Beyond italy could face too, as the lockdown leaves it scars. President trump says hes happy for the president ial election in november to be a referendum on his handling of the coronavirus crisis. And fears that the amazons indigenous population could be devastated by the virus, as the number of deaths in brazil passes 7,000 the highest in latin america. Hello and welcome to audiences in the uk and around the world. Were covering all the latest coronavirus developments here in britain and globally. Coronavirus developments first. Coronavirus developments new rules to help businesses in the uk emerge from lockdown are being considered by the government. Under draft proposals seen by the bbc ani employers x under draft proposals seen by the bbc employers would need to stagger start times and limit the amount of equipment that needs to be shared. Employers should consider providing ppe or physical screens if the 2 metre social distancing rules cant be observed. Also from today small and medium sized businesses in the uk hit by the pandemic are able to apply for loans of up to £50,000 in a scheme backed by the treasury. This afternoon World Leaders will host a Global Online summit with the hope of raising over 8 billion in funds to develop vaccines and treatments for covid 19. Italy is easing its coronavirus restrictions, nearly two months after becoming the first democracy to impose a Strict National lockdown. Millions of workers are expected to return to construction sites and factories. However, its a different story in japan. The countrys Prime Minister has extended the state of emergency until the end of may. First with more details on the draft uk government proposals for the workplace here is andy moore. Deserted streets, like here in leeds, are all part of our new normal, but the government is now looking at how we move out of the current restrictions. The Prime Minister is not set to publicly outline proposals for easing lockdown just yet but employers are already being consulted about a possible way forward. As part of a draft proposal, the two metre rule may be relaxed in cases where it cannot be observed, to be replaced by other means of keeping workers safe, such as physical screens and ppe. Under the plans, employers will be urged to stagger start and finish times to take pressure off public transport. Workers considered vulnerable would be put in the safest possible roles in the workplace. People who can work from home would be urged to continue doing so. That means many offices would remain closed. It is all part of a very cautious approach to easing the lockdown to avoid a second wave. The British Public have shown amazing stoicism and understanding of the need for the lockdown measures and, quite rightly, they want to ensure that, if and when they are eased, that theyre eased in a way that makes sure that the british peoples sacrifice has been worthwhile and that we continue to operate in a way which means the Public Health comes first. Another 315 coronavirus deaths were reported yesterday, across the uk, in all settings, bringing the total number of fatalities to 28,446. Today, borisjohnson willjoin an International Initiative to raise billions of pounds to fight coronavirus. He will say that stopping the pandemic is the most urgent shared endeavour of our time. Its humanity against the virus, he says, and together we will prevail. Andy moore, bbc news. Our Business Editor simon jack joined me a little earlier. He has been studying the draft guidance and explain that what weve seen so far is just one piece of the puzzle. This is just one of them and there are seven for different working environments, whether it is factory, outdoor, working at home. On this they say the two metres social distance rule should be observed where possible but where not you should look at different options. For example, rather than working face to face at a workstation, working back to back or side by side, possibly putting up a screen and also using ppe, personal protective equipment. If we go to the section on ppe, it is entirely blank. All it says is more detail to follow. Not for the first time, the acquisition of ppe equipment is a vexed issue. Unions say employers will have to provide this stuff so where will they get it from. Will we end up where businesses are competing for millions of masks directly with the nhs . How will that be sorted out and at the moment that bit is blank. Italy is easing its National Lockdown today the worlds longest of the coronavirus pandemic. Takeaways and parks are reopening, funerals can resume and some businesses are restarting. But the shutdown has left deep scars in a country with already serious economic problems, as our correspondent mark lowen reports from naples. Italy is starting to reopen, but champion pizza maker teresa iorio cant. With new rules only allowing takeaway for now, she will need more time to adapt and, after eight weeks of lockdown, she has taken such a financial hit that her business will struggle to survive. Translation it would be better to die than not to reopen, because it would kill my dreams for which ive sacrificed my life. It would mean losing my livelihood because my life is my work. I open the shutters in the morning and this is money for my sister, my niece, for me to live. A city of pizza, of spirit, of tattered beauty and past glories has been pummelled by the worlds longest lockdown of the pandemic. We were taken to see one of the roughest parts of one of the eus poorest regions and, in a place where the mafia typically profits from poverty, theres a fear they are doing it again. Until about 10 years ago, this was a no go zone for police. Through the image of social decay, the security has improved here and yet this crisis has reawa kened long standing concerns about organised crime preying on hardship and it is what many other poverty hit areas well beyond italy could face too, as the lockdown leaves its scars. Carpenter raffaele tells me he has not worked in almost three months and may have to sell his television to get by. Theres been lots more crime since the lockdown, he says, even kids dealing drugs and stealing cars, since theres no work and they need to eat. Fighting the resurgence of the neapolitan mafia, the camorra, is this ngo, run by a priest, under police protection. They make up boxes of supplies for those in need, to stop criminal groups from stepping in instead. Translation the camorra is taking advantage of this current vacuum. They have always exploited italys moments of weakness and this is one of those moments. They provide help to people but then ask them to deal drugs in exchange or give them money. We have to give citizens the antibodies to defend themselves, to stop the camorra from reclaiming this territory. Singing. In the old town, musical solidarity, baskets hung to take donations from those who can, and give to those in need. A Health Crisis has become a social and economic one. The swansong of a lockdown that has halted the virus but wounded this country. Mark lowen, bbc news, naples. Several other European Countries are also taking the First Step Towards lifting their lockdowns including portugal, spain, croatia and greece. And in germany, hairdressers and barbers can open today, for the First Time Since the lockdown was imposed six weeks ago. Customers and staff will have to wear masks, and therell be no hot drinks or magazines on offer, because of the risk of infection. Many businesses say theyre booked up for weeks in advance. President trump says he hopes the president ial election in november turns into a referendum on his response to the coronavirus pandemic thats because he believes hes done a greatjob. In a televised town hall event broadcast by fox news, mr trump insisted his decision to impose restrictions had saved lives, and rejected claims that he had failed to act quickly enough. David willis reports. That was a great man. In the shadow of the man who led america through the dark six days of the civil war, donald trump, a self declared wartime president , sought to relaunch his president ial campaign with a steady stream of optimism about this countrys ability to bounce back from the coronavirus. We want to go back to work quickly, but safely. And that is what is happening. Next year, i think, well have a great economic year. Having hailed the development of an experimental antiviral drug called remdesivir to treat patients with covid i9, the president said a vaccine would be available earlier than his medical advisers have so far predicted. We think we are going to have a vaccine by the end of this year and we are pushing very hard. We are Building Supply lines now, we dont even the vaccine yet. Doubling down on assertions that the virus came not from a wet market in wuhan, but from a nearby laboratory at the city s institute of virology, mr trump said china had a lot of explaining to do. My opinion is they made a mistake, they try to cover it and try to put it out, like a fire. Its really like trying to put out a fire. They couldnt put out the fire. What they really treated the world badly on, they stopped people going into china, but they didnt stop people going into the usa and all over the world. Monday sees the return to washington of the us senate, and having already approved 3 trillion in aid, the president hinted congress could have more to come in an effort to rebuild this economy. Although some states are slowly reopening, they are not doing it quickly enough for some residents. President trump expressed sympathy for those who have protested lockdown orders in several states. Responding to claims he acted too slowly to stem the spread of the coronavirus, mr trump said his actions had saved thousands of lives. We are going to lose anywhere from 75, 80, 100,000 people. Thats a horrible thing. We should not lose one person over this. This should have been stopped in china. It should have been stopped. But if we didnt do it, the minimum we would have lost is a million two, a million four, a million five thats the minimum. The president is not without his supporters, however. In florida, where marinas recently reopened to the public, hundreds of boats gathered near his winter retreat at mar a lago to stage a nautical parade. Having left the white house for the first time in more than a month over the weekend, mr trump is due to travel to arizona in the next few days, and he is not ruling out the possibility of Holding Election rallies in a few months time. David willis, bbc news. Borisjohnson will today co host a global summit hoping to raise more than £six billion, or 8 billion, to develop vaccines and treatments for covid i9. The Prime Minister will tell the online gathering of political and Business Leaders that the race to stop the virus is the most urgent shared endeavour of our lifetimes. The conference will be co hosted by the uk, the European Commission, canada, france, germany, italy, japan, norway and saudi arabia. Lets get more on this now with margaritis schinas, Vice President of the European Commission. Hejoins me from brussels. I have just mentioned the list of countries. The us and china are not pa rt countries. The us and china are not part of this today. Is that a problem . This is not a competition between blocks. This is a collective global effort. We are facing a global effort. We are facing a global threat and we have to be able to provide a global response. We are delighted that together with the European Commission and other like minded countries, including the United Kingdom, we are today starting a process of raising money that will allow us to develop not only therapeutics, vaccines and diagnostics, but could also help us support these parts of the world that are more vulnerable, like africa and latin america. It is a laudable goal, but in truth there is a competition going on around the world between different groups of scientists to develop a vaccine first. Well, this is a fact. What we are trying to do with our pledging initiative today is to raise the amount of money that would allow for equitable and fair access to the vaccine once the vaccine emerges. We would also help Ongoing Research efforts, innovation efforts, but we are not going to privilege one track against the other. This is the meaning of this pledging initiative, to allow forfair meaning of this pledging initiative, to allow for fair and equitable access to allow for fair and equitable a ccess 0 nce to allow for fair and equitable access once the vaccine is available. What does that mean in practical terms . How will you spend the money to make sure there is fair access for all to a vaccine . At the first stage of the covid i9 crisis, we saw the limits of uncoordinated action by Member States. We saw export bans and fragmented efforts around the provision of personal protective equipment. This is something we cannot afford to see happening once the vaccine is available. So together with our partners, not only the co hosts, but also the who and the gates foundation, the wellcome trust, among others, Renowned International partners, will make sure equitable access to vaccines will be in place. Iam glad access to vaccines will be in place. I am glad you mentioned what you describe an uncoordinated response from eu Member States because the italian Prime Minister warned the eu could fail as a project because of coronavirus and your Commission President offered a heartfelt apology to italy for the eu response. Why do you think you were slow to act and what impact could that have on the future of the eu . |j think that have on the future of the eu . think the first stage of the pandemic, the governments of Member States, in the light of this unprecedented crisis, but also in terms of intensity, they felt a National Response would be more adequate. This was the problem. Then we went through a second phase of convergence where Member States realised how much they have in common and saw the interdependence of our internal market and the need to ensure supply chains. And these convergence phases leads now to this third phase, which is the solution phase where we act in a more coordinated way and take decisions together and hopefully this pledging initiative is one of the most tangible signs of this third phase, what we are calling the solution or the exit phase. But if convergence had happened earlier, could lives have been saved . Yes, but, you know, one of the things thats not widely known, there is an asymmetry of expectation between what people expectation between what people expect from the European Union and what the European Union is actually competent for, and responsible for. We have to be very honest, in the area of Public Health, the European Union has practically no competence, according to the treaty. So our only role would be to help coordinate effo rts role would be to help coordinate efforts by Member States. I think pa rt efforts by Member States. I think part of the problem in this early phaseis part of the problem in this early phase is that people were expecting much more from the eu without actually knowing that the eu does not have the legal instrument or basis to offer that immediate help. That may be sold legally, but it doesnt stop you trying to bang heads together, does it . Thats exactly what we did. But not soon enough, you have just exactly what we did. But not soon enough, you havejust told me that if you had converged earlier than lives would have been saved. Yes, because in areas that pertain to the way the Health Care Systems are organised, these are national decisions. When it came to making sure that Member States could, together, through common tenders, by public protective equipment, we did that. When we forced Member States to coordinate restrictions on eternal borders to make sure these green lanes could ensure goods in supermarkets, we did that. On internal borders. When we try to inject flexibility in state aid rules and public procurement rules, we did that. But we did that at a moment where much of the damage has already been done by uncoordinated action from Member States early on. When will thejoint eu action from Member States early on. When will the joint eu procurement scheme for personal protective equipment and ventilators deliver any products, or has it done so now . As you know, this is one of the first processes that allowed our Member States tojoin first processes that allowed our Member States to join forces and collectively optimise their access to ppe. All these procedures on masks and ventilators are ongoing andi masks and ventilators are ongoing and i am very comfortable that results are coming in. In any case, without this joint public procurement effort, many Member States would be practically unable to access these goods individually. But no items have been delivered so far, is that correct . No, that is not correct. Some items have been delivered and others are being delivered and others are being delivered and others will be delivered and others will be delivered in a few weeks. That is my understanding of how the procurement call this our evolving. I want to ask you about brexit