Hello, this is bbc news. The headlines. Building up to todays Coronavirus Briefing from downing street. Our latest headlines. The Health Secretary matt hancock announces that everybody over the age of five showing coronavirus symptoms is now eligible for a test in the uk. Everyday we are creating more capacity and that means more people can be and the virus has fewer places to hide. A loss of taste or smell are added to the nhs list of symptoms of covid 19. That means that you should self isolate for seven days if you have them. The route map easing scotlands lockdown. Nicola sturgeon say she will publish plans for easing the
lockdown on thursday. Commuters getting back to work in england faced new measures on the Railway System with security guards trained in crowd control at train stations. Italy reopens more shops, restau ra nts a nd italy reopens more shops, restaurants and hairdressers. And could the start of the pandemic been handled better . The United Nations chief says the world is paying a heavy price for muddled virus strategies. On into the orchard on the orchard beds, which again we only started a few years ago. And the Chelsea Flower Show goes virtual as it is forced to close its doors to gardeners for the First Time Since the second world war. Hello and welcome to viewers on bbc as we build up to todays Coronavirus Briefing. It is held today by dominic raab. In the last half an hour matt hancock as announcer anybody in uk over the age of five who is showing covid i9 symptoms is now eligible for a coronavirus test. Losing your sense of taste or smell now among those symptoms that people have been told to look out for. Until today people have been told only to self isolate if they have a fever or cough but now doctors say the possible signs of the disease are much broader. So if you or somebody you live with has any of the symptoms, then the advice is to stay at home to stop the risk of spreading the virus. Well, meanwhile today Nicola Sturgeon has said that route map will be set out
on thursday for easing scotlands lockdown. Ten weeks after imposing the worlds First Nationwide lockdown italy is opening more shops, restaurants and hairdressers as well as starting Church Services again. And there have been calls for again. And there have been calls for a review into the International Response to the pandemic amid divisions about the way it has been handled. Envoys from nearly 200 countries are meeting online for the World Health Organizations assembly. Lets get more news on the addition for covid i9 of a loss of taste or smell. Heres our Health CorrespondentSophie Hutchinson with this report. Identifying who is infected with a coronavirus and who is not as crucial in preventing it from spreading and allowing it going back to work. The uks four chief medical officers now say a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste is a symptom along with a High Temperature and or a new continuous cough. Experts say they alerted Public Health england to a connection between loss of smell and covid i9 two months ago, after speaking to patients. I had contact from key workers, for example, those in contact with the vulnerable delivering food who were told they had to go to work because it was not a recognised symptom. We may have missed some opportunity to control the spread and fortunately now those patients will be able to get self isolated and tested. While the uk now lists three symptoms for covid i9, the World Health Organization lists 13 and some are questioning why it has taken the uk so long to recognise the other symptom. For months we have known it is a potential symptom of coronavirus, it is an unusual symptom for respiratory infections but it has been reported around the world early on in this outbreak
so i dont know why it took so long to be added to the list in the uk. 1. 5 Million People have now logged onto a Symptom Tracker app created by scientists at Kings College london. They believe the uk is grossly underestimating the number of people infected by the virus and not recognising all the symptoms has been damaging. I have had doctors telling me that they were told by Occupational Health not to stay off work and go back on the front line, even though they had lost their sense of smell and they had muscle pains. So i think, you know, in an inquiry, were going to find that this will have had a major effect on prolonging the epidemic. So the advice is now for anyone with a cough, fever or loss of smell and taste to stay at home and self isolate for seven days, in order to prevent another wave of infections in this pandemic. Sophie hutchinson, bbc news. Lets get more on the news that anyone over the age of five who believes they may have coronavirus can now have a free test from the nhs. The Health Secretary matt hancock has been giving details to the commons. Today, i can announce to the house that everyone aged five and over with symptoms is now eligible for a test. That applies right across the uk in all four nations from now. Anyone with a new continuous cough, a High Temperature, or the loss or change of sense of taste or smell can book a test by visiting nhs. Uk coronavirus. If youre eligible for a test and you dont have internet access, you can call 119 in england and wales, or in scotland and Northern Ireland 0300 303 2713. We will continue to prioritise access to tests for nhs and social care patients,
residents and staff. And, as testing ramps up towards our new goal of total capacity of 200,000 tests a day, ever more people will have the confidence and certainty that comes with an accurate test result. With me now is our Health Correspondent nick triggle. A significant announcement today that anybody in the uk over the age of five who thinks theyve got the symptoms can get a coronavirus test. Yes, when you think, less than two months ago we were just testing hospital patients and staff, so significant progress has been made. Last week, key workers, hospital patients, care home residents over 65 and those who need to leave home to work could be tested, but now we are hearing that all those over five who are showing symptoms will get tested. And those symptoms, the list
of covid i9 symptoms, when you have them you should self isolate for seven days, that now includes a loss of taste or smell. A lot of scientists have been saying, actually, that should have been on the list of symptoms weeks ago. Yes, this has been talked about for weeks. It has been noticeable that patients who have had a diagnosed infection with coronavirus have been showing this loss of taste and smell symptoms. Now the four for chief medical officers. It is a common symptom in other infections, including the common cold. The chief medical officer says now is the right time. We have moved well out of that winter season so now is the right time to make sure we capture as many cases as possible. What did matt hancock have to say about the track and trace system because mikey was promising that for the middle of may. Downing street say that was
never promised by the government. Where are we with that . It is vital as we ease out of lockdown to contain any local outbreaks. It relies on the app that is being piloted in the isle of wight and the recruitment of an army of contact tracers. He says we have recruited 21000 and have all the elements in place we need to roll out this track, test and Trace Programme. Challenges remain for getting the testing results. It is taking too long, sometimes several days, to turn round the test results. It is noticeable that some key workers are struggling to get access to tests. In care homes, residents and staff, it will be another three weeks before they can all get access to testing, so still a significant challenge in making sure this system is in place in the coming weeks. Nick, thank you very much. Its been ten days since the trial for the nhs Contact Tracing app launched on the isle of wight. Downing street says 60,000 people thats just under half of the population on the island have downloaded the app. Lets speak to our correspondent duncan kennedy. First, how does the app work . Its very straightforward technology. You download the app onto your phone. If you come into sustained contact with someone else who has the app, you send an electronic handshake to each other. Say i develop covid 19 symptoms, i punched that into the app, and the app tells the nhs server, which in turn pains out a message to all those other people who have been in close contact with my phone. They are told to check their symptoms, make sure they havent got it, and if they have, they contact the server, and so it goes on. They want to spread these apps and the people with them across the community. As nick was saying,
they are doing it in conjunction with those 21,000 contact tracers, so bit by bit, using the app, the autumn monitored the automated version, and then we will get an idea of who has the covid 19 symptoms and who doesnt. That is how it works in theory, but what is the evidence you are picking up from there on the isle of wight . Is it working . Certainly, in terms of the popularity of the app, it seems to be working. In the last half hour or so, i had a conversation with the man who has developed the app and is rolling it out here, and they said that they have had several people here downloading the app, about half the population. The key thing is that it has to be peopled with smartphones. There are 80,000 or more of those on the island. In his
words, he said they were overwhelmed by the response of people on the isle of wight. There have been a few people, not least mps on the Human Rights Committee last week, saying they are a little worried about whether the data on this is protected and is secure enough. And weve been speaking to people today on the isle of wight to get their views, people who have got the app and some people who havent. Have you downloaded the app . I havent. Unfortunately, my phones too old. So, you cant get it . No, not at all, no. But in principle, what do you think of it . I think its a really good idea if people listen to it and actually do what it tells them. Ive heard of people on the island who have downloaded the app, gone to tesco for half an hour, and it told them theyve been contact with someone, and then theyve gone, oh, well then, im not going to take it to tesco. You know, i cant afford to be off work for two weeks. I support it. It makes people safer and stuff like that, and hopefully it can all be over and done with soon so that everyone can get back to normal. Have you downloaded the app . Yes, i have, yes. What do you make of it . Its fine, it doesnt ask for a lot of information. You just put the first bit of your postcode into it and then itjust says its working. So, do you have any concerns about Data Protection . Not really, because i havent really told him anything, so i dont think they can take anything off my phone. So, it seems to be fine. Downloaded the app. I said that. Its just told me to sort of like keep my bluetooth on. It said, how are you feeling today . Theres no symptoms or anything. So, ive left it at that. So, its just ready to go if obviously i take it its going to alert me if, you know, i do sort of approach somebody thats got the coronavirus. So, the views of some people there on the isle of wight. Duncan, if all goes well with the trial, when might it be rolled out across the whole of the uk . The short answer is, no one knows exactly. The expectation here on the isle of wight was that it would be mid may, but a spokesman
for downing street this morning said in the coming weeks, so we are not sure whether that means may or beyond that. What they are doing here, in the words of the man i spoke to on the Conference Call a few moments ago, they are testing it in the real world and that is throwing up some issues for them to iron out. For example, they will add to this app the idea of the two new symptoms of taste and smell, which wasnt on the app before. Before, it wasnt on the app before. Before, it was only testing your temperature and weather you coughed or not. They will update it with that in the next couple of days. They want to test it in factories, surgeries, care homes, the real world setting for it. They say there is a way to go on that before it is rolled out. Downing street are saying that will come in the next few weeks. Duncan, many thanks indeed. Nicola sturgeon has announced lockdown measures in scotland could begin to be lifted from may 28th. The first minister said this would mean people could meet someone from another household as long as social distancing is maintained. A roadmap easing the lockdown will be published on thursday. She also said that testing will be extended to include anybody over the age of five displaying symptoms, as weve been hearing thats available across the uk. And earlier today clubs in scotland voted to end the scottish premiership with celtic crowned champions and hearts relegated. Speaking at her daily briefing, Nicola Sturgeon laid out how the roadmap to easing the lockdown might look. It will take account of the up to date estimates of the transmission rate, or r number, and the number of cases. It will also take account of the latest National Records of scotland report, due on wednesday, on the number of deaths from covid. The route map we publish on thursday will give a more detailed indication of the order in which we will carefully and gradually seek to lift current restrictions. Now, like other countries, we will not yet be able to put firm dates on all of the
different phases, because timings must be driven by data and evidence. It will also be important that we assess the impact of measures in one phase before moving on to another. We will continue, and again, i want to stress this, to take a cautious approach that ensures the virus is suppressed while seeking to restore as much normality as possible when it is safe to do so. Nicola sturgeon speaking a little earlier. As lockdown eases in england and more and more people return to work, and others take advance of being able to meet up with one person outside their household, how are people adapting to the slight easing of restrictions . And our people aware of the stay alert message . Susan michie is professor of health pyschology at University College london. She is a member of the Behavioural Science Group of sage. What do you think people around the country think of the stay alert message . I think generally people thought it was rather content free and didnt really advise people what to do. Stay at home is a clear behavioural message. Stay alert, it is not clear what one is meant to be alert for, and what one is meant to do when one identifies what they are supposed to stay alert for. I think people found the message confusing and inconsistent. Do you think that was a mistake, do to move to that message of stay alert . It is very complicated. 0ne message of stay alert . It is very complicated. One has to take into account many different things, and also the fact that there will be
different easing of restrictions for different easing of restrictions for different groups in society. At the moral complexities, the more important really clear, precise and consistent messaging becomes. And especially in the context where people are experiencing quite high degrees of anxiety about returning to work, returning. 0ften degrees of anxiety about returning to work, returning. Often people have to go on Public Transport. In these situations, people want to know exactly what they should be doing, why they should be doing it, and they have to be convinced that it isa and they have to be convinced that it is a good idea and their safety of themselves and their loved ones will not be put at risk. And a lot of people have been expressing concern about what seemed like anomalies in the governments new rules and regulations about the easing of the lockdown for example, a cleaner going into the house but not grandparents, that type of thing. Do you detect anxiety and
concern, maybe even anger about that kind of anomaly . All of those things, because i think that it was seen to be really quite unfair. The imposition of the lockdown to begin with has obviously increased the inequalities that already exist in terms of peoples jobs and living situation they were in, but on top of that now, as we are lifting it, the first groups of people who were told they could come into your house are cleaners, cooks, nannies and estate agents, these are people who help privileged people to lead privileged lives. What people are desperately wanting is to see their loved ones again. So i think it was peculiarly insensitive, and i think that once people think things are being done in an unfair way, it really undermines the sense of collective solidarity that has been
so well built up through communities over the last few weeks and is absolutely vital to keeping adherence to these challenging measures going. What about the new announcement we have had this afternoon of the government saying anyone in the uk over the age of five who thinks they have got covid 19 can go for a test . That is a Pretty Simple kind of rule or instruction that people can understand across the country. Yes, i think ten out of ten for it being clear. Two issues about it. One is will this be the case in practice . Because we have seen many cases where there have been promises and its not been upheld so even now we are having front line healthcare workers and social care workers reporting that they are not getting a test. The other issue that is so important to communicate alongside that which i havent heard is that people are most infectious in the two days before they have symptoms. So this is not a panacea and it
means the basic instructions of social distancing, hand hygiene, using tissues for coughs and sneezes and not touching eyes, nose and mouth which is where the virus gets into the body should be rehearsed at every opportunity. Susan michie, thank you for talking to us. We are getting the latest uk death toll from confirmed coronavirus cases, and that has risen up 160, we arejust seeing, so cases, and that has risen up 160, we are just seeing, so that has risen to 34,796. The uk death toll from confirmed coronavirus cases up 160. Just to let you know again we will be crossing live to downing street in the next few minutes at around five oclock for the latest downing
street briefing, which will include those figures. And dominic raab holding that downing street briefing. Lets go to india now. India remains in lockdown after the latest extension was approved on sunday. The country went into lockdown on 24th march and schools, Public Transport and most businesses have been shut since. The Worlds Largest lockdown, covering 1. 3 billion people, appears to have helped keep indias numbers relatively low with a little over 3,000 deaths, and around 96,500 confirmed cases. In the Southern State of kerala, which has a population of 35 million, just 601 cases have been confirmed, and only four deaths. Of course, the actual number of cases may be higher but the States Health minister, kk shailaja, has been praised for her ministrys Rapid Response to the outbreak. We can speak to kk shailaja now,
minister of health and social welfare of kerala state. 0nly only four deaths in a population of 35 million, that is pretty remarkable. How have you done it . Because you had a system of track and trace very early on after the first word came through from china about coronavirus back injanuary. Yes, we started to prepare very early. As you said, our population is very high and population density also very high in kerala. We started earlier, we are focusing on social welfare issues and planning like that. Our local governments are very strong and we have a good health ca re system, strong and we have a Good Health Care system, Public Health care system. We have primary health
centres, secondary and Tertiary Health centres also, very good medical colleges and very good medical colleges and very good medical hospitals. We are now focusing on primary care and prevention. We are giving continuous training to our Healthcare Professionals and health care markers, professional training also. And when we heard about the new virus, we started our preparation from top level to bottom level. We are teaching the people of how this virus is spread, and all the people are aware of that thing before it came to kerala. But it is not easy to educate all the people and keep the people in quarantine in their own home and a government created isolation centres. We have health
ca re isolation centres. We have health care workers, police and local government workers making sure people are staying inside their home. We also make sure people are using hand wash and masks when they go outside. Just to interrupt you for a moment, you acted very fast with commendable speed. Do you think other countries around the world should maybe learn lessons from the speed you acted on . You were taking some of these measures and having meetings just a few days after you first heard about what had happened in china. Yes, we started these things when it happened in china in
january. When we heard what happened we started preparedness here and we have good combination of old systems of medicine, not only the modern system, and also we have a very good private Health System here. And we have very good coordination on Public Health and private Health System. We convened a meeting with the private health care holders and they also participated. We give training to private health care system, with the coordination of all the systems together we formed a very good method of containing or preventing the spread and flattening the curve. Throughout these days we are working hard. All right, sorry, we arejust are working hard. All right, sorry, we are just running out of time but thank you very much indeed for
explaining what you have been doing in the indian of kerala. Many thanks. The transport secretary grant shapps has said the government is looking at whether people coming from countries with a low infection rate for coronavirus could be exempt from the 14 day travel quarantine for people arriving into the uk. Mr shapps was responding to a question from the chair of the transport select committee, the conservative mp huw merriman, who asked whether the government would consider so called air bridges so that passengers coming from countries with a low infection rate could be exempt from having to self isolate for two weeks at a private residence. Final details of the quarantine scheme will be released soon, it will come in early next month. It is the case that we should indeed consider further improvements. For example, things like air bridges, enabling people from other areas, countries, who have themselves
achieved lower levels of Coronavirus Infection to come to the country. So, those are active discussions, but well go beyond what will initially be a blanket situation. Grant shapps there in the commons. While we wait for the downing street briefing to be begin, we can now speak to our Political Correspondent. Helen catt. There has been some confusion, hasnt there . At first it was thought people coming from france might be exempt, now we are not sure about that. Hearing what the transport secretary was saying, it looks like people coming from low infection countries may be exempt as well. This policy is coming in from early next month, which is anyone coming into the uk will have to self isolate for 14 days. But we understand people coming from ireland will not have to do that,
and there could be other potential exemptions, particularly around france. Its understood president macron had talked about this. There isa macron had talked about this. There is a recognition we are physically linked by the channel tunnel so they are looking at issues around this, although the thinking is perhaps something that applies to freight drivers or people with scientific expertise, so that is still ongoing. The exemption for ireland we know is likely to happen. Then we had this question raised to grant shapps earlier this afternoon to suggest, well actually if people are coming from a country with a low rate of infection could they too have an exemption from having to self isolate for 14 days. Grant shapps said that is something the government was looking at. We might hear more about that in the press conference today, given it is being led by dominic raab. Just a minute or so away from that so i may have to cut you off. Helen, we have also had the adding of a loss of taste or
sense of smell to the list of symptoms at the point of which one should self isolate for seven days but quite a lot of critics of are saying this should have been added to the list of symptoms weeks ago. Yes, and that is something i would expectjonathan yes, and that is something i would expect Jonathan Van Tam to yes, and that is something i would expectJonathan Van Tam to address. These symptoms have been known for several weeks in addition to the already recognised symptoms of a new, persistent cough or a High Temperature. The other big announcement today is the expansion of testing so that now anyone who is aged five or over who now displays any one of these four symptoms can request a coronavirus test, and that applies across all four nations of the uk, because the welsh, scottish and Northern Irish governments have opted in. Lets cross to downing street now. Good afternoon, and welcome to this afternoons press conference. I am pleased to be joined afternoons press conference. I am pleased to bejoined byJonathan Van Tam, our deputy chief medical 0fficer. Tests carried out in the uk include 100,678 tests carried out yesterday. 246,406 people have tested positive, and that is an increase of 2684 cases since yesterday. 9408 people are currently in hospital with coronavirus, which is down 13 from this time last week. I am very sad to report that, of those who have tested positive for covid 19 across all settings, 34,796 have now died, that is an increase of 160 deaths on yesterday. It goes without saying, we offer our
condolences to the friends and family of every individual who has passed away during this pandemic. This is a challenging time, and as we chart the right course over the weeks and months ahead, our overriding priority remains to save lives. Whilst also at the same time preserving livelihoods and allowing people to return over time and when it is safe to something resembling a more normal way of living. So, on the 11th of may, we set out a road map to provide the information, advice and reassurance to businesses, Public Services and other organisations and to employees and citizens up and down the country. I want to thank everyone who is making the adjustments and engaging with us in government to forge the path ahead in a sure footed and sustainable way. We recognise that people have concerns and questions, and we want to Work Together with him and with everyone
involved to provide the necessary confidence and reassurance in the next steps that we are poised to make. That approach is summarised in the slides, which if we could now have them up on the screen, please. You will see from slide one, as people will be aware, we have established a new covid alert system, with five levels, each relating to the current level of threat posed by the virus. The alert level is focused on the rate of infection, known as the r value, as well as the total number of coronavirus cases overall. That alert level helps us determine the social distancing measures that we need to fight the virus, so the lower the level, the fewer or the less restrictive measures we will need at any given time. Since the lockdown began at the end of march, we have been at level four, as indicated on the slide, and thanks to the hard work and huge sacrifices across the uk, and the progress we have made as a result of that,
particularly in relation to compliance with the social distancing measures, we are in the process of moving from level four to level three on the slide, and we will do that through a number of very careful and deliberate steps. Slide two, please. You will see that last week the Prime Minister set out the first of three steps designed to carefully modify the measures that have been put in place. And by gradually easing certain measures, we can begin to allow people to return to something resembling a more normal way of life. The choices we make, what we are asking the public to do and not to do are designed to avoid a very real risk ofa designed to avoid a very real risk of a second peak that would overwhelm the nhs and risk turning a temporary economic painful moment for the country into permanent damage to the uk economy. At every step, we will closely monitor the impact of easing restrictions, and in particular the impact on the
spread of the virus. It is only by collecting and monitoring the data that we will be able to take the next step, which is indicated as step two on the slide, no earlier than the 1st ofjune. It is natural for people to question why they cant do one or other thing now, why distinctions have been made, but in reality, you have to look at the package of measures as a whole, mindful of the risk to the r level and taking into account the various economic and social effects combine. We have adopted a balanced approach, guided at all times by the science, and asi guided at all times by the science, and as i said, the overriding need to avoid a second peak that could overwhelm the nhs. 0f to avoid a second peak that could overwhelm the nhs. Of course, it is true to say that making any changes inherently comes with some risk of spreading the virus compared to simply staying at home. But it is also true that staying in permanent lockdown is itself not sustainable on health or economic grounds. That
is why we have only eased measures where it can be done with the lowest risk possible. That is also why we are watching the impact of every change that we make very closely. I know the last couple of months have been really tough for families, businesses, everyone up and down the uk, but it is only by keeping to the plan, sticking to the rules, even including when those rules change, that we will beat coronavirus for good. Slide three, please. And that is why we have asked people to stay alert, control the virus, save lives, as we make changes to the measures in place in england and adjust the government advice accordingly. For the vast majority of people, that still means staying at home as much as possible. For those that cant work from home, they should return to work, with the arrangements in place to ensure they can be saved it can be safely and responsibly done. We have also
adjusted, as you can see from the slide, the advice for people to exercise more, to visit public outdoor spaces but staying two metres apart from those outside their own household. As ever, people need to keep washing their hands regularly and carrying out the hygiene measures we have advertised before. 0ur hygiene measures we have advertised before. Our advice is to wear a Face Covering when you are outside the home in enclosed spaces and where it is difficult to socially distance, for example, going to the shops or travelling on Public Transport. If you or anyone in your household developed symptoms, you still all need to self isolate. While we are asking the public to do these things, we in government will keep ramping up the effort that we need to see to get the uk back to a more normal way of living, and with that in mind, today the Health Secretary announced that anyone in the uk with covid 19 symptoms can now get a test by booking online, and i can also report that we have recruited now
over 21,000 contact tracers and call handlers in england for the implementation of our test and Trace Programme. That programme is absolutely key in the next steps we need to take as a country to come through this pandemic safely and responsibly. Jonathan, if you would like to run us through the latest data. Thank you, secretary of state, good afternoon, everybody. I have a few data slides to show you, in the normal fashion. Few data slides to show you, in the normalfashion. Beginning few data slides to show you, in the normal fashion. Beginning with this one, which shows you apple maps searches for directions, so it is confined to apple users, and it shows the beginning of the period of lockdown on the left on the 23rd of march, and what has happened to searches for walking instructions, driving instructions and Public Transport from that point until the very re ce nt transport from that point until the very recent past, and you can see that there has been a gradual, but
only gradual, upward trend in searches related to walking and driving. But for Public Transport, this trend is essentially flat. And this trend is essentially flat. And this is very much in line with the guidance that the government has issued about avoiding Public Transport wherever possible, saving it for key workers, and clearly, this is a trend that the public eye following. I have shown you the two data points on the right of the slide before now. Compared with last year, 44 of adults are working at home in the period 24th of april to the 3rd of may, compared with 12 at the 3rd of may, compared with 12 at the same time last year. And that 80 of adults report they have either left the home for permitted reasons or not at all in that period. Next slide, please. Moving on now to testing, these data are
correct as at 9am today. And they relate to tests processed and sent out. The broad message is that we are continuing to test at the rate of around 100,000 tests per day, and that in total, almost 2. 7 million tests have been used since the crisis began. In terms of confirmed cases, the data as of this morning we re over cases, the data as of this morning were over night for 2684 new cases out of a grand total of diagnosed cases ofjust out of a grand total of diagnosed cases of just under 250,000. Out of a grand total of diagnosed cases ofjust under 250,000. But what you can see, if you look to the bottom right hand corner of what you can see, if you look to the bottom right hand corner of slide, the green bars, you can now see a definite and sustained decline in new confirmed cases, which continues to be encouraging. Next slide,
please. So, these are data i showed to you last week, updated, of course, data from hospitals. The top curve relates to estimated admissions with covid 19 in england. 678 is the latest figure, darren from 701 on the 9th of may, so again, steady declines, and you can see that in the top blue curve. Turning at the bottom of the slide to the percentage of Critical Care beds currently occupied by covid 19 patients, this trend is also consistently down across the four nations, and currently the figure runs at 19 . Next slide, please. And then this slide also relates to hospitals. It relates to all of the uk, and it relates to the total numberof
uk, and it relates to the total number of people in hospital with covid 19 over time, updated as of the 17th of may, and what you can see here is that everywhere the numbers of patients in hospital with covid 19 is now in sustained decline. Again, very good news. And the final slide, please. This is the daily deaths data. These are deaths confirmed with a positive test in the uk. As of the 18th of may, we are reporting 160 deaths, and a total of 34,796 with a positive test. What you can see, and again it remains the most important thing to look for, is the overall long term trend as illustrated by the orange line, which is showing a consistent and solid decline as the days and
weeks roll by. Thank you, secretary of state. Thanks very much. We will open it up to questions, and i think there is one from david from bury. Good afternoon. As we take the first tentative steps towards releasing the lockdown, when will the government outline the road map ahead beyond the pandemic to ensure ahead beyond the pandemic to ensure a swift Fiscal Health and well being recovery . And what has already been discussed and decided . Thank you very much. Its danny, im sorry. Weve already published and over 50 page road map for how we rebuild after coronavirus, including the three steps i set out on the slides. The key thing, and there are different measures at different stages relating to no earlier than
the 1st ofjune, stages relating to no earlier than the 1st of june, the stages relating to no earlier than the 1st ofjune, the phasing of reopening of primary schools, different issues for businesses at different issues for businesses at different times, so nonessential retail will be dealt with at that point, but whether it is the 1st of june or the 4th ofjuly or any subsequent steps, we will only take those decisions and take those measures based on the scientific advice that tells us we can responsibly do so, and the worst of all worlds would be to trip up now and stumble when we have made the progress that the deputy chief medical officer has set out very clearly. So, we set our road map but it isa clearly. So, we set our road map but it is a conditional one, and we will monitor very carefully based on the changes we have made over the last week and see what impact that has, and we will assess where the r rate is and where the other data is before taking any subsequent steps no earlier than the 1st ofjune. Jonathan, would you add anything . No. Danny, thanks very much. I think there is one from james from
wittering. James asked via text is the government preparing for a second wave on ppe, ventilators, testing etc . So that all the issues of the first wave wont happen ain . Of the first wave wont happen again . Iwill of the first wave wont happen again . I will let the deputy chief medical officer comment, but one of the key things we have said is that first of all we will be mindful to avoid a second wave. We want to keep the r level down, the rate of transmission down, to avoid that, and we will not sanction measures where we fear or there is a risk that they would take us above one. At the same time, when we set out our five tests for easing lockdown, and they still in large part apply, one of the key things was that we wouldnt take measures until we are absolutely confident that weve got all of the capacity we need in the nhs. 0ne all of the capacity we need in the nhs. One thing weve done, and it has been effective, is, we made sure that at every step the nhs has not been overwhelmed, and in particular,
the Critical Care capacity that jonathan showed on the slides has not been overwhelmed, and its not just good enough to do that day by day, we want to make sure that with any day, we want to make sure that with a ny ste ps day, we want to make sure that with any steps we take in the future, that remains the case. Jonathan, what would you add . Thank you, secretary of state. I would add that we are hoping not to have a second wave and that is one of the reasons why we are being so careful about unlocking social distancing one piece at a time. Because we absolutely dont want this to get out of control again. However, is it right and proper to prepare for emergencies . Is it right and proper to put ourselves in a good position to be able to deal with an upsurge of cases . Absolutely. Let me emphasise a couple of things here. One is that maybe people are just hoping and
praying that this virus willjust go away, as indeed i hope and pray it will. But the reality is, certainly until we get the vaccine and only if we get a vaccine is really capable of suppressing disease levels will we ever be what we would call kind of out of this. And so from that perspective we may have to live and learn to live with this virus in the long term. Certainly for many months to come, if not several years. A vaccine may change that, but we cant be sure we will get a vaccine. The other thing to say is this virus isa the other thing to say is this virus is a new virus, we dont fully understand it. We dont understand something called seasonality, and one of the things that is very clear for example with flu viruses is in cold winters and the levels of transmission and circulation declines over the summer months. Now, the data we have on other coronaviruses we have looked at very carefully and it is not clear these coronaviruses are as seasonal as influe nza, coronaviruses are as seasonal as influenza, but there may be an element of seasonality and it may well be that the autumn and winter conditions provide a better environment for the virus to then do its work again. So we have to be very cautious about that and plan for these kind of health care surges that we hope we dont need but we wa nt that we hope we dont need but we want to be ready for them if they happen. Very good. Thank you for your question. We will open it up to the media now and we have fergus walsh first from the bbc. Thank you. You have just added walsh first from the bbc. Thank you. You havejust added loss walsh first from the bbc. Thank you. You have just added loss of taste and smell is a key symptom for coronaviruses. France advised people backin coronaviruses. France advised people back in march that if they lost taste or smell that they should
self isolate. Has the uk been very slow to act . Jonathan, i think that is probably one for you. Thank you, ferguson. We have been very careful about looking at the data on a this, and if adding it to the Case Definition would change something in terms of what we can practically do. Ido terms of what we can practically do. I do understand, and you are absolutely right, that anosmia has been recognised for some time now is a symptom of covid 19. But one of the first questions is how often does anosmia come really early in the illness . That is the first question. Versus coming later on in the illness when there are many other symptoms that are evident,
particularly cough and fever, which are absolutely the most prominent. The next point is how often does anosmia occur on its own in the absence of other symptoms . And the answer seems to be very rarely indeed. And so from that perspective what we have had to do is go through all of the possible symptoms of covid 19 and, you know, other than fever and cough, the who list includes tiredness, aches and pains, sore throat, diarrhoea, conjunctivitis, headache, skin rash, even loss of speech or movement is something the who put on there. So we have had to do some careful analysis behind the scenes to try and work out, when looking at the whole range of symptoms again, which
of those it might be useful or important to add in terms of picking patients up and improving the very simple symptom cluster we have already. That is why we have taken ourtime in this already. That is why we have taken our time in this country, because we wa nt our time in this country, because we want to do that painstaking and careful analysis before we jump to any conclusions. And even if it was obvious that anosmia was part of this, we want to be sure that adding it to cough and fever as opposed to just listing it, adding it informally to our definition was the right thing to do adding it in formally. Thanks to advice from nervetag, we have made that definition. Its estimated that up to 200,000 cases of covid 19 may have been missed by the failure to
include this earlier. How many cases of covid 19 do you think have been missed as a result of not including this earlier on . I dont have those figures to my fingertips. Im not sure anyone other than professor specter has tried to make those kind of estimates. What i can tell you is that from the Public Health england dataset, from the first 100 cases, there are 229 cases in there all Laboratory Confirmed covid which have been studied in considerable detail, and 0. 44 reported anosmia on its own as a symptom. So the point about anosmia is it doesnt always come as the first symptom, and even if it does, it is followed by the cough, the fever and many
other symptoms i have talked about referring to the who definition. So you dont miss those cases. The important thing was to work out if this would add any sensitivity to the diagnostic cluster we were using, and the answer is it makes a small, very small difference and we have therefore decided to do it. Thanks, fergus. Secretary of state, you asked people to use their common sense as become out of lockdown and you are also asking many people to go back to work or soon send their children back to school, but isnt it common sense for people to wait until you have the track and Trace Programme properly in place before they go back to work or before they send their kids to school . 0therwise arent you asking people to make something of a leap of faith . And professor van tam, the r rate last
week was said to be 0. 7 1. Do you expect there to be some kind of level of covid transmission in schools once pupils return and how do you expect that to impact the r number . Thank you. We are making Good Progress with the track and tracing regime. We have got 21,000 tracers, we have 60,000 downloads of the app on the isle of wight pilot, so we are making Good Progress on that. In terms of the measures we have taken at this stage, as you will no at step one we have been pretty cautious, and that is precisely because we want to make sure footed and sustainable steps. When we come to the later steps, and as and when the tracing and testing
capacity is up and running, it will give more room forflexibility. So we are making sure we are taking the right steps at the right moment, and obviously the testing and tracing will be a key component, particularly medium to longer term has through the coronavirus. Jonathan. Yes, thank you, beth. I will chop your question into parts if that is all right. The first point is about disease and children, and we are absolutely aware of a small number of cases in Children Associated with a disease that looks associated with a disease that looks a bit like kawasaki syndrome, looks a bit like kawasaki syndrome, looks a bit like toxic shock syndrome, but these are very, very, very small numbers compared with the vast majority of confirmed infections in children, which are really extremely mild compared to the illness suffered by adults. So we do think,
to conclude, we think children experience mild disease. The next question is do children have a higher infection rate or a lower infection rate than adults . You can gain those data from serology studies, studies of the blood to look for antibodies. The emerging data from around the world on the whole suggests that the rate of infection in children is about the same as in adults, possibly a little lower in the younger aged children. But they get this much more mild disease on the whole. The next question then is can children transmit the virus to adults . And here we have to acknowledge that we are working with a new virus where the data are pretty sparse at the moment. But the experts have already had a look at this and formed a
conclusion, unlike influenza, like flu, where we are very clear that children drive transmission in the community to adults, it really does not seem to be the same kind of signal with covid 19 that children are not these kind of big high output transmitters as they are with flow. And then to your final point about getting children back to school, and is that safe in terms of the r0, all of the measures being considered always are run against the test case of can we keep control of the r0 . End if the answer is yes, thenit of the r0 . End if the answer is yes, then it will be considered. If the answer is its going to risk pushing the r0 higher than answer is its going to risk pushing the r0 higherthan one, then our science advice to ministers will always be know, we advise against
it, simple as that. This is a difficult balancing act because there are significant well being issues for children who are out of school for months on end, so it is delicate and difficult, and i accept that. Do you want to come back on any of that . Just quickly, you have done a greatjob in recruiting people to track and trace, but in terms of the app, just to be clear to parents, will it be ready byjune the 1st when you ask some of us to send their kids back to school . Because parents might want that reassurance. All of these steps are a balanced assessment, notjust of one or other element but particularly the r rate. In terms of the app, it is still our intention to roll it out across the country for everyone to use in the weeks ahead. I cannot be any more precise at this stage but we are making good
progress with it. Gary gibbon next, channel 4. Progress with it. Gary gibbon next, channel4. Thank progress with it. Gary gibbon next, channel 4. Thank you. It sounds as if the progress on the app has slipped a bit. We were told to expect it will be rolled out in the middle of may, but you cannot say any more that it will be in the weeks ahead. Given the app and testing are two key ingredients, are you not worried that the test seem to be coming back really rather late, sometimes in five days . You have missed the opportunity potentially to quarantine someone. It is perfectly reasonable to point out we are learning all the way as we go through this pandemic, not just on the scientific side, but we need to get a grip on it and control the virus. We are making Good Progress on the pilot in the isle of
wight in relation to the app. We have always said of course the steps we might take, what is a step two on the slides i just showed, we might take, what is a step two on the slides ijust showed, will only be taken at the earliest injune. But we are giving is a road map with maximum conditionality to make sure both in terms of the measures we have taken at step one and any subsequent measures, we are confident we can take further sure footed steps. Confident we can take further surefooted steps. Can you guide us, may be the professor can, to what extent was the modelling on which the easing is based based on a fully functioning app and a Testing Process that was bringing back results before 48 hours . Jonathan, please. Yes, so, iwant to results before 48 hours . Jonathan, please. Yes, so, i want to be clear that the app is one part of the test and trace system. The rest of it is
much more of the tried and tested methodology used by Public Health england for this and for many other diseases. And the mainstay will always be the Public Health england system, as evidenced by the 21,500 recruits, a third of whom are doctors or nurses, to help with that. That is the mainstay of it. Testing is very much testing for action. We dont do it for the hell of it. It informs action for people either to be reassured that they have a negative result and they dont need to go into self isolation, or that they absolutely must, and it will inform Contact Tracing as part of test and trace, it absolutely will. And from that perspective, you are absolutely right that we need to do it bigger
and faster, and as fast as we can, and faster, and as fast as we can, and we are sending a clear message as scientists that it needs to be fast, and we have to work as hard as we can to improve the timeliness of the testing system as we go along. Of course, the reality is, the further along it is, the more expanded, the more flexibility we will have, so it is not a binary choice but it is proceeding at pace. Tom newton dunn from the sun. May i ask about the resolution tabled today to which britain is a signatory calling for a review into the international communitys response to the pandemic. It does not mention anything about getting to the bottom of the origin of it and doesnt mention china by name at all. Are you letting china off the hook or do you want an independent enquiry like australia does and want this enquiry to get to the bottom of the origin of the pandemic . And a
question for mr van tam as well. Jonathan, in your incredibly honest way, as usual, can you update us on how far site has got on the double bubble joining of two households. And for the over 70s, is there any hope of them co joining with their children or grandchildren . Now might bea children or grandchildren . Now might be a good time to manage their expectations, because they are running pretty high. At the international level, we have been clear, and we work with all of our partners, including australia and many others, because we want this review to command the strongest support. It has to be international, credible, which means it is independent and impartial, and it has to be able to get to the bottom of how it happened, how the outbreak happened and spread, and critically the lessons we can learn for future pandemics. Jonathan. Yes, so thank
you for the question. My mum lives on her own. She hasnt seen her grandchildren for many months, so i appreciate how difficult and stressful this really is for the kind of categories of people that you mention out there, and it is hurting, and it is difficult. Sage is looking at this at the moment. The matter is under review. It would not be right and proper for me to comment further at this stage, and therefore, with respect, i wont. Tom, do you want to come back on any of that . A quick followup for mr van tam. I understand your reasoning, but perhaps you could offer more guidance on camping, which you offered to look into last week. If brits cant go on holiday anytime soon, can they camping outdoors not co joining with anyone,
safely . Yes, i have had a lot of correspondence about that since my appearance last week, as you can imagine, andl appearance last week, as you can imagine, and i stand ready to give advice to the government on all of those complex issues as and when it asks for it. Very good. Thanks, tom. Kate proctor from the guardian. Thank you. To the foreign secretary, thousands of care workers from out side the European Economic area are risking their lives working in britain in care homes in the coronavirus pandemic. These same ca re rs are coronavirus pandemic. These same carers are being asked to pay £625 to use the nhs, in many cases the same service in which they work. Will the government exempt migrant ca re will the government exempt migrant care workers from this nhs charge, or will they scrap it altogether . And forjonathan or will they scrap it altogether . And for Jonathan Van Tam, or will they scrap it altogether . And forJonathan Van Tam, i wanted to ask what you thought the scientificjustification is for introducing a quarantine period now as opposed to doing it earlier on in
march or april, particularly considering the infection rates for other countries in europe are particularly low. Thanks very much. There are no current plans to make the change you describe, but we know that the home secretary is very keen to make sure that we have a sensitive immigration system for those exceptional front line workers, whether in care homes or in the nhs, and we recognise that a lot of people have come from abroad and do thosejobs of people have come from abroad and do those jobs and make a huge and valued contribution to this country. Jonathan. So, on the question of quarantine, why didnt we do it previously . And we are talking subject to ministerial announcements about maybe doing it now. Well, my recollection is, we did do it before. 0n the 29th of february, and then on the 30th of february, we
announced that travellers returning from wuhan and its surrounding province when they arrived in the uk must self isolate at home for 14 days. You have caught me on the hop here, im afraid, but i believe it was about four weeks later, we made further advice that people returning from northern italy, initially lombardy, then northern italy, and south korea and iran, i think, we asked them also on arrival in the uk to go home and quarantine, self isolate at home, for 14 days, that being the potential maximum incubation period of this virus. So, i think we have done it before. We did it at a time when the virus activity was concentrated into International Hotspots such as hubei
province, south korea, northern italy. We are now in a different world where this virus has spread completely internationally, and we are lucky in that we are driving down our case rate to the point where we are becoming an area of low incidence of covid 19, and at that point, then it becomes more sensible to think about what the contribution of travellers from abroad might be. So, that is, i hope, knits it all together for you. I havent got the precise dates on some of the previous quarantines, but we did it. Would you like to follow up on any of that . Thank you for that explanation, that was very helpful. To the foreign secretary again, you said that you want to have a sympathetic immigration system. I dont understand what is sympathetic about a £625 nhs charge for carers. And you have made it exempt for other health workers, so why not
carers . We keep these things co nsta ntly carers . We keep these things constantly under review, but that is a provision that applies to all workers subject to the definitions coming into this country. We do all sorts of things to support the care sector, including the action plan for the sector that was launched a few weeks ago. And if your concern is having the people to work in the ca re is having the people to work in the care sector, of course, we have put extra money in under an extra Recruitment Programme to make sure we are able to do that. We will keep it under review, and i understand the point, kate, you are making, and it is absolutely right to pay tribute to the incredible work so many do, and in fairness, tribute to the incredible work so many do, and infairness, it is in so many other ways. We do have immigration controls in place and how they apply in the covid pandemic is something we are reviewing. Jez hemmings from the north wales daily post and bbc wales. Good evening. What do you say to claims the decision to relax a lockdown in
england is undermining efforts to contain the virus in north wales where a full lockdown remains and torres are heading over the border in large numbers chris mackay will be interested to know what mr van tam thinks about the divergence between the english and welsh scientific approaches . To start with, we have done a pretty good job. All nations in the uk have adhered to the social distancing measures to help get the capital are down. I have to say, we have had good collaborations with the devolved nations. I have sat in on cobra meetings where, notwithstanding the different perspectives or considerations which will apply in different nations of the uk, we have actually had a uk wide approach. Equally, we have recognised that given the devolved competencies, and given the level of coronavirus in different parts of the uk, there may be different speeds at which the different
nations proceed, or even at regional level, and in answer to your question about people from the uk going over to wales, from england going over to wales, from england going to wales, we have been clear that anyone who wants to travel from england to wales or any other part of the United Kingdom needs to be mindful of the regulations that the devolved administrations have in place. Jonathan. I will answer my bit of the question. So, decisions that are made are always a complex blend of science, politics and practicality, and i think we have to recognise the right of different parts of the uk to make their own decisions. What i would be far more worried about is if there was a separate stream of science driving decisions are in wales, scotland, Northern Ireland from england. But sage absolutely is a committee that
advises the whole of the nation in that sense. 0ne advises the whole of the nation in that sense. One of the difficulties with all of these data and working out what is happening is that as you chop the uk into smaller and smaller regions, you dont have as much regions, you dont have as much region specific data to work with, and the granularity of the picture down at regional level start level starts to fade. Some differences in timing and so forth are to be understood. Would you like to come back on any of that . would. Going back to what you were saying about cooperation with the nations, the welsh first minister re ce ntly nations, the welsh first minister recently complained that the Welsh Government hadnt had a conversation with the uk government for a week. As the uk government leaving devolved nations to their own fate, and if not, what assistance is being provided . I dont think thats right at all. If you look at the funding provided to all the devolved
administrations, including the welsh executive, the amount of ppe we have helped deliver for nurses and others on the front line. I dont know the last time that any one of the uk government spoke to the welsh executive, but what i would say is that this challenge of, as far as we can, steering a uk wide approach whilst also recognising the devolved competencies and the fact that judgments and the state of the virus will be different in different parts of the uk is not unique to the uk. If you look at italy, they have experienced that. I spoke to my german opposite number recently and he was explaining the different approaches taken in the different states of germany. It has been true in france, with different geographic variations and variables at play. We wa nt variations and variables at play. We want the best we can, and certainly there is a huge repository of goodwill built up on both sides, and certainly from the uk government was
my point of view, we want to continue that going forward. On the medical side, and im only talking about the medical side, i dont recognise the position that you have outlined. My last conversation with the welsh medical director in teleconference was like last week, and my first one with him will i expect to be this evening, and i know that our chief medical officer for england is in pretty much daily contact with all of the devolved administration chief medical officers, and that on very many things, they act as the four cmos together. Jez, thanks very much for that. Thanks, everyone. That brings toa that. Thanks, everyone. That brings to a close todays downing street press co nfe re nce. To a close todays downing street press conference. Thank you, jonathan. There we go, the latest downing street briefing on coronavirus, dominic raab, the
foreign secretary, and professor Jonathan Van Tam, the deputy chief medical officer for england. Lets run you through the main points. They have been a further 160 deaths related to coronavirus over the last day. That brings the total number in all settings to 34,796. Dominic raab also announced the daily testing figure in the 24 hour period up to 9am on monday, 67,409 people were tested. Dominic raab warned it is not sustainable to keep the lockdown in place permanently but said the government is monitoring the changes it is making and easing measures only where that can be done with the lowest risk possible. We also heard from professor van tam, the deputy chief medical officerfor from professor van tam, the deputy chief medical officer for england. He said autumn and winter conditions could well provide a better environment for the virus, and we may have to learn with it in the long term. That is of course if a vaccine is not discovered, manufactured in the next few months. Lets get the thoughts and analysis of our Political Correspondent helen catt. One of the questions was about the additional list of symptoms for covid 19, the loss of smell and taste, the point at which people should self isolate. In france that was added to the list of symptoms weeks ago. Why has it onlyjust been added today here . That is the question that has been asked all day since it was added to the official list of symptoms, along with the persistent cough and High Temperature. Professor van tam said they had ta ken temperature. Professor van tam said they had taken their time because they had taken their time because they wanted to work out if the
symptoms of the loss of sense of smell or taste, how often they appeared as the only symptoms, and how often they appeared much earlier than the other symptoms. So the phrase he used was, even if it was barn door obvious they were symptoms of covid 19, he needed to make it clear adding it to the list of symptoms was the right thing to do. He said in the end they decided it made a small difference so that is why they decided to do it. But he didnt think they had missed many cases because in the vast majority of cases the symptoms came with the others which were already on the list. Also interesting from the press co nfe re nce was list. Also interesting from the press conference was then being pushed on the development of this Contact Tracing app. Dominic raab announced the recruitment of 21,000 contact tracers, who will do this manually. People will get contacted
and advised if they need to self isolate, so we knew that was in place, but they were pushed on whether the app was running late because it had been expected to be in place by mid may. He said on that case dominic raab declined to give a date by which the app would be up and functioning, but they did say it is only one part of the track and Trace Programme, and the manual tracing and tracking would be the mainstay of any system so that was an interesting take on that. Helen, for the moment thank you very much indeed. Helen catt. I want to bring you some breaking news from Northern Ireland. We are hearing ministers from the devolved administrations and there have said groups of up to six people who do not share a household can meet outdoors with social distancing of course, that is from tuesday. So groups in Northern Ireland of up to six people who do not share household can meet
outdoors from tuesday. Also churches will be open for private prayer again with social distancing, sports like golf and tennis can restart in Northern Ireland, and also allowed will be driving Church Services and cinemas drive in. Also the restau ra nt cinemas drive in. Also the Restaurant Owners casual dining group, one of britains biggest restau ra nt group, one of britains biggest Restaurant Operators and they run restau ra nts, Restaurant Operators and they run restaurants, 6000 staff in 250 locations and they run the restau ra nt locations and they run the restaurant chains bella italia and cafe rouge, they have filed notice to appoint administrators. They are working on a possible Restructuring Plan but have filed notice to appoint administrators, so clearly in trouble there, that restaurant
group that employ some 6000 staff altogether. Lets go to our Health Correspondent nick triggle, who can talk to us about what we learned from that briefing. Again, one of the questions was parents can feel confident about sending their kids back to school, how people can be confident about going back to work. If we still havent got the track and trace system fully up and running. Yes, as helen mentioned, dominic raab did not commit to a date by which the track and trace system would be up and running. The expectation was it would be by mid may but we know that the app is still being piloted in the isle of wight, just under half the population have downloaded that. And we have heard they are recruiting 21,000 contact tracers. We are still
a long way from having the system in place. Tests have been done but some people are waiting a long time for their test results to come back, sometimes up to five days, and that will be essential if we are to track and trace people that they get their test results back quickly. Then you can inform the close contacts of those individuals that they may also be at risk. Another issue discussed was the idea of quarantining new arrivals into the uk. I know that concerns a lot of people who are thinking about trying to get away for a Summer Holiday in particular. What did we learn about that . Because there have been suggestions there may be exemptions for people coming from low infection countries, where there isnt a high rate of infection. I think the picture with thatis infection. I think the picture with that is still very unclear. There is a lot of work to be done on how we contain the outbreaks and how any quarantining system contain the outbreaks and how any quara ntining system will work. Contain the outbreaks and how any quarantining system will work. It
was interesting Jonathan Van Tam referred back to the early days of the outbreak in the uk, insisting we did use quarantining then when people were coming in from china and a number of asian countries, and then from northern italy, and we did use it to try to contain it then but theissue use it to try to contain it then but the issue was we didnt have the testing and tracing system in place. Thats why there were a lot of questions at the briefing about testing and tracing, and trying to get that in place. Many thanks indeed for that. Nick triggle, our Health Correspondent. Today should have been the first day of the Chelsea Flower Show, but the pandemic means it has been cancelled for the first time in fact since the second world war. Instead the show has gone online with many designers transforming their own gardens for what is a virtual show. The queen was among those sending her support to the organisers. Hello, i am alan titchmarsh. The face is familiar, but other things are different. For me one of the most rewarding things to grow something i can eat. The virtual Chelsea Flower Show, the smells, the bustle arent there, a different mood to the online version. Hello, tom, have you had to think about how the garden looks virtually . Yes, i did have to think about the kind of shots, im not a director, im not a film person so trying to think about the right shots to capture, the right plants to show, how to tell a story of this kind of dull space and transforming it into a chelsea style planting, took a bit of thinking about to get that right. We reseeded the orchard last autumn, with wild flower mix. Instead of show gardens and displays, weve been taken into some private back gardens. Virtual chelsea is also focusing on the positivity gardening can bring. More and more people are finding that gardening of any kind is really helpful, it reduces anxiety, helps depression, and its to do with nurturing something. This is just absolutely wonderful. For those denied their chelsea fix this year, there was a positive response to the virtual version. With virtual chelsea, i think we always look for inspiration, different ideas that we can bring into our own garden and in our own situation. And there is such a lot on there for us. That, you know, every day will bring Something Different to our perspective of lockdown. Now, the queen arrives. All chelsea regulars have become armchair viewers this time. The queen has attended almost every year of her reign. In a statement of support to the Royal Horticultural Society today she said the horticultural industry is one
that has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Even though Garden Centres have just reopened, theyve already lost an estimated £500 million worth of stock. That just hasnt survived. Its not exactly the same, but chelsea is a gardening and social highlight for so many. This hopefully fills a gap until the planned return of the Chelsea Flower Show in 2021. Daniela relph, bbc news. The six oclock news is coming up in a few minutes with fiona bruce but lets first recapped the main points from the downing street briefing which was led by the foreign secretary, dominic raab. He confirmed there have been a further 160 deaths related to coronavirus over the last day bringing the total number of uk deaths from covid 19 in
all settings to 34,796. Dominic raab also announced the daily testing figure in the 24 hour period until nine oclock on monday morning, that was 100,678 tests carried out or dispatch, a total of 67,000 people actually tested. He warned it is not sustainable to keep the lockdown in place permanently. It was also announced today that anyone in the uk over the age of five who think they have the symptoms of coronavirus can be tested. The six oclock news coming up. First lets get the weather. So far this month of may has been exceptionally dry with the rain deficit for many areas. It doesnt look like theres much rain in the forecast either, certainly over the next couple of days it will be turning warmer, particularly in the middle part of the week. By the end of the week, low pressure moves in
so cooler and windier and some will see some rain. The pressure chart for the latter part of monday shows these weather fronts across the northern half of the country, higher pressure towards the south. It means through tonight it will stay cloudy and damp across Northern Ireland, north wales, northern england, central and southern scotland with outbreaks of rain here. Drier to the north of scotland and further south, and a mild night to come for pretty much all areas, 10 degrees being the lowest value. Tuesday starting off cloudy and damp but the rain should peter out and become confined to the far north of scotland, in the northern isles. High pressure really sta rts northern isles. High pressure really starts to building for wednesday, thats when we start to see the heat building. It pushes the weather front further north and draws up the
warm airfrom spain and france. It looks like it will be a dry story for most, the rain becomes confined to orkney and shetland. This is where we will see the peak of the warm weather, 27 degrees in the south east, even the low 20s celsius across scotland. Thursday is another warm day in the south, an increasing chance of heavy showers and thunderstorms with slightly cooler air pushing from the north west. Then by the end of the week a different story moving in, an area of low pressure, quite a deep feature with lots of isobars on the chart and a weather front that will sweep north was to bring some areas outbreaks of rain. To end the week ona outbreaks of rain. To end the week on a caller and windier note, thanks to the area of low pressure, and some in the north west will see the rain. It is scotland, Northern Ireland, north england and west
wales but some southern and eastern areas could stay dry altogether. New symptoms to look for if you think you may have coronavirus a loss of smell or taste. Thats if you also have a High Temperature or a cough doctors say the new symptons should have been included weeks ago. In excess of 100,000, maybe 200,000 cases, would have been missed, would have been out there infecting other people. The government says anyone aged five and over can now have a coronavirus test, though there are complaints its taking too long already to get the results. 21,000 contact tracers have been recruited, though the nhs coronavirus app wont be ready for a few weeks. Also tonight. In Northern Ireland, groups of up to six people not