to help tackle the crisis. down tools or carry on in construction? the government is accused of being irresponsible for allowing non—essential building to continue. in scotland they're told to stop. the industry tells us they need more clarity. it's now official. the olympics and paralympics will not take place in tokyo this summer. after mounting pressure, the decision has been made to postpone the games until next year. good morning. yesterday was the warmest day so far. north wales reached 19.4. could be 17 or 18 in wales today as england and wales enjoy another dry and sunny day. more clout and patchy rain for scotla nd more clout and patchy rain for scotland and northern ireland. more details coming up. —— more cloud. it's wednesday march 25th. our top story: the efforts to fight coronavirus are ramping up as the death toll increases and more people test positive for the disease. the government is opening a huge new makeshift hospital in london and has appealed for a quarter of a million volunteers to help the nhs. the number of uk deaths rose to 422 on tuesday, a rise of 87 in one day. charlotte rose reports. we have all of these people who are incredibly critically unwell and people are dying alone, people have no company. a stark warning from those on the frontline. threejunior doctors from a london hospital want people to take this illness seriously and to warn the rest of the country what's coming their way. there are patients and they're in their 30s. we don't know what the outcome of some of these patients will be. they will go to intensive care, may be in intensive care for some weeks and some of them will die. and it's completely heartbreaking. warnings as well from families who have seen what covid—19 can do. sashini's father died on monday after contracting the virus. he had underlying conditions but wasn't diagnosed and collapsed in hospital. he was in hospital in intensive care in a coma for a week. prior to that, he was home ill with what they suspected was pneumonia. we are all going to be totally fed up with having to stay in, for sure, i know i definitely am but we need to be looking at italy which is quite terrifying. but they are really struggling. shops have been shut and the streets are almost silent, after the prime minister told uk citizens to stay at home. but there is still confusion as to who should be going to work and who shouldn't. change here for piccadilly line. pictures of packed tubes prompted the health secretary to give this advice. i want to be clear where people absolutely cannot work at home, they can still go to work. indeed, it's important they do to keep the country running. key workers, for example, in the nhs, social care, pharmacists and medicine supply chain should go to work unless, as we've said before, they are self isolating. in the daily press conference, mr hancock said construction work could continue but in scotland, building sites are being shut. shadow chancellorjohn mcdonald said the government's approach was irresponsible, dangerous and self—defeating. as hospitals across the country prepare for a surge in cases, the government has announced it's creating a new temporary hospital at the excel conference in london. the nhs nightingale will provide an extra 4,000 beds specifically for coronavirus patients. the army is being brought into run the centre alongside nhs staff. the government is also calling for an army of 250,000 volunteers to support the health service. the battle against this virus is ramping up. charlotte rose, bbc news. there are calls for the government to provide more clarity on exactly who should and shouldn't be going into work, after confusion about the new coronavirus restrictions. 0ur political correspondent leila nathoo is in westminster for us now. good morning. we spent much of yesterday with michael gove‘s trying to get to the bottom of this essential worker area and it went on for most of the day yesterday. we have clarity this morning? 36 hours since that stay—at—home message was delivered by the prime minister and we still have this confusion about who exactly should be going into work. the government's message has been that if you cannot do yourjob from home then you should continue to go to work. this is particularly a rub, this row, with construction workers because clearly that does not apply to you. ministers say you can still go to construction sites if you can work more than two metres apartand if you can work more than two metres apart and observe the social distancing rules but for many they think that is not practical and we have seen pictures of construction workers queueing up to get to sites and canteens and those pictures of construction workers in london getting on the tube. so there are 110w getting on the tube. so there are now calls for all but essential sides to be shut down and in scotla nd sides to be shut down and in scotland the first minister has closed for sites to close. and andy burnham from greater manchester making the point last night. burnham from greater manchester making the point last nightlj burnham from greater manchester making the point last night. i say close them unless they are absolutely essential work like hospitals. this decision about allowing non—essential work appears to be taken for economic reasons but, actually, when you are in the middle of a global pandemic, health reasons alone should guiding all decision—making. reasons alone should guiding all decision-making. the government is clearly trying to balance the need to keep the economy going in the background while also trying to impose these measures to stop the spread of the disease but i think they are coming under a load of rationales to offer greater clarity on who exactly should be going in and out of work. and we will be speaking later to robert generate the secretary of state for housing community and local government at 730 here on first. i know there are so 730 here on first. i know there are so many questions you want answered please start sending them in and we will try to put some of them to him later on. some prisoners could be released early to help alleviate the pressure caused by the coronavirus outbreak. prisons in england and wales have been placed on lockdown, as thousands of staff are off work because they are ill or self—isolating. 13 inmates have tested positive for the virus. the outbreak has also led to tight restrictions on visits to jails in scotland and northern ireland. pressure is building on the benefits sytem after a huge number of claims due to the economic fall—out from coronavirus. at one point yesterday, more than 100,000 people were attempting to verify online applications and others spent hours trying to phone welfare staff. the department for work and pensions said they were taking "unprecedented" action to ensure people received the support they need. india's population of 1.3 billion people has gone into a complete lockdown which is due to last at least three weeks. the news that there will be a total ban on leaving home prompted large scale panic buying across the country. india has reported over 500 positive coronavirus cases and ten people have died. president trump has said he hopes the us can ‘shake—off‘ coronavirus by easter. but new york's governor andrew cuomo says the disease is spreading "faster than a bullet train" and criticised the government for not doing enough to stop it. new york now has over 25,000 confirmed cases. mr cuomo had this warning for the rest of the country. look at us today. where we are today, you will be in three weeks or four weeks or five weeks or six weeks. we are your future. and what weeks. we are your future. and what we do here will chart the course for what we do in your city and in your community. i'm not asking you to help new yorkjust to help new york. i'm asking you to help new york to help yourselves. let's speak now to our correspondent peter bowes, who joins us from los angeles. that was a stark message but in some ways different to what the president has been saying. good morning, yes. that is a dire message coming out of new york city and a prediction that other states like california and washington on the west coast could only be a couple of weeks behind what is happening in that state, new york, where the number of cases of this virus still seem to be spiralling out of control. as you say, a very different tone from the president, talking about america getting back to work again. this is a message we heard from him all week and saying that he believes the long—term impact of america effectively shutting down because people are being told to stay home, he said that would worse than the virus itself. you will have suicides by the thousands, you will have all sorts of things happen, instability. you cannot come in and say let's close the united states of america, the most successful country in the world by far. i would love to have the country opened up and just raring to go by easter. a lot of astonishment at that prediction and i should tell you one bit of good news for americans in the last hour 01’ so we news for americans in the last hour or so we hearfrom news for americans in the last hour or so we hear from the white house and from congress that an agreement has been reached on the $2 trillion aid package for americans meaning that very soon individual americans could receive up to $1200 checks to help them get through this. thank you for bringing us up—to—date with what is going on there. after weeks of speculation, this summer's tokyo 0lympic and paralympic games have been postponed until next year. let's go to tokyo now and our correspondent rupert wingfield—hayes. rupert, this decision was inevitable? thank you for spending time with us on the programme. how has that decision gone down injapan? on the programme. how has that decision gone down injapan?|j on the programme. how has that decision gone down in japan? i think it was absolutely an inevitable decision itjust took longer it was absolutely an inevitable decision it just took longer than was perhaps necessary. i think it has been obvious for some time, at least the last few weeks, that this was coming down the line and the japanese government were clearly relaxed and to take the final step. just on monday the 0lympian committee here —— 0lympic just on monday the 0lympian committee here —— olympic committee here was saying that they were going to ta ke here was saying that they were going to take another month to think over the options and then 24 hours later, the options and then 24 hours later, the ioc and the japanese prime minister came out and said we are postponing it until the end of this year and not longer than the end of next summer 2021. that is the decision. how is it going down here injapan? most decision. how is it going down here in japan? most people decision. how is it going down here injapan? most people are not surprised. 0pinion polls have shown for a few weeks that the majority of people thought that given the state of the pandemic elsewhere in the world this was pretty much inevitable although this morning in some newspapers here injapan there has been some recrimination already about who will bear the cost of all this. a newspaper predicting that postponing the olympics by one year will cost between five and $6 billion us and thatjapan will have to bear the cost on its own and the ioc will not pay a penny. they are asking why. and we will be talking about that with sally on the programme as well as well as speaking to a dublin championjay jones about the impact.|j speaking to a dublin championjay jones about the impact. i know we are all suffering in different ways but that will have an impact on an athlete. for the latest developments on the coronavirus outbreak, including what symptoms to look for, how to reduce your risk of becoming infected, and advice for those with underlying health conditions, just visit our website or go to the bbc news app. all the latest detailed government advice can also be found at the gov.uk website. just follow the coronavirus link. and there's a bbc news special — "coronavirus: your essential update" on bbc one tonight at 7.30pm. i heard carol mention in the headlines that it was the warmest day so far this year. it was quite lovely. good morning. that is right. yesterday in north wales the temperature shot up to 19.4 degrees making it the warmest day of the year so far. today across parts of north—east wales, west wales we could see 17 or 18 as, once again, england and wales enjoy a dry and fine day. but we still have this weather front, though it fine day. but we still have this weatherfront, though it is fine day. but we still have this weather front, though it is starting to wea ke n weather front, though it is starting to weaken today, across northern ireland and scotland using a fair bit of cloud and some rain. but as we go through the day that will start to slide slowly southwards so later it will brighten up across the 0uter later it will brighten up across the outer hebrides. as we push further south, southern scotland, england and wales, eastern parts of northern ireland we return to sunny skies. he's at times and it will not be as windy as it was yesterday in the north. temperatures, 8—12 and for scotla nd north. temperatures, 8—12 and for scotland and northern ireland we are looking at about 14—16 maybe 17 or 18 in parts of wales. as we head through the evening and overnight what you will find is this weather front again a little bit further south and the rain in it is patchy with drizzle and a lot of clear skies across southern scotland, england and wales and also across the highlands. temperatures here will fall away and we are prone to some frost. temperatures could drop to —1— some frost. temperatures could drop to -1- -2 some frost. temperatures could drop to —1 — —2in some frost. temperatures could drop to —1 — —2 in parts of eastern england especially. we do not expect the mist and fog in the morning to be problematic that it is expected to lift readily. tomorrow we still have the weather front continuing to wea ken have the weather front continuing to weaken all the time. a breeze further south, really, weaken all the time. a breeze furthersouth, really, not much. here is our weather front. furthersouth, really, not much. here is our weatherfront. again, increasingly late and patchy rain with drizzle, bright skies with sunshine and a few showers in the 0uter sunshine and a few showers in the outer hebrides and as we push across the west of england and wales we are looking again at a dry day with some sunshine turning hazy through the course of the day. temperatures range from eight to 14 north—west england could hit maybe 15 or 16 degrees during the course of thursday. for friday it is spot the difference. all i can say is that we have our weather front slowly slipping south and it is very slow while the drivel that make drizzle and patchy rain will fizzle in the second half of the day. behind it, bright skies across the highlands and the head of it, we're still looking a fine day for england and for wales with sunshine and bits of cloud at times and we could see brightness coming in across the north coast of northern ireland as we go through the day. temperatures dropping a little bit, 8— 14 degrees but as we head into the weekend the temperature continues to fall. we have our weather front which exempt —— eventually had south with high pressure establishing. the weather front could produce rain through the weekend but it will turn colder as you can see from the blues across the charts. the weekend weather, cold wind, sunny spells possibly some wintry showers in the east. it isa it is a real mix, isn't it? see you throughout the programme. the nhs needs you — those were the words of the health secretary, matt hancock, as he appealed for 250,000 volunteers to come forward to help the fight against coronavirus. at the government's daily press conference yesterday, he also outlined plans for a huge makeshift hospital in london. let's take a look. i know how worried people are, and while this is a great time of turbulence, it is a moment, too, that the country can come together in that national effort. as the next step in that effort, today we launch nhs volunteers. we're seeking 250,000 volunteers, people in good health, to help the nhs for shopping and for delivery of medicines, and to support those who are shielded to protect their own health. the nhs volunteer responders is a new scheme set up so that people can come and help, and to make sure that the nhs and the local services that are needed get all the support that they can. i can also announce that the call we made at the weekend for people to return to the nhs has been incredibly successful so far. so far, 11,788 people have answered that call. 2660 doctors, over 2500 other health professionals and pharmacists and 6147 nurses. and i pay tribute to each and every one of those who's returning to the nhs at its hour of need. in addition, from next week, 5,500 final—year medics and 18,700 final—year student nurses will move to the front line, to make sure we have the people we need in our nhs to respond to this crisis. in total, that's over 35,000 more staff coming to the nhs when the country needs the nhs most. finally, i can announce today that we will next week open a new hospital, a temporary hospital, the nhs nightingale hospital, at the excel centre in london. the nhs nightingale hospital will comprise two wards, each of 2,000 people. with the help of the military, and with nhs clinicians, we will make sure that we have the capacity that we need, so that everyone can get the support they need. but, no matter how big we grow the nhs, unless we slow the spread of this virus, then as we've seen, those numbers will continue to rise. and that's why it's so important that everybody follows the advice and stays at home. the final point i want to make is one of thanks. as health secretary, and as a citizen, and on behalf of the whole country, i want to thank the staff of the nhs, those who work in social care, all of you. notjust the doctors and nurses who normally get mentioned, but the pharmacists, the paramedics, the managers, and all staff across the board. you are the front line in this war against this virus, and we all pay tribute to you. you're going to give your all over the next few weeks, and i want you to know that we salute you, and i will strain every sinew to get you everything you need to keep you safe, so that you can do yourjob keeping all of us safe. that was the health secretary, matt hancock, who was leading the daily government press conference we have been used to now for the last few days. let's take a look at today's papers. national help service, says the sun. it focuses on the health secretary's call for 250,000 volunteers to sign up to help the nhs tackle covid—19. the times adds that the prime minister is under pressure to impose further travel restrictions after commuters crammed onto public transport earlier this week. the daily mirror leads with a plea from four—year—old mila, who asks readers to stay at home to help keep her safe as she undergoes cancer treatment. and the top story on the buzzfeed website says that couples in the uk have been told they must start living together or not see each other for potentially several weeks following the stricter social distancing measures announced by the government. and talking social distancing, we have not got sally with us today. because of course we have been told that only two people should be near each other, and we are not that near each other, and we are not that near each other, and we are not that near each other, we are the requisite two metres. i will do the back page, seeing as sally isn't here, lots of people talking about the fact the 0lympics have now been postponed. hope to the world, japanese organisers will keep the olympic flame lit for a year. and just in case you're wondering, it will still be tokyo 2020, even though it is going to be potentially exactly a year. before next summer they will try and do it, so sometime before 2021. it is going to confuse us, isn't it? i think we might remember the reason why stop i know many of you want questions answered, and we're doing that bbc breakfast. 0n the telegraph, they have a double page spread of questions. all sorts of things, for example, exercise, which can be particularly only with a member of the same household. if they bump into a friend on the walk, can they stay together? according to them, no. the prime minister's instructions are you must only exercise alone, should you see a friend you must maintain a two metre gap, prolonged social contact is strictly in breach of orders. i wondered about this yesterday, what if my dog touches someone else? because dogs just go up to people. it is weird going on a dog walk, because dogs greet each other. greeting animals are said to be inadvisable. were you ever a reader of asterix comics? yes. well, the man who created asterix died yesterday, and lots of people have been sharing a cartoon of his which came out in 2017, and one of the villains was this roman dude called coronavirus, would you believe? and the good news is, if you like omens and things like that, that asterix managed to defeat coronavirus. what an extraordinary thing.|j managed to defeat coronavirus. what an extraordinary thing. i know we have known that coronavirus is the strand of viruses, so the word has been around for awhile, but to have that in and asterix comic is interesting. many of you have been in touch to say you are confused about what to do if your car's mot expires within the next few weeks. well, we should get more details from the government later today, including a decision on whether there will be fines for those continuing to drive cars with an expired certificate. breakfast‘s tim muffett reports. cars, questions and confusion. this man is in the dark, he is an mot tester in south london. a lot of customers are worried. being asked so many questions we just don't have the answers to give to them. someone's mot is expiring, they wouldn't know what to do if they are in lockdown or isolation. they need to know what is going on and what they can do and can't do. under current restrictions, garages are allowed to remain open. but many customers are cancelling, and many garages are confused as to what to tell them. there are many questions. what if your mot expires while you are in isolation? can you still park your car on the road? what if you area your car on the road? what if you are a key worker, you have an mot book, but the garage has had to shut. tara and matt live in south wales. in bridgend, over an hour away from where we live, we know that we need to drop the car off, but we don't really know what we can do after we drop the car off. we can't really stay in the garage and wait around because we're not supposed to be outside the house. we can't go for a while, we can't go to the shops. tara is a teacher, so she isa the shops. tara is a teacher, so she is a key worker, so she is actually neededin is a key worker, so she is actually needed in schools to care of those children, and all parents are doing a greatjob keeping the country running. if we don't have a car which is road legal she can't take the car anywhere, and we're going to struggle. annual tests for lorries, buses and trailers have been suspended for three months. but for now, cars still need a valid mot. the department for transport says it is reviewing the situation. chloe works in a supermarket. her mot is about to expire, and she wants urgent clarity. i amjust about to expire, and she wants urgent clarity. i am just really concerned that if i couldn't get my car infora concerned that if i couldn't get my car in for a mot, that the options would be either to drive illegally, which was something i wasn't prepared to do, or i wouldn't be able to get to and from work. and also my mum has underlying health conditions, so i am required to do her shopping. this garage has serviced and edmot cars in south london for 30 years. obviously there are customers whose mot is due soon. so they don't know what is going on, we don't know what is going on, to be honest. we may not have any customers by the end of the week, to be honest. so some garages may still be honest. so some garages may still be open for business, but customer numbers are dwindling, and the questions and uncertainty remain. there are so many questions, aren't there? we have a gp in the next five or ten minutes on breakfast. if you have any questions, send them on and we will try and get to some of those with her shortly. we have a number of experts, as per usual. in terms of experts, as per usual. in terms of politicians, you will be speaking to the housing minister. yesterday we spoke to michael gove for 20 minutes. i imagine we will have as long as we need to ask any practical questions we have. he will be here at 7:30am and we will be speaking to the former health secretary, jeremy hunt, at eight 30 a.m. as well. —— 8:30am. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london. bbc london and bbc southeast are joining forces at breakfast to keep you up—to—date with the latest on the coronavirus in our area. the national crime agency is warning that organised criminals may try to exploit the coronavirus outbreak and target people across london and the south—east. it says covid—19 may provide opportunities for crime, but that it provide opportunities for crime, but thatitis provide opportunities for crime, but that it is monitoring intelligence. 0fficers that it is monitoring intelligence. officers have identified incidents officers have identified incidents of coronavirus themed malicious apps and websites, as well as attacks and stealing personal and financial information. transport for london is bringing all construction work to a stop because of the coronavirus. while the crossrail project is temporarily suspended, essential maintenance of the transport network, including the tube, will continue. tfl says it is taking the action for safety reasons and to reduce the number of people travelling on the transport work, in a bid to limit the spread of the virus. london mayor sadiq khan has once again stressed the need to only travel it if it is absolutely essential. stay at home. the only reason you should leave home as doctors, food, or if you are exercising, or if you really, really have to go to work. unless you are somebody who is critical, if you have to go to work, don't do it during the rush hour. i am pleading with londoners. these rules aren't optional. these are instructions to stop the spread of the virus so that fewer people die. animal adoption centres have been forced to close due to the current government advice on coronavirus. despite being unable to rehome animals at this time, they are asking members of the public to continue to support them and the pets they care for. one centre for animal welfare in lewis, in east sussex, says they are losing £1000 a day having to close the site, and are appealing for donations from supporters. now the weather. good morning. well, it has been a chilly odds—on, but things are really starting to warm up again and after that cold start we are said to have another sunny day. and temperatures will recover quite nicely, i think, temperatures will recover quite nicely, ithink, by temperatures will recover quite nicely, i think, by the afternoon. with barely a cloud in the sky and blue sky from dawn until dusk. the highest temperatures will be the further west we are. with the breeze coming in from the east, parts of essex and east kent will be held back to around about nine or 10 degrees. but well up into double figures further west, possibly as high as the mid—teens. mind you, as soon as sunsets, those temperatures will take another nosedive. so another frosty start tomorrow. a couple more fine days, but the messages, as we hit the weekend, those temperatures are going to take a nosedive. just as british summertime arrives, i shot of winter cold. and just on the travel, of course, the advice is to stay at home unless it is absolutely essential travel. london tubes of course are running a restrict that service. now, if you area restrict that service. now, if you are a key worker, trains via london bridge are currently disrupted, that is because of a trespassers on the track at the moment. so that is just travel for you there. i'm back with the latest from the bbc london newsroom in half an hour. bye for now. this is breakfast with dan walker and louise minchin. coming up on the programme this morning: with hundreds of thousands of brits stuck abroad, we'll look at what's being done to help bring them home. this summer's olympics are off, but the training continues for britain's medal hopes. taekwondo champion jade jones will show us around her home gym. and the green goddess, diana moran, is back with another routine to keep us fit and healthy at home. good morning, here's a summary of today's main stories from bbc news. so, how are you adjusting to the new curbs on everyday life here in the uk? what can you do to help keep yourself safe at home? let's speak now to the gp dr fari ahmad. good morning and thank you for joining us. 0bviously from your home. ijust joining us. 0bviously from your home. i just want to know from your point of view what is it like? are you getting more people who may have coronavirus? yes. we are seeing more people either over the phone and sometimes we need to see them face—to—face who we suspect have coronavirus. at the moment we are not able to test so we are having to manage them, having to talk to them about what to do if things get worse and help them access secondary care help if they need it. many people are wondering what, how, what are the symptoms that you are hearing about? the main symptoms are a cough, a dry cough that you have not had before that does not go away. and a fever. people are also reporting muscly and some signs of upperairway reporting muscly and some signs of upper air way issues but the main symptoms are a cough and a fever. how are they doing? presumably some of them are getting better stop yes. people we have seen, many people who seem to be recovering. some people, particularly the younger ones, seem to bounce back quite quickly, some people take a little longer to recover and they do not bounce back straightaway, it is almost as if they have a period of convalescence when they recover. and i think it is ha rd to when they recover. and i think it is hard to be patient. but they are getting there. are you able to see other people at the moment who do not have these symptoms? yes. the coronavirus is happening but all other illnesses and urgent things and need medical attention also happen at the same time. so gp surgeries are changing how they work. many people are working through telephone triage so we speak to people and find out exactly what is going on, find out ways of managing that over the phone or we doa managing that over the phone or we do a lot more video consultation and we are still seeing people but we are trying to make sure they come at are trying to make sure they come at a time when there is not many people in the waiting room, we are trying to minimise their risk and our risk as well. what do you make of these new measures? are people beginning to be able to get their heads around it? are they abiding by the new rules ? it? are they abiding by the new rules? i think so. it? are they abiding by the new rules? ithink so. ithink it? are they abiding by the new rules? i think so. i think people... just on my commute in and out there are fewer people which is good. i think there are issues coming from that, people when they are at home they worry about their medication or worry about other things so we are seeing a lot of people trying to get in touch with the surgery about various issues to do with work and other things so that is increasing some of the pressure that we are having. this is a specific question that you may not be able to answer but other people have similar questions. 0ne but other people have similar questions. one woman he has had a cough and shortness of breath for 14 days but it is still going. she has completed isolation that she still has the cough. is she still contagious? if it is coronavirus the advice is that after seven days you should no longer be contagious. but if you're symptoms, you've had 14 days, and if your symptoms are not improving then you may need to either through 111 look and seek further advice but if they are settling then hopefully you are on the road to recovery. someone had a sore throat for a while, is a sore throat a symptom ? sore throat for a while, is a sore throat a symptom? not specifically on its own. many viruses cause sore throat so usually if you have a fever or a cough with it then it would perhaps be something we would look at again. and briefly, this is a worrying time for people with so much anxiety. what is your advice? i know you are hearing people report that they feel anxious at the moment. we are seeing that and we see the results of that. being at home you need to make sure you look after your own health, notjust your physical health but also your mental health. putting a structure to your day would help. maybe restricting how much time you listen to the news and programmes that increase your anxiety. find something that you enjoy doing. use the phone, speak to other people who are isolated because social contact does help. go old school, read a book. you have to work out ways to look after your mental health. there are also lots of places and people who have given free resources to people at home so ta ke free resources to people at home so take advantage of those. it is very good to chat, thank you very much for joining good to chat, thank you very much forjoining us. some handy questions and answers there. if you want to find out more about the coronavirus outbreak and how the latest measures affect you, there's a bbc news special — "coronavirus: your essential update" on bbc one tonight at 7.30pm. and talking about free things do we have the green goddess here later. but sally, she is downstairs on the ground floor. the morning, sally. good morning. iam from both of you. we are keeping our distance soiam of you. we are keeping our distance so i am down stairs in the bbc news sports room. we are keeping in touch with the programme over my shoulder here. and we're talking about the postponement of the olympics. it's the sporting news we all knew was inevitable but this summer's tokyo olympics will now be taking place next year. it is the biggest sporting event to be affected by the coronavirus pandemic. the olympic flame will now stay in tokyo but we do not know yet when the rearranged games will actually begin. former olympic champion, and head of world athletics, lord sebatian coe says a postponement was the only viable option for the competitors involved. they had been under intolerable conditions, many of them unable to train, many going through emotional turmoil. but we are no different from the rest of the world and we recognise that entirely. but the integrity of the competitions of the 0lympic integrity of the competitions of the olympic games was seriously going to be compromised if we tried to force them into the remaining part of this year. well, british golferjustin rose is one of many affected by the postponement. 2021 is really very busy for him but he says despite all that he will be focused on next summer. for me it is a huge priority and i will make the olympics my priority in terms of some golf. i will try to keep energy in the tank for it and it will be a huge goal for me. keep energy in the tank for it and it will be a huge goalfor me. my game is not in the best of shape the moment so in 18 months time it could possibly be a blessing in disguise for me. that is interesting positivity because it is notjust the olympics postponed, it is the paralympics as well. wheelchair racer hannah cockroft is one of team gb‘s most succesful paralympians, and says she's going to use the extra time to get herself into even better shape. it has so far been mentally tiring, just the whole change to training and now a whole change of plan. it will be difficult to find the motivation to carry on. this is time we can use and it is precious time. if we use it wisely could help us in a yea rs if we use it wisely could help us in a years time to get to the top of the podium. it will be my motivation going forward. we can all learn a little bit of positivity, can't we, from those athletes we have been hearing from. use the time wisely. that is their attitude. extremely good advice. for life, really. great wisdom there from sally this morning. and later we will be speaking to jadejones about the postponement of the 0lympics. many guests coming your way between now and nine 0'clock. almost 12,000 retired nhs staff will return to the frontline in the coming weeks to help hospitals tackle the coronavirus outbreak. one of them is christie watson, who worked as a nurse for 20 years before becoming a writer. let's speak to her now. thank you very much for spending some time with us on bbc breakfast this morning. talk is through the decision of back to the health service. it was not a difficult decision for me. like it is for many people i would imagine and i have family to think about like everybody else and i am a mother of two children so it took about 24 hours for me to really think and discuss with my family and make a decision. but once i made the decision there was no hesitation. it was my children who had no hesitation when i was talking to them. they said will it help other people and i said hopefully. and they said you must do it, mum. you must do it. they gave me the courage. sounds like you have some amazing children giving incredible advice there. from your own perspective, your children have encouraged you to return to the service. what were your concerns? are you worried about your health or their health to not bring it back and affect your family? children are coping well with the virus but i obviously have been hearing tales about many doctors and nurses around the world who have sadly lost their lives so this is not a decision that was easily taken but the thing most tricky for me was the thought of working in an environment where we are completely overwhelmed with the amount of patients coming in and perhaps may be in a position where we do not have enough ventilators or equipment. that for me was the most scary thought of all. i imagine there are probably a few people watching you and listening to you this morning and may be considering this morning and may be considering this for themselves. am i right in thinking that you were out of nursing for 18 months? can fill us in on the training you need? icame off fill us in on the training you need? i came off the register 18 months ago and anyone who has come off in the last three years has been sent an e—mail by the council to ask if they would consider going back onto they would consider going back onto the register on this emergency register. but it is a personal decision and people, i know other nurses who have been retired recently who are desperate to go back not in a position to because of theirfamily situation back not in a position to because of their family situation or health situation. it really is a personal decision for people to do it that i am lucky enough to have the privilege to be able to go and work alongside those nurses and, particularly student nurses who will be on the front line and i am rusty. i think someone referred to me as a rusty return of the other day which i agree with full i will need support but there are expert nurses all over the nhs who are already working and so those nurses, i have no doubt at all, they are preparing themselves to support people coming to help. particularly in critical care, for example, there will be a refresher programme, a training programme for people going back or redeployed from other areas to up skill and be able to work in critical care situations. we were speaking to a doctor yesterday who had just come off shift at southampton hospital and he said it was ok at that hospital at the moment but they were really worried about what he referred to was a wave of cases that they expect over the next ten days—2 weeks. is it something you are thinking about? how do you feel potentially about the numbers of people who may be needing your assistance? we know it is coming. it is like seeing the storm on the horizon. so everybody is doing anything in their power to get prepared and ready, and the nhs has been incredible about producing beds, for example, the hospital we have just been producing beds, for example, the hospital we havejust been hearing about, but also training people, getting as much equipment as they can in place so that when this thing happens, and the peak hits us, which is imminent, like you said, then we are as prepared as we possibly can be. but we have all got to play in this, andi be. but we have all got to play in this, and i think it is very important to stress again, as we have all been saying, that every single person can save lives in this situation, and they can do it by staying home. thank you very much for speaking with us this morning, and we wish you all the very best, and we wish you all the very best, and yourfamily as and we wish you all the very best, and your family as well. thank you for being a rusty returner, and speaking to us on breakfast. here is carol with a look at this morning's weather. and it was a lovely day for many of us. yes, louise, for some parts of the country it was sunny and warm. yesterday we had the warmest day of the year so far in some areas. west wales could see 17 or 18, but we still have our weather front. it has been with us all week and will be with us into the weekend, across scotla nd with us into the weekend, across scotland and northern ireland. here we still have a fair bit of cloud around and some patchy rain. increasingly through the day it will brighten up in the outer hebrides. we have had a lot of rain in the last few days and at times we will see some of that cloud crossed the borders into northern england. but generally speaking for the rest of england and wales, it is another dry day with some sunshine around, albeit hazy at times. temperatures eight to about 16, apart from the 17 or 18 we could well see in the north—east and north—west of wales. under clear skies, the temperature will fall away enough for a touch of frost, and as our front sinks south, increasingly patchy rain and drizzle all the time. clear skies behind for scotland. in the highlands, it means once again you are likely to have some frost. but where we have the cloud across the rest of scotland, parts of northern england and also northern ireland, the temperature will hold up. that two degrees represents newcastle. so we're looking at some frost and some mist and fog. that will lift quite readily tomorrow and for the bulk of england and for wales once again, it is going to be dry and it is going to be sunny. the sunshine turning hazy through the day. for scotland and northern ireland, we still do have this weather front. it is going to produce a little bit of rain, but not much, and to the north that, again, some drier conditions, some sunshine, and one or two showers not beyond the realms of possibility. temperatures eight to 14 degrees. friday, spot the difference. this is only going to be a band of cloud by the time we get to friday, our weather front, as it the time we get to friday, our weatherfront, as it continues the time we get to friday, our weather front, as it continues to move weather front, as it continues to m ove very weather front, as it continues to move very slowly southwards. brighter skies behind it and brighten skies ahead of it, although at times we could see a little bit of cloud coming in on the breeze. then, as we head on into the weekend, our weather front eventually makes it to the near continent. we have got high pressure building in. this weatherfront could produce some rain across the north of scotland during the course of sunday, but the trend is it is going to turn colder. the wind loses its southerly component and it picks up its southerly component and it picks upa its southerly component and it picks up a northerly one right the way across the country. so it will be cold by night and by day. so that is the weekend. cold wind, there will bea the weekend. cold wind, there will be a wind chill, temperatures going down anyway. if you think of the 19.4 yesterday, we will be lucky to get into double figures through the weekend, especially sunday. wintry showers, and yesterday we thought these were going to be anywhere. now it looks like they are going to be across eastern areas. and by wintry showers, it means a combination of rain, sleet, some snow, and also the likelihood of hail. thank you very much for that. lots going on with the likelihood of hail. thank you very much for that. lots going on with the weather over the next few days. carol is across it all as ever. there has been confusion within the construction industry over who should and shouldn't still be going to work following this week's restrictions on movement. the government has been criticised for allowing non—essential construction work to continue. in scotland, those sites have been told to stop. nina is looking into this for us. not into us, into for us. look into us, nina, what can you see? you don't want to know, trust me! i have been looking at this tension for business owners who are caught between wanting to do the right thing to protect income for them and theirfamilies, but thing to protect income for them and their families, but also to follow government guidance. we have been told to stay at home to save lives. we're also being told to leave the house, go to work if we have to. and yesterday matt hancock, the health secretary, said if people absolutely cannot work from home, if they can go to work, it's important to keep the country running. he and michael gove once again said that construction should continue as long as social distancing can be maintained. easier said than done. have a look at these pictures of people getting to and working on building sites. so much risk of widespread cross—contamination there. it is so ingrained in their working culture and that presents a conflict for people who run these building sites. they want to protect their workers' incomes and contribute to the economy but they want to minimise risk. we spoke to tom. he employs about 60 subcontractors on seven projects, and says confusion has already led to some suppliers and merchants to shut down. what he wants is really specific clarity on which project should stay open. there's a lot of sites shutting and it is worrying that there are a lot of suppliers now shutting their doors. and most of these seem to be shutting and turning people away because of a shortage of information as to what it is that they are and are not allowed to do. in terms of accessing the sites, most people, most contractors, use their own vehicle. they don't use public transport. there is very little interaction with the public, by design. and a large proportion of sites we have got an opportunity to work with, social separation, keeping our two metres' distancing, i am sure that if there was some guidelines in place and some assessment of the risks here, we could get to a place where we can actually work out what we can and can't do here. tom is optimistic that social distancing can be maintained, but the reaction from industry across the board shows how confusing this has been. construction on crossrail and transport for london projects have all ceased. a housing construction company has closed down all sites because of fears of spreading the virus, but two others say they are staying open for now. they will stay in touch with governments over whether guidelines will change. as for the industry bodies, the federation of master builders, construction and leadership council, have told us that it is not fair that this pressure of decision—making is being passed on to the industry. we heard earlier from layla about the political storm around this. the shadow chancellor saying it is irresponsible, dangerous and self—defeating to keep sites open. meanwhile, in scotland, the first minister, nicola sturgeon, has said that sites should shut down u nless has said that sites should shut down unless they are absolutely essential. what compounds this is that so many people who work in construction are self—employed, and they feel completely left out of the package that the government announced last week. as we understand it, the treasury had told us understand it, the treasury had told us they are working, quote, hard and urgently on a new package for the self—employed. we did approach the government to get a response on clarity for the construction industry. perhaps you will have more like when you speak to the minister. i was literally listening to you, taking notes and sending you messages. i will ping them across to you. that would be good to hear, specific questions if you work in the construction industry. what specific questions do you have for the secretary of state for housing, communities and local government. he will be here at 7:30am. and he was the one who actually tweeted after borisjohnson had the one who actually tweeted after boris johnson had come the one who actually tweeted after borisjohnson had come out with a statement on... what day are we at now? wednesday, on monday night, to try and clarify that construction was ok, as long as you maintain social difference. so a great person to have on to ask those questions. it's time to catch up with diana moran, better known as the ‘green goddess,‘ for today's gentle home workout routine. good morning, everyone. well, here we go again in my nice new set, in my conservatory and my pretty, pretty garden. getting into the garden and working out in the fresh air isa garden and working out in the fresh air is a fabulous way of staying fit. anyhow, let's start our exercises for the day with my favourite, the monkey stretch again. i got favourite, the monkey stretch again. igota favourite, the monkey stretch again. i got a bit more room here to be able to do it properly, so here we go. able to do it properly, so here we 90- up able to do it properly, so here we go. up and stretch. up and stretch. i always do five of these every morning. up and stretch. couple more. and that means that i warmed up my more. and that means that i warmed up my body, ready for us to work out a bit more. now, let's work on those tight, tight shoulders. just left both shoulders up to the year, and push back down. both shoulders to the ear, push back down. don't take the ear, push back down. don't take the shoulder to the ear. push back down. last one, up you come. and push back down. now, let's work on the feet a little bit. so, either ta ke the feet a little bit. so, either take the support of a chair, or if you're quite happy, just stand by yourself, and just heal, toe, heal, toe. come on, work that leg —— heel. working all the muscles, and improving your circulation as well. that's a good one. get you ready for the gardening. and the other one. here you go. heel, toe, heel, toe. and a few more of those. there we are. good. and then finally today, let's stretch out the tricep muscle, which is this muscle here. push back. hold for five. which is this muscle here. push back. hold forfive. good. and the other one. hold forfive. you can equally go behind your head and pulled back, but i'lljust do it here for the time being. so there we are. keep fit, and carry on. see you again soon. she is great, isn't she? time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning. bbc london and bbc south east today are joining forces at breakfast to keep you up to date with the latest on the coronavirus in ourarea. the national crime agency is warning that organised criminals may try to exploit the coronavirus outbreak and target people across london and the south east. it says that covid—19 may provide opportunities for crime, but that it is monitoring intelligence. officers have identified instances of coronavirus—themed malicious apps and websites, as well as e—mail phishing attacks aimed at stealing personal and financial information. the nca is advising the public to be vigilant. transport for london is bringing all construction work to a stop because of the coronavirus. while the crossrail project is temporarily suspended, essential maintenance of the transport network, including the tube, will continue. tfl says it is taking the action for safety reasons, and to reduce the number of people travelling on the transport network, in a bid to limit the spread of the virus. stay at home. the only reason you should leave home is doctors, food, or if you're exercising, or if you really, really have to go to work. unless you're somebody who is critical, if you have to go to work, don't use it during the rush hour. i am pleading with londoners — these rules aren't optional. these are instructions to stop the spread of the virus, so that fewer people die. matt hancock, the health secretary, has announced the excel conference centre in east london will be converted into a temporary hospital, with the help of the army. dubbed the nightingale hospital, it will initially provide up to 500 beds with ventilators and oxygen, scaling up to 4,000. brighton and hove albion have announced a three month payment holiday for season ticket holders and 1,901 club members. the club's board has taken the decision after recognising the financial worries some seagulls fans may currently have. fans who meet the club's criteria will be contacted and offered the opportunity to suspend their monthly direct debit for may, june and july. weather now withjohn hammond. good morning. well, it has been a chilly old start, but things are really starting to warm up again, and after that cold start, we're set to have another sunny day. and temperatures will recover quite nicely, i think, by the afternoon, with barely a cloud in the sky, and blue sky from dawn until dusk. the highest temperatures will be the further west we are. with the breeze coming in from the east, parts of essex and east kent will be held back to around about nine or ten degrees, but well up into double figures further west, possibly as high as the mid—teens. mind you, as soon as the sun sets, those temperatures will take another nosedive, so another frosty start tomorrow. a couple more fine days, but the message is, as we hit the weekend, those temperatures are going to take a nosedive. just as british summertime arrives, a shot of winter cold. and a reminder that for the latest developments on the coronavirus outbreak, including what symptoms to look for, how to reduce your risk of becoming infected, and advice for those with underlying health conditions, visit the bbc website or the bbc news app. there is also more on facebook and twitter. that is it for now. i will be back in half—an—hour. goodbye. good morning. welcome to breakfast with dan walker and louise minchin. 0ur headlines today: stepping up the fight against coronavirus. a huge makeshift hospital is to be opened in london but there's a stark warning from these a&e doctors. we are seeing patients in their 20s, patients in their 30s. we don't know what the outcome for those patients will be, they go to intensive care and have been there for some weeks and some of them will die. and it's completely heartbreaking. thousands of retired nhs staff agree to come back as the government appeals for 250,000 volunteers to help tackle the crisis. down tools or carry on in construction? the government is accused of being irresponsible for allowing non—essential building to continue. in scotland, they're told to stop. the industry tells us they need more clarity. it's now official. the olympics and paralympics will not take place in tokyo this summer. after mounting pressure, the decision has been made to postpone the games until next year. another until next year. cloudy day across england and another cloudy day across england and wales although patchy at times. he's as well through the afternoon. i will have more at eight minutes passed. it's wednesday march 25th. our top story. the efforts to fight coronavirus are ramping up as the death toll increases and more people test positive for the disease. the government is opening a huge new makeshift hospital in london and has appealed for a quarter of a million volunteers to help the nhs. the number of uk deaths rose to 422 yesterday, a rise of 87 in one day. charlotte rose reports. we have all of these people who are incredibly critically unwell and people are dying alone, people have no company. a stark warning from those on the frontline. threejunior doctors from a london hospital want people to take this illness seriously and to warn the rest of the country what's coming their way. there are patients and they're in their 30s. we don't know what the outcome of some of these patients will be. they will go to intensive care, may be in intensive care for some weeks and some of them will die. and it's completely heartbreaking. warnings as well from families who have seen what covid—19 can do. sushila's father died on monday after contracting the virus. he had underlying conditions but wasn't diagnosed and collapsed in hospital. he was in hospital in intensive care in a coma for a week. prior to that, he was home ill with what they suspected was pneumonia. we are all going to be totally fed up with having to stay in, for sure, i know i definitely am but we need to be looking at italy which is quite terrifying. but they are really struggling. shops have been shut and the streets are almost silent, after the prime minister told uk citizens to stay at home. but there is still confusion as to who should be going to work and who shouldn't. change here for piccadilly line. pictures of packed tubes prompted the health secretary to give this advice. i want to be clear where people absolutely cannot work at home, they can still go to work. indeed, it's important they do to keep the country running. key workers, for example, in the nhs, social care, pharmacists and medicine supply chain should go to work unless, as we've said before, they are self isolating. in the daily press conference, mr hancock said construction work could continue but in scotland, building sites are being shut. shadow chancellorjohn mcdonald said the government's approach was irresponsible, dangerous and self—defeating. as hospitals across the country prepare for a surge in cases, the government has announced its creating a new temporary hospital at the excel conference in london. the nhs nightingale will provide an extra 4,000 beds specifically for coronavirus patients. the army is being brought in to run the centre alongside nhs staff. the government is also calling for an army of 250,000 volunteers to support the health service. the battle against this virus is ramping up. charlotte rose, bbc news. as we've been hearing, ministers have faced criticism for the decision to allow construction sites to remain open. the government says work can carry on as long as people are two metres apart. but, the mayor of greater manchester, andy burnham says he believes all non—essential work has to stop. i say close them unless they are absolutely essential work like hospitals. this decision about allowing non—essential work appears to be taken for economic reasons but, actually, when you are in the middle of a global pandemic, health reasons alone should guiding all decision—making. we will continue that theme through the morning. nina will have more and we will also be talking to the housing minister robertjenrick at 7.30. pressure is building on the benefits sytem after a huge number of claims due to the economic fall—out from coronavirus. at one point yesterday, more than 100,000 people were attempting to verify online applications and others spent hours trying to phone welfare staff. the department for work and pensions said they were taking "unprecedented" action to ensure people received the support they need. india's population of 1.3 billion people has gone into a complete lockdown which is due to last at least three weeks. the news that there will be a total ban on leaving home prompted large scale panic buying across the country. 0ur correspondent arunoday mukharji is in delhi for us now. thank you forjoining us. ever there idea of what is happening across india at the moment. india has never seen these unprecedented measures ta ken. india has never seen these unprecedented measures taken. this morning we woke up to complete silence. nothing on the road, no noise, all business completely shut down. the only noise you would hear is of police vehicles which continue to patrol streets and ensure that no—one is out. they have also said and they announce these on loudspeakers, anyone who attempts to leave their home will be dealt with severely and could face legal action as well. the situation is causing anxiety among citizens because the lockdown that was announced by the prime minister last night will last for the next three weeks. essential supplies is what most citizens are worried about. soon after that address last night we saw several queues outside community stores as people tried to stock up on daily essentials. there has been assurance from the prime ministers that essential supplies will not be hit, that workers who are supplying central products —— essential products along with the vehicles that carry them will not be stopped at interstate borders. but being the first day, the first day here of the cu rfew first day, the first day here of the curfew there is a fair bit of confusion on ground but officials say they hope this will smooth out over the days ahead. thank you very much. the latest they live from delhi this morning. the white house says an agreement has been reached on a $2 trillion aid package to protect the american economy from coronavirus. it comes as president trump says he hopes the us will shake off coronavirus by easter. but new york's governor andrew cuomo says the disease is spreading "faster than a bullet train" and criticised the government for not doing enough to stop it. look at us today. where we are today, you will be in three weeks or four weeks or five weeks or six weeks. we are your future. and what we do here will chart the course for what we do in your city and in your community. i'm not asking you to help new york just to help new york. i'm asking you to help new york to help yourselves. that gives you an idea of what is her opening elsewhere around the world this morning. —— what is happening. for the latest developments on the coronavirus outbreak, including what symptoms to look for, how to reduce your risk of becoming infected, and advice for those with underlying health conditions, just visit our website or go to the bbc news app. all the latest detailed government advice can also be found at the gov.uk website. just follow the coronavirus link. and we will continue asking the questions that you want asked here on bbc breakfast, trying to get clarity on different things, particularly for construction workers today. the weather, however, yesterday was lovely. it felt like a bit like summer, didn't it? spring, may carol is the expert. ironically, clocks go forward this weekend signalling the start of british summertime and it will get colder. yesterday was the highest temperature of the year so far. today, sunny and dry in the south but still we have a weather front in the north producing cloud and also some rain and you can see that nicely here in the chart. the rain turning patchy today and eventually moving to the outer hebrides where it has been wet for the last few days. it will brighten up for you. bright skies across eastern parts of northern ireland and southern scotla nd northern ireland and southern scotland but here as well there will bea scotland but here as well there will be a little cloud at times just winging into northern england but the bulk of england and wales, a dry day with sunshine, hazy in the afternoon. temperature today reaching 16 degrees but we could see 17 or 18 on the west coast of wales, maybe also across the north—east of wales. not as windy as it was yesterday. this afternoon, sunshine still to be had across southern areas including the channel islands, turning hazy as we go through the afternoon but not a speck of rain anywhere. more clouded times across northern ireland and the borders leading to this patchy rain brightening up with sunny spells developing across the outer hebrides and other areas. through the evening and other areas. through the evening and overnight this band of cloud and rain slips further south allowing a frosty clear sky behind it and a frosty clear sky behind it and a frost and clear skies ahead. also a little bit of patchy mist and fog. thank you, carol and we will see you in 30 minutes. the extra restrictions brought in to tackle the coronavirus outbreak mean it is a particularly hard time for those living in care homes and their families. many are considered to be at high—risk, and can no longer receive visits from their loved ones. joining us now from north london is stephen unwin. his sonjoey lives in supported—living accommodation. and dr claire mould is the chief executive of a charity which manages care homes. she joins us from gloucester. thank you very much forjoining us. this is such a difficult time for all of us and stephen, particularly for you. tell us about your son. my j°ey for you. tell us about your son. my joeyis for you. tell us about your son. my joey is 23. he has severe learning disabilities and he has epilepsy. he has no speech which makes all this is really quite complicated, to put it mildly. he lives in a brazilian supported living in bishops sto rtfo rd. supported living in bishops stortford. a fantastic place. —— a brilliant supported living. but he does not understand what is going on. we see him, normally we would see him every week away on holidays with him, bring him home, trying to make him part of the family, to keep him part of the family, which he is. and at the moment that is very hard. are you able to see him at this point? we cannot go and see him. when this thing started i had a classic side brain melt because i wa nted classic side brain melt because i wanted to go up in my car, pick him up, bring him home, put him on the sofa and we will watch daytime tv for ever. that i realised he in the safest place imaginable and that has been really tough to get my brain clear on that, to be honest, and for the whole family. he is in a brilliant place with incredible ca re rs brilliant place with incredible carers coming in and out and, of course, that is part of the challenge. there are carers coming in and out and they have been just fantastic but, you know, he is not in complete isolation and he cannot be because he cannot live in com plete be because he cannot live in complete isolation because he needs people to help him with everything, really. we have facetime conversations with him where if i am not good at this, he is terrible, he hides from the screen like this because he does not want to talk to us because he does not want to talk to us but we know that he is smiling and laughing. joey is very happy. he isa and laughing. joey is very happy. he is a happy lovely kid. but ijust wa nt to is a happy lovely kid. but ijust want to give him a big hug. is a happy lovely kid. but ijust want to give him a big hugm is a happy lovely kid. but ijust want to give him a big hug. it is just not the same on facetime and i feel for you. let's speak to doctor claire mould. you have had a lot of people in care homes and obviously you have responsibility to the people working there as well. what are the main issues for you at the moment? mr 0wen explained the main one is that we are having to put a complete lockdown on visitors coming in and seeing the residents in our residential care homes, and we are incredibly sympathetic to their feelings during this very, very difficult and complex time. so we are setting up facebook opportunities, closed facebook pictures are going out, telephone calls, as much as we can. but all of this we don't underestimate is causing the individuals that we support a great deal of anxiety. and these are individuals that are already dealing with very, very complex needs. and that is putting extra pressure on staff, who aren't able to stay at home. they are having to come out and work on these complex areas, and doing a phenomenaljob. but we are seeing staff shortages, because we are having to be very strict about self isolation. again, as was already mentioned this morning, we have to be absolutely 100% certain that the staff who are working with the individuals we support have no risk of the coronavirus at all, so they are staying at home, and in a sector that already has extreme staff shortages, that is additional pressure for us. absolutely, and have you got enough food, enough supplies, enough medicine? have you got all the things you need? well, we have faced a number of challenges. 0ver we have faced a number of challenges. over the last two weeks we have seen these diminishing somewhat. last week we were getting up somewhat. last week we were getting up to 50% of the supplies that we needed. and again, when you are working with very vulnerable individuals, many of whom need a specific diet, we are finding that thatis specific diet, we are finding that that is putting an immense challenge. we have noted over the last couple of days that everybody has rallied, and people are now turning around and saying we will stock up supplies and get food supplies out to us, which is really heartening, because we did have some rather harrowing times at the beginning of this week where our staff were having to go out into supermarkets to prop up the normal essentials. and then even though the local authorities have been very good and have given us letterheads to prove that we do work in social ca re to prove that we do work in social care and we are legitimately able to be here, but members of the public have been quite aggressive to us. so that has been quite difficult for our staff during a very difficult time. so we're hoping the public will get behind us and really support us now, and we seen that certainly yesterday. we saw a bit of a turning tide. with regards to the equipment that we need, we are seeing exactly the same challenges that the nhs are seeing. 0ur seeing exactly the same challenges that the nhs are seeing. our staff, because they are not able to keep it to got to be working in a close way with the individuals we support, do need gloves, masks and aprons, and those supplies are dwindling. again, the local authorities try to support us the local authorities try to support us by propping those up, but that isn't going far enough at the moment, so we are sincerely hoping where we are hearing that military is getting behind and delivering supplies to the nhs, that that will also extend to social care. and stephen, really briefly, you touch on it, but the people who work in these circumstances, the people on these circumstances, the people on the frontline, these are heroes, aren't they? absolutely, and i think the two big things that come out of this, one is that we recognise the incredible contribution of carers, in all kinds of ways, in our society. i think we are undervalued shockingly, i really do, carers, as well as of course hospital staff. and i think the other thing, frankly, is our absolute duty to the most vulnerable, even in the toughest times, like these. these are the moments when unconscious bias appears, when you start thinking maybe these people don't really matter, and i am telling you they do. stephen, let's leave it with that very important thought. thank you so much for your time here on breakfast this morning. fantastic to speak to both of them this morning. thank you so much for being with us today. we are trying to bring you some clear, accurate information on the coronavirus outbreak, and if you havejust switched on your television, we have our latest government minister joining us in ten minutes' time, the housing minister. i think quite a bit of the time we will be talking about the construction industry with him. do send in some questions on that. it is an uncertain time for hundreds of thousands of british people who have found themselves stranded abroad as the world responds to the coronavirus outbreak. many flights are cancelled and some borders are closed, making international travel difficult. breakfast‘s jayne mccubbin has been speaking to some of those unsure of how or when they will get home. these are just a few of the hundreds of thousands of brits who have been told by the foreign office to come home. but, with airports closing, ticket prices inflating, that is easier said than done. hello, everybody. so my name is elaine. cou ntless everybody. so my name is elaine. countless are stranded. these nurses from wigan are desperate not only to get back home from cambodia, but also get back to work. because a lot of our work colleagues about to stay off work for various things, some have illness, the coronavirus, some have illness, the coronavirus, some have family who are ill, some are vulnerable, and we just want to get back now, to get back to work. hello, in india, can you hear me 0k? we can hear you perfectly. with flights in and out of india stops, this mother and daughter are stranded with three other elderly relatives. i do feelvery, very nervous. my mum is really nervous. she wants to get back to the uk as well, because we know we have to get on with everything there. have you had any contact with the foreign 0ffice? how has that gone? had any contact with the foreign office? how has that gone?|j had any contact with the foreign office? how has that gone? i have rang every single number there is, i get through and get cut off. and i am ina get through and get cut off. and i am in a very vulnerable situation, andi am in a very vulnerable situation, and i expect support back from them, and i expect support back from them, andi and i expect support back from them, and i amjust and i expect support back from them, and i am just not getting that. in peru... my goodness, this was meant to bea peru... my goodness, this was meant to be a trip of a lifetime. he is nearly retired, and he took out his pension pot, and this was supposed to bea pension pot, and this was supposed to be a trip of a lifetime, as you say. and i am 70 and a few weeks' time. fred and meinir are stuck in isolation in a hotel which is closed down, with no flights on the horizon. only half of it works, so i had intended to be in this hire, 1000 feet altitude for just a few days rather than a few weeks, but there are six of us left in the hotel right now. it is officially shut. in total, around 1000 brits have registered with the embassy in peru, including thomas. stranded without enough vital medicines, and already at heightened risk from the virus. it says 54 left. i haven't left this building in seven days. there's been a massive lack of communication from the government, and the embassy here. and this has a limited amount of supply left. in bali, it is thought there are closer to 6000 uk nationals. they are facing airport queues and delays like this. a hassle in ordinary times. today, a deadly risk. there is no single seat available. we are not the only people stuck here. there is one woman who has got bone marrow disease. she is running out of medicine and will be running out of medicine and will be running out of medicine and will be running out of medicine on saturday. but the advice is to book a flight out of here at the moment, and that'sjust not physically possible. there is no social distancing whatsoever, and everyone wants to get home. there is one person telling you what is happening, and you need to listen to that one person, when there is 50 to 100 people around you. social distancing doesn't exist. and just look at this social distancing pictured by susan. the irony is this isa pictured by susan. the irony is this is a queue into a cambodian hospital for a test to prove you don't have the virus. the very test you need to get a flight home. the hospital was extremely busy, and the whole city is in chaos, really. within half—an—hour they had lent 30 people m, half—an—hour they had lent 30 people in, but had turned away another 70— 100. saying that they weren't going to undertake any more tests for certificates. these are just a few of the very many desperate people, hoping they are not forgotten. best of luck, ladies. i hope you are back in work soon. the nhs needs you.“ someone out there is... please, please, please get us home. thank you for all of those who spoke to jane about their own particular issues, trying to get back to the uk. so what options do they have to help them get back to the uk? we can now speak to the travel editor of the independent, simon calder. those of you who have watched before will know he is a real expert when it comes to these sorts of issues. good morning to you. can we talk numbers first of all? how many brits do we think there are stuck abroad at the moment? right, i have counted it down. it began, if you go back eight days to when the government said do not go abroad, they didn't say come back now, there was somewhere between 500000 and 600,000 brits abroad. that number has been coming down quite rapidly, and i must pay tribute to thousands of people in the travel industry, facing a very uncertain future, whether they are working on travel agents, tour operators, airlines, getting people back. there has been some great work done. unfortunately, we still have at least 50,000 people who are not where they need to be, and as those harrowing stories were saying, they are typically stuck in parts of asia without any obvious links back. there are also a lot of people in australia and new zealand, and is 1000 or so brits in peru. they are relatively lucky, because there is actually, sitting on the ground that lima airport, a boeing 777 waiting to take some of them. and with more planes promised later this week. ok, so that is good news for some of those brits in peru at the moment. is part of the main issue that there are sort of logistical hubs that are currently not open, which therefore don't allow you to come back from places like new zealand, australia and elsewhere? that's exactly right. the world depends on global connectivity through key hubs such as dubai, the hub for emirates, apps the biggest continental airline in the world, which closes down today, and singapore, which as you have been hearing, has banned transit passengers. now, the foreign office is trying to get singapore to change its mind to allow flights to refuel there. you have things such as qantas, who are flying non—stop from darwin, in the northern territory, across to heathrow to beat the blockade. but now those flights are all full. so it is a matter of trying to get the hubs unlocked. but u nfortu nately trying to get the hubs unlocked. but unfortunately individual countries have been ignoring the advice from the world health organization which says that, once coronavirus is established in a population, flight bands are absolutely futile. and it is those flight bans which have been building up. a lot of people feel that if the government had said eight days ago don't go abroad and if you are abroad, come back now, there would not be so many tales of distress that we have been hearing today. we have 30 seconds with you, i will throw a few questions that you, and just some general advice for our viewers, if you can. many people asking about so many grounded planes in the uk, why can't they be used? 0r planes in the uk, why can't they be used ? 0r potentially planes in the uk, why can't they be used? 0r potentially the use of military planes. another saying they have spoken to people, airlines and the foreign office, and some of them are too scared to go, potentially, toa are too scared to go, potentially, to a busy airport as well. what is the advice around all of those issues, if you could summarise that for us? ok, ithink issues, if you could summarise that for us? ok, i think we will see some action on more planes being charted, not military ones, there are plenty of civil aircraft around. however, that will take pressure, and from the debate yesterday in the house of commons that the best thing anyone stranded can do is contact mps. they do have a magic bullet, a magic e—mail through to the foreign 0ffice, e—mail through to the foreign office, where you can alert them to particular cases of distress. 0f course, if you can get yourself out, then please do. but increasingly, then please do. but increasingly, the avenues are closing down, and it is really a matter, in these extreme circumstances, of putting increasing pressure on your mp, on the foreign 0ffice, pressure on your mp, on the foreign office, and just doing what you can. it is an awful situation for so many people. there are people working very ha rd people. there are people working very hard in the foreign office, but time and again i hear things are closing down, hotels are closing. restau ra nts closing down, hotels are closing. restaurants are refusing tourist. it is really frightening, really scary, really confusing, and unfortunately there is no action taking place at there is no action taking place at the moment. the best thing that can happen is that there is international agreement to reopen some of those hubs. simon, thank you very much, as ever. talking to us about some really desperate situations that many people are finding themselves in. we will have the headlines in just finding themselves in. we will have the headlines injust a couple of moments. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning. bbc london and bbc south east today are joining forces at breakfast to keep you up to date with the latest on the coronavirus in ourarea. the national crime agency is warning that organised criminals may try to exploit the coronavirus outbreak and target people across london and the south east. it says that covid—19 may provide opportunities for crime, but that it is monitoring intelligence. officers have identified instances of coronavirus—themed malicious apps and websites, as well as e—mail phishing attacks aimed at stealing personal and financial information. the nca is advising the public to be vigilant. transport for london is bringing all construction work to a stop because of the coronavirus. while the crossrail project is temporarily suspended, essential maintenance of the transport network, including the tube, will continue. tfl says it is taking the action for safety reasons, and to reduce the number of people travelling on the transport network, in a bid to limit the spread of the virus. animal adoption centres have been forced to close due to the current government advice on coronavirus. despite being unable to rehome animals at this time, they're asking members of the public to continue to support them and the pets they care for. raystede centre for animal welfare, in lewes in east sussex, says they're losing £1,000 a day through the closure of the site and are appealing for donations from supporters. weather now, withjohn hammond. good morning. well, it's been a chilly old dawn, but things are really starting to warm up again, and after that cold start, we're set to have another sunny day. and temperatures will recover quite nicely, i think, by the afternoon, with barely a cloud in the sky, and blue sky from dawn until dusk. the highest temperatures will be the further west we are. with the breeze coming in from the east, parts of essex and east kent will be held back to around about nine or ten degrees, but well up into double figures further west, possibly as high as the mid—teens. mind you, as soon as the sun sets, those temperatures will take another nosedive, so another frosty start tomorrow. a couple more fine days, but the message is, as we hit the weekend, those temperatures are going to take a nosedive. just as british summertime arrives, a shot of winter cold. bbc local radio stations across london and the south east are here for you through this difficult time. there are half—hourly "make a difference" updates on air across your local bbc radio station from 6:00am to 6:00pm every day. if you've got an event that has been cancelled, an appeal to make, or a support group that can help others, get in touch with your local station and they'll let everyone know. a reminder that for the latest developments on the coronavirus outbreak in your area, do visit the bbc website. that's bbc.co.uk/london, kent, sussex and surrey. that's it for now. goodbye. hello, this is breakfast with dan walker and louise minchin. there are calls for the government to provide more clarity on exactly let's bring you up—to—date with some of the main stories and it is all about coronavirus. if it's ramping up about coronavirus. if it's ramping up as the death toll increases and more people are testing positive for the disease. the government is opening a huge new makeshift hospital in london and has appealed for a quarter of a million of volu nteers for a quarter of a million of volunteers to help the nhs. the number of uk deaths rose to 422 on tuesday, a rise of 87 in one day. there is so much to talk about this morning. there are calls for the government to provide more clarity on exactly who should and shouldn't be going into work, after confusion about the new coronavirus restrictions. we will be speaking about that to the housing and community secretary robertjenrick, whojoins us from westminster. firstly, questions about construction. yesterday you were asking for 250,000 volunteers to help the nhs. how's that going and what would they be doing? the health secretary yesterday launched a national effort to get a quarter of a million people to volunteer and support the nhs and social care through this national crisis. i know there are hundreds of thousands if not millions of people out there who would like to support us during this time and support the nhs. there will be lots of different opportunities available from helping to deliver medicine and food to the elderly and vulnerable who are asking to stay at home, being a volunteer driver to get supplies to the front line or to ta ke get supplies to the front line or to take people into hospital or working within hospitals obviously in nonclinical roles. you must be over 18, fit and healthy, and not symptomatic with coronavirus but otherwise there are plenty of opportunities for people and anyone interested should go online, see the details and sign up. and in some ways that those against government advice about staying at home. so how will you keep them safe? the government's guidance is to stay—at—home unless you have a reason to be going out. if you do something essential for fighting the virus, like volunteering in this organised way then obviously that is different but we want to keep those individuals say. they was received training support and equipment that they need to carry out those roles. thank you for that. now construction. there is so much concern and people are getting in touch with us today. donna says her husband works on a construction site and he is petrified. there is no official shutdown so he must keep going or he will lose hisjob. we have three children. to say he is worried is an understatement. she says can we please have an official shutdown for all construction workers to keep them and their families safe? what would you say to that? i am very concerned to hear that. what we have said and i hope this is clear, is that if you can work from home you must do so. if you cannot work from home then you can go into work but you and your employer should follow public health england ‘s guidance on social distancing and safety precautions to keep workers safe. in the construction industry in particular, a number of employers have concluded that they cannot follow the public health england's guidance and are choosing to close down their sites and in some cases they are doing so over a short period of time so the sites remain safe and that is the right thing to do. but if you or your employer believe you can continue to operate safely within those guidelines then it is sensible for you to do so. and it is worth remembering that there are some functions within the housing and construction industry that are essential to all of us. keeping buildings safe, ensuring essential maintenance is done to people's homes and workplaces. such as sanitation systems, boilers and so on, and ensuring that really essential repairs are done like taking dangerous cladding of buildings, acm cladding of the sort we saw on grenfell tower. so there is work that needs to continue if it is work that needs to continue if it is safe to do so, through the crisis. on that point, tom is a site manager in manchester who says why don't you lockdown all but essential science? it should not be left to us to decide what is safe. science? it should not be left to us to decide what is safelj science? it should not be left to us to decide what is safe. i think we do all have to exercise a degree of judgement. and we are asking employers to consider carefully if they can meet the public health england's guidance in operating their business. if they can then they can continue to do so and that applies across the whole of the economy, not just applies across the whole of the economy, notjust housing and construction set is stop as i say, a large number of businesses within this industry choose to close their sites and that is obviously their decision because they believe they cannot follow the guidance. but if you think you can, our message then is that those individuals should continue to work. can you see the people are finding themselves in a difficult position here? absolutely. and on the broader point about the self—employed which i think is connected to this issue because so many people within construction industry are self—employed, we are very alive to this issue. the chancellor is reviewing what more we can do to support those individuals through the crisis in a similar way to the way he has done so for employees and he will make a further statement shortly. we have taken a number of actions including putting £7 billion more into the welfare system and ensuring that employment support is available from day one and removing what is called the minimum income floor from and removing what is called the minimum income floorfrom universal credit. all steps designed to help those who are self—employed and cannot go to work because they are doing the right thing or because they are unwell as a result of coronavirus full so many of them are getting in touch with us. when will you have details? the chancellor said yesterday that he is continuing to review the options and will make a statement shortly so i don't think you will need to wait very long. in the meantime... it is a complicated challenge and those who are self—employed will understand this because it is operationally very difficult to design a scheme similar to the one for employees because we do not have up—to—date records of how much people earn and there is no link between the employee and the company which is what the other schemes are designed to maintain so that your company does not have to shed you when this is over, that you can continue to be employed by that business. this is a different and more complex situation but we are very alive to it and we are trying to work through what will be a sensible and fair way to support those people and i expect the chancellor will make a statement shortly. in the meantime those people are anxious putting themselves into dangerous situations. i am certain that there will be people who are anxious but they should not put themselves into dangerous situations if their employer believes they cannot operate that is nurse, such as a construction site, in adherence to public health england's guidelines then they should not be operating it. this is all related in so many ways. you have seen those pictures of the underground and people are still packed onto underground trains. we heard matt hancock saying they should be running more. what should be happening and when will it change? we do want to see more trains operating on the underground. we are in discussion with the mayor of london and tfl urging them to lay on more. they clearly have their own challenges because members of their staff are unwell or self isolating following the correct guidelines so i don't think this is an easy question to answer but i think there are ways they could be laying on more trains because nobody should be going to work, particularly those runtime workers such as in the nhs and social care, and having to travel check by gel with others on the underground. we think that can be resolved by laying on more trains and we urge the air —— of london to do so. and when that happening? -- the mayor of london. the transport secretary spoke to the mayor of london yesterday and was urging him to find a solution. it is not directly under our control it is a decision for tfl and the mayor of london full news in this morning and we hear from several different sources telling the bbc that parliament is going to close tonight. what can you tell us? i do not have an answer to that. the leader of the houses in discussion with the other parties and they will have to come to a decision about when is the sensible time to close for the parliamentary recess that was due to start next week, in any case. there is an immediate task for us case. there is an immediate task for us in parliament, which is to get the emergency legislation through which gives the government the powers to take essential steps to protect the public and to manage the country through the coming days and weeks. 0nce country through the coming days and weeks. once that has happened then it may be a sensible thing to close parliament down for the recess and then review that at the end of the recess after easter. most of us do wa nt recess after easter. most of us do want parliament to continue to we live in a democracy and it is essential that there is scrutiny of the steps the government is taking and that your members of parliament can hold us in government to account for our decisions. but obviously parliament must lead by example, follow guidelines wherever it can and ensure that we protect staff who work in parliament as well.|j and ensure that we protect staff who work in parliament as well. i am sure that many people, as you have indicated they are, will have different concerns about parliament being closed. i understand no date will be fixed for mps to return. would it not be better to have a fixed return date? i don't know what the leader of the house will say, i am afraid, if he makes a statement today or tomorrow on that. but i am certain that parliament will return after easter holidays and i think it is really important, however deep and serious this crisis is, that parliament continues in some form to operate because our citizens want to ensure that your mps are holding the government to account. we have to ta ke government to account. we have to take difficult decisions, take unprecedented powers in some cases, and try to do everything we can working around the clock to support the country through this crisis. but it is right that parliament holds us to account for that. a couple more quick questions, i know you must go. we have seen videos of people in london —— police in london telling people to disperse. should police be proactive in enforcing the new rules ? proactive in enforcing the new rules? i think they should do. it is an operational decision for the police but the rules are there to protect everyone. if we all play our pa rt protect everyone. if we all play our part we will be able to protect the nhs and save lives. this is a moment in ourown nhs and save lives. this is a moment in our own life where everything that we do has an impact on others and we have an almost unique opportunity to help the country get through this. so to obey the rules, do stay at home, do protect the nhs, do stay at home, do protect the nhs, do save lives did most people are complying and want to do so because they can see how serious the situation is. a minority, as ever, flout the rules and it is right that the police tried to move those people on, get them to comply and protect the rest of society. but i would just urge everybody to respect behave responsibly and play your part. if we do that and get through the crisis as soon as possible did it and if they continue to flout rules for the government look at them again? we do keep all the rules under review and you have seen that following medical advice we are ready to intervene and add additional measures if necessary to continue to protect the public. we are also taking powers for the police to enforce the rules and that means finding and other steps against businesses and individuals who are flouting the rules to but let's hope we can do this broadly by consent as all behaving as sensible citizens of a country, coming together in a national effort to save lives. i appreciate your time. thank you very much for talking to us thank you very much for talking to us here on bbc breakfast. that's it for now. goodbye. to run you through some of the key thing that housing minister was saying, if you can't work from home, you can go into work and your employers should follow guidelines on social distancing. lots of you getting in contact with us over the last few days, asking about social distancing. he says the chancellor will make a statement later. i don't think you will have to wait very long, was what he said in answer to louise's question. he said it is a complicated challenge, it is operationally very difficult to design a scheme similar to the one for employees. that is what the chancellor, rishi sunak, says is happening. we want to see more trains operating on the underground. he says i think they there are ways we could be laying on more trains. he says it is a decision for transport for london and the mayor of london. we spoke to sadiq khan yesterday. lots coming out of that interview with robertjenrick this morning. and i know that many of you have questions as well. if you want to find out more about the coronavirus outbreak, and how the latest measures affect you, there's a bbc news special, coronavirus: your essential update on bbc one tonight at 7:30pm. here is carol with a look at this morning's weather. do you think it is going to be nice out there? should we find out? yesterday we had the warmest day of the year so far. 19.4 degrees was recorded in north wales. today, england and having another fine, settled and sunny day. but for scotla nd settled and sunny day. but for scotland and northern ireland, you still have this weather front. it has been with you all week and it will be with us all really right the way into the weekend. but it is weakening. this morning there is a fair bit of cloud across scotland and northern ireland, some patchy rain. that will move slightly southwards, allowing it to brighten up southwards, allowing it to brighten up later in the outer hebrides. and at times we will see bits and pieces of cloud across northern england. but for the rest of england and wales, parts of eastern northern ireland, we're looking at some sunshine, hazy through the afternoon, with ties between eight and 16. having said that, parts of west and northeast wales today, especially close to the coast, could get up to 17 or 18. and the other thing you will notice is it is not going be as windy across the north of the country as it was yesterday. through the evening and overnight, we still have that band of cloud and rain, it is a weather front and increasingly the rain on it turning patchy. as it moves away from north—west scotland, the temperature will fall and you can expect a frost. ahead of it across england and wales, under clear skies, there will be some frost and also some mist and fog patches. you can see in this essential swathe of the uk, where we have the cloud and the patchy rain, temperatures holding up. so not as cold. tomorrow we do still have this weather front draped across parts of scotland and northern ireland. not a lot of rain on it, a little bit of drizzle. some sunny skies and few showers in the highlands, and for england, for wales, we're looking at once again a dry day with them fair weather cloud bubbling up through the course of the day, turning the sunshine hazy. despite what you can see in the charts, north—west england, for example, could get up to about 15 or 16 degrees. as we move on into friday, there is not a huge amount of change. this weather front really just a band of cloud. the rain should have dried up on it. northern scotland, some sunshine. england and wales some sunshine. later, the north coast of northern ireland could also brighten up. temperatures starting to come down. there will be a breeze which will blow in some cloud at times, but as we head on into the weekend, our weather front that has been plaguing the north—west all week eventually, albeit slowly, clears off into the near continent, allowing this area of high pressure to establish itself. the wind is going to change direction to more of a northerly or north—easterly. that is a cold direction for us, so you can see the blue right across the charts. what does that mean for the weekend? well, the cold wind, there will be a windchill, the temperatures will be lower a nyway. windchill, the temperatures will be lower anyway. could be some sunny spells and on sunday there will be a few showers. yesterday we thought we would have some widespread showers, you could catch them almost anywhere. now the thinking as they are more likely to be in eastern areas. but they are showers, so not all of us will catch one. by wintry showers, it means a combination of rain, sleet, snow and hail. so lots going on with the weather.“ rain, sleet, snow and hail. so lots going on with the weather. it is going on with the weather. it is going to get busy, isn't it? thank you very much. as expected, this summer's 0lympic and paralympic games have been postponed, but for britain's medal hopefuls, the daily training regime continues. with gyms closed, they have been having to adapt to makeshift exercise areas at home. joining us now from manchester is two—time 0lympic taekwondo gold medallistjadejones. good morning, jade. thank you very much for coming on and talking to us this morning. let's start with a little bit about your regime and how you are coping with all the training. what did you make of the news about the olympics inevitably being postponed, when you heard it yesterday? yes, obviously i am truly devastated. i trained four years, and you peek for that one moment. but i can't believe everything that is happening, and right now, my goals have changed, and it isjust about keeping my loved ones safe and just trying to stop this, really. because from your perspective, you said you prepared for many years for this. this is one of the most important dates in your calendar. you know exactly what 0lympic success is all about, and you are trying to prepare yourself mentally and physically for just those few days of competition a few months away, injuly days of competition a few months away, in july and days of competition a few months away, injuly and august. days of competition a few months away, in july and august. yes, definitely. we were going to all kinds of different lengths to train and putting ourselves at risk and ourfamilies, soi and putting ourselves at risk and ourfamilies, so i think the decision, you know, it is the best one, and now we can all focus on staying indoors. we don't have two stress as much about training, and just look after our family, and then start again next year when hopefully all this is over and sorted. it is understandable that there is frustration in terms of messing with your preparations, but as you have intimated, and everyone else seems to be in full agreement, health is the most important thing. nobody wa nts to the most important thing. nobody wants to put either their own health or the health of others at risk. 100%. i think itjust puts it into perspective, health comes before anything. and we have all got to stick together and look after each other. so how does this affect your training regime? whatare other. so how does this affect your training regime? what are you doing at the minute? 0bviously, training regime? what are you doing at the minute? obviously, as we said, the gems are closed. have you sort of transform your home into trying to make sure you can keep things going? yes, so i willjust show you around. it literally was a messy garage, and now we have had to borrow the gigabits taekwondo equipment, and we have literally transferred it so we have a taekwondo matt, we have a bike there, and obviously i live with a triple world champion, bianca, so we will be sparring and getting our fighting in. ithink will be sparring and getting our fighting in. i think i am lucky that i have still got the best training partner in my own house, so we will still be getting lots of training end. so if your neighbours here fighting coming from your garage area, then they know there is a good reason for that, jade. yes, definitely. we have already had a construction worker walking past thinking what's going on, thinking whether we needed to phone the police are not. but yes, it is all good. how easy has it been, we can see you are well equipped air behind you, how hard has it been to get all the equipment you need for that?“ was really tough, and obviously it is just crazy circumstances. we got a message saying the academy will be open for another hour. so literally wejumped in ourcars, open for another hour. so literally wejumped in our cars, ran and took as much kit as we could. and then we didn't know if the olympics was on, we didn't know if it was still happening, at the same time, and we literally just grabbed happening, at the same time, and we literallyjust grabbed everything we could. literally the next day, turned it into this, and started training the next day. it certainly looks like you have got at least a ca rload of looks like you have got at least a carload of equipment in there. well done for grabbing everything you possibly could. what about the mental side of this, and your preparation to try and take your two 0lympic titles, to win another one? how does that sort of affect you, making sure now that you... knowing it is not going to happen this summer, but it will happen hopefully in 2021? yes, i am not going to lie, it is mentally tough. like i said, athletes literally give their soul to training, and it is tough. and i have done four years of this for this cycle, so the fact now to think i have got to do that for another year is, you know, mentally tough. but, like i said, i love my family being there, i love the olympics, and the build—up. so i think i am just privileged that it is still on and it is not cancelled. so i have still got that chance to become the very best, and do something no—one else has done. so yes, i am just going to keep training, give this even more hunger to train even harder and be better than i even was. so i am just going to turn it all into positives. and can i ask you, just before we let you go and crack on with whatever training you have to do today. i have to wake bianca up to come training.|j have to do today. i have to wake bianca up to come training. i can't believe she is not watching you on the television. i know, she is still in bed. i am sure you can give her a kick or something to wake her up. 0ne kick or something to wake her up. one of yours is probably a bit deadlier than one of ours. are you still going outside to train? are you going on runs as the government permit you to do, or are you doing it inside? well, we are doing as much as we can inside, just to stay inside, but we will do a couple of ru ns inside, but we will do a couple of runs as well. we have a bike, and the government have said you can go out once, so we will mix it up with a couple of runs, yes. well, really good to talk to you. i know this obviously also means you can't do your training with naga that you we re your training with naga that you were going to do on bbc breakfast. she has got away lightly therefore if the olympics is to go ahead next year, iam if the olympics is to go ahead next year, i am sure we will bring that and sort it out. say hello to bianca when you wake her up, as well. try not to be too noisy in that garage. thank you very much, stay safe, all of you. and we keep having to remind dan, he is not going to get out of riding the horse. you are going to learn dressage, whenever it happens. that is the one good thing that has come out of all of this. i will do it one day. and you have to do your climbing. i am looking forward to that. we were saying this morning, matt hancock saying that the government is looking for 250,000 to help support the nhs, the nhs volunteers. if you want to register your interest to become an nhs volunteer, you can do so online. the details are on your screen now. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning. bbc london and bbc south east today are joining forces at breakfast to keep you up to date with the latest on the coronavirus in ourarea. the national crime agency is warning that organised criminals may try to exploit the coronavirus outbreak and target people across london and the south east. it says that covid—19 may provide opportunities for crime, but that it is monitoring intelligence. officers have identified instances of coronavirus—themed malicious apps and websites, as well as e—mail phishing attacks aimed at stealing personal and financial information. the nca is advising the public to be vigilant. transport for london is bringing all construction work to a stop because of the coronavirus. the crossrail project is temporarily suspended, but essential maintenance of the transport network, including the tube, will continue. tfl says it is taking the action for safety reasons, and to reduce the number of people travelling on the transport network, in a bid to limit the spread of the virus. staying with the travel, british transport police have hundreds of officers out across the network this morning helping key workers get to work. if yourjourney is not essential, they will be asking you to go home. 0ne travel problem — trains via london bridge have delays up to 15 minutes. animal adoption centres have been forced to close due to the current government advice on coronavirus. despite being unable to rehome animals at this time, they're asking members of the public to continue to support them and the pets they care for. raystede centre for animal welfare in lewes in east sussex says they're losing £1,000 a day through the closure of the site and are appealing for donations from supporters. weather now, withjohn hammond. good morning. well, it's been a chilly old dawn, but things are really starting to warm up again, and after that cold start, we're set to have another sunny day. and temperatures will recover quite nicely, i think, by the afternoon, with barely a cloud in the sky, and blue sky from dawn until dusk. the highest temperatures will be the further west we are. with the breeze coming in from the east, parts of essex and east kent will be held back to around about nine or ten degrees. but well up into double figures further west, possibly as high as the mid—teens. mind you, as soon as the sun sets, those temperatures will take another nosedive, so another frosty start tomorrow. a couple more fine days, but the message is, as we hit the weekend, those temperatures are going to take a nosedive. just as british summertime arrives, a shot of winter cold. bbc local radio stations across london and the south east are here for you through this challenging time. there are half—hourly "make a difference" updates on air across your local bbc radio station from 6:00am to 6:00pm every day. if you've got an event that has been cancelled, an appeal to make, or a support group that can help others, get in touch with your local station and they'll let everyone know. that is all for now. we will be back in half—an—hour. hope you canjoin us. stay safe, have a good morning. good morning welcome to breakfast with dan walker and louise minchin. 0ur headlines today... stepping up the fight against coronavirus, a huge makeshift hospital is to be opened in london but there's a stark warning from these a&e doctors. we are seeing patients in their 20s, patients in their 30s. we don't know what the outcome of some of these patients will be. they will go to intensive care, they may be in intensive care for some weeks. in some of them will die. and it's completely heartbreaking and harrowing. thousands of retired nhs staff agree to come back as the government appeals for 250,000 volunteers to help tackle the crisis. carry on in construction if you can. the housing secretary tells this programme it's down to employers to enforce social distancing. critics call it dangerous and risky. it's now official. the olympics and paralympics will not take place in tokyo this summer. after mounting pressure the decision has been made to postpone the games until next year. good morning. today across scotland and northern ireland, it will be fairly cloudy, with some patchy rain, brightening up in the north—west later. for england and wales, another dry day with some sunshine. it's wednesday, march 25th. the efforts to fight coronavirus are ramping up as the death toll increases and more people test positive for the disease. the government is opening a huge new makeshift hospital in london and has appealed for a quarter of a million volunteers to help the nhs. the number of uk deaths rose to 422 yesterday, a rise of 87 in one day. charlotte rose reports. we have all of these people who are incredibly critically unwell and people are dying alone, people have no company. a stark warning from those on the front line. three junior doctors from a london hospital want people to take this illness seriously and to warn the rest of the country what's coming their way. there are patients and they're in their 30s. we don't know what the outcome of some of these patients will be. they will go to intensive care, may be in intensive care for some weeks and some of them will die. and it's completely heartbreaking. warnings as well from families who have seen what covid—19 can do. sushila's 73—year—old father died on monday after contracting the virus. he had underlying conditions but wasn't diagnosed and collapsed. he was in hospital in intensive care in a coma for a week. prior to that, he was home ill with what they suspected was pneumonia. we are all going to be totally fed up with having to stay in, for sure, i know i definitely am but we need to be looking at italy which is quite terrifying. but they are really struggling. shops have been shut and the streets are almost silent, after the prime minister told uk citizens to stay at home. but there is still confusion as to who should be going to work and who shouldn't. change here for piccadilly line. pictures of packed tubes prompted the health secretary to give this advice. i want to be clear, that where people absolutely cannot work at home, they can still go to work. indeed, it's important they do to keep the country running. key workers, for example, in the nhs, social care, pharmacists and medicine supply chain should go to work unless, as we've said before, they are self isolating. in the daily press conference, mr hancock said construction work could continue. but in scotland, building sites are being shut. shadow chancellorjohn mcdonald said the government's approach was irresponsible, dangerous and self—defeating. as hospitals across the country prepare for a surge in cases, the government has announced its creating a new temporary hospital at the excel conference centre in london. the nhs nightingale will provide an extra 4,000 beds specifically for coronavirus patients. the army is being brought in to run the centre alongside nhs staff. the government is also calling for an army of 250,000 volunteers to support the health service. the battle against this virus is ramping up. charlotte rose, bbc news. it's expected that parliament will close tonight, after the emergency laws to deal with the coronavirus outbreak have been passed and granted royal assent. 0ur political correspondent leila nathoo is in westminster for us now. all sorts of rumours circulating about what might happen. what do we know? up until now, parliament has largely been carrying on as normal. albeit with a if adjustments to observe social distancing rules. parliament was due to break up on tuesday for easter. now mps are going to be asked to agree that it happens at the end of play tonight instead, a few days earlier, not returning until the 21st of april. there have been all sorts of concerns about mps sitting too close to each other in the chamber, parliamentary business carrying on, and parliament being a hotbed for this disease. but mps will now, it is expected, break up tonight at the close of play. remember, they had to sit until now to consider the emergency legislation that has been going through parliament, racing through stages to give the government powers to try to tackle this outbreak. meanwhile, in terms of the guidance the government has been issuing, we have had all 36 hours since borisjohnson issued that advice, there is still confusion about what that means in terms of who goes to work and who doesn't. this has particularly erupted around construction workers. ministers are saying if you can do yourjob at work, you must. clearly, construction workers can't. the government seem to be saying if employers can observe a two metre rule between employees, they can. here is what the housing secretary told us yesterday. if you can work from home, you must do so. if you can't work from home, you can go into work, but you and your employer should follow public health england's guidance on social distancing and safety precautions to keep workers safe. in the construction industry in particular, a numberof employers construction industry in particular, a number of employers have concluded that they can't follow the public health england guidance, and are choosing to close down their sites. in some cases, they are doing so over a short period of time, so those sites remain safe, and that is the right thing to do. clearly, the government coming under quite a lot of pressure to clarify that advice. nicola sturgeon has also said that construction sites must close in scotland. but i think what ministers are trying to balance is the economic impact of all of these changes with the need to try to stop the spread of the outbreak. but clearly, there advice is that it is up clearly, there advice is that it is up to employers and employees to ta ke up to employers and employees to take responsibility for their own actions. thank you for the update. let's take a look at the situation in europe. yesterday, spain reported that 514 people had died in a single day. 0ur reporter gavin lee is in brussels for us. gavin, you have been giving an update every day. this is bad news, coming from spain? it is. i think thatis coming from spain? it is. i think that is a good place to start in terms of crisis point. the numbers in spain now, 40,000 people who have been tested positive for coronavirus. nearly 3000 people have died. the big issue for spain at the moment is the rate and spread, every day, it is up by 20% in the last 24 hours. the bay concentration is madrid. there have been about two thirds of deaths there, the mortuaries are full and the military has been getting involved to take people to ice rink, used as a makeshift morgue for the bodies. it is reported this morning that the spanish government has asked nato for emergency humanitarian aid for 1.5 million facemasks, 500,000 respirators, 500,000 emergency test kits and ventilators as well. italy, the biggest hit area in terms of the number of deaths, 70,000 cases now, nearly 7000 deaths. seppi conte is saying that today we should get a sense of whether the curve is starting to decline slightly. germany and belgium, slightly better news in both countries. belgium has 4000 cases. both governments are saying there appears to be a slight slow of spread there. we have pictures this morning from the streets of paris. that is one of the busiest tourist destinations in the world, completely empty. france, a week into lockdown. emmanuel macron says there has been more than 100,000 people given penalty violations for breaching confinement. so they are looking at whether these measures are enough. that is something to hear, 100,000 people. thank you for that round—up of what is going on, some of that really quite stressful to hear, actually. we keep hearing about how various countries are on the stage of dealing with coronavirus. italy isa of dealing with coronavirus. italy is a few weeks ahead of where we are at the moment, which is why so many of the nhs workers we are talking about keep mentioning what will happen in the next ten days or too much weeks in the uk. we will be talking about that in the next few minutes. here's carol with a look at this morning's weather. iam sure i am sure people will be planning their one bit of exercise a day, it will become even more important? if you are doing that in england and wales, another dry day with a fair bit of sunshine. but in scotland and northern ireland, well, cloudierfor you and we also have some rain, albeit turn a more patchy as we go through the course of the day. you can see where we have got it as we go through this morning. it will eventually clear the outer hebrides and brighten up for you. we can see and brighten up for you. we can see a bit of cloud at times across the borders, going into the east of northern ireland as well. as we push further south, a lot of blue sky. through the day, some fair weather cloud building. that's about it. temperatures up to about 17 degrees. having said that, yesterday was the warmest day of the s0 far, 19.4 celsius in north wales. the west coast of wales could see 17 or 18 today. in the latter part of the afternoon, we are looking at a lot of dry weather through the channel islands, southern england, wales, the midlands, east anglia, heading up the midlands, east anglia, heading up towards the border. some brightness across the east of northern ireland, some brightness at times, perhaps across eastern scotland. you can see where we have the rain. brightening up nicely compared to the rain you have had in the last few days in the outer hebrides. this is a weatherfront which, through this evening and overnight, will continue to work in as it slips a little bit further south, allowing clear skies behind it. some frost in the north—west highlands and also across parts of 0akland wales. a little bit of mist and fog around, but we don't expect that to be problematic. —— england and wales. for the rest of wednesday, the weather front remains in situ. weakening all the time. the brightest conditions are in the south and the final. it's played host to the olympics, crufts and countless music concerts, but london's excel exhibition centre will now become a temporary hospital in the fight against coronavirus. let's speak to nhs england's medical director, stephen powis whojoins us now from westminster. thank you very much for spending a bit of time with us on the programme today. all sorts of things we would like to talk about impossible. nearly 12,000 former staff, we are hearing, have returned to the nhs in the last few days since the government made that appeal. we spoke to one of those early on in the programme. it's an incredible response, isn't it? we have seen incredible responses throughout this. this is a health emergency, as the government has said. we can all play a role in ensuring we get on top of coronavirus. at the same time, that we expand capacity in the nhs. yesterday we sent out a call to arms one army of nhs volunteers, looking for 250,000 volunteers. 0vernight, we already had 170,000 people signing up. that is three every minute signing up to help the nhs. it is an astonishing response. did you expect any sort of response like that? 170,000 since the appeal went out. already, more than two thirds of the way there?” went out. already, more than two thirds of the way there? i think at times of crisis, people come together. the vast majority of people in the country are doing what the government has asked us to do. it's important everybody does that. because that is what will save lives. there are vast numbers of people looking to help neighbours, vulnerable people who live close by. it doesn't surprise me at all. in times like this, as the chief medical officer has already said, we see outbreaks of altruism, people wanting to help. it is a wonderful response, in the same way that all those doctors coming back, nurses say they will come back, i am bowled over by it. can i ask you, in terms of those people, you've got the volunteers, the 170,000, of those people, you've got the volunteers, the 170 , 000, what of those people, you've got the volunteers, the 170,000, what sort of work will they be doing? i'm sure a lot of our viewers this morning, we have been talking about the volunteer helpline and how people can get involved. what sort of things might they be asked to do? all sorts of things. a lot will be coordinated through local herbs and local areas. perhaps delivering pharmacy items, drugs. —— local hubs. there are a whole range of things that people can do. what about nhs staff? lots of people, not just those working in the nhs, people contacting us and other media outlets, talking about personal protective equipment. from your personal experience of people you are speaking to, is there enough of it? are the suppliers that people have been promising, are they getting through to front—line staff? there is enough of it, clearly there have been problems. we are fixing those problems. as you have seen, the army are helping, we are getting supplies out all the time. in the last two days, 8.5 million facemasks have gone out to the nhs. we are increasing the delivery is all the time. i recognise just increasing the delivery is all the time. i recognisejust how important it is for our amazing nhs staff to have the personal protective equipment that they need so that they can feel safe. all the nhs staff that are contacting us, and that we have spoken to on this programme over the last few days, they have mentioned two very specific things. one is the need for the personal protective equipment, the personal protective equipment, the other is always their demands about being tested. where are we with that at the moment? is that going to be something that will change in coming days? yes, it is. we are ramping up testing. every country in the world is ramping up testing. manufacturers who manufacture the kit to do these tests are introducing new tests all the time. as they are introduced, we are introducing them. in the last 24 hours, we have opened up a new testing centre, a new laboratory in milton keynes, to ramp up testing. and i want some of that testing to be available for nhs staff. in the next few days, nhs staff will begin to see that we are offering testing. but, of course, it is right and proper, and i am sure nhs staff would agree, that our patients that are second coming hospitals are the ones that we need test first. but absolutely, as far as i am concerned, nhs staff are incredibly high priority. for two reasons, if i canjust give high priority. for two reasons, if i can just give you more detail. firstly, when they are either self isolating or encouraging, if they don't have a coronavirus, if they have another cold or cough, testing negative means we can get them back to work and that is what staff want to work and that is what staff want to do. but if they do have coronavirus, when they recover, they will know they have had it. if they know they have had it, you know you will have developed immunity and that will go a long way to giving you the confidence, giving us all confidence when staff come back, having known that they are already immune to this disease.” having known that they are already immune to this disease. i will put this question to the former health secretaryjeremy this question to the former health secretary jeremy hunt, this question to the former health secretaryjeremy hunt, we speak to him in about 50 minutes' time. on theissue him in about 50 minutes' time. on the issue of testing, can you explain why there have not been more tests ? explain why there have not been more tests? is it a logistics problem, that it takes a long time to organise, or a funding that it takes a long time to organise, ora funding issue?“ that it takes a long time to organise, or a funding issue? it is not a funding issue. it is fundamentally an issue that everybody in the world is introducing testing, new testing is coming on, as i said, new ways of testing. and that needs to ramp up. the manufacturing of the kits, the reagents, needs to ramp up. we are buying, purchasing, working very closely with manufacturer's to do this. but in order to test at the scale we need to test and that we wa nt to scale we need to test and that we want to test, we need the kits to be manufactured, we need the reagents to come on board. i can absolutely guarantee that we are rounding up as quickly as we can. but this is a new virus. the science behind this is new. there are new tests coming, being made available all the time. and they have to ramp up from a standing start. so, it's not funding, it is not that we have no desire to test. testing is going to be crucial as we go forward. but we have to ramp up from a standing start for a new virus that the world hasn't seen before. when we speak to those that are working on the front line of the nhs, they are very honest about not only do work that they are doing and how important they are doing and how important they know that is, they are also worried about what a consultant refer to yesterday as the wave of cases they are expecting in the next ten days. we heard the death toll rise by 87 yesterday, up to 422. we are not trying to induce panic or get viewers to worry, but we are trying to give clear, accurate advice. how concerned are you about where we will be in our hospitals in that timeframe, in ten days or two weeks? so, as we have said before, many have said, this is the greatest health challenge, the greatest public health challenge i have faced in my lifetime, probably for 100 yea rs in my lifetime, probably for 100 years since the spanish flu epidemic. of course we have concerns. that is what you have seen the extraordinary action, i don't think taken in peace time before, that the government has taken. the way we will cope with this is twofold. firstly, by everybody adhering to the instructions that they have been given to stay at home. the way you reduce the transmission and the spread of the virus is by avoiding contact with each other. we know that works, we have seen it work in other countries, such as wuhan in china, who are now relaxing some of their restrictions because they have effectively reduced the social contract. that is the way to stop the virus spreading. that is the way to avoid a surge. it is critical that people are dear to that. when i see groups of 20 having a barbecue, frankly, that is putting pressure on our nhs, it is potentially costing lives. it is meaning that we need more ventilators. thatjust has to stop, that behaviour has to stop. you are putting untold pressure on the nhs by that sort of behaviour. does that make you angry? we need people adhering to this, that's important, and secondly, capacity. the nhs is increasing capacity. you have mentioned the excel centre, nhs nightingale, so we can increase capacity. i can't emphasise enough, adhering to the instructions that the government has given, based on what has worked elsewhere, is the key to controlling the epidemic. thank you very much for that, and for that news about 170,000 people that have already registered to be volu nteers that have already registered to be volunteers for the nhs since that appeal went out. people are saying thank you for putting that out, for putting out information where you can do that. they are volunteering while they are watching breakfast. the number is probably going up. you hear steven running you through the sorts of things you might be involved in, delivering things, helping other people out. there is the website address. it looks like a strange website. don't all go on at once! 170,000 people is the latest figure. as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the uk continues to rise, so too does the workload for nhs workers on the front line. we're joined now by professor tom solomon from the walton centre nhs foundation trust in liverpool and a&e doctor alex george, who is in london. thank you so much forjoining us. really great to hear about those volunteers. alex, let's talk to you first of all. what is the situation where you are working? how many people are you tweeting, what is going on? fantastic to hear so many people volunteering, i can echo that 100%. we are seeing over the last few weeks that we have a rising number of cases, particularly across london, and as part of my work we are seeing more cases almost day by day. this is kind of what we are expecting, what we have been planning for. a lot of work has been going on, both within departments and also regionally, about how we are going to cope with the number of patients we are expecting. certainly, you know, we are seeing more and more patients that require a higher level of specialist input. so, potentially needing ventilation in terms of care beds. there has been a lot of preparation for this. what we are saying is nhs is an amazing health care system, we can cope with a lot. we are all pulling together. as you have heard, so many doctors and nurses coming back to support. what we want to do is flatten that curve, and not have a surge of patients, a huge number of patients coming at once. that is what will put pressure on the system. ultimately, that will lead to poor outcomes. lets pick up that point, a lot of people are talking about the calm before the storm. how many preparations have been done, do you feel ready? so, iwork many preparations have been done, do you feel ready? so, i work at the walton centre, in liverpool, and the university hospital. preparations have been going on for weeks. at the royal, we have the patience and the numberof royal, we have the patience and the number of patients is going up. at the walton centre, we are preparing for them to come. i think people are ready. i think the surge is going to come, the number of cases is going to increase and is increasing already, particularly at the royal. yes, i think we are ready. there already, particularly at the royal. yes, ithink we are ready. there is a mentality of everybody preparing. whilst things are not massively busy, we are preparing in terms of redeploying, reskilling people so they can do things they wouldn't otherwise do in these kind of times. everybody is testing with protective equipment, etc. so we are ready, but we know it is going to come. it's fantastic that we have 12,000 former nhs staff coming back to help out, and also that there are all of these volunteers willing to do some of the jobs that doctors and nurses do not need to be doing, that can be done by others. we are hearing from stephen powys, the national medical director, talking about when he sees pictures of 20 people having a barbecue, when he looks at the stuff we see on some tube trains, gatherings of people elsewhere, it is so frustrating. he knows what that could lead to. how do you feel as somebody on the front line when you see that sort of thing at the moment? absolutely, i don't want to scaremonger but we have to be honest and frank. i have seen multiple patients with coronavirus, some of which are very unwell. the other point i would make is, of course, we know the vast majority of people, particularly young or otherwise fit, they will have a mild or moderate illness. that isn't a guarantee. we are seeing a small number of cases where young and fit people are incredibly unwell. so, i think most people, the vast majority of people in this country are pulling together, doing their absolute utmost to stay at home and follow advice. but there are a number of people that are not following up. ultimately, they are putting themselves and others around them at risk. ultimately, the more patients that we have coming into a&e at once, the more pressure on that department, the more that tests our ability to cope. that is really important that people follow that. the best thing you can do to help us on the front line, in a&e departments across the country, is to stay at home, wash your hands and reduce social contact as much as you can. lets look a bit ahead at the moment, because there seems to be some better news coming out of wuhan, where this started, and they put in really stringent restrictions. what do you make of the fact that some of it seems to have worked? what is clear, we have seen from wuhan, south korea and singapore, other asian countries, that if we really social distancing measures, physical measures strictly, that doesn't stop the numberof strictly, that doesn't stop the number of cases going up. we are starting these measures now, really, it is only now we are doing it seriously. dinghy patient period for the viruses about two or three weeks. we won't expect to see a change in the numbers immediately. things are going to continue rising rapidly over the next two metro three weeks. we hope that the rise will slow down. that will be an indication it is working. it is going to have to continue longer than three weeks. it will be reviewed at three weeks, it will hopefully be working and then at that stage we will have an idea about how long it has to go on for. i think the other point i would make, as well as the coronavirus patients, there are many people with other illnesses. and we need to first of all ask people if they have illnesses which are not major and not important to try not to burden the nhs with them, and look after themselves as much as they can. there will be people that need to come into hospitals like the walton ce ntre come into hospitals like the walton centre with other conditions, and we will do our best to look after them. really good to talk to you. you have given a really good idea of why we need to listen and do what we are being told. thank you both very much indeed. we will talk to you again. great to speak to experts, people that know what they are doing. you are watching breakfast. we will be back with headlines shortly. stay with us, lots more. green goddess, you can't miss her. and jeremy hunt. not together! forces to keep you up—to—date with the latest on the coronavirus. 0rganised criminal is might try to exploit the virus and target people throughout the south—east. cobit 19 might provide opportunities for crime but its monitoring intelligence. 0fficers crime but its monitoring intelligence. officers have identified incidents of malicious apps and websites as well as e—mail fishing attacks aimed at stealing personal and financial information. the nca is advising the public to be vigilant. transport for london is bringing all construction work to a stop because of the coronavirus. the crossrail project is temporarily suspended but essential maintenance of the transport network, including the tube, will continue. tfl says it is taking action for safety reasons and to reduce the number of people travelling on the transport network ina bid travelling on the transport network in a bid to limit the spread of the virus. staying with travel, the british transport police have hundreds of officers across the network this morning helping key workers get to work. if you're ne —— journey is not essential, they will urge you to go home. one ongoing travel problem. trains via london bridge have delays of up to 15 minutes. brighton and hove albion have announced a three month payment holiday for season ticket holders and club members. the board has taken the decision after recognising the financial worries that some seagulls funds might currently have. fans who meet the club criteria will be contacted and offered the opportunity to suspend their monthly direct debit for may, june and july. weather now with john direct debit for may, june and july. weather now withjohn hammond. a chilly old dawn but things are warming up again after the cold start and we are set to have another sunny day, and temperatures will recover quite nicely by the afternoon. with barely a cloud in the sky, blue sky from dawn until dusk and the highest temperatures will be the further west we are that the breeze coming in from the east, parts of essex and east kent will be held back to around nine or 10 degrees but well into double figures, possibly as high as the mid—teens. mind you, as soon as the sun sets, the temperatures will take another nosedive, so another frosty start tomorrow and a couple of fine days, but as we hit the weekend, those temperatures are going to take a nosedive. just as british summer time arrives, a shot of winter cold. bbc local radio stations across london and the south—east are here for you during this challenging time. there are half hourly updates across the local bbc radio stations from 6am until 6pm every day. if you have an event that has been cancelled, and appealed to make, or a support group who can help others, do get in touch with your local radio station. a reminder that for the latest developments on the coronavirus outbreak in your area, visit the bbc website. hello, this is breakfast with dan walker and louise minchin. 170,000 people have already come forward to volunteer for the nhs, as part of the fight against coronavirus. the health service is hoping to sign—up around half—a—million volunteers, as part of plans which include turning london's excel exhibition centre into a makeshift hospital. we have seen incredible response, this is a health emergency as the government said and we can all play a role in this is a health emergency as the government said and we can all play a role in ensuring that we get on top of coronavirus and at the same time we expand capacity in the nhs. so yesterday we sent out a call to name have been watching the programme, some of you have been volunteering. not even can for their own particular reasons but thank you. to say that request went out last night and 170,000 already. we will keep putting it up. up. we are here till 9.00. sally is downstairs, we are socially distances across the board. trying to make sure we are in touch with government guidelines: she has the sport now. morning both of you. i am going to bring you up date on the news we suspected about this time yesterday that the tokyo 0lympics suspected about this time yesterday that the tokyo olympics and paralympics is that the tokyo olympics and pa ralympics is postponed. it's now the biggest event to be affected by the coronavirus pandemic. the olympic flame will remain in tokyo, but we don't yet know when the rearranged games will begin. former olympic champion and head of world athletics, lord sebatian coe says a postponement was the only viable option for the competitors involved. they had been under intolerable conditions, many of them unable to train, many going through emotional turmoil. but we are no different from the rest of the world and we recognise that entirely. but the integrity of the competitions of the olympic games was seriously going to be compromised if we tried to force them into the remaining part of this year. manchester city manager pep guardiola has donated one million euros to fight the coronavirus outbreak in spain. guardiola, who is currently at his home in barcelona, will give the money to a local hospital and charity where it will be used to help purchase medical equipment and protective material for staff involved in treating patients. and another nice touch from premier league brighton this morning, who have announced they will donate a minimum of 1,000 tickets for future matches to front—line nhs staff tackling the disease. the offer will be open from when football eventually returns to the city. the club have also suggested that other senior british clubs follow suit with similar offers. nhs staff who have been on front line fighting the pandemic going on currently, will be given 1,000 free tickets, for when the season does eventually start again. who knows when that might be. the housing secretary has told this programme it's down to employers to enforce social distancing in the construction industry. it follows criticism of the government for allowing nonessential building work to continue. in scotland, those sites have been told to stop. nina's looking into this for us. judging by hundreds of our emails and tweets, people working in construction and their families feel that they have been put in a compromising position, being told they should go to work because they can't do it from home, but many of them feeling vulnerable to contracting and spreading a virus which is killing hundreds of people. have a look at these pictures. they demonstrate how hard it is to maintain social distancing in a working environment where you're lifting and shifting, sharing tools and sharing transport. and who knows? possibly going home to relatives who are elderly or vulnerable. one of our viewers tom has around 60 subcontractors over seven sites. he told us it would be much easier and clearer if the government shut down all but essential sites like hospitals. once again, the housing secretary doubled down on the government's decision to put the onus on employers and employees to use common sense. we have to exercise a degree of judgment and we are asking employers to consider very carefully if they can meet the public health england guidance in operating their businesses, if they can, then, they can continue to do so, and that applies across the whole of the economy not just the applies across the whole of the economy notjust the housing and construction sector, as i say, a very large number of businesses within this industry are choosing to close their sites, and that is obviously their decision, because they belief they can't follow the guidance but if you think you can, then, our message is those individuals can and should continue to go to work. robertjenrick did acknowledge on this programme that part of the programme is lots of people who work in construction are self—employed. in his words he said we are alive to this issue and a statement from the chancellor will be coming shortly. this is difficult because the nature of records of self—employed worker, they were left out of that package they were left out of that package the chancellor announced last week, we expect a further update possibly as soon as ok, so how do you do darth vader? darth is a crotchet. darth is a crotchet, that is one sound. darth... yes. what would vader be? and then two quavers. it's like darth quaver! very good! so i am developing really basic exercises we can do in a really small area, like a living room, a bedroom, and i've been blown away. 806,000 households tuned in, so you can imagine how many millions of kids just took part in that work out. and we lunge. well, it was a bit tiring. very, very happier. the wildlife presenter steve backshall is hosting an online lesson today. hejoins us now. essentially, i am going to be live answering viewers threw questions about wildlife, biology, conservation, geology and geography, don't ask me anything about maths! this is really great, because it is tough times, having to educate your children, why did you want to help? you can probably hear in the background, my toddler running around screaming daddy, daddy! i kind of guess i have a lot of my family who work in the nhs, my sister is a nurse specialist working with kids who have cancer, my brother—in—law and my sister—in—law are both working in i see you as doctors, and seeing how much they are giving makes me feel a little bit powerless, and anything i have to offer is skills and teeth and venom and things about the wild world! so essentially, i am going to be online, go to my facebook life, i have set about youtube channel 4 this morning as well, instagram as well, any questions that people might have about the wild will, i will do my best to answer them while dodging my toddler who is scampering around my toes! what did you pick up, tell us why that is interesting! imean, it up, tell us why that is interesting! i mean, it is interesting, obviously! this is a black bear skull, and i will be talking about things like anatomy, so dentition, how the teeth are arranged is really important infinding how the teeth are arranged is really important in finding out what animals feed on, what their diet is. this would be very difficult too, for example, a skill like this, any guesses what that might be?“ for example, a skill like this, any guesses what that might be? it looks like a crocodile or something. not far off, that is a komodo dragon, the world's largest lizard, one of the world's largest lizard, one of the only venomous lizards as well. so there will always be a tendency to merge towards the deadly animals, because let's face it, an awful lot about following are into that kind of thing. we will be talking about venoms and poisons, but also talking about the things that are on the curriculum, talking about biomes, talking about migration, all kinds of things that are important to the study of biology. polite and really briefly, i was lucky enough to see you the other day, we have been looking back at special moments we have had, you have got twin babies, what do you do to look after them? they are doing ground, helen is a superb mum, my wife helen is so, so good at staying focused, staying on top of things, they are both being breast—fed at the moment, so we don't have to worry quite so much about whether food is coming which is one thing! but keeping all three of them occupied is obviously quite taxing. an awful lot of people, we have a garden, we have outside space, so we have that on our site. a lot of people don't have that, so iam hoping a lot of people don't have that, so i am hoping that this morning will at least be and hour or so that kids can sit in front of the laptop, they are going to be learning, asking lots of questions. polite absolutely brilliant, and very interesting, thank you so much! i am going to join in! even i could tell there skills were quite dangerous! i very much enjoyed that, what is bad and why is it interesting? it is interesting! that was brilliant, louise, thank you! i very much enjoyed that. thank you to all the people who are helping to entertain and educate so many children across the uk at the moment. 170,000 people, maybe more, have come forward injust a people, maybe more, have come forward in just a few hours to volunteer for the nhs in forward in just a few hours to volunteerfor the nhs in the forward in just a few hours to volunteer for the nhs in the fight against coronavirus. the health service said it was hoping to sign up service said it was hoping to sign up 250,000 helpers. we can speak to former health secretary jeremy up 250,000 helpers. we can speak to former health secretaryjeremy hunt. we will speak to you about all sorts of things, but first of all, what a remarkable response from the great british public. good morning, i am not going to complain, from komodo dragons tojeremy not going to complain, from komodo dragons to jeremy hunt, not going to complain, from komodo dragons tojeremy hunt, i am sure that was not intended! it is an incredible response we have had, i think there are a lot of reasons for hope. when i went to work in parliament yesterday, there was absolute silence on the streets, and i know people are worried about the crowded tubes, and i hope the mayor of london will sort that out, but the message really seems to have got through, the chief constable of the west midlands, they had to close down a barbecue, but he was saying the message has got through, and we can also seek the death rate is falling in italy, and we can see other countries in asia that have really cracked this, so i think there is a way through this, and this is a time not to lose hope but to absolutely follow the instructions be prime minister gave us. polite i can confirm that neither i always are in charge of scheduling, but good to have you on the programme! can i ask you about numbers? you are warning that! million britons will have caught covid—19 by the end of next week, so far 8000 confirmed cases, i know there are a number of cases that may be are not confirmed at the moment, but how do you arrive at that figure? well, i was in there is the possibility of that, so the government model is from imperial couege government model is from imperial college say, broadly speaking, there is about 1000 cases for every death, thatis is about 1000 cases for every death, that is that estimate, and that would mean we are just over 400,000 cases, and they say it is doubling every five days, so that is how you potentially get to the million by the end of next week. there is every possibility we could slow the growth, but that is the worst case scenario, and that is why it is important to increase the testing for nhs staff, particularly so we can get back to work, absolutely heroic effort, matt hancock is doing an amazing job trying to prepare the nhs, but we can help him too by doing all the things were being asked to do, so that we are not one of the people that need to go to hospital when we know the nhs is at capacity. you cite matt hancock is doing a greatjob, at a time like this, when you are health secretary, it isa this, when you are health secretary, it is a big job anyway, but when most experts are saying this is probably a one in a hundred year event that is happening at the moment, so much planning, so much to think about, what is going on behind the scenes at the moment? my experience is that matt is having to do twojobs, experience is that matt is having to do two jobs, public appearances in parliament, messaging to get people to do the right thing, but he is sitting on top of an organisation of 1.4 million people, and he has to make sure that the things that he and simon stevens and the cobra committee decide they want to happen actually do happen, and it is the fifth largest organisation in the world, so it is a hugejob. the big thing that is happening is that they are trying to quadruple intensive ca re are trying to quadruple intensive care capacity, and in london that is particularly critical, an absolute race against time. i think everyone is moving heaven and earth to make sure that we can actually do that so that we are ready for the onslaught when it happens. protective equipment has been a big issue, it has been an immensely complex job, and he has made himself widely available, he has been very patient, he has listened to everyone's questions, given completely straight a nswe rs , questions, given completely straight answers, so i think he is writing to the challenge and it is a tough job. people are worried about what will happen in ten days to two weeks' time. to come back onto that issue, you have been critical about the government had wanting them to go further on testing. are you confident that will change in the coming days? that is what we are hearing from stephen powers from nhs england, the testing will be happening for patients and for nhs staff. that is what needs to happen, because if you look at south korea, probably the most successful example of this, and they had a worse outbreak than us because they had that super spreader in that religious sect, they had it worse than is, that they ruthlessly, rigorously traced every single suspected covid—19 case, wherever it is in the country. they then find eve ryo ne is in the country. they then find everyone that person has been in contact with, they take them out of circulation so they can't to spread the virus to anyone else. we stopped testing in the community ten days ago, which i think it's very worrying, so i really hope we can get back to that, because the key, if we want to avoid long periods of lockdown, is to have very, very comprehensive testing, so we actually track down, break the chain of transmission. i welcome the initiative from the government. at the moment, the numbers we are testing every day haven't really risen from a week ago. i had that will change very soon. why was that changed in the testing? what is the thinking behind reducing it?” changed in the testing? what is the thinking behind reducing it? i think it is because they changed their approach from the herd immunity approach from the herd immunity approach to a suppression approach about ten days ago, and when the view was that, you know, you are happy for 60% of the population to get this, then testing becomes less important. i think they are absolutely right in changing that approach, but the corollary of that is that you massively need to increase the testing, and it is not just south korea. germany is another example where they are testing more than we are and they have had a lower death rate and the reason for thatis lower death rate and the reason for that is because, if you test people quickly, you can find out the most vulnerable people and then you can make sure they get to hospital treatment when they needed. so i think there are lots of very, very good intentions. ithink think there are lots of very, very good intentions. i think the government absolutely wants to do the right thing and we are just hoping they can do it azaz possible. ido want hoping they can do it azaz possible. i do want to encourage some of our viewers this morning who are anxious, who are worried and you can understand why when you hear some of the figures and listen to some of the figures and listen to some of the news, but can ijust ask you to reiterate this point, that if we do follow the social distancing measures, if we do start and maintain that a testing regime of nhs staff and in hospitals and more widely as well, then there is an opportunity we won't find ourselves where italy have been in ten days or in two weeks' time and we can reduce that curve? absolutely, it is entirely possible that we could avoid that italy style scenario and i think at the signs are that the country is really listening to what the prime minister said. i think thatis the prime minister said. i think that is very encouraging. i don't know about you that i have noticed a com pletely know about you that i have noticed a completely dramatic change on the streets. you know, my office overlooks the london eye and, normally, that sort of paging in front of the london eye isjust thronging with people. —— pavement. yesterday, it was absolutely dead. i think we are doing the right thing, our strategy is the right strategy and the final thing that should give us all hope is the amazing nature of the nhs and the people in the nhs, so they are making incredible preparations. the nhs has always been very good at dealing with emergencies, it is one of the best prepared health systems for pandemics, and we canjust see prepared health systems for pandemics, and we can just see the incredible dedication of front line doctors and nurses, so i think if you put all of these things together, we should not lose hope. i think we are going to get through this and i think we are going to find a way to make sure we overcome the incredible hurdles. great to talk to you, thank you very much, former health secretary jeremy talk to you, thank you very much, former health secretaryjeremy hunt are talking to us on breakfast this morning and talking about our nhs. 1.4 million, 50 guest organisation in the world, incredible organisation —— fifth biggest. and there's a bbc news special — coronavirus: your essential update on bbc one tonight at 7:30pm. you may have noticed pictures of rainbows springing up in windows in your area. it's part of a trend, which started online, encouraging pupils who can no longer go to school, to put up the paintings and spread hope. teachers say it's giving children a sense of community, despite having to stay indoors. let's take a look at what some of you have made. so, first, we started off with a rainbow. this is my rainbow. this is by rainbow. here is my rainbow, i'm going to put it inside my window. what are you colouring in, darling? i'm colouring in a rainbow. and why are you doing that? because i want to make everyone smile when they go past. i made it because it is to let people know we are here for them.“ is lovely. vanessa tingle is a primary school teacher based in newcastle. shejoins us now. just explain to us a little bit more of the idea behind this, good morning. good morning. well, they saw this, asa good morning. well, they saw this, as a school, all over twitter. we use our twitter feed to keep in touch with parents and in the community and we thought this is definitely something we want to be involved with, so we encouraged our children to proto— paintings, to... especially rainbows —— to proto— paintings. and messages of support for key workers and other people passing our windows and it seems to be lifting spirits, which is great. and it is really difficult to explain to children, isn't it, what is going on. how have you helped them? it has been difficult. we are a first school as well, we only go up a first school as well, we only go up to yearfour, a first school as well, we only go up to year four, which is a sensitive age we deal with and i think the one message we have spread, and we did on friday, our very last day, was that, no matter where you are, you are still part of the school, you are still part of your class and that is why we are so lucky that we have a social media and technology to stay in touch with our children and to reiterate the fa ct our children and to reiterate the fact that it is a serious matter, we do have to take these government guidelines seriously, but we can also lighten everyone's spirits by just decorating our windows and making cheerful windows. listen, just decorating our windows and making cheerfulwindows. listen, it is really lovely to speak to you and lots of people who are trying to teach their kids at home will appreciate i think the work of teachers particularly at this time! thank you very much, vanessa. wonderful. you know what time it is? it is time for green goddess! here she is with today because my gentle home work—out routine. good morning, everyone! well, here we go again in my nice new set in my conservatory and my pretty, pretty garden. getting into the garden and working out in the fresh air is a fabulous way of staying fit. anyhow, let's start the exercises for the day with my favourite, the monkey stretch again. i've got a bit more room here to be able to do it properly, so here we go, up and stretch. up and stretch! i always do five of these every morning, up and stretch. a couple more. and that means that i've warmed up my body ready for us to work out a bit more. now, let's work on those tight, tight shoulders. just lift both shoulders up to the ear and push back down. both shoulders up to that ear, push back down. don't take the shoulder to the ear, push back down. last one, up you come and push back down. now, let's work on the feet a little bit. so either take the support of a chair or, if you're quite happy, just stand by yourself and just heel, toe, heel, toe, come on, work that leg, working all the muscles and improving your circulation as well. that's a good one, get you ready for the gardening! and the other one, here you go, heel and toe, heel, toe, and a few more of those, there we are. good, and then finally today, let's stretch out the tricep muscle, which is this muscle here, push back, hold forfive. good. and the other one. hold for five. you can equally go behind your head and pull back, but we'lljust do it here for the time being. so there we are. keep fit and carry on! see you again soon! you will indeed. i think she is here every monday, wednesday and friday and we will put it on our social media in case you want to retrieve the exercises. very good for the old triceps! apparently, it is only on there, on social media right now. one other thing we have been speaking about throughout the morning, i know lots of you have looked into this and they are thinking about it, volunteering for the nhs. yesterday, matt hancock asked for 250,000 people and a few minutes ago, it was already over 100,000. i bet it is a lot more. that is where you go and do so and we will keep you up—to—date with how that goes. thank you, everybody. it has been great to have your company and brea kfast great to have your company and breakfast will be back tomorrow from six o'clock in the morning. have a lovely day, we shall see you soon. good morning, hello, i'm victoria derbyshire with you this wednesday morning, 24 hours into this partial lockdown — how are you doing? welcome to bbc news. let me bring you the latest headlines. stepping up the fight against coronavirus — a huge makeshift hospital is to be opened in london but there's a stark warning from these a&e doctors. we are seeing patients in their 20s, patients in their 30s. we don't know what the outcome of some of these patients will be. they will go to intensive care, they may be in intensive care for some weeks. in some of them will die. and it's completely heartbreaking and harrowing.

Related Keywords

Australia , Dubai , Dubayy , United Arab Emirates , United States , Paris , France General , France , United Kingdom , Heathrow , Hillingdon , China , California , Dublin , Ireland , Bridgend , East Sussex , New Zealand , India , Cambodia , Italy , Brighton , Brighton And Hove , Lima , Peru , South Korea , Wuhan , Hubei , Spain , Northern England , Northumberland , New York , Japan , Tokyo , Delhi , Sussex , Manchester , Northern Ireland , Craigavon , Brussels , Bruxelles Capitale , Belgium , London , City Of , Essex , Barcelona , Comunidad Autonoma De Cataluna , Northern Territory , Germany , Singapore , Channel Islands , Western Australia , Americans , America , Britons , Scotland , Britain , Spanish , British , Cambodian , Japanese , Matt Hancock , Alex George , Stephen Unwin , Christie Watson , Simon Calder , Michael Gove , Dan Walker , Diana Moran , Louise Minchin , Sadiq Khan , Andy Burnham , Jayne Mccubbin , Simon Stevens ,