientists have talked about quite frequently at these daily downing street press conferences and it plays into this idea that this is a long journey we are on and that there wont be a sudden return to life as we knew it before. There will be new normal is that people need to adjust to as the rules change, depending on where you live in the country and in the world. But the point of a facility like this would be to help with the scenario that if there is a vaccine thatis scenario that if there is a vaccine that is developed then it should be manufactured in this country rather than maybe the uk being dependent on bringing it in from elsewhere . Yes, the government says it would boost the government says it would boost the long term capacity of the uk against future viruses as well so one of the things that has been talked about during the course of this crisis is how well prepared the uk was for this situation. Now, maybe that is something that might be debated at a later date once we are through it, but certainly what they are trying to say is they are building up that ability to respond should Something Like this happen again. We know that pandemics were on the risk register before coronavirus came along butjust trying to build in a resilience to the system if possible so the uk is better prepared next time around should Something Like this happen again. It is a week now since the Prime Ministers address which signalled the changing of the restrictions in england and the beginning of a different approach between england and the other three nations of the uk, and we will get the latest from downing street in a couple of minutes time, but it has been quite complicated as a result. Yes, and some acknowledgement from borisjohnson yes, and some acknowledgement from Boris Johnson today again, yes, and some acknowledgement from borisjohnson today again, in the mail on sunday, that some people feel frustrated with the new rules. And here is the business secretary now. Im joined and here is the business secretary now. Imjoined today and here is the business secretary now. Im joined today by professor Stephen Powis, the National Medical director of nhs england and i will shortly be setting out our progress on vaccines, but first, i want to update you on the latest data on the coronavirus response. 2,580,769 test for coronavirus have now been carried out in the uk including 91,216th carried out yesterday 243,303 people have tested positive, an increase of 3142 cases since yesterday. U nfortu nately, an increase of 3142 cases since yesterday. Unfortunately, due to technical issues, Northern Ireland have been unable to process any testing data today. Todays daily totals therefore reflect Great Britain only excluding Northern Ireland. Northern ireland are looking to resolve the issue as soon as possible and will update the data when we can. 10,035 people are in hospital with covid 19, down 15 from 11,817 this time last week. And sadly, of those tested positive for coronavirus across all settings, 34,636 have now died. Thats an increase of 170 talented since yesterday. 0ur increase of 170 talented since yesterday. Our thoughts are very much with the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives. Before talking about the work on vaccines and taking questions, i just want to remind everyone of the details of the next phase of our fight against coronavirus. Could i have slide number one, please . So, first, in order to monitor our progress we have established a new covid 19 alert level system with five levels, each relating to the level of threat posed by virus. The alert is based primarily on the r value and number of coronavirus cases, and in turn that level will inform the level of social distancing measures in place. The lower the level, the fewer the measures. The higher the level, the stricter the measures. Throughout the period of lockdown, which started on march the 23rd, we have been at level four. Thanks to you, the people across the country, we have collectively helped to bring the r level down and we are now in a position to begin moving to level three in careful steps. Slide number two, please. We have set out the first of three steps that we will ta ke to first of three steps that we will take to carefully modify the measures, and gradually ease the lockdown and begin to allow people to return to their way of life. But crucially, whilst avoiding what would be a disastrous second peak that overwhelms the nhs. After each step, we will closely monitor the impact that step and the r a number of infections and all the available data. And we will only take the next step when we are satisfied that it is safe to do so. As the Prime Minister announced this week, as pa rt minister announced this week, as part of the first step, those who cannot work from home should now speak to their employer about going back to work. You can now spend Time Outdoors and exercise as often as you like. You can meet one person outside of your household in an outdoor public place, provided you stay two metres apart. Slide having taken the first step in carefully adjusting some of the measures and our advice to people on what to do, we have also updated what to do, we have also updated what we are asking people to do, which is to stay alert, control the virus and save lives. Staying alert for the vast majority of people still means staying at home as much as possible. But there are a range of other actions we are advising people to take. People should stay alert by working from home if you can. Limiting contact with other people. Keeping distance if you go out. Two metres apart where possible. Washing your hands regularly. Wearing a Face Covering when you are enclosed spaces where its difficult to be socially distant, for example, in some shops and on public transport. And if anyone in your household has symptoms, you will need to self isolate. Because if everyone stays alert and follows the rules, we can control coronavirus by keeping the r down and reducing the number of infections. This is how we can continue to save lives as we begin asa can continue to save lives as we begin as a nation to recover from coronavirus. But in order to definitively conquer this disease, we need to find a safe, workable vaccine. Last month, i announced a new Vaccine Task Force to coordinate the efforts of government, academia and industry in the Critical Mission to find a vaccine. Im very proud of how quickly our scientists and researchers have come together in their efforts to develop a vaccine that will combat coronavirus. Their work has meant that two of the worlds frontrunners to develop a vaccine are right here in the uk. At the university of oxford and Imperial College london. The first Clinical Trial of the oxford vaccine is progressing well, with all phase one participants having received their vaccine dose on on schedule earlier this week. They are now being monitored closely by the Clinical Trial team. The speed at which 0xford Clinical Trial team. The speed at which Oxford University has designed and organised these complex trials is genuinely unprecedented. Imperial couege is genuinely unprecedented. Imperial college are also making Good Progress and we will be looking to move into Clinical Trials by mid june, with larger scale trial is planned to begin in october. So far, the government has invested £47 million in the oxford and imperial vaccine programmes. But today, i can announce an additional £84 million of new government funding to help accelerate their work. This new money will help mass produce the 0xford vaccine so that if current trials are successful, we have dosages to start vaccinating the uk population straightaway. The funding will also allow imperial to launch phase three Clinical Trials for this vaccine later this year. I can also confirm that with government support, 0xford confirm that with government support, Oxford University has finalised a Global Licensing agreement with astrazeneca for the commercialisation and manufacturing of the oxford vaccine. This means that if the vaccine is successful, astrazeneca will work to make 30 million doses available by september for the uk. As part of an agreement of over 100 million doses in total. Uk will be first to get access. And we can also ensure that in addition to supporting people here in the uk, we are able to make the vaccine available to developing countries with the lowest possible at the lowest possible cost. To further support our domestic manufacturing capability, last month, i announced that the government would accelerate building the uks first Vaccines Manufacturing innovation centre, which is based at harwell in 0xfordshire. And today, i can announce that we will and invest a further £93 million in the centre, ensuring it opens in summer 2021, a full 12 months ahead of schedule. The centre, which is already under construction, will have capacity to produce enough vaccine doses to serve the entire uk population in as little as six months. But if, and it isa little as six months. But if, and it is a big if, successful vaccine is available later this year, we will need to be in a position to manufacture it at scale and quickly. So whilst assent is being built, the government will establish a Rapid Deployment facility thanks to a further investment of £38 million to begin Coronavirus Vaccine manufacturing at scale from this summer. This facility will support effo rts summer. This facility will support efforts to ensure a vaccine is widely available for the uk public as soon as possible. In total, the government has now committed over a quarter of £1 billion towards developing a vaccine in the uk. But there are no certainties. In spite of the tireless efforts of our scientists, it is possible that we may never find a successful Coronavirus Vaccine. So we also need to look at other drug treatments and therapeutics for those who get the virus. Treatments that can prevent people progressing to severe illness or help save lives of those with serious symptoms. Whilst there are currently no drugs in the world that have been clinically proven to treat coronavirus, government is working with our scientists and experts to identify promising candidates. This collaborative uk programme known as the chord aims to get an early indication of drug treatment effectiveness in treating coronavirus. And today, i can report that six drugs have now entered initial live Clinical Trials. If positive results are seen, they will advance into larger scale trials. 0ur scientists are working tirelessly to develop vaccines and drug treatments, condensing work that usually takes years to months and even weeks. Their drive and dedication inspires us all. And with their help, we will overcome coronavirus. Steve, could i ask you to prevent the rest of the site, please . Thank you, secretary of state, and good afternoon, before i presented as site, i would like to prevent present a brief update and how the nhs has been responding to coronavirus. Nhs staff have been working round the clock to respond to the coronavirus pandemic well at the same time ensuring that essential and Urgent Services such as a e and Specialist Care for stroke and heart attacks continue in a safe a safer way as possible. But we have been really concerned that a combination of worries about the virus and not wanting to be a burden on nhs staff has meant that some people have not come forward or ca re some people have not come forward or care for themselves or their families when they would usually have done so. And we saw that in the re cord have done so. And we saw that in the record low number of a e attendances we saw last month. The majority of the reduced attendances were for lower risk conditions. For example, sprains were down by 80 , alcohol intoxication byjust sprains were down by 80 , alcohol intoxication by just under 60 sprains were down by 80 , alcohol intoxication byjust under 60 and finger weans down by just intoxication byjust under 60 and finger weans down byjust under 50 . But we also worry that within that following number of attendances were people who should come to a e and his health might be put at risk by not doing so. Encouragingly, the latest data suggests since we launched our help us help you campaign, the numberof launched our help us help you campaign, the number of people attending with symptoms of heart attacks for instance has increased back towards that we would expect ordinary. That doesnt mean more people are having these problems, it means the 50 drop in people looking for help has now gone back to normal in the past month. And it shows that the message we have been getting out, use the nhs is normal when you need it, is being heard. But there is no room for complacency. So we will continue to remind you that the nhs is there for you when you need it. Expectant mums worried about the movement of their babies, anyone experiencing symptoms of a stroke or for instance patients of children with emergency asthma attacks. While at the same time, hospitals have in place Infection Control mechanisms in theira e and place Infection Control mechanisms in their a e and acute wards that ensure everybody can be treated safely. If i can now turn to todays data slides. In usual order, starting first with data from social distancing that we have all been asked to carry out over the last number of weeks. And again, you can see as we have shown you before, a variety of data from different modes of transport including public transport where you see there has been a big reduction in rail, transport in london and in buses throughout the country. Also in vehicles, although, as we have noted previously, that has started to increase a bit over the last few weeks. Next size, please. Testing committed as testing figures, you have heard, you will know there has been a large increase in the amount of Testing Capacity and that has been matched with increases in the number of tests being carried out each day. That, in turn, means we are able to confirm cases of coronavirus by test positive and, as i have said before, the numberof positive and, as i have said before, the number of daily confirmed positive cases staying very stable. That is in the context of an increasing Testing Programme which mirrors the observation that the spread of this infection in the community is falling. But as i have also said previously, the only way we will continue to ensure that happens is by complying with the social distancing measures we have in place. Next slide. Now we move on to data from hospitals. There are two graphs here, the first at the top shows the new daily admissions of patients with coronavirus, and you can see that since the peak in april, the number of patients in our hospitals with coronavirus has steadily fallen and it continues to fall, albeit on a slow decline. You can also see that that is mirrored in our sickest patients who required treatment in our Critical Care facilities, itu facilities, and you can see that as a proportion, there has been a steady full throughout all parts of the uk over the last numberof all parts of the uk over the last number of weeks. A steady fall. That is also reflected in a fall in the absolute numbers of patients in our Critical Care facilities. Next slide. This shows more generally the numberof slide. This shows more generally the number of people in hospital, you can see that there are 10,000, just over 10,000 people in hospital with covid 19, but that represents a fall of around 1800 from the same day la st of around 1800 from the same day last week. So steady declines in the overall number of people on all wards in our hospitals. And you can see ina wards in our hospitals. And you can see in a regional breakdown that the reduction has been greatest in london, but the fall is also occurring in other parts of the country, although at s later, at a slower decline in some areas. A slighter. The final slide shows the sad deaths we have had from covid 19 and, again, you have heard todays figures from the secretary of state, the chart shows those daily figures in all settings. There is variation from day to day, particularly at weekends where reporting may lag. The important part of that chart is the seven day rolling average, which has been falling and continues to fall. This reflects that the social distancing measures that have been put in place and thes compliance with them has lead through two reduction notjust in hospital admissions, but also in deaths. Thank you. Steve, thank you very much for that. I think people watching will, i am quite sure, be aware that zoom users are encountering some issues at the moment and so unfortunately, we will not be able to get anyjournalists live on screen. Instead, i will read out the questions which had been sent in. Lets start with the first question from the public, peterfrom cou nty question from the public, peterfrom county durham. The r rate in the north east and yorkshire is now the highest in england. Does the government acknowledge that a phased geographically based lifting of the lockdown would have been a better option . Thank you, peter. What i would say is that we have taken a whole of the uk approach to this whole issue and of course, is a National Monitoring becomes a much more precise and larger scale, one can look to see what you might do at a level of devolved administrations or indeed regions. But i think it is too soon for any of that right now. And that is why we continue to take a whole of the uk approach on this. Steve, do you want to comment further on r . Yes, that is exactly the point, there will be variation between different parts of the country that occurs naturally in epidemics. We see that for instance in the flu season each winter. I think what is important Going Forward as the secretary of state has said is that increasingly, we will be able to measure r direct, the office for National Statistics this week provided the first publication of theirdirect provided the first publication of their direct testing of a random sample of the population and over the next few weeks, is that data is available, we can week, and as that programme expands, we will have much better information of the directly measured r rate rather than the r rate derive from models and other observations. That, ithink rate derive from models and other observations. That, i think it will give a clearer picture of exactly how the infection is progressing in different parts of the country. The next question is from miriam from solihull. Let me read it out. Why are visitors from france to the uk to be exempt from the proposed quarantine rules . Can ijust say, firstly, i think what weve been very keen on is part of the whole process is to keep the r rate down, and its really important we do keep this below number one, which is why we are going to be introducing quarantine measures that optically important now that the transmission rate domestically has come down, and i want to be clear on this. I think there is a trade off between the health of the nation in the health of the economy but miriam makes reference to france and there have been discussions between the Prime Minister and emmanuel macron, and when details become available we will set them out, but what i would say is what is important to realise that the reason we will introduce quarantine measures with some limited exceptions is precisely because we want to protect the uk population now that they have made sacrifices and managed to get the r rate down below one. I think we can move on to the journalist, and the first question is from vicki young from the bbc. She has asked the following question. Are you guaranteeing that a test, track and trace guaranteeing that a test, track and tra ce syste m guaranteeing that a test, track and trace system for teachers and pupils will be in place by the 1st ofjune when many Primary School pupils are due to return to classrooms . I think firstly i want to thank teachers because they have managed to keep schools open for Vulnerable Children andindeed schools open for Vulnerable Children and indeed for the children of essential workers during this pandemic period and they absolutely deserve our thanks. We have set out, the education secretary has set out, how one would operate in a School Setting and safety is absolute paramount. We want to make sure pupils are safe and of course teachers are safe as well and thats why we have set out measures talking about the fact that we have smaller numbers of class sizes and that we limit contact and we make sure that we ensure a more regular cleaning of surfaces and we have children washing their hands so there is the whole issue around hygiene. That is how we are going to make sure that we keep pupils and teachers safe, and we will continue to have those discussions with teachers but what i would say again is that weve seen in the last few days some of the biggest Academy Chains saying that they will look to open if the government says it is safe at the earliest by the 1st ofjune, to get Primary School kids who are in reception, year one and year six back into school but absolutely safety is paramount. Shall we have the second question from the media . Its from itv. We are starting to see regional differences in the response to coronavirus. Some regions will not be taking the government advice and opening schools. Are you concerned about the regional discrepancies . 0r schools. Are you concerned about the regional discrepancies . Or are you happy to encourage different reasonable regional responses . Cani reasonable regional responses . Can i build on the answer i gave to the question from the bbc, and the reason we have said that we want to see Primary School children back first is because we know that Early Learning is absolutely vital. Those early years are vital in terms of developing cognitive and emotional skills, and this is aimed at children who are benefiting from getting those core skills of reading, writing and arithmetic, and thatis reading, writing and arithmetic, and that is why we have set out that at the earliest we would do this by june. We will continue to have discussions with teachers, head teachers, and we want everyone to feel safe, but what we have set out is something we are talking about across the whole country, and there are Academy Chains across the country who have said that they will look to return Primary School kids to school when the government says it is safe to do so. Steve . to school when the government says it is safe to do so. Steve . I dont think i got anything to add on that question. The next question is from charlotte ives of talk radio and it is for Stephen Powis. One of the governments five tests for leaving lockdown is that ppe supply and testing is resolved and that the nhs can meet future demand. Are we there yet, and if not, what is your best estimate for when we will be there . Thank you, charlotte. I think there are three separate questions there, one on ppe, one on testing and then the more general question of nhs capacity to meet covid 19 Going Forward. So, on the first two, of course, the government is leading on the procurement of ppe and provision of tests. The situation with ppe has gradually improved over the last few weeks, but i do understand that it continues to be a challenge in terms of International Procurement at a time when many, many countries are sourcing ppe. Whats important, as eyes have often said, is that for front line staff that they do have the confidence that they are supplied with the ppe that they need to treat their patients and the people in their care safely, to keep the patients say found themselves safe, so im confident that the government is addressing that but i dont underestimate the challenges Going Forward. On testing, as youve heard, there has been an increase in the capacity for testing. The Prime Minister has set another ambition and within the nhs we are doing our pa rt and within the nhs we are doing our part in the nhs labs as part of that Testing Programme. We have been expanding the availability of tests for those both that we look after and to our staff, so to give you some insight into that, we have been for several weeks now testing all patients who present to our hospitals with an emergency, whether or not they have symptoms of covid 19, so we can absolutely ensure that we have picked up all people who are infected and coming into hospital. We have recently issued guidance in the last week around elective admissions, so people who will be coming into hospital not as an emergency but for planned procedures and how we can ensure together with testing that they can come in three of covid 19, and safely. We have been testing staff and all other key workers but particularly staff in the nhs who are symptomatic with covid 19 symptoms, but weve also asked our hospitals as capacity increases to increasingly test after you have no symptoms or who have very mild symptoms, to ensure we are picking up symptoms, to ensure we are picking up as many potential cases as possible, so that is how in the nhs we have been able to use our Testing Capacity to increase our testing and our understanding of how this virus is transmitted. And then finally, on nhs future demand, i think one of the things we should be proudest of is that our nhs staff have acted magnificently over the last two months to ensure that nhs capacity has always been there for the surge we have seen in coronavirus patients. At no time did we run out of capacity either in our general wards or in intensive care units and the graphs i showed you earlier showed that we saw the increase in patients in wards and in intensive ca re patients in wards and in intensive care units, but at no time did we run out of the ability to treat people and we always had spare capacity. There were always a large numberof capacity. There were always a large number of intensive care beds that could have been brought on if we needed them, including those in the nightingale hospital. And im confident Going Forward that we will be working with the nhs to ensure that that remains the case and that we will have capacity in place to ensure that we will be able to cope with patients who unfortunately need to be admitted with covid 19. But of course the other part of that is to ensure that everybody in the public that we will comply with the social distancing measures that we are being asked to comply with at any particular point in this epidemic, because its only by that and keeping the r number below one, so the level of infection, low and falling in the population, that that capacity can be there if its needed to be used. So success for us is capacity that we build to manage any surge, but not having to use that because the r is below one and the transmission rate is low and we all have our part to play in that. Thanks for that, steve. The next question is from Francis Elliott of the times. Will the uk have enough capacity for the Domestic Production of the vaccine by the time one is developed, or will we be reliant to some degree on other nations to supply . Well, hopefully the statement i made has made that clear. We have set in place a Rapid Deployment facility as well, so we are ready to start producing in the summer of this year, and ive also announced today the agreement that has been reached between astrazeneca and oxford to make sure that by september we have up to 30 million Vaccine Doses Available as part of a 100 million total. Shall we have the next question . It is from martin brown at the express. Will the government considered changing or lifting the current 14 day quarantine restrictions on rivals to help boost the economy, and does the secretary of state agree with the heathrow boss who said today that if the right measures are put in place a free flow of flights to and from the uk could resume in the next month or so . Well, martin, this is a variation of a question raised by miriam from solihull. Again, what i would say is, what is absolute vital and what is very important for us to realise is that the health of the nation is not in some way different from making sure that we take care of the health of the economy. In fa ct, of the health of the economy. In fact, all the measures we have taken so farare fact, all the measures we have taken so far are about protecting lives and also livelihoods as well. And i recognise that quara ntining and also livelihoods as well. And i recognise that quarantining measures will put restrictions on businesses being able to travel, Business People being able to travel and we will set out shortly the exemptions and of course one of the exemptions we have talked about is people who are bringing freight in, so freight drivers, but the key thing right now is to make sure that we keep the r down, andi is to make sure that we keep the r down, and i think in the comments thatjon down, and i think in the comments that jon holland down, and i think in the comments thatjon holland kay made this morning, i think he understood the reason we were doing this and i would say that during this period we have also found more remote ways of working and its going to be quite interesting to see how businesses, particularly service type businesses, adjust to that Going Forward. Thank you for that. I think we have a final question from the asian voice. One of our headline stories highlighted the language and cultural barriers when it comes to Contact Tracing, which means recruitment within the ba me community is essential. What are you doing to address this recruitment challenge . If i canjust say in terms of the issue around Contact Tracing, we now have gone over 17,000 people recruited for that and we are very 17,000 people recruited for that and we are very much 17,000 people recruited for that and we are very much on 17,000 people recruited for that and we are very much on target to make sure that we have the right number of people, and actually this is also a question of making sure that people from across all communities are able to come forward for this really vital task as well, and i know one of the big concerns has been within that community that it is being disproportionally impacted by the virus. There is work that is ongoing in terms of looking at studies on that, and perhaps i can pass over to steve to comment a little bit on that particular point, but just a say little bit on that particular point, butjust a say in terms of Contact Tracing, i think thats a very important point and we need to make sure all communities are represented as part of the team that does the Contact Tracing. Thank you. On that specific point, i do agree it is important that as we move to a Contact Tracing, to a track and trace plan and that gets rolled out, that it trace plan and that gets rolled out, thatitis trace plan and that gets rolled out, that it is available to all and that we pay particular emphasis to those communities that for whatever reason may not always engage in track and trace or difficult to reach communities for whatever reasons and it was highlighted there, the issues around language and cultural barriers but there are other examples in other communities as well where there might be other barriers that need to be taken into account. I absolutely agree that it is important that that is thought of and that we have representational recruitment so we can effectively work with various communities. On the point about the bame community being affected by coronavirus, as ive said before, and i know others standing here have said, thats a really, really important question that we take incredibly seriously. I do as that we take incredibly seriously. I doasa that we take incredibly seriously. I do as a clinician and a doctor. Public health england, as you know, have been asked to look into this and that work is ongoing, to understand the particular risk factors that the bame community may have for coronavirus and specifically with the nhs, of course, where we have a high proportion of staff, doctors, nurses and other clinicians from the bame community, its really important as an employer, as a health care system, that we are able to look after those staff and reassure them, to risk assess them individually and ensure that we put in place the measures that might be required to keep them safe. And its for that reason that weve been working with independent experts and through nhs employers we issued guidance to nhs employers we issued guidance to nhs employers only last week, additional guidance, and how they might approach that Risk Assessment of all staff, but in particular members of the bame community who do such a greatjob for us in the bame community who do such a great job for us in the nhs. We have come to the end of the press conference and could i once again thank all members of the public for everything you are doing individually to ensure that we keep the r rate down. And ijust end with our overall message, which is pre stay alert, control the virus and save lives. Thank you. That is the business secretary alok sharma at the helm of the latest downing street coronavirus news briefing and alongside him was medical director of nhs england professor Stephen Powis. That News Conference that different ones in the past because technical different abilities with the Video Conferencing facility zoom meant although there were video questions asked by members of the public, the genus normally asking questions through the same video messaging facility live, their questions were instead submitted in written form and they were read out by business secretary alok sharma and then and said by him and by Stephen Powis of nhs england. So it was a little different to what we normally have. But the emphasis as far as the government is concerned is on vaccine notjust development, but production, an extra £84 million has been put into mass production of doses of the vaccine which is hoped will be successful, being developed by Oxford University and was already in Clinical Trials. Alok sharma said assuming those Clinical Trials are successful, they want 30 million doses of the vaccine to be manufactured by september as part of a total of 100 million. There were also questions from journalists on schools, Contact Tracing for teachers and also on the reproduction rate of the virus. And we had the latest figures, the uk death toll from coronavirus has reached 34600 and 36 with another 170 deaths in the last 24 hours. Lets speak to our science correspondent, pallab ghosh. A lot of hope being placed on the vaccine being developed by Oxford University and the government is trying to make sure if those Clinical Trials are successful, the doses can be manufactured as soon as possible. The business secretary was keen to play at the positives with 30 million doses available should a vaccine be developed by september. But that is incredibly optimistic. I think very few people thing a vaccine will be developed by september. The optimists believe it will be in the year, vaccines and make it takes year to develop them and we heard today from the Prime Minister ina and we heard today from the Prime Minister in a newspaper article the admission that a vaccine may never be developed. What was interesting to me in the briefing today is what the business secretary was not able to say. He was not able to answer vicki youngs question about Contact Tracing for teachers by the end of june. And also, i was struck by the graph Stephen Powis showed of hospital admissions which has steadily been going down, that was interesting because it is an interesting because it is an interesting of the most accurate indication of the r number. For several weeks, we have seen it going down steadily and it is still going down, but very slightly. It is almost flat. That is important because that shows, by this indicator, the r number is fairly close to one, but the number of new cases is not increasing as rapidly as it was. And it also fails to take into account the impact of easing, particularly in england. So it is worrying that that bit of the curve is flat at the moment. A couple of different questions about the reproduction rate on the virus, one was about whether a given geographical differences in that and a lot of that is based around estimates, whether that could lead to differences geographically in england about easing of restrictions and profesor powis said because of the office of National Statistics were, we should soon have better information allowing the calculation of the r number. We should have better estimates from the ons household survey, so to fill you in, the ons is surveying about 5,000 households in england initially, it isa households in england initially, it is a representative sample of the population they have been testing for the virus and a subset being tested for antibodies. They are going to increase the numbers, extend it to the other nations. And hopefully have 30,000 people, the same 30,000 people being tested on a regular basis, on a weekly basis. So we should, rather than getting estimates of the r number, pretty close indicator of what the r number actually is. In terms of regional variations, there is an indication from the modelling, the rough estimates of the mccullough number, that there are differences particularly in london, which does seem to have the lower r number. R number. If the r number is below one, it shows the epidemic is decreasing, if it is above one, it is increasing and that is worrying. So the soundings are that the government is prepared to consider regional variations and that if someone does show a low r number, perhaps they would have easier lockdown measures. If another part shows greater or an increase in number, maybe even a spike in cases, lockdown measures could be reimposed. So there is some indication that ministers are considering some degree of flexibility. 23 macro, science correspondent, thank you very much indeed. Lets cross to manchester and speak to the shadow business minister, lucy powell. Good afternoon. Good afternoon. What did you think of what you heard from the business secretary . The extra investment into vaccines and that britain will be at the front of that queuein britain will be at the front of that queue in terms of the Vaccine Development and roll out is obviously to be greatly welcomed. I hope we are not giving false hope with that. But it does seem certainly the oxford study and the Imperial College study our world leading, at world leading pace to get ready for that vaccine and that is something very much to be welcomed. Is that a concern for you that there may be false hope attached to the chances of developing a vaccine, there are viruses for which a vaccine has never been developed and the timeframe the business secretary is putting forward is very ambitious. It is ambitious, well need bit of hope right now as well. But clearly, we cant hang all our coats on that outcome because as the government and others are saying, there is also every possibility that vaccine might be found to not be suitable or not work as well as everybody is hoping that it will. But it is good to see the world, the best research. It is good to see we are teaming that up with astrazeneca and pharmaceutical companies to very quickly produce it. To know there are potentially 30 million of those vaccines ready by september in case those trials do go extremely well alongside that, we need to look at treatments and this new normal that potentially could go on for a lot longer. You as labour have been critical of the fact that we now have a difference between england and scotland and wales and Northern Ireland in fact the lockdown restrictions have started to be eased in england. Are you against any differences in regional easing within england . As we go forward , easing within england . As we go forward, as we have different information, hopefully better information, hopefully better information on the rate of infection in different areas. It is an approach that is being used in spain and france. The reason we are critical about the diverging pass within the nations of the uk is because i think what that speaks to isa because i think what that speaks to is a lack of consensus building around what should happen, when. And in this easing phase now, consensus and Building Confidence in that consensus, whether it is on how we ease the lockdown across the nations, whether it is about building consensus through teachers with teachers, parents and the government around schools reopen, whether it is consensus with employers and employees about the ability of workplaces to get back up and running and how, that is absolutely critical. Confidence and consensus are the key watchwords. So we dont have any principal objection to varying things across the country, but as long as that is being done in a consensual way and ina way being done in a consensual way and in a way that builds confidence, rather than what is happening at the moment, which is kind of a lack of confidence that is leading to different local authorities were different local authorities were different parts of the uk choosing to ta ke different parts of the uk choosing to take different pass because they dont have the same confidence in things. On schools, should teachers accept what michael gove said this morning that there are risks attached to all forms of everyday life in the government cannot guarantee that no teacher will catch coronavirus from the plan to get some peoples back into school in england . Well, he is certainly right to make the point that this is about mitigating risk, not about eliminating risk. Buti mitigating risk, not about eliminating risk. But i think clearly, there is further the government need to go to build confidence with Teaching Staff and teaching unions, but also with pa rents teaching unions, but also with parents as well. That is what i hear very strongly, with parents as well, that those risks will be as mitigated as is possible when schools reopen in just two weeks time. We all want children to go back to school as soon as that is possible because every week that children spend out of school, especially those without all of life has advantages like many of our kids might have is a real damage to the rest of their lives every week they are out of school. We see powell mp, shadow business minister, thank you very much. Lucy powell. Lets just listen back to alok sharms from todays press conference. He spoke at his pride at both the oxford of university and Imperial College london being global front runners in efforts to create a vaccine, and said the uk would be at the front of the queue when and if those vaccines prove to be successful. The speed at which Oxford University has designed and organised these complex trials is genuinely unprecedented. Imperial college also making Good Progress and we will be looking to move into Clinical Trials by midjune, looking to move into Clinical Trials by mid june, with large scale trials planned to begin in october. So far, the government has invested £47 million in the oxford and imperial vaccine million in the oxford and imperial vaccine programmes. Million in the oxford and imperial vaccine programmes. But today, i can announce an additional £84 million of new government funding to help accelerate their work. This new money will help mass produce the oxford vaccine so that if current trials are successful, we have dosages to start vaccinating the uk population straightaway. The funding will also allow imperial to launch phase three Clinical Trials for this vaccine later this year. I can also confirm that with government support, Oxford University has finalised a Global Licensing agreement with astrazeneca for the commercialisation and manufacturing of the oxford vaccine. This means that if the vaccine is successful, astrazeneca will work to make 30 million doses available by september for the uk. As part of an agreement to deliver over 100 million doses in total. The uk will be first to get access. And we can also ensure that in addition to supporting people here in the uk, we are able to make the vaccine available to developing countries at the lowest possible cost. Alok sharma, the business secretary. That is it from me. The continued covering coverage of youre watching bbc news. The former us president , barack obama, has strongly criticised the Trump Administration over its response to the coronavirus pandemic. Its unusual for a sitting president to be rebuked by a predecessor, but mr obama said the pandemic had shown that those in charge dont know what theyre doing. Our washington correspondent david willis sent this report. Class of 2020, this is for you. In the age of the coronavirus, this is what it means to come of age. Graduation ceremonies, a rite of passage for youngsters here, now virtual, rather than actual experiences. The future for those graduating more uncertain than at any other time in modern history. The world is yours now. This star studded televised event had as its keynote speaker the 44th president of the united states, and he was withering in his criticism of his successors handling of the crisis. More than anything, this pandemic has fully, finally, torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what theyre doing. A lot of them arent even pretending to be in charge. Since leaving office injanuary 2017, barack obama has largely avoided criticism of his successor, although earlier this month, in remarks leaked to the media, he was heard describing the Trump Administrations handling of the coronavirus pandemic as a chaotic disaster. And all those adults that you used to think were in charge and knew