Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News At Six 20200424

Katy and emma davis died this week within days of each other. Both had worked as nurses. Their sister paid this tribute they were angels on earth, and now theyre angels in heaven. Thats all i can say, because they were just so, so special. The lockdown has led to the biggest drop in retail sales on record. They fell more than 5 last month. After an extraordinary suggestion from president trump, a leading maker of disinfectants its products should not be consumed or ingested to combat coronavirus. And hes raised millions for the nhs. Now, captain tom reaches number one with his charity single. And coming up on bbc news no cricket before ist july. The ecb extends its postponement. But theyre still hoping to save the season later in the summer. Good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. The new government website for up to 10 million key workers and their families to book coronavirus tests online had to close for a while today after it was inundated with requests. Almost 50,000 people in england tried to book a testjust hours after the website launched. 16,000 did manage to book a drive through appointment or get home testing kits. The government says the site for key workers with symptoms is going back online this evening and will be taking more bookings. It comes as the coronavirus death toll climbed again. In the past 2a hours, 768 more people are reported to have died with coronavirus in hospital across the uk. The total death toll has risen to 19,506. This it doesnt include deaths in the community in england and north ireland. 0ur health editor, hugh pym, reports. Ppup pop up units run by the army, part of the new push in england to boost virus testing. The number of drive thru centres is being expanded and more home test kits will be sent out, all to handle possible demand from up to 10 million key workers and their families. But from up to 10 million key workers and theirfamilies. But by mid morning, all slots book of online for today had been taken by 11,000 people, and 5000 home testing kits went within minutes. The department of health apologised for any inconvenience and said booking for the weekend had started up again, with capacity expanded. Mike, who is a teacher, had symptoms and wa nt to who is a teacher, had symptoms and want to know if it is safe to go to work. He managed to get a test slot. The whole process was very seamless. I was able to register and then i just had to wait for the e mail to come through, and once id got that e mail, i quickly logged onto the site and selected the Testing Centre for me, and it has been really easy. At one drive thru centre, essential workers who had had their nasal and throat swabs ta ken workers who had had their nasal and throat swabs taken told us about the process. I actually registered last night for today, so i was quite surprised how quick it was. Night for today, so i was quite surprised how quick it waslj night for today, so i was quite surprised how quick it was. I feel good that ive been tested, see what happens, see what comes through, hopefully it is nothing. But the Fire Brigades Union argued there had to be more easily accessible testing to be more easily accessible testing to allow Emergency Services staff to get back to work if possible from self isolation. The Scottish Government said it was ready to go live with a similar system to englands with laboratories like this one in glasgow analysing the tests. At the downing street media briefing, i asked tests. At the downing street media briefing, iasked how tests. At the downing street media briefing, i asked how much more Testing Capacity would be provided. 0bviously, Testing Capacity would be provided. Obviously, you dont want peoples expectations to be disappointed, are you pretty confident that you can meet the demand that is out there certainly in the next week or so . We will see how it settles down but we are encouraged by the 16,000 bookings online, indeed, 116,000 people went to the portal first thing today. There are some more slots opening up right now as im speaking and there will be more slots tomorrow and in the days after. The nhs has spare Critical Power beds, even with the covid 19 patient numbers. Nhs england said there might now be scope to restart some more routine work which had been cancelled. It looks as if we are now coming through the peak of the coronavirus inpatients, and so, weve got Spare Capacity in hospitals across the country, and that means that as well as other critical and urgent services, we will be able to restart some of those more routine services that the nhs is also here to provide. As for mike, he got to the Testing Centre in peterborough and showed the e mail hed received. It wasnt scanned by a member of staff and the test went ahead. He is hoping for the result by monday, which will determine whether he can get back to work. And hugh is with me now. Another terrible death toll today, but there is some encouraging news coming out of intensive care units . Thats right. At the downing street meeting, a slide was shown on the number of patients in Critical Care beds in hospitals right across the uk with covid 19. Lets have a look at the chart that was shown. And you will see, sophie, a sharp drop there in terms of the percentage of beds in Critical Care units with coronavirus patients, down 13 over the week, all four parts of the uk showing that decline. You heard in my piece earlierfrom sir simon stevens, the head of nhs england, that as we come through the peak, as he said, and given the figures we have just seen, there he said, and given the figures we havejust seen, there is he said, and given the figures we have just seen, there is scope to maybe start up some of these routine appointments, procedures, operations, knee replacements and that sort of thing, all of which had been cancelled clear the space, to increase Critical Care bed capacity. And that is another encouraging sign for all those who have missed out on those procedures. Hugh pym, thank you. Almost 20,000 people have now died in hospitals in the uk from coronavirus, among them this week identical twin sisters. Katy and emma davis were 37 years old and died within days of each other. Katy was a childrens nurse in southampton. Her twin emma, who had also worked as a nurse, died in the early hours of this morning. Duncan kennedy reports. Katy and emma davis, the twin sisters who dedicated themselves to life, to nursing and to each other. Emma had helped care for sick adults. Katy had devoted her life to poorly children. Both contracted coronavirus and both died within three days of each other, katy on tuesday, emma last night. Their family can barely comprehend the pain. They were angels on earth and now they are angels in heaven. We are all really close as a family, and just, yeah, best friends. They were my best friends as well, and. When they left us here, i think theyre never really going to leave us. Applause. They had both worked at southamptons university hospital. Emma had since left but, last night, colleagues clapped for the loss of katy, not knowing that emma was to die as well, a few hours later. It doesnt feel that any of this is real, and im going to wake up ina minute. Erm. But they always said that they came in the world together, so theyll go out together, so thats what theyve done. Both women had Underlying Health problems, but the death of twins within three days of each other from covid 19 underscores its merciless, relentless power to shock. I cant be with my mum and dad, who i love with all my heart. I cant hold anyone, because youre so petrified youre going to get it yourself, and you cant grieve properly because you cant be with the people that you love. Katy and emma davis, a story of doubled life and dual loss. Duncan kennedy, bbc news. Retail sales have suffered the biggest drop since records began, falling by more than 5 last month. The figures from the office for National Statistics show that clothing has been particularly hard hit its down by 35 . The one sector that is booming, not surprisingly, is food and alcohol. Our business editor, simonjack, reports. There was nothing spiffy about todays figures from the high street. 0wners todays figures from the high street. Owners of the self styled Happiness Store saw commercial misery, as retail is felt at their fastest rate since records began 3a yea rs fastest rate since records began 3a years ago. In the two weeks in the run up to lockdown, we were down 24 on last year. And then obviously since weve closed the doors, weve had nothing coming in as a result of the shop be enclosed. Whether you have one store or 100, and have an online presence, like this maker of mother and baby clothes, there has been no escaping the deadly economic consequences of a virus that has emptied our high streets. The reality is, overnight, we lost all out reality is, overnight, we lost all our retail sales, and our retail overheads continue. Yes, of course, weve had some help from the government, weve had a rates holiday and were negotiating with out holiday and were negotiating with our landlords, but thats not the full picture in retail. We have shops which have become sarcophagus is. , which is time sensitive. Shops which have become sarcophagus is. , which is time sensitive. For the entire economy, the longer the lockdown goes on, the greater the economic damage. This is one of the uks busiest shopping venues. Right 110w uks busiest shopping venues. Right now it is the scene of an unfolding economic disaster. Today is the first time that statistics have caught up with what is blindingly obvious to see, and remember, these numbers only capture two weeks of the lockdown period, just a foretaste of the grim news ahead. So it heaps further pressure on the government to supply even more assistance to struggling businesses. The government has already offered an 80 guarantee to those who lend money to virus hit businesses. It has been under pressure to increase that. This was the chancellor on monday. I am not persuaded that moving to a 100 guarantee is the right thing to do. That could change. The government is considering fully backing loans of up considering fully backing loans of up to £25,000 for the smallest businesses, a good move, say businesses, a good move, say business groups. Although many of them do not want to take on loans, they have not done so before, they know that they just they have not done so before, they know that theyjust need to pay their bills, to cover their overheads, many of them have furloughed workers but have other bills to pay. It will keep them afloat. And every job bills to pay. It will keep them afloat. And everyjob that is saved iiow afloat. And everyjob that is saved now will enable our economy to re cover now will enable our economy to recover more quickly in the future. Debenhams has said it will permanently close its major stores in wales. Thats if the government there does not reverse the decision to withhold Business Rates relief for big firms. In better news, b q has reopened half of its stores, but we are a very, very long way from business as usual. Simonjack, bbc news. When the scheme opened a month ago, three quarters of a Million People applied to become nhs volunteer responders. Since then, 600,000 have been accepted, but so far only 50,000 tasks have been carried out. Its caused frustration among would be volunteers, as well as confusion among some Vulnerable People who want access to the service. Now organisers have apologised for the delays, and opened a helpline where people can register for support. Judith moritz reports. My name is rebecca and i volunteered for the role of checking and chat. Rebecca applied to be an nhs volunteer four weeks ago. It was a fortnight before she was approved and, as of now, shes still to receive a single request to help someone in need. Ive been on the app, and you mark yourself as on duty. Since then mainly in the evenings and weekends nothing. Ive not had anything. So, theres total of 75 hours ive been online, ready to volunteer and either make or take calls, and ive heard nothing. Rebecca says she feels doubly frustrated on behalf of her parents, who dont live near her. Herfather, peter, has a lung disease and is entitled to help from the scheme. But they didnt know how to get it. In the shielding letter, it actually tells you to get friends or family to collect your prescriptions, and thats from the government. So you personally havent phoned up or tried to access the nhs scheme . No. I wasnt aware of it, to be honest. Could you do with extra help . I think were all right now, because the community has kicked in. Going from door to door, local schemes, like this one in liverpool, were quick to get going many communities helping to look after themselves. Were almost done. Weve seen roy and tony. We are doing a lot of sort of courtesy calls to keep people company, things like that. Weve started to deliver hot meals, really anything we can put our mind to, because, as i say, the experience within our community is quite significant and, if you organise that, it can be quite a powerful thing. Theres a whole range of organisations offering help, some of which overlap. Local councils are delivering government food boxes. Charities and Community Groups have sprung into action, and the nhs volunteers can help with jobs like delivering groceries and medicine, amongst other things. Not everybody whos eligible for the help knows where to go for it. That might be why there are many more nhs volunteers than jobs for them to do so far. The organisers have now opened a hotline to make it easier for Vulnerable People to request help. There are volunteers who are frustrated that theyre not being used. The numbers of tasks being done isnt huge. Is this working . The key is that we give everybody the opportunity to get themselves into the system. Anybody who feels that theyre at risk or vulnerable, who feels that they can get support from a shopping role or prescription pick ups or maybe a call, please do give us a ring. You can find our number on the Royal Voluntary Service website, and well be able to get you some support. Every project, big and small, has a part to play. The work of volunteers is proving notjust valuable but vital during this crisis. Judith moritz, bbc news. More than 50,000 people have now died in america with coronavirus. It comes as one of the worlds biggest manufacturers of disinfectants warned people not to follow president trumps suggestion that injecting themselves with it could treat coronavirus. 0ne leading company said under no circumstance should its products be put into human bodies. A short time ago, the president said his remarks were sarcastic. 0ur north american editor, john sopel, has more. Controversially, some beaches in florida reopened last week, but maybe it was a smart thing to do. According to new Research Conducted by Us Government scientists, sunlight, heat and humidity dramatically reduce the life of coronavirus in the air and on hard surfaces. The scientists said it acted as a powerful disinfectant, and that led the president to muse on whether disinfectant could be used inside the human body to kill the virus. And then i see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute, one minute, and is there a way we can do Something Like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning . Because, you see, it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendousjob, so it would be interesting to check that. Look at the face of the president s chief medical adviser, as he thinks out loud. And the manufacturers of bleach are aghast. The Company Behind one of the biggest selling brands in the us issued a statement saying, under no circumstances should people ingest disinfectant. Doctors and Health Professionals are similarly disbelieving. Very clearly, disinfectants are not intended for ingestion, either by mouth, by ears, by breathing them in in any way, shape or form. The president has used the Briefing Room to repeatedly pontificate on remedies that might help treat coronavirus, but theres been nothing quite like this. His press secretary though says he always advocates that you should see a doctor and that the media have twisted his words. Jon sopel, bbc news, washington. Some lockdown restrictions could start to be eased in wales in two weeks time. First minister Mark Drakeford said, if hospital admissions continue to fall, the lockdown could start to be lifted in three phases, like reverse traffic lights. Hywel griffithjoins me now. How would it work . Well, the traffic lights would start with a red phase, when most restrictions would stay in place, we are told, and many people do not see much difference. 0nly are told, and many people do not see much difference. Only after working through amber and reaching a green phase would, according to the first minister, life return to Something Like it was before the pandemic. He has not given many details on how long that would take or any detail on long that would take or any detail o n exa ctly long that would take or any detail on exactly which restrictions would be lifted when, butjust by suggesting a tentative date of two weeks from now for the process to begin, he has gone much further than any other uk leader. The welsh Labour Government here has the power to do its own thing on the lockdown restrictions. It insists it wants to work with the westminster government. So potentially we are seeing a glimpse of what may be is being planned for everybody across the uk or, more likely, this is some sort of politicaljab in the ribs for the uk government at westminster to reveal more about its potential exit strategy. Well, weve been in lockdown now for almost five weeks now, allowed out to exercise once a day. The government advice is that people should stay local and use open spaces near to home. But recent guidance for Police Forces says it is lawful to drive somewhere to exercise, as long as you exercise for longer than you travel. But the National Rural Crime Network says more and more people are heading to beauty spots, and its causing tension in rural areas, as our environment and Rural Affairs correspondent Claire Marshall reports. Near perfect conditions in cornwall. But none of these surfers should be here, say the police and coastguard. As the lockdown drags on, though, it seems more and more people are defying the advice. Like these kayakers, who had to be rescued and the lifeboat then disinfected. We dont want our lifeboat crews, who, once theyre launched on a shout, once they respond to their pagers, have no choice of social distancing, they have to come together, they have to sit together in a small lifeboat, in a confined space, to rescue anybody, whoever that might be, with whatever disease or infection they may have. But these days, exercise is so vital for physical and mental health, the guidance has been relaxed, its confusing. I think its pretty vague, government guidelines have said that you shouldnt be allowed in the sea, however, the council and everyone else know that this is a community. Most people do seem to be respecting the key message, to stay at home. The tourist honeypot of scarborough is still quiet. But could this be changing . We are seeing increased numbers of vehicles on the roads, and we are definitely seeing more people out and about in communities, creating i think enhanced tension in communities, where communities are saying, actually, we thought this had been resolved. Residents of a little parish on the somerset levels definitely feel its not being resolved. We normally see 50 people, 60 people. Since this lockdown, were seeing 200, 300, 400 people a day. Like valerie naughton, whos lived here for a0 years. We do not know how its being spread, we dont know whos got it and who hasnt, and with all these people, not only for their selves, but us in the parish, we are an older generation and we do feel very strongly that were isolating ourselves and we feel, why are they not . Were all so different, we have different needs and priorities, and our view of whats reasonable is different. And trying to write rules that are seen as fair to everyone in such a short space of time is almost impossible. And it does seem that the clarity of that stay at home message is being blurred, just as everyone gets sick of the lockdown. It looks like it will be another lovely weekend. The question is, will the lure of freedom and fresh air be too much to resist . Claire marshall, bbc news. Around a Million People work in the uks pub and breweries sector, which has been hard hit by the lockdown. With pubs told theyll be among the last places to re open when restrictions lift, some have adapted to provide takeaways and home deliveries. But others are having to pour their stocks of lager and ale away, as our ireland correspondent emma vardy reports. There are thousands of gallons of lovingly brewed beer right now going to waste. The landlord of the gardeners arms in norwich disposed of his ten real ales to the hymn played as the titanic sank. We have a cellar full of beer, which is probably all going to be out of date within the next two or three weeks. A lot of the brewers who brew with the products, they love what they do, and its really sad to think that all that beer and all that hard work is being wasted and thrown away. I drank a little bit, but i cant drink loads of it, so i think, all in all, were up to nearly 6,000 gallons of beer that were due to throw away. In cool rooms and cellars across the uk, its estimated there are some 50 million pints that will suffer the same fate, while off licence sales of alcohol have jumped by nearly a third. So this bar in belfast came up with an idea. While the rules have been relaxed to allow pubs to operate as takeaways, the hatfield now looks more like a call centre, taking orders forfood and drinks, and they added an extra service, delivering fresh pints of guinness. We decided to kit out a wee van, put a keg in the back of it, pull up at your house and pour you an absolutely perfect, fresh pint of stout. It sparked a big demand. Youve got the nice perfect head on it. And worldwide attention but, after drivers were stopped by police, they were forced to put the deliveries on hold. Stopped me and told me it was illegal, but couldnt tell me under what section of the Liquor Licensing act it was illegal. So where will you go with this . We believe we were operating within the law. This is about keeping people in employment. Police say prosecutors are now considering whether any action should be taken for a breach of licensing laws. But the pubs mounting its own legal challenge, saying they were within the rules and that they need to adapt to survive. A typical friday in belfasts cathedral quarter, pre pandemic. Its a ghost town here now, and the government says that pubs and bars will be some of the last places that can reopen. We have nearly 80 of our staff on furlough at the moment, so we are being very clear and direct with the government and saying, if you want our pubs to survive this, you must support us throughout the period of closure and also throughout the period of reopening. But, with some forms of social distancing possibly lasting up to the end of the year, that wont happen quickly. Emma vardy, bbc news. Meanwhile, there are questions over the extent to which pubs are allowed to bring the bar to you. Throughout the coronavirus outbreak, weve been hearing from Front Line Health Workers about the challenges they face. 0ur Health Correspondent Catherine Burns is keeping in touch with a range of staff and has asked them to keep video diaries. This evening we hear from physiotherapist tom meredith, who filmed himself and his colleagues in southampton. Physiotherapy might not seem an obvious part of the front line fight against coronavirus, but tom meredith says his work is crucial. Its 7 45am. Ijust dropped my daughter at nursery and i am heading in to start my shift. We have five wards here with about 70 patients, or with coronavirus, ranging from their 90s to their 30s. Some are too frailfor intensive their 90s to their 30s. Some are too frail for intensive care. Their bodies would just not cope with being on a ventilator. Tom and his team try to help clear their chests so they can breathe. Sometimes, that wont work and they can only make them comfortable. 0thers though are at the start of the long road to recovery. Maybe do some of those breathing exercises. So were just off to see a patient now for some rehabilitation with myself and taylor and charlotte here. This gentleman is a step down from intensive care. He was on intensive care for about three weeks, so hes very weak. Michael cox moved down to the general covid ward a few days ago. Now its time to try and stand up and take his first step. This is what success looks like slow, painful and exhausting, but genuine progress. 0h, great theres your first steps thank you. Its two oclock now and were heading back to the wards for the afternoon session. The team sees patients who have been weakened by the virus and theirjob is to get them well enough to start their lives properly again. When stanley came into hospital he was told he had maybe two days to live. That was over a month ago. Cheering. I have to have a mask on my face all the time. As soon as i took it off, i started suffocating. And, bit by bit, with you guys and the doctors and nurses and everybody else, weve started to turn things around. Live we have seen a fair few patients discharged home or to care homes today, so some positive stuff going on. And then back to his family. Tom normally works with Cystic Fibrosis patients and he is used to helping sick people, but he says this last month has been intense, emotional and sometimes distressing. I have seen things which will stay with me for a long time, andi which will stay with me for a long time, and i have also seen patients at the end of their lives with their loved ones around them to give them comfort. Equally, he is proud of the work he and thousands of other therapists are doing, bringing hope to people at their most vulnerable time. Catherine burns, bbc news. 99 year old captain tom moore has raised almost £30 million walking 100 laps of his garden. Now he has gone one step further by becoming the oldest ever chart topper with his version of youll never walk alone, as our arts correspondent, colin paterson, reports. When you walk through a storm hold your head up high. The who, bruce springsteen, janet jackson, theyve never had a number one single. But captain tom moore has. It was two weeks ago that captain tom moore first appeared on bbc breakfast aiming to walk 100 laps before his 100th birthday to raise £1,000 for the nhs. I think i might say well done nhs. That total is now approaching the £30 million mark. The distance was completed last thursday and helped captain tom celebrate, michael ball sang. The next day, it was released as a single. Today it went straight to number one. You are the uks official number one. That really is truly amazing, isnt it . At the age of 99, captain tom has become the oldest person to ever have a number one single. Amazing. That this should happen to me. Louis armstrong was 66 when he topped the charts in 1968. A record which would stand for more than a0 years. Until beaten by a 68 year old tom jones with a comic relief single. And sir tom was quick to pay tribute. From one tom to another, congratulations on beating my chart record. If i was gonna lose to anybody its an honour to have lost to you. Next thursday is captain toms birthday, meaning that he will still be number one when he turns 100