Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News 20200316

And growing numbers of parents in the us prepare for Home Learning as more and more states order schools to close. Central banks around the world, led by the us Federal Reserve, have taken concerted action to halt the economic slump provoked by the coronavirus pandemic. The fed slashed Interest Rates by a full percentage point on sunday and announced a multi billion dollar package of quantitative easing, to encourage spending. It said it expected a rate of virtually zero to be maintained until the bank was confident that the economy had weathered events. Heres President Trumps response. The Federal Reserve is going to be purchasing 500 billion of treasuries and 200 billion of Mortgage Backed securities and that number can increase, but they are going to start with that and that is really good news, its really great for our country. Its something that were very happy, i have to say this, very happy. 0ur north america correspondent, david willis explains why the ferderal reserve are acting now. They are acting now out of concern, i think its fair to say, mayram, over the effects of the coronavirus in the United States, and of course around the world. Weve seen markets in freefall over the last few weeks as the impact of this virus has become apparent. Clearly, President Trump has been very, very concerned about that. Hes been putting a lot of pressure on the Federal Reserve to do something fairly drastic like this and having cut Interest Rates earlier this month, just a couple of weeks ago, and found that theres very little effect from that attempted stimulus, the fed has gone further, announcing on a sunday evening, would you believe, that it is basically cutting by a full 1 which means it will virtually be free to borrow money here in the us. They are saying this will have an effect on businesses. It will of course lead to them paying less in Interest Rates. It will also affect people who have credit cards. Whether or not it will actually lead to more money going into the economy at a time so many people are choosing to stay at home because of the virus remains to be seen. David, President Trump shows he is happy with the decision. How much was political, given the pressure the president has in the past put on the Federal Reserve to cut rates . Well, i think there was obviously a political element. Just mentioning there with all this, President Trump has made no secret of the fact that he has disagreed with a lot of the decisions that the Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell has made, not least mr powells reticence to cut Interest Rates with quite the vigor that President Trump would have liked to have seen. But the president , much, much more magnanimous towards Jerome Powell today, saying this was a terrific move, offering his congratulations to the board of the Federal Reserve. The first human trial of any vaccine to protect against coronavirus will begin in the us city of seattle on monday. 45 young, Healthy Volunteers will receive various doses without being infected. The vaccine doesnt contain any part of the coronavirus, but will instruct a patients own cells to produce proteins that could prevent, treat or cure the disease. As weve been reporting, days after becoming the new epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic, europe has been altered beyond recognition. The streets of rome, madrid and paris are deserted. Spain is in a state of emergency with the whole population in near total lockdown. From the capital madrid, heres damian grammaticas. You may find this report distressing. She is gasping, grief stricken, infected with the virus. Last night, in this hospital, her husband died. Today, doctors have told her to go home. There arent enough beds to treat her. Shes not sick enough, not yet. Around her, trying to calm her, are her children, now at extreme risk too. They warn us to wear masks, keep a distance. Spain is in the grip of the virus. Everywhere its close at hand. Milagros tells me the medics working double shifts are overwhelmed and fearful of being infected themselves. Translation its so hard. You go home and you cannot get close to your child or your husband. But its what we have to do. And this is that frustration boiling over. Dont come to the hospital if your symptoms are mild, the doctor says. People have to stop flooding emergency rooms. And so spain has ordered everyone off the streets. Madrid, a major European Capital silent. The police tell anyone they see to go home. Unseen, the virus is propagating, and also the anxiety. So this is what happens when a country really starts to fear the threat posed by the virus. This is part of madrids financial district, and take a look down here. One of the biggest avenues through the city. Just two days ago this was thronged now, almost empty. Youre allowed out to buy food or go to work. Petrol stations are one of the few places that are open and people have to keep a distance. But spain was slower to do this than italy. They should have had protective measures before because i mean, were neighbours. It was impossible not that it was not going to spread to here. Applause. And last night, this has happened. Applause, all across spain, to thank the countrys doctors. They came out of their clinics forjust a few minutes to acknowledge the gesture. Gracias then got back to work, trying to save hundreds more from succumbing to the virus. Damian grammaticas, bbc news, madrid. The governor of new york state andrew cuomo has announced that schools in new york city, and three counties just outside the city, will close from monday. New york citys Public School system is the largest in the world with more than a Million Students being taught in more than 1,700 schools. Governor cuomo had earlier been criticised for insisting that schools should remain open. This is what he said on saturday. For many families, the school is childcare. If you close the schools and the children are home, a large percentage of the workforce may say i have to stay home and take care of my children. Randi weingarten is the president of the American Federation of teachers, i asked her why she thought Governor Cuomo had changed his mind. Mr cuomo is the governor of the state but it was important to have a change of heart from the mayor of the city of new york who was also basically the head of the new York City School system. What you are seeing is, over 2a of the 50 states now in the United States have said schools will be closed for a period of time. You also just had guidance from the centres for Disease Control that for the next eight weeks, there shouldnt be gatherings of more than 50 people. And so what youre seeing is that america is starting to do what now italy, france, spain has done in times of creating social distancing, particularly because we dont have the kind of tests we need to get a sense of who has or who doesnt have the virus. And just like youre going through in the uk, and we feel for you like just like we feel for those of us in in america we cannot fight this disease without actually knowing who has the disease and what the transmission vectors are. So its agonising to close schools because in america, we feed kids in school, schools are the centre of community, we do a lot of things that help kids in schools so its an agonising choice but its a choice we need to do to actually make sure the health and safety of people are protected. You touched on the social impact, that will be huge, wont it . How much support is there from parents for this move . What was happening, im the president of the ft, we have 3,500 locals throughout the United States, and we are in a0 of the states but i happen to live in new york city and the parents and teachers were in an uproar that the schools were not going to be closed because again, there is not a way of knowing who is carrying the virus because we have not had the kind of tests that we need to have, the tests that they have in south korea, the tests that they have in so other places and there is a lot of criticism in the states that the Trump Administration really botched up the beginning processes here of how to make sure that our Health System was ready for the surge and make sure we had enough tests and enough protective equipment and things like that. So parents around new york city were trending on twitter, were saying weve got to close the schools because we dont know who is carrying it and who isnt. How much will it actually help . The mayor bill de blasio has announced that restaurants, cinemas, nightclubs and concert venues will shut. Those measures have been announced by the mayor of new york. Us Officials Say theyre working to improve waiting times for health screening, after chaotic scenes for returning travellers at some american airports. The Trump Administrations decision to include the uk and ireland in its european travel ban comes into effect on tuesday. 0ur washington correspondent jane 0brien reports. As the last link to europe closed, panicked americans rushed to beat the travel ban. Immigration at chicagos 0hare airport was overwhelmed, with passengers reporting enormous crowds and unsanitary conditions. Here at washingtons dulles airport, though, it seems the shutdown is already taking hold because it really is eerily quiet here. This is normally one of the nations Busiest International hubs, but looking at the arrivals board, there is already only a handful of planes coming in from europe. Americans returning on a plane from london were grateful to be home. Just given the timing, i think we honestlyjust lucked out, just given that we got back today, instead of tomorrow, because that would have been a lot more hectic. The Airline Industry is reeling from the travel bans and cancellations, as fewer americans risk travelling even within the country. American airlines, the worlds second largest carrier, is cutting capacity and suspending almost all Long Haul International flights from monday. The Trump Administration is promising sweeping measures to help prop up the economy as america grinds to a halt. What i would focus on is what we need to do right now because it is clear we need to get the Economic Relief to the economy falls up a shortage of testing kits continues to hamper effo rts kits continues to hamper efforts to get a feel for how far the coronavirus has spread. In denver, colorado people queued for hours at one of the drive through site that is starting to open up but at least one person has been cleared. President trump who faced public pressure after coming into contact with an infected person has now tested negative. But across the country, cases are rising and so was the death toll. So is the death toll. Stay with us on bbc news, still to come easier said than done, well bring you some top tips to help keep your hands away from yourface. Today, we have closed the book on apartheid and that chapter. More than 3,000 subway passengers were affected. Nausea, bleeding, headaches and a dimming of vision all of this caused by an apparently organised attack. The trophy itself was on the pedestal in the middle of the cabinet here. Now, this was an international trophy, and we understand now that the search for it has become an international search. Above all, this was a triumph for the christian democrats of the west, offering reunification as quickly as possible, and thats what the voters wanted. This is bbc world news, the latest headlines drastic action from the Federal Reserve to tackle coronavirus its cut Interest Rates to 0. 25 , and announced co ordinated action with other central banks. As the death toll across europe rises, spain begins a state of near lockdown, with people only allowed out of their homes to work, buy food or get medical care. Brazils president , jair bolsonaro, has left self isolation to greet pro government supporters protesting against the congress. He was seen shaking hands and taking selfies outside the president ial palace in brasilia. Mr bolsonaro put himself into quarantine after at least five members of his delegation tested positive for coronavirus over the last week following a trip to the us for meetings with President Trump. Sam cowie is a journalist in sao paulo in brazil. He told us more about president bolsonaros diagnosis. He has already said that he does not have the coronavirus and he gave a rather obscene gesture outside the president ial palace to the press, noting that his test had negative results. Since then it is understood he is undertaking more tests and has entered or had entered, at least, a period of isolation which was expected to last for at least seven days. Now when the pro government rallies kicked off today across the country and when the pro government rally advanced on the president ial palace in brasilia that was the second instance of when mr bolsonaro left his self imposed his advised isolation period. He went out to meet the demonstrators and took photographs with them, shook hands. Earlier in the day before he met them personally it was understood he left isolation of the president ial palace in a car and accompanied a protest with a car in the capital brasilia. The president earlier this week on tuesday was saying that the coronavirus is much more fantasy. In an interview with cnn brazil, a new channel launched tonight, he said that he still encourages people to go to football events and does not really see anything wrong with what is going on. He made some insinuations that there was an economic motive behind what he describes as hysteria about coronavirus. He says hysteria and yet there are some cases in brazil. How many are there and what is being done . We have had about 200 cases confirmed and reported so far, no death there is one patient understood to be in a Critical Condition also in the capital but that is a patient already had a terminal illness. No death so far but 200 cases and these are expected to rise through anything up to 4000 within the next week 10 days and that was before these pro government rallies today. Measures that are being put, there is little coming from government, from congress which is on lockdown. State governors themselves, individual states are proposing measures. Here in sao paulo it is understood that tomorrow will be the last day of school for young people in the state. It is understood that theatres will be closing, entertainment venues, anywhere where there will be a conglomeration of people. And that is reflected across different states in brazil. We have seen the governor and former bolsonaro ally in rio dejaneiro state advise people not to go to the beach. As of saturday there were quite a lot of people visiting the beach. But there is a growing concern here, especially in brazil, among members of the informal labour workforce much of the job recovery seen after the recent years financial crisis and economic crisis, has come from the informal economy Street Vendors and uber drivers and when you speak with these people, you see many of them are concerned about the growing crisis. Lets return to europe where measures have been put in place to try to contain the spread of coronavirus, and limit the impact on Health Services and vulnerable people. Rich preston has this look at whats been introduced across the continent. A wave of restrictions across europe from the closure of borders to the shutting of schools, restaurants and business. Millions of people have been told to stay at home. As the number of cases climb in germany, it has announced it will seal its borders with france, austria and switzerland. People without good reason will not be allowed to cross into the country. Commuters and goods vehicles will be exempt. There are now more than a800 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country, with 12 deaths. In the netherlands, which has seen more than 1100 cases, bars, restaurants and cafes will be closed. Last round in amsterdam, queues outside cannabis cafes with customers hoping to make a purchase before the door is shut. Croatia says anyone arriving from a country with infections covid 19 infections must self isolate for 1h days. European Union Members have been told the best way to get through the crisis is to pool resources and Work Together to start making essential life saving equipment. We are working with industry to ramp up reduction. We are working with industry to ramp up production. Second, we need to keep in the eu the protective equipment that we need. This is why we adopted today and expert authorisation scheme for protective equipment. This means that such medical goods can only be exported to a non eu country with the explicit authorisation of the eu governments. In the czech republic, people are only allowed to go out to go to and from work and purchase food, medicine or make an urgent family visit. Otherwise the instructions are to be at home. Otherwise the instructions are to stay at home. In poland, mass held in empty churches. Austria is banning any gatherings, public or private, of more than five people. In ireland, pubs will be closed. Pressure is mounting on government to act rigorously to limit the spread of the disease and to put measures in place to be able to deal with the increasingly large number of cases. For the first time in three weeks south korea has reported fewer than 100 new coronavirus cases. The country has the highest number of cases in asia after china, with over 8,000 confirmed infections and 75 deaths. But south korea seems to be enjoying a downward trend in new cases. Heres the countrys foreign minister explaining how. The basic principle is openness, transparency and fully keeping the public informed, and i think this is paying off. Testing is essential because that leads to Early Detection and minimises further spread and quickly treats those found with the virus, and i think that is the key behind our very low fatality rate as well. Well, for the past few weeks, we have all been told the best thing we can still do to prevent the spread of coronavirus is to wash our hands and not touch our faces. Psychologist Natasha Tiwari has these tips to help you. Dont touch your face. And i havent touched my face in weeks. Because we cant help it. It is part of our dna, we are hardwired to do it. We know this because humans as young as foetuses in utero touch theirface, touch their faces, so every time you tell yourself, stop touching your face, dont touch yourface, if i touch my face im going to get really ill, you are telling yourself to do something that is entirely unnatural to you. When we touch our faces, what we are really doing is calming ourselves down. When we touch certain areas of our faces, what were really doing is were activating certain pressure points which then activate something called the parasympathetic nervous system, which is the thing that makes us calm ourselves down internally. We see the same response in dogs and cats. Children often model the same behaviour as their parents. So if our parents, when they are shocked, they touch their faces, or when they are surprised they touch their faces, or if they are upset they touch their faces, we are much more likely to do exactly the same thing. The irony is that, at a time when it is more important than ever to not touch your face, unconsciously your mind is constantly moving to a place where it can better protect you, by doing the things that it knows will soothe you, and so your unconscious mind will prompt your hands to go straight to your face. While it is almost impossible to totally stop touching yourface, a key way you can go about making it easier to take out the habits which lead you to do it. That may mean wearing glasses instead of contact lenses. It may mean wearing less make up so you dont have to top it up during the day. It may also mean creating habits around how you use your hands. Rather than moving around and having a hands like this and making it easy for it to land on yourface, making an effort to cross your hands and put them in your lap. Then when the urge comes to pick your hands up and touch your face, you will be more aware of what you are doing and quicker to catch yourself. I cleaned my hands before i touched my face. Lots more on our, website including this guide on how to protect your Mental Health during the global pandemic. Check it out on bbc dot com forward slash news. Dont forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter im bbcmaryam thank you so much for your company. Goodbye for now. Weve got some good weather on the way. Monday is expected to be a sunny day, across much of the country, after what has been a bit of a changeable weekend for some of us. And the weather front moving away towards the east. A big gap in the clouds here. And this is where our area of High Pressure is coming from, in fact, an azores high is building in, from the south west, and thats clearing the skies across the uk from monday. Across the uk for monday. But there is low pressure out there in the atlantic, and it will bring some rain later on monday, to North Western parts of the country. But this is what looks in the short term. You can see where the air frost is, where blue colours are. Most major towns and cities probably just around freezing, but certainly out in the countryside a frost. So first thing in the morning on monday, apart from a few areas, it will start off sunny. Remember that frost, but then, in the north west of the uk, come the afternoon, it is going to cloud over, the winds will strengthen, and we are expect rain the winds will strengthen, and we are expecting rain in Northern Ireland and western scotland. Looks like glasgow is in for some rainfall, at least by the time we get around the middle of the afternoon. Heres tuesdays Weather Forecast the High Pressure, that azores high thats building in right now, will slip away a little bit further towards the south and the east, and allow for some of these weather fronts to make inroads, so that does means that, after a beautiful and sunny start to the week on monday, tuesday is going to turn a little bit more cloudy. You can see that cloud streaming in, on a south westerly wind and, on top of that, weve got yet more rain there for Northern Ireland and also particularly western scotland. But with south westerly winds also comes mild air, so you can see there temperatures there widely into the mid teens, across england. And through the course of tuesday night and into wednesday, pretty much the same. So this weather front that is sliding in on these south westerlies, keeps bringing mild air to the south of the country. Quite a bit of cloud around and even some rain too at times, but across northern parts of the uk, a different source of those winds coming in source of wind direction coming in from the north atlantic so its going to be colder there, eight degrees in glasgow but 16 in london, remember in those south westerlies. So that is the middle of the week. Come thursday and friday, a bit of a hiccup really in the weather and we are expecting some of these weather fronts to develop across southern areas, and the rain could turn quite heavy by friday, temporarily, across the south, and you can see how the weather goes downhill, for example, in london. A beautiful monday, then it warms up by friday, expect some rain in london and in cardiff. 00 28 42,009 2147483051 51 05,719 but come the weekend, 2147483051 51 05,719 4294966103 13 29,430 it should dry out once again