good morning. welcome to breakfast, with charlie stayt and mega munchetty. our headlines today: applause the nation comes together in an emotional thank you to nhs and care workers battling coronavirus. and this is an absolute nightmare, so it's time that we're alljust having to stand together, shoulder—to—shoulder, and show our appreciation. the chancellor's multibillion—pound bailout for self employed workers, but many won't receive payments for months. the united states passes china and italy to record the highest number of coronavirus cases anywhere in the world. if you're moving house, don't. the government warns house buyers and sellers to put off completion until after the outbreak, as home sales are forecast to slump 60%. don't go out — national parks remind potential visitors they are are not open for business ahead of the weekend. and in weather, with the exception of scotland, plenty of sunshine around today. but it changes this weekend. more cloud, and it is going to feel significantly colder. i will have the details here on breakfast. it's friday 27 march. our top story: millions of people across the uk have taken part in a co—ordinated tribute to nhs staff and care workers working on the front line of the coronavirus outbreak. the clap for carers salute saw people showing their thanks by applauding from their doorsteps, windows and balconies. we will be getting the reaction to that tribute from care workers throughout the programme this morning. and, after financial measures to support self—employed workers were announced by the government, we will be asking the business secretary, alok sharma, if they go far enough. first, let's get the latest from our correspondent charlotte rose. a moment of togetherness, because of the virus which has forced us apart. last night, thousands of people across the country came out on their doorsteps to applaud the efforts of nhs workers on the front—line. in towns and cities, and even palaces, people paid tribute. earlier, chancellor rishi sunak announced a multibillion—pound package of support for self—employed workers. musicians and sound engineers, plumbers and electricians, taxi drivers and driving instructors, hairdressers and childminders, and many others, through no fault of their own, risk losing their livelihood. to you, i say this. you have not been forgotten. those who earn less than £50,000 a year can apply for 00:03:58,1000 --> 00:04:00,743 a grant of up to 80% of their average monthly profits, up to a maximum of £2,500. but, with payouts not coming untiljune, and some workers being exempt, many are still worried. so you're going to give us money injune, did they say? so what you're saying is, you — you are presuming that everybody that's self—employed has enough money to survive until then, and that's not the case. i unfortunately probably won't qualify, because my business has only been running for two years. my husband will be able to claim, so that means that as a family we will be able to have money from the government to tide us over. whilst the government is firefighting on the economy, firefighters will be brought in to help the nhs. they will help drive ambulances, deliver food and medicine to vulnerable people, and if there are mass casualties from the virus, to transport the dead. the police, too, have a role to play, enforcing social distancing measures. officers can now issue £60 on—the—spot fines if they find people are out and about for non—essential reasons. fines can be increased for repeat offenders. derbyshire police say people should not be driving to the place they want to take their daily exercise, but it's not clear whether this is actually against the rules. loudspeaker: the government has a lockdown in force... forces are concerned that, with some fine weather expected this weekend, people will be tempted to go against the advice to stay at home. they hope these new powers will make people think twice. charlotte rose, bbc news. self—employed workers will be able to apply for government grants to help them cope with the financial impact of coronavirus, under new measures announced by the chancellor. rishi sunak told the self—employed, "you have not been forgotten." ben has the details. for about a week or so, since the last budget, the self—employed have been screaming for this, haven't they? and at last something has come out. you are right, and this follows that package of measures that were announced for employed people last week, where they would get support of up to 80% of their income. now, what the chancellor has had to contend with this just how difficult it is to determine how much money self—employed people actually make, because we know that it can be quite volatile, up and down, and many people may have just designated themselves as self—employed more recently, so they are not able to show consistent income over a long period of time. so that's been the difficulty here. but what we do know, the package of measures announced by the chancellor yesterday mean that people will be eligible for up to 80% of their profits, and that is quite an important distinction. not their revenue or their income, but their profits. now, they will get up to about £2500 a month. that is the cap on this. but as you said, and you heard there in that report, quite crucially, it will not be paid until june at the earliest. so now there isa june at the earliest. so now there is a huge difficulty for many of these people who have seen their incomejust end these people who have seen their income just end overnight. these people who have seen their incomejust end overnight. they these people who have seen their income just end overnight. they have now got to wait untiljune for that cash lump sum. the chancellor says this goes towards helping them, 3.8 million of the 5 million people who are classed as self—employed should be supported by this. because remember, it only applies if you earn less than £50,000 a year. and what they have done is ask the banks to help people tied them over with bank loans, for example, up until that time that that payment is made. but it has proved very difficult to come up with this plan, very difficult to implement, and i think it could be quite interesting how this gets paid now over the next couple of months, because many people saying, look, we need the money now. our businesses closed overnight, please do more to help us. overnight, please do more to help us. the federation of small businesses for example welcoming this move, but nonetheless many people will still find it difficult. indeed, and also we are hearing that the housing market, buying and selling, effectively suspended. yes, and this is a warning from the government yesterday, and they have advised all people delay the completion on any home purchased. and quite understandable, of course, because moving house involves meeting a lot of people, whether it is the sellers, the movers, anyone who is going to help you move house. and what they have advised is that you can try and delay that as much as possible. mortgage providers have said they will extend any mortgage offers for three months to try and get people through this virus outbreak. but nonetheless, i think it is very difficult. because if you have big purchases hanging in the balance like this, there's been a lot of work behind the scenes to get you to this day, you might have exchanged contracts, and therefore you are committed to a certain completion date, that is when you actually hand over the keys on the property is either sold or becomes your own. so there is still a lot of doubt about how that will work. legally, where do you stand? what the government is asking for is for buyers and sellers to agree a mutually agreeable day, one that they are both happy with. but nonetheless it is very difficult, so what the government has said is why we are advising you to delay your house purchase, it will not be illegal. so the police will not be called in to stop you moving house. but nonetheless, they have said just be cautious, be careful, and if you can move the date, then do. what we are learning on bbc breakfast is whenever these financial announcements come about, the best source of how they are received is from the audience, and we welcome those thoughts this morning. inevitably, it has always been the case so far, with what the chancellor said last week and this week now, there are people who do fall through the net. and already it has been suggested that 95% of self—employed people will be helped by this. but your evidence, how it is affecting you, is hugely important today. so please keep your thoughts coming in. we do have lots of questions, which probably you will be able to relate to as well. and we'll be speaking to the business secretary, alok sharma at 7:30am. john mcdonnell, the shadow chancellor, with us a little later this hour as well. and a lot of questions on the virus itself which we are dealing with throughout the programme as well. the united states now has more confirmed cases of the coronavirus than any other country in the world, with more than 82,000 patients in total. the country has also seen an unprecedented surge in the number of people claiming unemployment benefits, as peter bowes reports. now the global epicentre — more positive tests for covid—i9 than any other country. in some communities, the number of cases is doubling every three days. more than a quarter are in new york city, where the emergency services say they are overwhelmed by people calling for help. it's worse, they say, than after 9/11. and we're not even started yet. so, if we're doing 6,000 today, it's going to be 8,000 tomorrow. more and more people are going to call. it's — a sustained impact like this, we've never dealt with. at his latest briefing in the white house covid—i9 task force, president trump was generally upbeat. it's a beautiful day. he responded to the surge of cases. it's a tribute to the amount of testing we're doing. we're doing tremendous testing, and i'm sure you're not able to tell what china is testing or not testing. as more and more people fall sick, and with much of the country at a standstill, the virus has had a catastrophic impact on america's workforce. social isolation orders and shuttered businesses have led to a huge spike in the latest jobless figures. 3.3 million people laid off because of covid—i9. never before in us history has there been such a dramatic rise in unemployment. they have to go back to work. our country has to go back. our country is based on that. and i think it's going to happen pretty quickly. mr trump said robust testing protocols may allow some counties in the country to lift their safeguards against the coronavirus. he said the white house was working on a plan to be revealed next week, although it wouldn't mean an end to social distancing. in the meantime, soldiers are setting up this field hospital in new york, and a i,000—bed naval hospital ship is being deployed to manhattan. another is heading to los angeles, where local officials fear there will be a critical shortage of beds in the coming days and weeks. peter bowes, bbc news. and we will keep you up—to—date with the numbers in the us, the uk, and any other developments. the family of a man who died after getting coronavirus are warning that more lives will be lost unless we all obey the new rules on social isolation. leonard gibson, who was 78, had been living with the lung condition copd. his grandchildren say they fear that more families will suffer similar tragedies unless the public take urgent action. 0ur correspondent jeremy cooke reports. this might be the most difficult video i have ever had to or ever will have to make, but it also might well be the most important one. i wa nt well be the most important one. i want people to act. leonard gibson was 78. he died last week, a devastating blow for the whole family. for his granddaughter, tahlia. my grandpa put his family above everything. tahlia's brother, just say, was at her side, remembering leonard, who had lived for yea rs remembering leonard, who had lived for years in sheffield. he always had a joke or a smile to crack, even sort of regardless of his health. he always had such a positive outlook on life, which in many ways defied his own personal circumstances. leonard tested positive for coronavirus in hospital. he had lived with a chronic lung condition for years. copd makes you very, very vulnerable to coronavirus. we did kind of expect the worst. leonard's death was devastating, but there is high praise for nhs staff.|j death was devastating, but there is high praise for nhs staff. i don't have words to offer, i don't have the right words to offer for the praise that i want to give. even as they mourn their grandpa, while they are in self isolation, the focus is on preventing other families suffering, whatever the economic cost. the economy can be rebuilt. once somebody is dead, you know, it's not a trade—off that can be made. it shouldn't come into discussion. if more people don't ta ke discussion. if more people don't take it seriously, we're going to see more tragedies like this, more families that will be put in this position, and i don't want that to happen to anyone. he will be missed, won't he? more than i can say. and one last plea. stay safe. it's a difficult time for everyone, but most importantly, stay kind. every time you see films like that and a big thank you for the families sharing that, it absolutely resonates in a way that possibly some of the messages that come from government sources. it does resonate. and we are grateful to you telling us your stories. we know the weather has been quite good this week and have been talking about people trying to get out there this morning and throughout the week and what measures are in place. this is the day in store for you if you live in the capital in london. sunrise coming up, rather beautiful, would you say? what is the picture, good morning. good morning, for the vast majority, sunshine a head once again. dry for the vast majority with the exception of scotla nd the vast majority with the exception of scotland with cloud and splashes of scotland with cloud and splashes of rain having an impact on the temperatures as well. well above freezing for the most. across england and wales, widespread frost. temperatures not as slow as in recent days? . the up further west. brightening up across the northern half of scotland where the winds are lighter. more of a breeze further south. cooler in eastern coasts. further west, western parts of wales could get to 16 celsius. by and large temperatures are starting to drop compared to earlier in the week. tonight, northern england, northern ireland north wales and northern england, not as cold compared to the nightjust gone. greater chance of frost in scotland. big changes for the weekend. an area of cloud pushing southwards opening the doorfor this of cloud pushing southwards opening the door for this high—pressure from the door for this high—pressure from the arctic and it will feel substantially cooler. bear in mind we have 19 degrees in one or two spots but nowhere near that on the weekend. some cloud building through the day producing the odd shower especially across northern and eastern areas. sunnier towards the south. the temperature started to ta ke south. the temperature started to take a bit of a knock. more of a chill particular north—eastern scotla nd chill particular north—eastern scotland and north—east england. it will pick up even more as we go into sunday. that will bring much more cloud. rest of the sunshine across western coasts on sunday butjust about anywhere will see some cloud breaks. galeforce went possible in the south—east corner and that will have a big impact on the temperatures. this is what it will feel like, closer to freezing. this began, if you are getting your daily exercise in your local area, put on an extra layer because it will feel substantially chillier but the drive feel will continue into next week for many. we are born. it will get nippy. later yes, that is the trick. let's take a look at today's papers: the daily mirror has dedicated its front page to ‘clap for our carers'. there's a photograph of staff from the royal liverpool hospital reacting to the show of support and participants from across the uk, including the duke and duchess of cambridge's children. the times claims that the housing market has been "plunged into chaos" after the government called on people to delay moving home. ben will talk to us about that a little more throughout the morning. there's also a photo from last night's nhs tribute. 93—year—old bubbly had a bell, making sure she was heard, —— barbara lee. the guardian leads with a story about nurses being sent to london to face a "tsunami" of coronavirus patients within days. the papers claims doctors will be asked to sleep on site for six weeks at the new makeshift nightingale hospital in east london's excel centre. just showing where the concentration of nhs staff is going to be putjust for the moment. and finally, something a bit different this morning. this is the nhs heroes tracker. it was set up by a number of local papers and allows people to a drop a heart on the map wherever in the uk they live, to create what they call a "living map of gratitude". i had not heard of that. it could be a very small thing. the number, i am assuming, is the number of people that have dropped heart in the uk to express their gratitude and affection and appreciation for those caring and working in the nhs. all little things that are making a big difference at the moment. 0n little things that are making a big difference at the moment. on that theme, anyone out maybe getting their walk or getting out, this suggestion is, look at the trees. in difficult times, you can get some sustenance. cherry blossoming. yes, a beautiful time of year. notwithstanding all the problems, it is encouraging people. a lot of the parks are shut so some of the places you might actually go but there are trees on the street so try and take a moment. also, with going up walking these days, i am hearing a lot of people meeting other people in their community and it is often in their community and it is often in the front gardens. if you ever seen the big magnolia trees, very stunning. enjoy it if you get to go out today. these are challenging times for everyone but none more so than those at the front line of the nhs who are working to keep us safe. last night, people took to their doorsteps, windows and balconies to applaud and cheer to celebrate their work. breakfast‘s jayne mccubbin has been looking into how people from all corners of the uk said thank you. cheering and applause. out of the darkness came the noise, the cheering, banging, clanking sound of thanks, from the smaller street to the highest high—rise, to the grandest homes. town crier, roger, was one of millions giving thanks. just out of hospital and recovery from the virus he is thanks more heartfelt than most. from your bed of recuperation you have been out say thank you. i have, as my pyjamas and my dressing gown and my very heavy bell. i stood outside and i rang it as loud as i could. how poorly have you been?” rang it as loud as i could. how poorly have you been? i was in for 11 days, isolation. 0n poorly have you been? i was in for 11 days, isolation. on day six they called my family and said we can do no more for him. roger, you owe them everything. i do. quite amazing, absolutely selfless. in glasgow, in liverpool, in belfast. hi, jenny. what was that like it looked emotional? i was not expecting it to be quite as emotional as it was and is soon as you are there in the moment, it sends shivers up your spine. the police pay tribute, your taxi members of the public. the nurses coming out of the hospital, it was lovely moment. and the thanks came from every walk of life. from football managers... i would like to say thank you. to postal workers, from the fire service to the household cavalry and from loyalty. and this, filled by a paramedic in london is what it felt like to be on the receiving. at the moment when everybody was out cheering for the nhs made me really, really emotional. we have all been working so hard, my colleagues in the hospital, at the front line but also in the control room. please, stay at home if you can. because that is what the frontline workers really want. the noise was as epic across the night sky of manchester as it was across the capital. there is nothing to celebrate but much to give thanks for add this brief moment of unity was so welcomed by people like matt adelaide. moment of unity was so welcomed by people like matt adelaidem moment of unity was so welcomed by people like matt adelaide. it feels like the community is together now. probably 3000 residents under this block at most of them are out. thank you everybody for looking after us. a lot of my neighbours i have never talked to, never met but knowing they had their windows down and clapping and cheering for our health workers. we are all in this together and we will wind together. one day it will be over until then there is hope. what would you like to tell them? i would like to tell them that you are the most amazing, lovely people this planet, actually selfless, not one ita of selfishness, just... i shall never forget them and i will always, a lwa ys forget them and i will always, always love them. together... cheering and applause. that was understated, i was in bits. it makes you think and smile at the same time. we heard from an ambulance driver who was saying, looking out at what that felt like, the rest of us know we felt we had to have a moment when you express to something. i would love to hear, if you are a care worker, working in those professions, sent us a message because it would be nice to know what it felt like to hear that manifest. social media was filled with people saying i am not crying and then there was someone who said they had a friend who was an nhs worker, across the centre of london, who said i am not expecting anything and then, all of a sudden, they looked out and you could hear the rumble of claps and fireworks and was absolutely astonished because they are under so much pressure at they are under so much pressure at the moment. resources are a problem but they are working so hard and to feel that appreciation at last i hope gave a boost of some sort. of course, we are speaking to those involved in clinical work, doctor is and nurses as well so maybe reflect and nurses as well so maybe reflect a little bit with them on something that gave everyone one of those moments. we needed that. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london and bbc south east today — joining forces at breakfast to keep you up to date with the latest on coronavirus in our area. thousands of you across london and the south eastjoined in with the national round of applause for nhs staff last night and just a warning there are some flashing images coming up. cheering and applause. the metropolitan police service calling on retired servicemen. as well as asking those nearing retirement to stay on. the london ambulance service is appealing for former employees to re—join to help with the coronavirus outbreak. they say in such unprecedented times, they're particularly keen to re hire call handlers. the service is getting around eight thousand 999 calls every day, up to four times more than normal. eurotunnel is now allowing small freight vehicles on its passenger services to help keep the essential supply chain moving in the current health crisis. it is increasing its capacity of essential items coming into the uk, including medicines, fruit and vegetables and toilet paper. we provide the transport services for the border authorities when they go into work in the ports of calais and dunkirk and it is helping keep the other ports open so there is a range of roads and we have resilience in the supply chain. journeys on the tube have reduced by 93% according to london underground. the number of passengers has been dropping all week. transport for london say they want to continue to run a core service for nhs staff and other key workers. around a third of underground staff are either ill or self isolating. gatwick express trains will be temporarily suspended from monday until further notice. it's in response to a significant fall in the number of passengers at the airport and to keep other services running. southern and thameslink trains will continue to serve gatwick airport. right lets get a check on the weather with sara thornton. good bonding. a chilly start across london and at the south—east. 0nce more an inland frost. 0nce london and at the south—east. 0nce more an inland frost. once again, like the last few days, plenty of spring sunshine on offer right across the whole of the region and in fact, barely a cloud to point out in the sky was not maybe a bit of a weather cloud developing but in the best of it, top temperatures of 13 temperatures inland and cooler towards the coast. things turning decidedly colder in the coming days. just a filter in from the north. 0ften dry but you will notice a difference in temperature. it will feel really rather chilly. bbc local radio across 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 6am to 6pm every day. if you've got an event that's been cancelled, an appeal to make or a support group that can help others, let your local station know and we can let everyone know. hello, this is breakfast, with charlie stayt and naga munchetty. it's 6:30am. we will bring you all the latest news and sport in a moment. but also on breakfast this morning: we'll ask the business secretary, alok sharma, whether new measures to support the self—employed do enough to help them through the coronavirus outbreak. applause as millions of people came out to their doorsteps, gardens, balconies and windows to clap for our carers, we will talk to just a few of the workers who are on the front line. and she's known as the green goddess. we will get the latest fitness tips from diana moran, to help us stay healthy at home. good morning. here is a summary of today's main stories from bbc news: people across the uk have taken part in a national round of applause to show their support for health workers. last night, people took to their doorsteps, windows and balconies to cheer and clap to show their appreciation for carers and nhs staff who are on the frontline of the coronvirus outbreak. major landmarks throughout the country, including the shard in london and the bt tower, were also lit up in blue in tribute. millions of britain's self—employed workers can apply to have 80% of their average earnings paid for by the government, in the latest emerency financial package unveiled by the chancellor, rishi sunak. the scheme allows people who work for themselves to apply for a grant of up to £2,500 a month, but only if they earn less than £50,000 a year. the number of coronavirus deaths in the uk hasjumped by more than 100 in a day for the first time. the death toll has risen from 475 to 578, health officials have confirmed, with more than 11,000 confirmed cases. a third of the uk cases have been diagnosed in london. the family of a gp who died of suspected coronavirus have said he sacrificed his life for his profession. he was 76 and died in intensive care in southend hospital 24 intensive care in southend hospital 2a hours after being taken ill on tuesday. test results confirmed he had the virus —— if test results confirm he had the virus, he would be the first doctor in the uk today with the virus. the united states now has more confirmed cases of the coronavirus than any other country in the world, with more than 85,000 positive cases in total. president trump says this was a tribute to the tremendous number of tests being carried out. the country has also seen an unprecedented surge in the number of people claiming unemployment benefits. those are the main stories. a lot of people asking this question during the course of the few weeks. —— last few weeks. so what is it like to have the virus? we can speak now to katy roberts. thank you so much for talking to us this morning. so tell us, how have you been? take us through the steps from the moment you first felt unwell. yes, it was probably last thursday, i reckon, i started to get a cough, but it wasn't a continuous cough. so my first instinct wasn't coronavirus, just like, i've got a cough. but to be safe i had to self isolate and then the fatigue really hit. thursday and friday i had such horrendous fatigue, and on and off a which went throughout my body, and that got so much worse over the weekend. i can't describe the ache that i have had, and the pain. it is like this gripping pain on my waist and back, like somebody gripping you so tight. i can't walk from one room to the next room without i would have to lie down or sit down, i was so out of breath. i kept getting headaches on and off, and by monday i knew i was wheezing quite a lot andi i knew i was wheezing quite a lot and i felt breathless, i knew i was wheezing quite a lot and ifelt breathless, more i knew i was wheezing quite a lot and i felt breathless, more than you would definitely... you know, it was noticeable. and on tuesday morning i thought i have to phone the doctor, and every symptom i went through, i have had no taste, i have had no smell, which is the weirdest thing. i have absolutely no appetite. i am also really quite disorientated, forgetful, which might seem usual to some people, but it is that different way. it has just been horrendous. glad you kept your sense of humour, katy, along the way. just tell us a little bit about what the medical advice was to you as you we re medical advice was to you as you were progressing. what could you actually do to make you feel better before it went away? nothing, i was just told to stay in, basically, to self isolate for 1h days, from last tuesday, when i started showing symptoms, and for 1h days. if i still feel unwell after that, just stay on until i do start to feel better again. but there is nothing. the only thing i got was the doctor was concerned i the only thing i got was the doctor was concerned i was the only thing i got was the doctor was concerned i was getting a chest infection on top of it, because that happens. so i got antibiotics, but i have got deafness in one year, and he thinks that is because of the chest infection. give us the latest update, so how far into your isolation are you, and how are you feeling today? so last week, i started self isolating last thursday. probably the last 2a hours, i have felt a bit of a turnaround. wednesday night was horrendous. my temperature was skyhigh, i couldn't sleep for the pain. ican't skyhigh, i couldn't sleep for the pain. i can't stress how much it aches. it is so uncomfortable, and you feel like you are burning up in different parts of your body at different parts of your body at different times, and yesterday that subsided as the day went on. but my breath was the thing i noticed, i feel much more breathless, and still this morning i can feel it. when i am breathing it feels tight in here. and i had a high temperature when i woke up this morning, but definitely the ache is not the same, which is a good thing, because it was horrendous. and quite a few people have been asking, you know, in advance of if they get it, how it might compare with the flu. have you had flu before? i know everyone is making the point that medically this is entirely different from flu, but have you had flu before? know, and i have you had flu before? know, and i have been asked that as well by someone. it was like, is it like having the flu? and i said i don't know. it is indescribable. the pain and just the pure ache, it is almost muscular, as well, ifelt like, because a lot of myjoints were really sore, my wrists, ankles and feet weirdly felt like they were on fire one night, and they were really sore. so i can't compare it, but to me it feels worse. a couple of other things. we are of course in this curious situation. because you can't be tested to see whether you have it, or even whether you have had it. so you can't actually know. that is an odd situation, isn't it? the medics you have spoken to have clearly diagnosed that you have coronavirus, but you don't have the test, which is an odd situation, isn't it? it is. it certainly is. when i told the doctor every symptom i was having, he was in no doubt thatis i was having, he was in no doubt that is coronavirus, and even when i said to him that i have not had this co nsta nt said to him that i have not had this constant fever or this constant high temperature, i didn't really get a high temperature until about saturday and only had it for part of the day, and it has been on and off. and he said that doesn't actually matter, everything else is coronavirus. i will never really know, i will never have the test, probably. it has been lovely to talk to you. i wish you well. i am glad we have given you something to do. let's talk again sometime. yes, thank you! goodbye, thank you. look at you being all sociable. thank you! goodbye, thank you. look at you being all sociablem thank you! goodbye, thank you. look at you being all sociable. if you are in that situation... because katy lives on her own. she is obviously talking to other people as well, i hope so. we had this lovely story yesterday about self isolation, a gentleman, doctorjulian bayliss who had to self isolate but had to go to some really extreme measures to secretly live in a caravanjust really extreme measures to secretly live in a caravan just a few hundred metres from his family home. all this going on while he had been on a trip, and his little girl was in their home, and he kept quiet about their home, and he kept quiet about the fact that he was in isolation out in the garden. they have been reunited. it is daddy. daddy! daddy! at last. hello. hello. hello, hello. dad, i have been waiting for you.|j know you have. that is little poppy, four years old, seeing daddy, and it was so sweet watching them, like, they were talking via video calls to each other, literally a few hundred metres away from her. what slightly tickles me about that is dad has his backpack on. he has been away, and he has just got back even though he was just down he has just got back even though he wasjust down in he has just got back even though he was just down in the garden. they are reunited, which is lovely. we can find out now what is happening in the sport. can you imagine... you are a mum. happening in the sport. can you imagine... you are a mumlj happening in the sport. can you imagine... you are a mum. i tell you what, you are going to make me cry this morning. i thought last night and the clapping for carers outside, eve ryo ne and the clapping for carers outside, everyone out banging their pots and pans, i was sobbing then. i am an emotional wreck at the moment. that got a tear in my eye as well. do you need a moment to compose yourself, orare need a moment to compose yourself, or are you need a moment to compose yourself, orare you 0k? need a moment to compose yourself, or are you ok? no, i am ok. go on, then. do your stuff. and you are reflecting how most people feel in the country. it is a complete rolle rcoa ste r. the country. it is a complete rollercoaster. and the same in the world of sport. there has been a big decision in football in the last 2a hours. all football in england below national league level in the men's game, and below the women's championship, has ended immediately because of the coronavirus pandemic. all results have been declared null and void, meaning there will be no promotion or relegation. south shields were 12 points clear at the top of the northern premier division. their chairman, geoff thompson, said... he says they have put a lot of investment into the club as they seek promotion to move up the leg. soa seek promotion to move up the leg. so a lot of money lost potentially in the lower legs of all. while results are wiped clean in the lower leagues, the premier league has to be completed — that is according to crystal palace winger andros townsend. he says games should be played in empty grounds if needs be. from my side, i am from my side, iam in no doubt from my side, i am in no doubt that the season will get finished, whether it's injune or may be moving into september, october next year. one way or another, i believe it will get finished. because like i said, there's too much integrity, there's too many people who have invested money in the premier league, and they will feel shortchanged if all of a sudden it is cut and it is null and void. prioritising the premier league, though, would be controversial, especially since some lower league clubs fear they could be driven out of business by the pandemic. some have suggested that the richer premier league clubs could donate funds to keep them afloat. brighton chief executive paul barber said they would love to help, but must ensure their own survival first. we've got to first of all safeguard our jobs, we've got to first of all safeguard ourjobs, for our people. we've got to pay our bills, and then of course, if we can, then to be able to provide further help further down the foot or family would obviously bea the foot or family would obviously be a good thing, at a very, very difficult time. the last thing anyone wants is for any foot or league club to go out of existence. the football family is just that. it is too early to say how or in what way we could help, but certainly it is something that is always on our minds. it is not that long ago that this club were in the lower reaches. one of the few sporting events not to have been cancelled yet is cycling's tour de france. organisers are looking at the possibility of staging the event without fans, although the french sports minister, roxana maracineanu, has tweeted that the tour is a sports monument. it is too soon to decide. there is a time for everything. for now, we have a more urgent battle to fight. let us focus on this mountain in front of us, and then consider what's next. the future of the tour de france hanging in the balance. and finally, look at these aerial pictures above london last night. we were talking about people coming out onto their streets to cla p coming out onto their streets to clap for carers. this is the new totte n ha m clap for carers. this is the new tottenham stadium, in north london, lit up in blue for the nhs, and spurs players have put pictures on social media of them clapping, and wembley as well also lit up in blue. there is the famous arch above london, to celebrate what the nhs are doing for us during this pandemic. and, well, that was very emotional, wasn't it, last night. i don't think i was the only one to shed a tear on our street, out in my dressing room before we went to bed. you are absolutely not the only one to find it very emotional, and hopefully all those nhs workers, the carers, all those people that were being clapped for, feltjust a little bit of appreciation. and as always, every morning at the moment, we are speaking to quite a few ca re rs we are speaking to quite a few carers and nhs workers directly, so we will reflect a bit on that this morning. we all do need a little bit of abuse and the sunshine has been providing that for many. this taken a short while ago in beverly from their flat. blue skies overhead and lots more of that sunshine today. if few exceptions in north—eastern parts of england with mist and fog, eastern wales and in scotland a lot more cloud. temperatures have held in the night and if these areas. much of england and wales, a bit of a frosty start this morning although temperatures are not white as low as this time yesterday but luus goes ahead. the fog will eventually clear. —— blue skies ahead. patchy rain and drizzle through central and eastern parts. cloudy to the east of northern ireland. a bit more sunshine to finished the day in the north of scotland. breeze in england and wales. in the west, we could get 15-16 and wales. in the west, we could get 15—16 across sheltered parts of wales. a lovely sunset on the way tonight across england and wales and the northern half of scotland. but through the night the cloud pushing southwards and sit across northern ireland. temperatures will not drop as far with the frost taking us into the start of the weekend with big changes. this is the weather front pushing southwards. high—pressure building in and around it it will start to come in. all the way from the arctic. upset by the lengthening days and stronger sunshine. best of the sunshine in the southern parts of england, south—west scotland and northern ireland. elsewhere more cloudy. eventually a little bit of sleet and snow for some particularly for the north of scotland where temperatures will be dropping throughout the day and the breeze making it feel rather cool in northern areas. enter sunday, the start of british summertime and clocks go forward saturday night into sunday. plenty of cloud around. some sunny spells. sheltered western areas windy. gales. this is what it would look like on sunday. if you are out taking your daily exercise, this is what it will feel like. still driver many but in the sunshine and breeze, you will need a few extra layers. we heard the words of the chancellor saying, "we have not left you behind" — those were the words of the chancellor to britain's five million self—employed workers, as he unveiled the latest package to help protect incomes during the coronavirus outbreak. under the new measures, people who work for themselves can apply for a grant to cover 80% of their profits. but does it go far enough? let's speak now to shadow chancellor, john mcdonnell, who joins us from west london. thank you for your time. would you a nswer thank you for your time. would you answer that question, is it enough? hello... can you hear me? if! keep talking for a bit, it looks maybe that image has frozen. can you hear me? yes, i can. you got cut off for a minute. we got the gremlins out of the way early. the question i asked is simple, has the chancellor got this right? i am really relieved it has been brought forward and i am pleased. there are quite a few gaps, lots of self—employed people who have fallen outside the scheme for different reason have contacted me overnight but we will work with the government and try and get those gaps field. the big issue that has come from most of them is having to wait untiljune for payment. something they cannot beyond the next few weeks so we will work with the government to see whether or not payment can be made more quickly. staff la id off payment can be made more quickly. staff laid off from hmrc, maybe what the government could do is invite those stuff back to get the payments out the door to these self—employed workers. there are gaps in questions being asked for example about supply teachers. interesting enough, foster pa rents teachers. interesting enough, foster parents as well who do not declare profits in the same way as others do. they are not covered either. i am relieved but let's try and get this money to the self—employed quickly. the other area is that some self—employed people have onlyjust started up in the last year and they do not qualify either. what they have been told to do is claim universal credit. 0n the hotline the other day, 130,000 people on the hotline and that is a long waiting lists and we need to speed that up. surgery sick pay, —— statutory. it has come as too low for most people. we need to increase that to cover people who are self isolating or homesick and enable them to keep them safe. picking up on the first point you made. when the self—employed may be able to actually get this lump sum because i think a lot of people, we're getting a lot of e—mails from people saying they heard with relief what was planned and then the moment that question came in, when will they get the money, the answerjune, everything felt, what are we going to do now? in your discussion with the government, is there a mechanism because, on the face of it, what rishi sunak said, there was not a mechanism to get it done quickly. do you think there is one? part of the problem here and if this is something we will have to sort out in the future is, because they have been so manyjob cuts, hmrc are not finding the stuff to administer this soiam finding the stuff to administer this so i am saying, invite some of those stuff back to help us in an emergency basis. i think they should bea emergency basis. i think they should be a mechanism through hmrc to get money to people. the chancellor is advising people to take out universal credit, loans and grants but it is very difficult getting through the telephone system, let alone the internet with regard to that. even if they have to fall back on sick pay, if that was at the highest level, they could basically survive in terms of day—to—day expenditure but that is the crunch issue. but there are gaps as well and we should not underestimate that we can work through that. i have to say also one of the issues raised, we knew this was coming since january when the first cases broke and we saw it happening in other countries, we should have been better prepared and quicker but the system is there now, let's make it work faster. thank you for your time. the shadow chancellor. many of you have been getting in touch concerned about what you should do if you think you have symptoms, how this coronavirus is spreading and went to call gps, should you be bothering them? went to call gps, should you be bothering them ? we went to call gps, should you be bothering them? we could talk to a gp in manchester and joins us now. lovely to have you with us. can you tell us what situation you are seeing in the surgery and with patients? a lot of people are obviously worried, with underlying health conditions like asthma, and cancer and when they are developing costs or fluli ke cancer and when they are developing costs or flulike symptoms, fever, muscle pain, they are getting in touch and i think the important thing is have a look at the 111 nhs website and do the triage. the things they should be doing, the shortness of breath, if it is new, you do need to be seen, particularly if you have underlying health conditions. it is incredibly important to seek advice early if you're breathing is getting worse. we're having a second knock—on effect. i was speaking to a paediatric colleague who was saying people without coronavirus, people who have children who are unwell at delaying their presentation to hospital because they are worried about their child getting infected or about being exposed to it so the children who are coming in our seeker. it is really important that, if you have an unwell child or you are unwell because of something other than coronavirus, it is important to seek help. your gps are at the end of a telephone. you still have access to hospitals but please do speak to a gp if you have concerns that are even not related to coronavirus but feel you are deteriorating. an interesting side. many people, we have seen the reports, lots of young people or some young people going out, almost feeling they are invincible, naturally gravitating towards each other. what is your feeling about the attitude of the younger in terms of their vulnerability to the virus? i think that it is unfair to label it as one group because actually the people i'm speaking to on telephone, i spoke to a 22—year—old who has underlying asthma and was incredibly anxious and worried and so it is unfair but what getting is a mixed message from the government. we have a mild lockdown, it is not complete. a week ago we still had people going to bars and clubs and restaurants that were open. we are telling people to stay at home yet we are in social environments open and that mixed message tells people that it is ok, that it is not really that bad. we cannot blame an age group. this will affect everybody. they are equally as vulnerable that is the message to get through. they are not equally as vulnerable but young people will die because this virus is indiscriminate and, even though a smaller proportion of young people will die, they will inevitably still be affected in smaller numbers. the very u nfortu nate be affected in smaller numbers. the very unfortunate situation is we heard now of younger and young people without underlying health problems being affected by this everybody has a responsibility regardless of their age. thank you very much for your time this morning. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london and bbc south east today — joining forces at breakfast to keep you up to date with the latest on coronavirus in our area. thousands of you across london and the south eastjoined in with the national round of applause for nhs staff last night. cheering and applause. the metropolitan police service is calling on retired officers to rejoin. as well as asking those nearing retirement to stay on. the london ambulance service is appealing for former employees to re—join to help with the coronavirus outbreak. they say in such unprecedented times, they're particularly keen to re hire call handlers. —— to hearfrom call handlers. the service is getting around eight thousand 999 calls every day, up to four times more than normal. eurotunnel is now allowing small freight vehicles on its passenger services to help keep the essential supply chain moving in the current health crisis. it is increasing its capacity of essential items coming into the uk, including medicines, fruit and vegetables and toilet paper. we provide the transport services for the border authorities when they go into work in the ports of calais and dunkirk and so that it is helping keep the other ports open so there is a range of routes and we have resilience in the supply chain. journeys on the tube have reduced by 93% according to london underground. the number of passengers has been dropping all week. transport for london say they want to continue to run a core service for nhs staff and other key workers. gatwick express trains will be temporarily suspended from monday until further notice. it's in response to a significant fall in the number of passengers at the airport and to keep other services running. southern and thameslink trains will continue to serve gatwick airport. afamily run a family run fun have diversified to help local community access fresh produce a supermarket struggle to meet demand. the egg machine was originally purchased last year for self—service egg buying now armed with extra sanitiser it is helping customers with extra sanitiser it is helping custo m e rs a ccess with extra sanitiser it is helping customers access products around the clock. right lets get a check on the weather with sara thornton. good morning. a chilly start across london and the south—east. once more an inland frost. once again, like the last few days, plenty of spring sunshine on offer right across the whole of the region and in fact, barely a cloud to point out in the sky — maybe a bit of a fairweather cloud developing but in the best of it, top temperatures of 13 temperatures inland and cooler towards the coast. things turning decidedly colder in the coming days. just a filter in from the north. 0ften dry but you will notice a difference in temperature. it will feel really rather chilly. bbc local radio across 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 6am to 6pm every day. we will have an update in half—an—hour. good morning. welcome to breakfast, with charlie stayt and naga munchetty. 0ur headlines today: the nation comes together in an emotional thank you to nhs and care workers battling coronavirus. and this is an absolute nightmare, so it's time that we're alljust having to stand together, shoulder—to—shoulder, and show our appreciation. the chancellor's multibillion—pound bailout for self—employed workers, but many won't receive payments for months. the united states passes china and italy to record the highest number of coronavirus cases anywhere in the world. if you're moving house, don't. the government warns house buyers and sellers to put off completion until after the outbreak, as home sales are forecast to slump 60%. don't go out — national parks remind potential visitors they are not open for business, ahead of the weekend. and then whether, significantly colder air on the way this weekend, but for today, it is as you were. sunshine for many, and a bit cloudy in scotland. i will have all the details on breakfast. it is friday 27 march. our top story: millions of people across the uk have taken part our top story: millions of people in a co—ordinated tribute to nhs staff and care workers working on the front—line of the coronavirus outbreak. the clap for carers salute saw people showing their thanks by applauding from their doorsteps, windows and balconies. we will be getting the reaction to that tribute from care workers throughout the programme this morning. and, after financial measures to support self—employed workers were announced by the government, we will be asking the business secretary, alok sharma, if they go far enough. first, let's get the latest from our correspondent charlotte rose. a moment of togetherness, because of the virus which has forced us apart. last night, thousands of people across the country came out on their doorsteps to applaud the efforts of nhs workers on the front—line. in towns and cities, and even palaces, people paid tribute. earlier, chancellor rishi sunak announced a multibillion—pound package of support for self—employed workers. musicians and sound engineers, plumbers and electricians, taxi drivers and driving instructors, hairdressers and childminders, and many others, through no fault of their own, risk losing their livelihoods. to you, i say this. you have not been forgotten. those who earn less than £50,000 a year can apply for a grant of up to 80% of their average monthly profits, up to a maximum of £2,500. but, with payouts not coming untiljune, and some workers being exempt, many are still worried. so you're going to give us the money injune, did they say? so what you're saying is, you — you are presuming that everybody that's self—employed has enough money to survive until then, and that's not the case. i unfortunately probably won't qualify, because my business has only been running for two years. my husband will be able to claim, so that means that as a family, we will be able to have money from the government to tide us over. whilst the government is firefighting on the economy, firefighters will be brought in to help the nhs. they will help drive ambulances, deliver food and medicine to vulnerable people, and if there are mass casualties from the virus, to transport the dead. the police, too, have a role to play, enforcing social distancing measures. officers can now issue £60 on—the—spot fines if they find people are out and about for non—essential reasons. fines can be increased for repeat offenders. derbyshire police say people should not be driving to the place they want to take their daily exercise, but it's not clear whether this is actually against the rules. loudspeaker: the government has a lockdown in force... forces are concerned that, with some fine weather expected this weekend, people will be tempted to go against the advice to stay at home. they hope these new powers will make people think twice. charlotte rose, bbc news. let's get more on the support for self—employed workers now. 0ur political correspondent leila nathoo is in westminster for us this morning. the catchphrase from the chancellor, you have not been forgotten, just ta ke you have not been forgotten, just take us through what people have been saying since they have had a good look at how these measures will work in practice. good morning, charlie. there was a delay, wasn't there, between the support being announced for employees and the support being announced for the self—employed. the government was saying the reason for that was that it was very complex to design this system, trouble identifying the appropriate people, people coming in and out of self—employment, lots of self—employed people having variable profits and over months years. so that was the reason they gave for delay. but this scheme, i think, has been broadly welcomed in its scale. the government says it is going to cover up the government says it is going to cover up to 3.8 william people of the self—employed, so i think the ambition is certainly there. one of the main criticisms and concerns you heard there from mcdonnell, labour's shadow chancellor, a little earlier, about this delay in the payments, so this taxable grant that is going to come into people's bank accounts in june, that was the earliest that the chancellor said this scheme was going to be up and running. clearly thatis going to be up and running. clearly that is concerning for many self—employed people. it is going to be backdated, this payment, until march. they are going to get this grant covering 80% of their profits up grant covering 80% of their profits up to £50,000 backdated, so it is not like they are going to lose out in the money terms, but it is to do with the timing. so i think the chancellor's advised that banks need to help out self—employed people, the benefits are there, that is concerning for many. but clearly the government feels the system has been too complicated to design in order too complicated to design in order to get it up and running any earlier. thank you very much, yes. picking up on quite a few of the themes reflected in the e—mails you have been sending to us today. and we will be speaking to the business secretary, alok sharma, at 7:30am. so keep those thoughts coming in for us so keep those thoughts coming in for us this morning about how you think it is going to affect you and how it might work in practice. that seems to be one of the main issues now. the number of coronavirus deaths in the uk hasjumped by more than 100 in a day for the first time. the death toll has risen from 475 to 578, with more than 11,000 confirmed cases. a third of those have been diagnosed in london. the family of a gp who died at southend hospital on wednesday have said he showed textbook symptoms of coronavirus. dr habib zaidi, who was 76, had not seen patients in person for about a week before his death. if test results confirm he was infected, he would be the first doctor in the uk to die from the virus. the government has urged house buyers and sellers to put off completion until after the outbreak over fears about social distancing. the housing secretary, robertjenrick, said even those scheduled to move today should try to delay. estate agents and surveyors are also facing tight restrictions. the united states now has more confirmed cases of the coronavirus than any other country in the world, with more than 85,000 patients in total. the country has also seen an unprecedented surge in the number of people claiming unemployment benefits, as peter bowes reports. now the global epicentre — more positive tests for covid—19 than any other country. in some communities, the number of cases is doubling every three days. more than a quarter are in new york city, where the emergency services say they are overwhelmed by people calling for help. it's worse, they say, than after 9/11. and we're not even started yet. so, if we're doing 6,000 today, it's going to be 8,000 tomorrow. more and more people are going to call. it's — a sustained impact like this, we've never dealt with. at his latest briefing with the white house covid—19 task force, president trump was generally upbeat. beautiful day. he responded to the surge in cases. it's a tribute to the amount of testing that we're doing. we're doing tremendous testing, and i'm sure you're not able to tell what china is testing or not testing. as more and more people fall sick, and with much of the country at a standstill, the virus has had a catastrophic impact on america's workforce. social isolation orders and shuttered businesses have led to a huge spike in the latest jobless figures, 3.3 million people laid off because of covid—19. never before in us history has there been such a dramatic rise in unemployment. they have to go back to work. our country has to go back. our country is based on that. and i think it's going to happen pretty quickly. mr trump said robust testing protocols might allow some counties in the country to lift their safeguards against the coronavirus. he said the white house was working on a plan to be revealed next week, although it wouldn't mean an end to social distancing. in the meantime, soldiers are setting up this field hospital in new york, and a 1,000—bed naval hospital ship is being deployed to manhattan. another is heading to los angeles, where local officials fear there will be a critical shortage of beds in the coming days and weeks. peter bowes, bbc news. we will keep you up—to—date, of course. what we really need to know, how glorious has it been in the last few days? what is going on in the weather? we have had some sunshine. i think it is going to get a little bit colder in a few days. matt is the man who has all the answers. the last time we saw you, you looks like you were in front of a model village. this one not so much. yes, it is good to get colder, and significantly colder this weekend, you will be putting those layers back on into this weekend. this is grantham just a short while ago. a bit of frost on the ground around. sunshine overhead, another stunning sunshine comic sunrise for much of england and wales and a good part for northern ireland as well. that is going to bring the odd spot of rain, and some mist and fog through parts of north—east england, especially the vale of york, parts of the midlands and south east wales. sunshine again through much of the day. some sunshine to the west of northern ireland, and turning sunnier across the far north of scotland, where we start with a bit of sunshine for somewhere in the north—west highlands. but that will start to filter a bit further southwards. the rest of scotland, particular through central and southern areas, staying cloudy. further outbreaks of rain coming and going, especially central and eastern areas. big differences in temperatures from east to west. still around nine or 10 celsius, maybe 15 or 16 in parts of western wales. but we will not see temperatures like that again over the next few days because through the next few days because through the night, this area of cloud, a cold front pushing its way southwards. it will start to introduce colder air, so a nights andi introduce colder air, so a nights and i did scotland. not quite as chilly as we start tomorrow across england and wales, but as i have hinted at, this weekend, it gets significantly colder, with stronger winds as well. a noticeable windshield. to go with it, there will be a lot more cloud around this weekend, which could just bring, believe it or not, for the start of the british summertime, a few wintry showers. 0nly the british summertime, a few wintry showers. only a few, but they will be around, on sunday.” showers. only a few, but they will be around, on sunday. i knew that was right, it is getting colder. thanks, matt. more than five million people in the uk are self—employed, but last week they seemed to be left behind when the chancellor made announcements to support workers during the coronavirus outbreak. yesterday, all that changed as rishi sunak announced a new series of plans to help them. ben has the details. i suppose one of the things here is that you hear the announcement, and there is that initial moment when eve ryo ne there is that initial moment when everyone thinks it sounds good on the face of it, and everyone looks at the detail and other questions emerge, don't they? yes, absolutely. the challenge here for the chancellor has been to determine just how do you work out what self—employed people earn? because we know that it can be pretty volatile, some months better than others, some people may bejust joining the self—employed ranks for the first time in the last few months, so they don't have a proven track record of what their income actually is. but yesterday, the chancellor saying you have not been forgotten. here is a package of measures to try to mitigate the worst of some of this coronavirus on your finances. let me worst of some of this coronavirus on yourfinances. let me run worst of some of this coronavirus on your finances. let me run you through what we know so far, what this detail is, because there are certain people this will apply to, and certain others who are exempt. let me explain what we know so far. self—employed workers will be entitled to a grant worth 80% of their average profits up to £2,500 a month. and remember, it is profits, not revenue or income. to qualify, you will have to be making a profit of less than £50,000 a year. that is the other crucial thing here, so a profit, again, not income but profit. the government reckons 95% of those in self—employment, or 3.8 million people, will be eligible. you don't have to do anything — hmrc will contact potentially eligible people with details on how to apply. this is where it raises some issues. you will get one lump sum, but it won't be until the beginning ofjune at the earliest. and so quite clearly lots of people wondering what they are supposed to do in the meantime. the government says people will have to apply for universal credit, but there are big delays with that system. then there are the business loans they announced last week, but lots of people won't want to get into more debt, or they will have to rely on their overdraft or tax savings until the money comes through. even though the banks have said they will be more forthcoming, they will be able to offer more credit to people if they need it. let me explain the people who are not eligible, because there are some limits, some will lose out. if your company generates profits above the limit, if you pay yourself with company dividends, if you've re—invested any profit before you report. you might do that for the good of the business, you might think you are doing a good thing, but that can bring down your threshold. or if you are only recently self—employed, then you won't qualify. some key exemptions, and that raises some serious questions for people who have seen their income, like many others, disappear overnight. but do these measures go far enough? let's get some reaction now from one self employed worker, clint searle, who's a window cleaner. clint, lovely to have you with us this morning, good morning. i imagine like many self—employed people over the last few days, you've been waiting on tenterhooks just to find out what would be announced. how did you feel when you heard what chancellor rishi sunak had to say? pretty much what was expected. firstly i was hoping for a fixed lump—sum but everyone in my situation just wanted to get it out beforejune, situation just wanted to get it out before june, so situation just wanted to get it out beforejune, so you didn't have to do the calculations. in my head, £2000 for three months, everyone would know where they were, you can get that out straightaway. the other concern i had was a level playing field comments. i was kind of hoping... that, you know, all self—employed people are happy to pay the extra, but we have to get the sick pay, maternity pay, and paternity pay, things like that. you feel like you've not been put on a level playing field with those employed in the benefits they get if theirjob is employed in the benefits they get if their job is furloughed employed in the benefits they get if theirjob is furloughed or if they're out of work? it was a bit of a slur to say that. a slur, did you say? yeah, just a little bit. to me it was a little bit grudging. they tested the water i kind of felt to see if self—employed people will go down the statutory sick pay and universal credit ‘s route, and then, with the pressure coming on from the media, things like that, they had to act. one of the things we heard, we spoke to the shadow chancellor this morning, john mcdonnell, and he admitted there are gaps when it comes to self—employed, about 5% of people who aren't covered, and we can perhaps expect an announcement, we will speak to a treasury secretary in about ten minutes, so from your point of view, what does life look like? you're a window cleaner, you are still working and you have a family. it's not easy, so my wife is pregnant and we have a c—section in about two months. i have a son on immunosuppressants, which is the real spanner in the works. every time i go out, i'm the only one potentially bringing the virus back in, so i've got to get a balance. i got to have a business at the end of this but obviously i've got to keep my family safe. how do you feel when you're working? as a window cleaner, your outside people's homes and you don't have to come into contact with anyone, excuse my ignoring is? iphone ahead and tell people to keep out of the way. how do they respond to that? some are great, some say don't come because of your own safety, my son has a cough. but working yesterday, afamily has a cough. but working yesterday, a familyjust has a cough. but working yesterday, a family just started has a cough. but working yesterday, a familyjust started playing football in the street alongside me. when other people see others outside, others emerge, they think if they're allowed, i'm allowed. going back to the package that has been announced, how held did you feel? an arm around you was one of the phrases from the government, how do you feel now, supported?” the phrases from the government, how do you feel now, supported? i kinda felt he had to do it, he was backed into a is how i personally feel. i don't think... i think they were testing the water between the two announcements. do you think it would be safer for announcements. do you think it would be saferfor you... would announcements. do you think it would be safer for you... would you feel better if you were told by the government not to go out to work and put yourself at risk given your situation? i was thinking that on monday, we sat down and we heard the announcement, i said to the boys, i'm home now, and then i was, like, what does that line mean? it didn't make sense to me. family members we re make sense to me. family members were saying, no, no, you're not essential, you don't have to go to work and then i said that's not what he said. then we had clarification the next day and window cleaners and gardeners got cleared up. there was confusion. i wanted to be told don't go to work. you can get sick pay, evenif go to work. you can get sick pay, even if its £100 a week, it will ta ke even if its £100 a week, it will take you over for 12 weeks, and then when it is you can come back out to work. clint, it's been good to talk to get an idea of what you're going through. c—section into months and for your second child, good luck to you and your family, for your second child, good luck to you and yourfamily, i wish for your second child, good luck to you and your family, i wish you well. cheers, bye-bye. it is 7:20am. firefighters will be able to drive ambulances and deliver food and medicine to help support other emergency services under a new agreement between firefighters and their bosses. crews will take on these extra tasks alongside their core duties like responding to fires and road accidents during the coronavirus outbreak. we can speak now to the general secretary of the fire brigades union, matt wrack. good morning, matt, thanks for your time this morning. give us a sense of how this will work in practice. this is a document that will be released later today and it needs to then be discussed at local level, so it's the start of a process we've been discussing over the past few days. clearly the fire and rescue service and other public agencies, local government, are all considering how to respond to this epidemic, pandemic, particularly in the light of the fact that staff numbers in public services are being already reduced with self—isolation and so on, so this is causing the nhs great strain and it will... it's already putting the fire and rescue service under some strain. we've been approached by other agencies and we've had discussions about areas where the fire and rescue service may be able to assist and help while at the same time obviously maintaining our core functions. it's a huge challenge that we are facing and we've been discussing, and that discussion now ta kes pla ce discussing, and that discussion now takes place at a local level and it has to address issues like training and personal protective equipment, and personal protective equipment, and the ability to maintain that co re and the ability to maintain that core function of fire and rescue calls. on the face of it, matt, obviously you know full well what your members are capable of doing, presumably they've got skills that are transferable. for example, i'm thinking about drivers, i know the suggestion is they could be driving ambulances. looks like there could beat transferable skills? there may beat transferable skills? there may be transferable skills clearly, but it has to be looked at, we can't have people doing things they're not trained or competent at or capable of doing, but that's exactly the issue that's going to be looked at and there is a lot of work already under way and i know firefighters are already considering these things themselves. we're clear that this needs to be risk assessed, there needs to be risk assessed, there needs to be training where appropriate, there needs to be a dialogue between different agencies and may vary across the country. we know there is particular problems in london at the moment, and that is likely to spread, so there may be things needed in one part of the country that aren't needed elsewhere. so it's quite flexible. it's a huge challenge, but this opens the next phase of that to ensure we are prepared if, as we expect, things get worse over the next few weeks. matt, just on a slightly unconnected theme, i saw a lot of images of firefighters outside their stations last night at 8pm joining those tributes to nhs and care workers. you know, these are people who work alongside each other a lot, your members and those working in the caring professions. it was an important moment, wasn't it? absolutely, and we do work alongside collea g u es absolutely, and we do work alongside colleagues in the national health service and the ambulance that is very closely every day of our working lives. i was out in my street and it was moving and fantastic to see our members and firefighters across the country joining in that national celebration of our national health service. it was fantastic and very moving. matt wrack, thank you very much, the general secretary of the fire brigade union, talking about the possibility that they could use some of their skills in other services. the world is adapting. i tell you who is probably going the extra mile, not only probably, they definitely are: )all this morning we're talking about the millions of people who gave their thanks to the nhs and care workers last night. people stopped what they were doing and clapped and cheered in support of workers on the front line of the fight against coronavirus. and it's had an impact. that was the whole point, wasn't it? charge nurse craig leathard posted this on facebook last night. it's been a real hard week for everybody, but what we've just... i've just everybody, but what we've just... i'vejust gone outside everybody, but what we've just... i've just gone outside to listen, thatis i've just gone outside to listen, that is absolutely... i don't think there's any words for that, but to everybody, thank you! that was craig. 0ne that was craig. one of the few who have said thank you but amongst the thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of people who we re hundreds of thousands of people who were out? anecdotally, everyone in our workplace this morning said they we re workplace this morning said they were out last night, and there was noise, significant noise being made. loads of messages from you. heather works in a small care home in cornwall, she went into her garden last night at a dm and she thought she would be the only one but it sounded like thunder, she was proud to bea sounded like thunder, she was proud to be a terror. coueen to be a terror. colleen said i'm a nurse, not currently working on the frontline —— carer. after last night i feel compelled to offer myself to work at my local hospital. thank you, people of great britain and northern ireland for your show of kindness and support. nursing staff, nigel and becky, say they want to say a big thank you to eve ryo ne they want to say a big thank you to everyone who made an effort to come out onto the streets to show their appreciation. it was very emotional. going to work at home the prison cardiff last night at 8pm, the sound of the clapping and cheering from the high—rise apartments around the prison and from the prisoners in the prison and from the prisoners in the prison was reassuring and surreal. to all frontline and nhs staff, keep up to all frontline and nhs staff, keep up the good work. thank you for your thoughts, keep them coming in, it's very important. we will speak to the business secretary in a few minutes to look back at some of the comments made yesterday around self—employment. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london and bbc south east today — joining forces at breakfast to keep you up to date with the latest on coronavirus in our area. thousands of you across london and the south eastjoined in with the national round of applause for nhs staff last night. and just a warning, there are some flashing images coming up. cheering and applause the metropolitan police service is calling on retired officers to rejoin, as well as asking those nearing retirement to stay on. the london ambulance service is also appealing for former staff to re—join. they say in such unprecedented times, they're particularly keen to hearfrom call handlers. the service is getting around 8,000 999 calls every day, up to four times more than normal. community groups acrosss the capital have been doing their bit to support the nhs staff dealing with the outbreak. 0ne organisation from west london has been working with restaurants in southall who prepare fresh meals. volunteers are delivering the meals to a&e staff at hospitals such as northwick park in harrow. we need to support those who are on the frontline. my wife is a clinician herself, and she is dealing with a lot on the frontline at the moment with her colleagues, so the least we can do is give them some moral support. eurotunnel is now allowing small freight vehicles on its passenger services to help keep the essential supply chain moving. it is increasing its capacity of essential items coming into the uk, including medicines, fruit and vegetables and toilet paper. journeys on the tube have reduced by 93% according to london underground. the number of passengers has been dropping all week. transport for london say they want to continue to run a core service for nhs staff and other key workers. around a third of underground staff are either ill or self—isolating. gatwick express trains will be temporarily suspended from monday until further notice. it's due to a significant fall in airport passengers and to keep other services running. southern and thameslink trains will continue to serve gatwick airport. let's get a check on the weather with sara thornton. hello there, a very good morning to you. another chilly start across london and the south—east, this morning. once more we have seen something of an inland frost. but once again, like the last few days, plenty of spring sunshine on offer right across the whole of the region, and in fact, barely a cloud to point out in the sky — maybe just a little bit of fairweather cloud developing and pushing through the afternoon as it wears on, but in the best of it, again, inland a top temperatures of 13 celsius. always a bit cooler towards the coast. in the coming days, things are going to turn decidedly colder. more in the way of cloud, just a filter in from the north as we head through the weekend. 0ften dry but i think you really will notice a difference in temperature. it is going to feel really rather chilly. we will have an update in half—an—hour. hello, this is breakfast, with charlie stayt and naga munchetty. millions of britain's self—employed workers can apply to have 80% their average monthly profits paid for by the government in the latest emergency financial package unveiled by the chancellor. the scheme is designed to support people through the coronavirus outbreak, and allows people who work for themselves to apply for a grant of up to £2,500 a month, but only if they earn less than £50,000 a year. let's speak now to business secretary alok sharma, who joins us from westminster. thank you very much forjoining us on breakfast this morning, alok sharma. it has been a long time coming. i imagine there has been a lot of thought and negotiation to get this next stage of help for those who are in the workforce. do you think it is covering everything that needs to be covered so far? well, thank you very much. good morning and thank you for having me on. we put out an unprecedented set of packages over the last few days to support the employed and of course yesterday to support the self—employed. this of course is for people who have average profits of up people who have average profits of up to £50,000 a year, and i think this is the right response. we have a lwa ys this is the right response. we have always said that we want to make sure that we provide whatever support is required, and that is precisely what we are doing. and obviously this is a package which will be discussed with external organisations. yesterday evening after the chancellor's announcement, i spoke to the fsb as well as the tuc, and both welcomed this package of measures. we will come onto the figures in a moment. so we talk about one of the criticisms of it, which is that the money will not be coming until at leastjune. what do you say to those who are literally living hand to mouth now?” com pletely living hand to mouth now?” completely understand that there are very many people who are worried about their livelihoods, about how they will pay their bills, and what we have ensured through the system is that there is support already available for people. we have ensured that those who have mortgages will be able to have a mortgages will be able to have a mortgage holiday for three months. we have also ensured that the welfare system, we have put more money into that, so there is an extra £1000 of the standard allowa nce extra £1000 of the standard allowance every year when it comes to universal credits. and of course, if you are self—employed, the minimum income floor has been removed at this point. we have also said that, for those who would normally be paying a bill at the end ofjuly, in terms of their self—assessment, to hmrc, that will be deferred until 2021. and of course, some of those who are self—employed will also be registered for vat, and there are deferrals on that as well. so there are packages of measures in place to support people right now. i com pletely support people right now. i completely understand that people wa nt to completely understand that people want to get this additional grant as quickly as possible. the chancellor is very clear that we want to do this as quickly as possible. we have set a date for the start ofjune, but if we can do it faster, we will. but it is a complicated system that we are designing, and we want to make sure that we get it absolutely right. so it is up to hmrc to get in touch with the people who are eligible for this package. why not bring in more people to hmrc? there have beenjob bring in more people to hmrc? there have been job cuts, bring in more people to hmrc? there have beenjob cuts, is it now time to appeal to some of those to come back, to get the system moving? there are two issues here. one is to make sure we get support to people as quickly as possible. but of course, secondly, that is predicated on making sure that we design a system which is able to deliver that support. 0ne system which is able to deliver that support. one of the things the chancellor did say yesterday, and i know this will be welcomed by many people, is that for those who have not yet been able to file their 18-19 not yet been able to file their 18—19 tax returns, they will get an extra four weeks to do that. i think thatis extra four weeks to do that. i think that is the right approach. and of course that adds in terms of timing, but as i said, the issue here is building a system from scratch to make sure that we can get support to people, and that is precisely what doing. across government, in the treasury, in my department, people are literally working night and day to make sure that we get support to people, and i want to pay tribute to all of those officials in the civil service and the public sector who are actually supporting individuals and businesses at this time. indeed, and businesses at this time. indeed, and our appreciation goes to them as well. but there is an opportunity, isn't there, as so many are out of work orfacing being out isn't there, as so many are out of work or facing being out of work or furloughed, to make a call and get people back into hmrc. is that something you are considering? well, asi something you are considering? well, as i said, i don't think the block right now is the number of people within hmrc. the issue here is building the system, and that is what we're doing. there are resources in place to make sure that happens as quickly as possible. ok, let's talk about the numbers. there isa let's talk about the numbers. there is a £50,000 for those who are self—employed, who will be entitled to money, up to £2500 a month. lots of people have been in touch, lots of people have been in touch, lots of self—employed people have been in touch, and if you bear with me, i will just redo touch, and if you bear with me, i willjust redo something from a gentleman called nick. he is a self—employed sole trader living in london, trading profitjust over £50,000 a year. he has a property maintenance business. he has described himself as devastated, because the main income of his family before has all but disappeared. he asks why is an employee, someone who is employed, earning £100,000 a year, entitled to receive £2500 a month under the scheme announced last week, but are self—employed person earning £50,000, for example, will get nothing? why is there no parity between those being self—employed and employed ? between those being self—employed and employed? well, if you look at the statistics in terms of who will get support, it is for those with profits of up to £50,000 a year. and the scheme will cover 95% of all of those individuals for whom the majority of their income comes from self—employment. for those who are achieving profits of over £50,000 a year, their earnings on average around £200,000 a year. and the aim of this is to make sure that we target those most in need. and i think our assessment is that if you have earnings of on average £2500, you may well have other support, other savings, that are available to you. let's pick that apart for a moment, shall we? if you are earning £50,000 orjust over £50,000 a year, and you are paying for a family of four, and up until now you have paid your mortgage, you have paid your shopping bills, maybe you had to pay for a car, for petrol, transport, et cetera, schoolchildren, their uniforms. how much, really, do you think a family earning just over £50,000 a year has in savings to tide them overfor at £50,000 a year has in savings to tide them over for at least three months? well, can ijust say, just to make that distinction, which i am sure those who are self—employed and watching will understand this, there isa watching will understand this, there is a difference between the income thatis is a difference between the income that is generated by a self—employed person and the profit that they are making. what we are talking about is profits of up to £50,000. as i said, for those 5%, that very small percentage of people, who are not covered by the scheme, their earnings, on average, will be around £200,000 a year. you talked about mortgages. we have made very clear that people are able to have a mortgage holiday of three months, if that's what they need. and as i said, there is other support available through the system, through the welfare system, to make sure that we are helping people across the board. let's talk about those who are on zero hours contracts. they have been told to make an assessment of their earnings in february. many of those on zero hours contracts, for example in the restau ra nt hours contracts, for example in the restaurant industry, the delivery industry, a quiet month. why have you not chosen it over a period of time as you have for the self—employed, three years? time as you have for the self-employed, three years? well, we're now talking about a separate scheme. i think you are perhaps making reference the employment retention scheme. and detailed guidance on that was published last night, and it makes it clear that that scheme covers those who are also on zero hour contracts, as well as those who work part—time for an employer, and of course full—time workers as well. it also ensures that that particular scheme covers not just companies, but that that particular scheme covers notjust companies, but also charities and not—for—profit organisations as well. someone has asked, if you are speaking to the minister, please ask them why it is fairfor minister, please ask them why it is fair for the self—employed who have been self—employed for the less a year to get nothing. well, look, i com pletely year to get nothing. well, look, i completely understand people asking that question. the reality is that if hmrc has had no contact from those people during the time they have been self—employed, then of course, it is very difficult to make an assessment on that. we are putting in place at unprecedented speed are really complicated system, making sure that we can get support to those that we know about. and thatis to those that we know about. and that is why we have said that this applies to people who have got a tax return in 418—19, and are of course currently trading as well. —— 418-19. for currently trading as well. —— 418—19. for those who are in a position where they have just recently started their self—employment trading, we will not have their details —— for 18—19. i will say to them that there is support available through the system, through the welfare system. we have also set up a £500 million fund through authorities, and people can have that support. and i suspect many of your viewers watching this will appreciate that at the end of the day, this is taxpayers people ‘s money, and we want to get the money to those who are most in need, and where we have those details and their trading history. many will say that this is taxpayers' money, and those who are self—employed are taxpayers. the manifesto in 2018—19, we wa nt taxpayers. the manifesto in 2018—19, we want to support those who are starting their own business. alok sharma, you, said that we want to support people who want to start their own business. there are many who feel they are being penalised for doing just that. well, as i say, we wa nted for doing just that. well, as i say, we wanted to make sure that 95% of those who receive the majority of their income from self—employment are covered, and absolutely we are committed to making sure the uk is the best place to start and grow a business, and that is why we are providing support through the system, to maintain businesses through this very difficult period, to maintain livelihoods. and i hope, when we come out the other side, it will mean that our businesses are able to start trading normally faster. ok, you have mentioned 95%, thatis faster. ok, you have mentioned 95%, that is the figure. there is a 5% that is the figure. there is a 5% that are not covered. there is a 93p- that are not covered. there is a gap. we spoke to the shadow chancellor, john mcdonnell, and he hinted that there will be more conversations to help fill those in that gap. many have messaged in who do feel they are being left out of the loop. what is happening next in terms of those discussions? well, look, i mean, you wouldn't expect me to come on and sort of comment on any discussions of any description that are going on. i would expect you to say they are going on, not to necessarily tell me the details.” think what you have seen some really unprecedented measures, by any international comparison. i think people would agree that what we have set out is really quite substantial. and this is about providing support to businesses, support to individuals, whether they are employed or in self—employment. and then, as i said, there is an additional layer of support that is being provided through the welfare system to make sure that people can have mortgage holidays, to make sure that they can defer vat payments, to make sure they can defer self—assessment deadlines that are coming up in terms of those payments. so there is a lot of support that is out there. of course, we look at the totality of the support we are providing. but right now, what is vital for people, and you raise this point right at the start of the discussion, is how do you get money quickly into people's pockets? and that is what we are working on night and day, to make sure it happens as quickly as possible. let's talk about guidance for those who are working at the moment. i will refer back to nick who got back in contact. he said, he isa who got back in contact. he said, he is a sole trader, very early in the morning i will need to leave home to try and find some work, ultimately i will not be able to stay home and save lives. furthermore, if we get sick or there are further lockdown measures, what will i do? a few minutes ago i spoke to a self—employed window cleaner, he is still doing some work, and his family situation, he is very concerned. a baby on the way and a child with an immunosuppressed condition. he says he wants to be told by the government don't go to work so he can keep his family safe. well, right from the start of this whole situation when it comes to covid—19, we have always been led by the medical and scientific advice that we have been getting, and we will continue to do that as a government. i think that is absolutely right and appropriate. that is also the case when it comes to the framework of any guidance we put out on employment. so we have said to people, where you are able to work from home, you should absolutely do that. and very many people across the country have responded to that. we have also set out a list of non—essential businesses which we have required to be closed, and those closures are being observed. but what we have also said is that there are certain works, certain workplaces, where people are not able to work from home. so for instance, in the manufacturing sector, people do have to go in. and where that happens, we have made very clear to employers that they need to follow the public health england guidelines when it comes to keeping their employees safe. and in fact, this question came up yesterday at the daily press conference, where the deputy chief medical officer was asked about this point, and she responded that actually the vast, vast majority of employers were behaving incredibly responsibly, treating their employees well, and that is also the response that i have had from the daily calls that i have had with employers large and small, and also with business representative organisations. and we have made very clear to employers through the health and safety executive that they must observe their duty of care when it comes to safety for their employees. a nuclear other couple of things when it comes to the housing —— can you clear up a couple of things when it comes to the housing market, for example. the advice was from the housing minister, if you are in the middle of a sale, even if you are to complete today or monday, stop it and let's suspend the housing market. what does that mean in reality for the uk economy? in reality, what we want to make sure we do is we keep our nation safe, we make sure individuals are safe, we make sure individuals are safe, and the guidance the housing secretary has published is entirely sensible and anyone reading through it will recognise that at this time when people are able to pause their house moves to observe their own safety a nd house moves to observe their own safety and that of others, they should do that. clearly there will be people that are concerned because they have exchanged contracts on a mortgage, their completion date is coming up and we've worked with the mortgage providers to ensure mortgages can be extended, those dates can be extended. we are working with the conveyancing industry to make sure completion dates can practically the move forward. 0bviously dates can practically the move forward. obviously there will be cases where people are moving into an empty property or in exceptional circumstances, and when they do that, please maintain health guidelines, because it's about your safety a nd guidelines, because it's about your safety and that of others you come into co nta ct safety and that of others you come into contact with. alok sharma, treasury secretary, thank you for coming on breakfast this morning. let's ta ke let's take a look break from some of those stories. here is matt with a look at this morning's weather. the thing is at the moment, we are advised we can't go out to national parks and do those things, but we can enjoy a picture! we certainly can enjoy a picture! we certainly can and some are enjoying the brilliant view from home, this is a weather watcher from cumbria, not bad for a front garden! most of us get a lift from this stop in not sunny everywhere, fairly cloudy in scotland with some rain and mistand cloudy in scotland with some rain and mist and fog around this morning to go with the chill in parts of north—east england and south—east wales, south—west midlands, that fog will clear and then as you were, blue skies for many. cloudy for most of scotland, the best chance of rain in central and eastern scotland, but the far north of will see sunshine in the afternoon with only an isolated shower, winds light and a breeze in england and wales making it feel colder than the last few days. most notable around eastern coasts, eight or nine for some, and the western coast of wales could get to 16 with a shelter from the breeze. the breeze will remain tonight but the cloud in scotland is on the move, going south across northern ireland, northern england, towards north wales and northern england. it might produce some showers but it will stop the temperatures in northern england and northern ireland reduce as much as recent nights. this weekend we will notice a significant change, turning windier as this weather front goes south. high pressure builds north and we will drag air in from the atlantic. it a originated there, it will be chilly and a significant wind chill for everyone by sunday. a chill in the wind out of the sunshine on saturday and more cloud in england and wales, especially the afternoon. some rain possible here and there but in parts of northern and there but in parts of northern and eastern scotland, the showers could turn that bid wintry. most will be dry, sunniest in southernmost counties and even here in that north—east wind, it will feel cooler than the past few days. winds picking up in scotland stop into sunday morning, be ready to change the clocks forward an hour. it is the start of british summertime but weatherwise, it's almost like a step back into winter. the cold air will be with everyone, their bit of cloud around, some sunny spells, the best sunshine in western sheltered areas but the cloud could bring some showers and those could be sleet or snow. windier too, gusty winds in the south—east corner could touch gale force at times on sunday. while these are the figures you will see outside, seven to nine degrees, lower than this week, it will feel almost like it is freezing across many parts. if your weekend involves an exercise walk around your local area, an exercise walk around your local area , you an exercise walk around your local area, you will certainly need a few extra layers. keep reminding us about the clock change, its one of those things. everyday is the same at the moment. what did you say, matt? every day is the same, i have to remind myself of the day! that is so true, if it wasn't for work i wouldn't know if it was tuesday or monday! a very different time stop thanks very much, matt. stay at home, and don't travel unless absolutely necessary. that's the advice from government to stop the spread of coronavirus. but national park authorities say some people are continuing to visit as they try to get exercise and distance themselves from others. now, one police force has released drone footage of people they say are violating the rules. let's take a look. let's talk through some of these issues now. joining us now from kendal is richard leafe from the lake district national park authority. we're alsojoined by superintendant steve pont from derbyshire police, who is in ripley. steve, good morning. the images we saw there were some your force were involved in, what are you trying to achieve and what is the message you're trying to send out? we are trying to highlight that some people are, despite all the information out there, still not staying at home. the hash tag #stayathome is everywhere but some aren't sticking to it, they're trying to find excuses and loopholes to not stay at home even though everybody else does. it's not personal but this is almost a shaming thing, you want to show people the images of what's going wrong. some other police forces have gone a step further and their. people and asking what their business is and where they're going —— halting people. business is and where they're going -- halting people. it is illustrative to show people aren't staying at home. we haven't got as far as roadblocks, which some forces have. we hope to appeal to the betterjudgement of have. we hope to appeal to the better judgement of these have. we hope to appeal to the betterjudgement of these people not staying at home that they will start to do that. the nhs are our heroes. i was on my street clapping at 8pm, as i'm sure most were, so the nhs are asking and in some cases begging us are asking and in some cases begging us to stay at home. 93 to 94% of the public are doing that but some people are trying to find excuses not to. richard, let's talk to you. you've been at the national park authority for 12 years. this is a change, isn't it, telling people not to come? yes, it is, and it breaks my heart in many ways because i've spent the last 12 years, along with colleagues in the national park, and all the national parks in the uk, encouraging people to come and visit the national park, and in a sense where better than the lake district in spring, but now is not the tyne & wear would encourage people to postpone their visit. the park will be here always and we'll open it as soon as we get advice we can. but for now, stay at home, save lives and protect the nhs. richard, i don't think many people will dispute the message you're giving, but if we are seeing some police forces around the country, at least at this point, saying we are offering advice to stay at home and telling people to turn around, even powers to give fines, when does it get to the point when the weather is great and people descend on the parks, come to the parks everywhere, and you're not persuading them to leave and you need to call the police? the police in cumbria have put out a strong message to say now is not the time for tourism. they have been having conversations with people, especially those arriving in caravans and camper vans, people, especially those arriving in caravans and camper vans, asking them to turn around and go back home. ourcar them to turn around and go back home. our car parks are closed to visitors. many of our rights of way start off or go through farms and farmyards, which, of course, our people's homes, where people may be self isolating because their ill. we have to think of all of these people andl have to think of all of these people and i would really encourage people not to come to the national park this weekend until we say it is so to come. superintendent pont, give us to come. superintendent pont, give usa to come. superintendent pont, give us a steer, i know your officers are adapting, like everyone else, to new situations, but you now have powers to stop people from gathering in groups, maybe even address things like people gathering in their own homes and having get—togethers. how are you going to play this in practice? how are you going to do things today with your officers out and about? we received the legislation, which is quite clear. it's very easy for people to understand, that they have to stay at home unless they try not to stay at home unless they try not to understand it. we haven't started issuing fines yet but if people continue to flout this rule, then we will resort to giving out fines. so, superintendent, give me a scenario, one of your officers is out may be driving their car and they see a group of three people together, what will they do? so, the importance of these rules is this: if we see those three people and we have to go and talk to them, one of those three people might give the virus to our officer and our officer mike deal with a victim of crime and is vulnerable and give the virus to them, oran is vulnerable and give the virus to them, or an old is vulnerable and give the virus to them, oran old person, or alternatively the officer might have the virus, we don't know who has got it, and they might give the virus to one of those three people. that's why it's so important for people to stay at home. richard, let's finish positively, you're hopeful you will get people backin you're hopeful you will get people back in the park? we look forward to welcoming people backin we look forward to welcoming people back in the lake district and all of the national parks in the uk as soon as we get advice to say that is safe. lovely to talk to you both, richard leafe, chief executive of the lake district national park authority and superintendent steve pont from ripley, derbyshire police. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london and bbc south east today — joining forces at breakfast to keep you up to date with the latest on coronavirus in our area. thousands of you across london and the south eastjoined in with the national round of applause for nhs staff last night. and just a warning, there are some flashing images coming up. cheering and applause the metropolitan police service is calling on retired officers to rejoin. as well as asking those nearing retirement to stay on. the london ambulance service is appealing for former employees to re—join to help with the coronavirus outbreak. they say in such unprecedented times, they're particularly keen to rehire call handlers. the service is getting around 8,000 999 calls every day, up to four times more than normal. eurotunnel is now allowing small freight vehicles on its passenger services to help keep the essential supply chain moving. it is increasing its capacity of essential items coming into the uk, including medicines, fruit and vegetables and toilet paper. community groups acrosss the capital have been doing their bit to support the nhs staff dealing with the outbreak. 0ne organisation from west london has been working with restaurants in southall who prepare fresh meals. volunteers are delivering the meals to a&e staff at hospitals such as northwick park in harrow. journeys on the tube have reduced by 93% according to london underground. the number of passengers has been dropping all week. transport for london say they want to continue to run a core service for nhs staff and other key workers. around a third of underground staff are either ill or self—isolating. a family—run farm near ashford have diversified to help their local community access fresh kentish produce as supermarkets struggle with demand. the egg machine was originally bought by bank farm in aldington last year for self—service egg buying, but now, with extra sanitizer, the secure unit is helping customers access essentials around the clock. let's get a check on the weather with sara thornton. hello there, a very good morning to you. another chilly start across london and the south—east, this morning. once more we have seen something of an inland frost. but once again, like the last few days, plenty of spring sunshine on offer right across the whole of the region, and in fact, barely a cloud to point out in the sky — maybe just a little bit of fairweather cloud developing and pushing through the afternoon as it wears on, but in the best of it, again, inland a top temperatures of 13 celsius. always a bit cooler towards the coast. in the coming days, things are going to turn decidedly colder. more in the way of cloud, just a filter in from the north as we head through the weekend. 0ften dry but i think you really will notice a difference in temperature. it is going to feel really rather chilly. we are pausing our regional breakfast output on tv. on monday, you can find all your local news and information online and on your bbc local radio station. before then, we're back finally in half—an—hour. good morning. welcome to breakfast with charlie stayt and naga munchetty. 0ur headlines today... the nation comes together in an emotional thank you to nhs and care workers battling coronavirus. this is an absolute nightmare so it's time we are all having to stand together, shoulder to shoulder and show our appreciation. the chancellor's multi—billion pound bailout for self—employed workers has been announced. the united states passes china and italy to record the highest number of coronavirus cases anywhere in the world. if you're moving house — don't. the government warns house buyers and sellers to put off completion until after the outbreak — as home sales are forecast to slump 60%. don't go out — national parks remind potential visitors they are not open for business ahead of the weekend. and in the weather, get ready for something much, much colder but for the time being, as you work on a sunshine rimini, claudia across scotland. i will have your full forecast. it's friday, march 27th. our top story. millions of people across the uk have taken part in a coordinated tribute to nhs staff and care workers working on the front line of the coronavirus outbreak. the ‘clap for carers' salute saw people showing their thanks by applauding from their doorsteps, windows and balconies. we'll be getting the reaction to that tribute from care workers throughout the programme this morning. and, after financial measures to support self—employed workers were announced by the government, we'll be asking will be looking work i will be looking at how they might work in practice. lots of correspondence coming in from you about that. first, let's get the latest from our correspondent, charlotte rose. a moment of togetherness, because of the virus which has forced us apart. last night, thousands of people across the country came out on their doorsteps to applaud the efforts of nhs workers on the front—line. in towns and cities, and even palaces, people paid tribute. earlier, chancellor rishi sunak announced a multibillion—pound package of support for self—employed workers. musicians and sound engineers, plumbers and electricians, taxi drivers and driving instructors, hairdressers and childminders, and many others, through no fault of their own, risk losing their livelihoods. to you, i say this. you have not been forgotten. those who earn less than £50,000 a year can apply for a grant of up to 80% of their average monthly profits, up to a maximum of £2,500. but, with payouts not coming untiljune, and some workers being exempt, many are still worried. so you're going to give us the money injune, did they say? so what you're saying is, you — you are presuming that everybody that's self—employed has enough money to survive until then, and that's not the case. i unfortunately probably won't qualify, because my business has only been running for two years. my husband will be able to claim, so that means that as a family, we will be able to have money from the government to tide us over. whilst the government is firefighting on the economy, firefighters will be brought in to help the nhs. they will help drive ambulances, deliver food and medicine to vulnerable people, and if there are mass casualties from the virus, to transport the dead. the police, too, have a role to play, enforcing social distancing measures. officers can now issue £60 on—the—spot fines if they find people are out and about for non—essential reasons. fines can be increased for repeat offenders. derbyshire police say people should not be driving to the place they want to take their daily exercise, but it's not clear whether this is actually against the rules. loudspeaker: the government has a lockdown in force... forces are concerned that, with some fine weather expected this weekend, people will be tempted to go against the advice to stay at home. they hope these new powers will make people think twice. charlotte rose, bbc news. the business secretary alok sharma has responded to concerns that self—employed people will have to wait untiljune for financial aid to become available. earlier he told us they are working to get the funds in place as soon as possible. i completely understand that there are very i completely understand that there are very many people who are worried about their livelihoods, about how they are going to pay their bills and what we've ensured through the system is that there is support already available for people. we've ensured that those who have mortgages are able to have a mortgages are able to have a mortgage holiday for three months. we've also insured that the welfare system, we put more money into that so there is an extra £1000 on the standard allowance every year when it comes to universal credit and of course, if you're self—employed, the minimum income floor has been removed at this point. we've also said that for those who would normally be paying a bill at the end ofjuly, in terms of their self—assessment to hmrc, that can be deferred until 2021 and of course, some of those who are self—employed will also be registered for vat and we've said there are deferrals on that as well so there is a package of measures in place to support people right now. i completely understand, people want to get this additional grant as quickly as possible. the chancellor is very clear that we want to do this as quickly as possible. we've set a date for the start ofjune but if we can do it faster, we will, but it is a complicated system that we are designing and we want to make sure we get it absolutely right. the number of coronavirus deaths in the uk hasjumped by more than 100 in a day for the first time. the death toll has risen from 475 to 578 with more than 11,000 confirmed cases. a third of those have been diagnosed in london. the family of a gp who died at southend hospital on wednesday have said he showed "text book symptoms" of coronavirus. dr habib zaidi — who was 76 — had not seen patients in person for about a week before his death. if test results confirm he was infected, he would be the first doctor in the uk to die from the virus. it's seven minutes past eight. the government has urged house buyers and sellers to put off completion until after the outbreak over fears about social distancing. ben canjoin us now. ben, what more do we know about this? it sounds like common sense but it is an important statement the government has made but this is advice, effectively, but it's very important? yes, you are right. we all know the buying and selling of houses, moving, involves a lot of people, paperwork, lots of financial details. all of that system is frankly not really working right now because of course people are being told to stay away from each other and so the warning is that if you can delete that completion, that's when you actually exchange keys, for as long as possible. now, in every case, that might not be possible because there's a lot of things tied up because there's a lot of things tied up in getting you to that stage. but they are suggesting if you can agree a mutually acceptable date and postpone it. because of course, estate agents are closed right now, many banks are limiting their services and their hours, you might not be able to get through on the phone and also removal men may not be working so actually, the whole system be working so actually, the whole syste m co m es be working so actually, the whole system comes crashing to a halt. but as we know, it is notoriously complicated to change these things once they are in motion. because once they are in motion. because once you set an exchange date, you set your completion dates are basically, the warning is, if you can, delay it but if you can't, just be extra careful. the police will not be called to stop you moving houseif not be called to stop you moving house if you are so far down that process you cannot change it but nonetheless, respect though social distancing rules, if you can't. because of course, lots of movers and all that sort of thing involved but the warning has meant that applications for mortgages are down significantly, we are seeing that interest in house moves is down significantly. there's an expectation the market will slump by as much as 60% over the coming few months. mortgage providers themselves have said that if you have mortgage offer in place they will extend that so it won't expire on the date it was going to. but nonetheless, just another round of complications in what is a notoriously complicated process and many people could do without it now. thank you, talk to you later. the united states now has more confirmed cases of the coronavirus than any other country in the world — with more than 85,000 patients in total. the country has also seen an unprecedented surge in the number of people claiming unemployment benefits, as peter bowes reports. now the global epicentre — more positive tests for covid—19 than any other country. in some communities, the number of cases is doubling every three days. more than a quarter are in new york city, where the emergency services say they are overwhelmed by people calling for help. it's worse, they say, than after 9/11. and we're not even started yet. so, if we're doing 6,000 today, it's going to be 8,000 tomorrow. more and more people are going to call. it's — a sustained impact like this, we've never dealt with. at his latest briefing with the white house covid—19 task force, president trump was generally upbeat. beautiful day. he responded to the surge in cases. it's a tribute to the amount of testing that we're doing. we're doing tremendous testing, and i'm sure you're not able to tell what china is testing or not testing. as more and more people fall sick, and with much of the country at a standstill, the virus has had a catastrophic impact on america's workforce. social isolation orders and shuttered businesses have led to a huge spike in the latest jobless figures, 3.3 million people laid off because of covid—19. never before in us history has there been such a dramatic rise in unemployment. they have to go back to work. our country has to go back. our country is based on that. and i think it's going to happen pretty quickly. mr trump said robust testing protocols might allow some counties in the country to lift their safeguards against the coronavirus. he said the white house was working on a plan to be revealed next week, although it wouldn't mean an end to social distancing. in the meantime, soldiers are setting up this field hospital in new york, and a 1,000—bed naval hospital ship is being deployed to manhattan. another is heading to los angeles, where local officials fear there will be a critical shortage of beds in the coming days and weeks. peter bowes, bbc news. that's the picture in the united states. throughout the programme we will keep you updated with what's happening in terms of numbers but we are also going to bring you some lovely news. reaction to the clapping for carers last night. 8pm, we've shown you quite a few of the images, lots of people getting in touch this morning including care workers and nhs staff are saying you know what, it didn't matter, it made a difference so we will reflect on that in a few minutes. yes, it made them smile. and this will make you smile as well! here's matt with a look at this morning's weather. that beautiful picture behind you, i can't even count the number of shades of blue. very good morning to you. if you've got an essential commute to undergo this morning like our weather watcher, what about a view like this? the sunshine here also across the north west of scotla nd also across the north west of scotland but it's not the same everywhere a cross scotland but it's not the same everywhere across scotland, the rest of the country fairly cloudy, some splashes of rain or drizzle around this morning and through the day but away from that, it's as you were, blue skies overhead, mist and fog across the north—east of england, gradually clearing. sunshine and the isle of skye on the part north—west of scotla nd isle of skye on the part north—west of scotland will develop more widely across northern scotland this afternoon, chilly day, temperatures nine or 10 degrees, staying cloudy across much of central, southern, eastern scotland, rain at times but many staying dry. byjust conditions in northern ireland and further west, blue skies for the vast majority of england and wales but a split in temperature, eight or 9 degrees along the eastern coasts, in sheltered spots, west wales, 15 or 16 degrees possible but we won't see temperatures like that over the coming days. the cloud in scotland at the moment is a cold front, pushing southwards, stopping temperatures from dropping too much across northern england, north wales, northern ireland into tomorrow. either side of it there is frost but the air is getting colder. this weekend while there will be more cloud around, there will be a significant wind chill, blustery winds across the country, notably on sunday and bite sunday, believe it or not, as we start british summer time we could see the return of one or two and time we could see the return of one ortwo andi time we could see the return of one or two and i meanjust a time we could see the return of one or two and i mean just a few, wintry showers. more details on 30 minutes. i'm ignoring the last five seconds of your report. how loudly did you cla p of your report. how loudly did you clap last night what was it like where you lived? it was almost tear inducing to be honest, so many people out, clapping. and why not. such a lovely feeling. whether you watched on television, joined in at home or were part of the community. thank you so much. people were on their doorsteps, their balconies, windows last night. breakfast‘s jayne mccubbin has been looking into how people from all corners of the uk said thank you. cheering and applause. out of the darkness came the noise, the cheering, banging, clanking sound of thanks, from the smaller streets to the highest high—rise, to the grandest homes. clanking and ringing. bell ringing. town crier, roger, was one of millions giving thanks. just out of hospital, in recovery from the virus, his thanks more heartfelt than most. from your bed of recuperation you have been out saying thank you tonight, haven't you? i have, with my pyjamas and my dressing gown and my big, very heavy bell. i stood outside and i rang it as loud as i could. how poorly have you been? i was in for 11 days, isolation. on day six they called my family and said, we can do no more for him. 0h, roger, wow, you owe them everything. i do. amazing people, quite amazing, absolutely selfless. in glasgow... applause... ..in belfast... applause... ..in liverpool... applause... hi, jenny. hi, how are you? what was that like — it looked emosh? do you know, i was not expecting it to be quite as emotional as what it was and, as soon as you are there and you're in the moment, it sends shivers up your spine. just being out and seeing the police pay tribute, your taxi drivers and members of the public taking that time out. the nurses coming out of the hospital — it was amazing, it was a lovely moment being able to capture. and the thanks came from every walk of life. from football managers... from lfc, i would like to say, thank you. ..to postal workers, from the fire service to the household cavalry, and from royalty. and this, filmed by paramedic kate, in london, is what it felt like to be on the receiving end. at the moment when everybody was out cheering for the nhs made me really, really emotional. we have all been working so hard, my colleagues in the hospitals, out in the front line and not only out in the front line but also in the control room. please, stay at home if you can. applause and clanking. because that is what the frontline workers really want. the noise was as epic across the night sky of manchester as it was across the capital. there is nothing yet to celebrate, but much to give thanks for, and this brief moment of unity was so welcomed by people like matt and elaine. it feels like the whole community is together now, doesn't it? we are all battling it together. there's probably about 3000 residents in this block, and most of them were out. thank you everybody for looking after us. and people like syd... there's a lot of my neighbours i never talked to, i have never met but knowing that they were by their windows, clapping and really cheering for our health workers. we are all in this together and we will win all together. one day it will be all be over, until then there is hope and thanks. what would you like to tell them? i would like to tell them that you are the most amazing, bloody people on this planet, utterly selfless, not iota of self—regard, just... i shall never forget them and i will always, always love them. together... clapping. cheering and applause. that's an understatement, it really was emotional. joining us now are two frontline workers — kirsty scott, a senior care home assistant from sheffield, and dr latifa patel, a paediatric doctor and spokesperson for the british medical association. good morning to you all. kirsty and kate, i know, kirsty, you are at the end of a 12 hour shift, you finished at seven o'clock, thank you for hanging around to talk to us after your shift. look at the appreciation your shift. look at the appreciation you got. how did that make you feel? did you expect anything like that? it was quite emotional last night when we heard it all. there were a few tears shed. we definitely fell the love. what does it mean to you in something like that happens? around the country, people like you, andi around the country, people like you, and i will get you to tell us what you do, sacrificing your time and safety, to some extent, to do this and care for people that need you? it just felt amazing. we felt appreciation. where you are at the moment things have changed, haven't they, since self isolation was announced, the measures were brought m, announced, the measures were brought in, could you tell us what you're working two weeks looks like now? we are now working seven days a week, 12 hour shifts. 0ur manager, sarah harrison, and the home manager, angela drake, put these into place a few weeks ago, when they realise it was becoming a pandemic, with the support of the home owner. we are asking for volunteers to come and minimise the risk of the virus coming into the home. full respect for everything you do. let's speak to dr patel. we expect from doctors lots of composure, common sense and all of those things that are your expertise. for a moment, all of those things that are your expertise. fora moment, leave all of those things that are your expertise. for a moment, leave that to one side and talk to me about eight o'clock last night. i don't know where you were or what you were doing. what was the feeling you had? i think at a time when it is really tough in the nhs, it was a much welcome show of support from the public. it really showed that we are all part of one team. there is no us and we, it is one team. as things get tougher, and they will, we need to remind ourselves that we are supported by the public, and these little shows of support need to continue. there are something else we would like to say, though. it was nice of you to come out of your houses and show your support. but the greatest way that you can help all health care workers is really closely follow the government guidance. so, for one night, that clapping was brilliant, for the rest of the time we really need you to stay at home. such an important message. the actual work you're doing on a daily basis, tell us what you do and what the situation is where you work? i am a paediatric respiratory registrar, a junior doctor, in simpler terms. respiratory registrar, a junior doctor, in simplerterms. i normally help children that have problems with their lungs, children with cystic fibrosis, children with asthma. at the moment, the whole hospital is removing barriers between special teams and we are actually working as a massive team together. we have worked with permanent systems, we will only be doing 12 and a half hour shifts for the coming months. we have made drastic changes to the way we work and we will continue to do so because that is what we are here to do. we are here to protect the public. but we will not be able to do it without the support of the public. it will get harder, it will get much harder for all of us in the coming weeks. what we really need everybody in the system to continue with, is that commitment, all the way from the government, to the nhs, to the public, to continue staying at home and working together. you have said the way that you work together is changing. 0ne have said the way that you work together is changing. one big team now. no specialities, so to speak, in that sense. you are mucking in and doing what needs to be done. there has been a lot of talk about whether hospitals are at capacity, and what they are able to cope with. it's quite difficult to get a clear a nswer it's quite difficult to get a clear answer as to how hospitals are coping, overall. you are talking to people from the british medical association. tell us when hospitals, the expectation is that they will reach capacity, or if any are now? you know, in all honesty, i think we canjust look you know, in all honesty, i think we can just look at the headlines. the headlines you have been giving out. we know the nhs is always worked at capacity. we have had winter crises in previous years. but it wasn't really a winter crisis, we had a crisis throughout the year. we always worked close to capacity, but we have done differently to deal with a pandemic to deal with this issue better. we have cancelled all of our elective, non—clinics, patients that are coming to see doctors and nurses, they are actually being found in the house or using telemedicine, using a better than we have done before. that is how we are making room. it is unfortunate for those people that have surgeries cancelled, etc. there are reports, predominately in london, of hospitals reaching near capacity. we will get to capacity. asi capacity. we will get to capacity. as i mentioned a couple of days ago, on bbc breakfast, once we reach capacity, and that is the number of beds that we have, the number of health care workers that are on the front line, the only thing we can really ask for is the public, really, to continue the measures and continue following the guidance by the government. because they will influence, and even in his early days, they will influence how quickly the coronavirus spreads to the community and how quickly we are seeing patients. we have already talked about the figures that came out over the last 24 hours. we also need the government to do this immediately, ensure every health ca re immediately, ensure every health care worker on the front line is protected. we need to ensure that we have the right equipment, so that none of us are exposed to unnecessary risk. we know there is feedback about that. also, we need testing, we need testing as soon as possible, so that if health care workers do go off into self isolation because they have symptoms, we can confirm whether or not it is coronavirus and if the supply of health care workers can be refreshed as soon as possible. it's not going to be correct, it is going to get tougher. we are one team, and we need support. thank you very much for this. i think we have discovered a new double act. that is what it feels like to me. something tells me that, in amongst very challenging circumstances, which you know all about, spirits, a bit of humour, probably gets you through your day. you know? we all recognise the work you are doing. it helps, doesn't it? definitely. we are trying to maintain normal daily life for our residents. but we always laugh, the building is always full of laughter, singing, not always in tune, but we all sing! i am tempted to ask you to sing right now. it is important, to get us through, especially times like this. way in the studio and everybody watching will be full of praise of everything you're doing, all three of you. thank you very much. we look forward to speaking to you another time. thank you very much. they are more than a double act, because kirsty, she is very modest, she has left herfamily act, because kirsty, she is very modest, she has left her family at so she is staying there in that care home. she has a son and a daughter, eight and five, her son has autism, she has left her family to keep them safe and make sure that she is caring. and her colleague, there. that is what carers are doing. that is what people were clapping about. i think we should speak to them again. i think we should get weekly updates. let's find out what is happening where you are this morning. good morning from bbc london and bbc south east today — joining forces at breakfast to keep you up to date with the latest on coronavirus in our area. thousands of you across london and the south eastjoined in with the national round of applause for nhs staff last night... applause cheering and applause air horn the metropolitan police service is calling on retired officers to rejoin the service, as well as asking those nearing retirement to stay on. the london ambulance service is also appealing for former staff to re—join. they say in such unprecedented times, they're particularly keen to re hire call handlers. the service is getting around eight thousand 999 calls every day, up to four times more than normal. eurotunnel is now allowing small freight vehicles on its passenger services to help keep the essential supply chain moving. it is increasing its capacity of essential items coming into the uk, including medicines, fruit and vegetables and toilet paper. journeys on the tube have reduced by 93% according to london underground. the number of passengers has been dropping all week. transport for london say they want to continue to run a core service for nhs staff and other key workers. around a third of underground staff are either ill or self isolating. community groups acrosss the capital have been doing their bit to support the nhs staff dealing with the outbreak. khalsa aid uk in west london has been working with restaurants in southall who prepare fresh meals. volunteers are delivering the meals to a&e staff at hospitals such as northwick park in harrow. a family run farm near ashford have diversified to help their local community access fresh kentish produce as supermarkets struggle with demand. the egg machine was originally bought by bank farm in aldington last year for self service egg buying, but now — with extra sanitizer the secure unit is helping customers access essentials around the clock. right, lets get a check on the weather with sara thornton. hello there, a very good morning to you. another chilly start across london and the south—east, this morning. once more we have seen something of an inland frost. but once again, like the last few days, plenty of spring sunshine on offer right across the whole of the region, and in fact, barely a cloud to point out in the sky — maybe just a little bit of fairweather cloud developing and pushing through the afternoon as it wears on, but in the best of it, again, inland a top temperatures of 13 celsius. always a bit cooler towards the coast. in the coming days, things are going to turn decidedly colder. more in the way of cloud, just a filter in from the north as we head through the weekend. 0ften dry but i think you really will notice a difference in temperature. it is going to feel really rather chilly. we are now pausing our original brea kfast we are now pausing our original breakfast output. on monday you can find all your local news and information online and on your bbc local radio station. see you at lunchtime bye for now. hello, this is breakfast with charlie stayt and naga munchetty. the time is 831. let's look at the top stories this morning. people across the uk have taken part in a national round of applause to show their support for health workers. last night people took to their doorsteps, windows and balconies to cheer and clap to show their appreciation for carers and nhs staff who are on the frontline of the coronvirus outbreak. major landmarks throughout the country, including the shard in london and the bt tower, were also lit up in blue in tribute. the number of coronavirus deaths in the uk hasjumped by more than 100 in a day for the first time. the death toll has risen from 475 to 578 with more than 11,000 confirmed cases. a third of those have been diagnosed in london. the family of a gp who died at southend hospital on wednesday have said he showed "text book symptoms" of coronavirus. dr habib zaidi — who was 76 — had not seen patients in person for about a week before his death. if test results confirm he was infected, he would be the first doctor in the uk to die from the virus. the united states now has more confirmed cases of the coronavirus than any other country in the world — with more than 85,000 positive cases in total. president trump says this was a "tribute" to the "tremendous" number of tests being carried out. the country has also seen an unprecedented surge in the number of people claiming unemployment benefits. up up to 3.3 million. the business secretary alok sharma has defended government plans to support self—employed people, despite concerns that they won't get any financial aid tilljune. ben, are people likely to be reassured by this? and it's still some who aren't going to receive any financial contributions and assistance? yes, you're right, we heard earlier in the business secretary but yesterday it was the turn of the chancellor to unveil a package of measures to help self—employed people but you are right, it doesn't cover everyone. it's notoriously difficult to work out what many self—employed people earn, some may be new to self—employment, others may have incomes that go up and down quite widely. it's very difficult for them and that's why they've said it takes and that's why they've said it takes and it has taken some time to come up and it has taken some time to come up with this plan but the chancellor saying history you have not been forgotten. let me explain what we know about how this package of measures will work, there is a lot of detail in it. as we said, it applies to self—employed workers. they'll be entitled to a grant worth of 80% of their average profits, up toa limit of 80% of their average profits, up to a limit of two and a half thousand pounds a month. to qualify for that you are going to have to make a profit of less than £50,000 a year. that's profit, not income, profit. the government reckons 95% of those in self employment will be eligible, that's 3.8 million people. because remember, some may have self—employment on the side, as a top up on what they earn through a salary. you don't actually have to do anything. hmrc the tax authority will get in touch with you to tell you how to apply and you will get one lump sum but remember, this system will not be up and running, they say untiljune, there might be a white. that's one of the biggest concerns, what happens to people who are out of pocket because their business, their income has simply stopped overnight? the government points out there may be some alternatives, may be access to something like business loans, universal credit but we know there are well documented delays with universal credit and we also know banks are extending loans and overd rafts but banks are extending loans and overdrafts but quite rightly, many saying they don't want to get further into debt. let's look at the people who are not eligible for this scheme because there's quite a specific number of them. if you generate profits that are above that limit, for example, above the £50,000, you are not eligible. if you £50,000, you are not eligible. if y°u pay £50,000, you are not eligible. if you pay yourself with the dividend, maybe you're the company boss, you're not eligible. if you've reinvested profits that may you tried to bring down your tax bill by reinvesting into the business, again, you might be penalised and if you've recently become self—employed, this is proving to be one of the biggest challenges, you simply don't have a proven track record of income, you don't have the number of tax returns going back over three years to prove how much on average, you usually earn. the little earlier we heard from the business secretary who was explaining to ask why it had been so difficult to get this right and why the government is trying to balance competing demands, spending taxpayer money and making sure it's spent wisely. for those who unfortunately are in the position they recently started their self—employment trading, we will not have their details and what i would say to them is there is support available through the system and through the welfare system. we've also set up a half £1 billion hardship fund through local authorities and people can access the support and i suspect, very many of your viewers watching this will appreciate that at the end of the day, this is taxpayer money and we want to make sure we have the right checks and balances in place and we get money to those who are most in need, where we have their details and we know they've had a trading history. that was the treasury secretary there, there's been some more news, business news this morning, lets get away from the economics, from the retail sector, sports direct boss doesn't shy away from publicity, mike ashley? in the headlines this week for all the wrong reasons. you might remember a little earlier in the week a lot of businesses were trying to determine whether they should stay open, whether they would be allowed to stay open as part of this lockdown across the country. sports direct was e—mailing the government at the time trying to define itself, is a sports retailer, is an essential service, they wanted to remain open for the staff to keep coming into work and therefore be able to make money during all of this. they also were accused of hiking the price, raising the price on things like home exercise equipment, things that would be really popular right now, they were trying to cash in on that demand for it. mike ashley has this morning issued an apology letter and this is that letter, i want to read you a couple of lines from it because it's rare we hear from someone like couple of lines from it because it's rare we hearfrom someone like him making such an apology. he said "we should never have acted against government advice, our e—mails to the government were illjudged and poorly timed, he says clearly they had much greater pressure to be dealing with than ours. end quote and he admits communications to employees and the public were very poor but he points out and this is something that resonates with many businesses, they are working very ha rd to businesses, they are working very hard to save their business because many closing overnight, many being forced to do so but mike ashley and sports direct basically admitting they were wrong to try and pressure they were wrong to try and pressure the government into letting them stay open and to encourage their staff to come to work. rare apology from him. well, a welcome one. lovely seeing you, thank you so much. a reminder of the breakfast logistics. ben thompson is down there. he's just logistics. ben thompson is down there. he'sjust done logistics. ben thompson is down there. he's just done there, logistics. ben thompson is down there. he'sjust done there, isn't he? i'll remind myself of the brea kfast he? i'll remind myself of the breakfast logistics. ben is in london. cat is on the ground floor. some work done there. good morning. i haven't said hello to you this morning. usually, what happens as we all congregate and we have a chat andi all congregate and we have a chat and ijust all congregate and we have a chat and i just thought all congregate and we have a chat and ijust thought ben was, on another floor, and ijust thought ben was, on anotherfloor, doing and ijust thought ben was, on another floor, doing his and ijust thought ben was, on anotherfloor, doing his make—up on anotherfloor, doing his make—up on another floor, i didn't anotherfloor, doing his make—up on anotherfloor, i didn't realise he was in london! kat, i will come and weigh from two metres away. i'm very jealous, you are on the sofa, i'm on a precarious stool, i'm a little worried i might go backwards, feet in the airany worried i might go backwards, feet in the air any minute now. you know what? two things, we can only stay with the comedy moment so feel free. secondly, you've got the sunshine coming in from the window. we don't have any windows here. we do enjoy the windows down here, big curtains down to stop the glare coming in because it such a glorious day outside so we don't get to see much of the sunlight but a little bit more than we do in the studio. let's start the sports news if that's by you. more announcements in the world of football. all football in england below national league level in the men's game — and below the women's championship — has ended immediately because of the coronavirus pandemic. all results have been declared null and void, meaning there will be no promotion or relegation. this will have a huge impact on clubs like south shields — who were 12 points clear at the top of the northern premier division. there hasn't been any dialogue. we actually got to hear of this decision on social media but also, quite clearly, the inconsistency and the timing of it, ijust cannot fathom it. ithink the timing of it, ijust cannot fathom it. i think it's flawed and an appalling decision. many clubs potentially looking to lose quite a lot of money. struggling to survive as they are at the moment without any revenue coming in, no sport being played. while results are wiped clean in the lower leagues — the premier league has to be completed. that's according to crystal palace winger andros townsend — he says games should be played in empty grounds if needs be. from my site, i'm in no doubt the season will get finished. maybe moving into september october next year, one way or the other, i believe it will get finished because like i said, there's too much integrity, too much people who have invested money in the premier league and they will feel short—changed if all of a sudden it's cut and it's null and void. huge uncertainty in the world of sport. one of the few sporting events not to have been cancelled yet is cycling's tour de france. organisers are looking at the possibility of staging the event without fans although the french sports minister roxana marechinehru has tweeted that... "the tour is a sports monument. it is too soon to decide. there is a time for everything. for now, we have a more urgent battle to fight. let us focus on this mountain in front of us and then consider what's next." i know you've been reflecting on the round of applause around the country last night. buildings and monuments across the country lit up in blue to reflect our appreciation for nhs workers. let's look at one of the football stadium that up as well. this is new at white hart lane, the spurs new stadium, lit up in blue. message for the nhs on the side. wembley stadium as well. also lit up. there are the national stadium. this building as well, did you know? 0ur this building as well, did you know? our building here at media city also lit up, i didn't know they could do that, and it looked pretty cool last night. really cool, some of the production team posted pictures as they were working for the night shift. really lovely. enjoy the sunshine, i will come down and say hello after the programme. thank you so much. the time is 8:42am. millions of people clapped to show their support for healthcare workers last night — and now a new charity has been set up to offer them practical support. heroes was set up online, and has seen thousands of people donate, including the former premier league footballerjoe cole. hejoins us now, along with cardiac registrar dr dom pimenta who started the fundraiser. lovely to see you both. dom, we are starting with you, you're a medic, last night, hpm, i want you to have that moment, i don't know where you are or what you were doing. there was a lot of love being sent out. what did that moment at 8pm mean to you? that's a really good question. on paper! you? that's a really good question. on paper i was a bit sceptical, cynical about it all and then i went outside and the whole street was capping. and actually, me and my wife got a little bit emotional. it's a funny time at the moment. things come and go in terms of emotions. but it was really genuinely quite touching, it felt like everyone was behind us.” genuinely quite touching, it felt like everyone was behind us. i mean, ican like everyone was behind us. i mean, i can only speak for myself but i'm sure a lot of people watching this morning will be pleased to know that you know, it made an impact because i think that's what everyone wanted, they wanted to send a clear message so it's good to know. i'm glad you're 0k. that's the point of heroes. you set up the charity, tell us heroes. you set up the charity, tell us about that. as a nation we are facing a crisis. no more so than nhs workers in our hospitals, our communities. every member of staff is facing a very difficult time from the cleaners to the porters, doctors, nurses, we want them to feel that we are doing everything we can to value and support them. in small ways, whether that's a pizza or small ways, whether that's a pizza ora small ways, whether that's a pizza ora cab, right small ways, whether that's a pizza or a cab, right up to mental well— being support and or a cab, right up to mental well—being support and protecting them. our singular mission is to safeguard their welfare and well—being. for all safeguard their welfare and well— being. for all nhs safeguard their welfare and well—being. for all nhs workers, long into the future. powered by the tremendous goodwill of the great british public. joe, i'm here in the studio. you heard about this project, fund—raising scheme, what made you get involved?” project, fund—raising scheme, what made you get involved? i think like most british people, we are sitting there, me and my wife, wanting to help, thinking where do we put our money? it happened organically, we met some friends from school and they put us in touch with it, this was at the real, early stages of the initiative. and i fell in love with it, i thought this is going to get to the people, they're actually making the difference, doctors and nurses. we've done some great things in 67 days, partnered up with some partners from harley street, helping mental well—being. partners from harley street, helping mental well— being. we got partners from harley street, helping mental well—being. we got estee lauder, donating 500 masks which we've got to the front line. in connection with the government. it's something me and my wife, we've got our teeth into and she is working, she's on the phones, the last three days, we've been in quarantine, not actually seen her, she's been working so hard for the guys trying to pull all these things together and get much—needed things to the front it's interesting, charity is very obviously are struggling in terms of being able to raise funds publicly outdoors. joe, why is it so important now that giving, donating, if you can and of course there are so many people who are in dire times, that you do? massively important. this is a generational thing. it is a thing for us where i feel that this is a call on our generation and our time, where we need to come together and stick together. you know, if you can give money, if you are a small business, a large business with some products we can get for them, or if you can't give nothing, if you are struggling yourself, just raising awareness of the good work that these people do, if all you can give isa these people do, if all you can give is a bit of patience or anything like that, that is good enough. we just want to do what we can as british people. can youjust just want to do what we can as british people. can you just pick up a couple of practical things about your daily work now? i know, like a lot of people, you had to make adjustments as to what you do, what you are trained for and what you have retrained for. tell is a bit about that. i am a heart doctor, a registrar, and this week, essentially, i have moved into intensive care, which is a small leap for me, but probably a bigger leap for me, but probably a bigger leap for me, but probably a bigger leap for some of my colleagues. sometimes we go out there and our capacities, and we switch over to different types of shifts. we are doing long shift patterns. day by day, we get called in to do whatever. today, i have been called in to do nights. doctor, what about how you are adapting in terms of making that fit in with your family life? it must seem like a normal family life is such a lifetime away, but you need to do that for your mental well—being as well? but you need to do that for your mental well-being as well? so, but you need to do that for your mentalwell-being as well? so, in terms of family life, my sister has moved in with us, and she is one of the co—founders of the charity. i have converted her to doing that. she has run with that, and i am going to work while she deals with the snowball we have created. in terms of childcare, we had to take the little one out of nursery. we had to rearrange maternity leave and things. it has been pretty drastic, but like you say, everybody is doing as much as they can to adjust. good to speak to both of you this morning. thank you very much. doctor, thank you for everything you are doing. let's catch up with you another time and see how things are. you know what i am mindful of? he has that sort of attitude that you see sometimes and people on the front line. i'll do what i need to do. carry on! it is what it is. well, there was the people we are so grateful to at this moment in time. more so than ever. we can talk to matt. all morning, you have been in a model village, you have been in a model village, you then had the lovely sea, then the sky, beautiful blue. we are in the sky, beautiful blue. we are in the last ten and 15 minutes of brea kfast, the last ten and 15 minutes of breakfast, and you give us that?” know, but i have to let you know there is fog around. there is some in north—east england at the moment, if you have an essential commute might slow your journey a bit, but it will go. sunshine is back for the vast majority today. a sunny day from dawn to dusk for most. there is a lot of cloud across mainland scotland. it will get sunnier across other parts of northern scotland to the afternoon. the bulk of mainland scotland, cloudy, occasional rain and drizzle, quite misty over the hills. a bit more cloud to the east of northern ireland. in the west, there will be sunshine. blue skies, don't at dusk across england and wales. a bit of a chilly breeze across the north sea, eight or 9 degrees across the coastal strip. to the west of wales, for instance, we could get 15 or 16 celsius. temperatures dropping a little bit, relative to recent days, but still mild enough for this time of year. that will change, cloud in scotland will shift southwards. 0pening that will change, cloud in scotland will shift southwards. opening the door to more northerly winds and cold air. a cold and i tonight across scotland with some breaks in the cloud. chance of frost in the south, but in between not as chilly as it has been. this is the weather front which, as it pushes southwards, opens the door to colder airas we go southwards, opens the door to colder air as we go to the weekend. high pressure m oves air as we go to the weekend. high pressure moves in from the north. around it, we are dragging the air in from the arctic, so it will feel increasingly chilly, especially out of any weekend sunshine. the sun is getting stronger, so when you have got it it doesn't feel too bad out of the breeze. a lot more cloud what england and wales tomorrow. there will be one or two rain showers. across scotland, showers are going to turn increasingly wintry. most will be dry. the best of the sunshine is in the south and west. temperatures dropping back into single figures. the wind will be picking up in northern scotland, as it will do for all of us. that is coming from a north—easterly direction. it will feel increasingly chilly. saturday night and into sunday morning, the clock change. the clock spring forward an hour, which means if you have to get up early it is a hour less in bed, but longer evenings to enjoy with daylight out there. it will be held on sunday. a fair bit of cloud around, some sunny breaks just about anywhere, the best of those in the west. the wind will pick up, strong and gusty in the south—east. touching gale force in places. while temperatures may be somewhere around six and 9 degrees, if you are taking your daily exercise, whether it is by bike, walking, walking the dog, you will need an extra layer. this is what it will feel like on sunday afternoon will stop temperatures close to freezing. where you running out of means of transport? unicycle, stilts? my mind went blank, what do you do when exercising? i meant to say running, cycling or running. walking. i have been teaching, it is hard work. home—schooling? exercising been teaching, it is hard work. home—schooling ? exercising the brain. during this time of crisis, many of us are trying to find the best way to support the elderly or more vulnerable in our communities. but people in one devon town think they've found the answer. in ilfracombe, they've got every street covered by a network of volunteers, who started working together a few years ago. jon kay has more. 0yez! 0yez! self isolation will not silence him. ilfracombe's town crier may be confined to his doorstep, but he still has a message to deliver. stay safe, my friends. you know it makes sense. it's certainly different... out of his robes and tricorn hat, 84—year—old roy joined me for a video call. it sounds like everybody is coming together? ilfracombe is absolutely brilliant. we have a really fabulous community spirit. normally, you've only got to ask and it is done. we are very, very fortunate. ilfracombe is a seaside town. many of its 11,000 residents are elderly and vulnerable, and will need protection in the weeks ahead. bicclescombe park, i've got three volunteers. and this is how they're doing it. before they had to start working from home, we filmed the offices of "one ilfracombe", a pioneering project bringing the council, nhs, emergency services, charities and businesses all under one roof. working together, they've been able to organise an army of volunteers. what we've done is try to break it down into these kind of bitesize areas. so they become kind of their own micro—community. so, they all start looking after each other, they're are all communicating through facebook. after a shout—out on social media, 150 people came forward to act as street coordinators, going door—to—door, leafleting every household, offering help. you always know that you live in a fabulous community. but it's when things like this happen that you really start understanding, and you get the goosebumps when you feel that everybody‘s coming together to really help each other out. so, even though the town is shut down, every single street is now covered by a volunteer, and communities across the uk are watching to see how this north devon community is pulling together. take mel. her gardening and cleaning jobs have stopped because of the crisis. so now she has a new role. oh, fantastic. is this my order? yes, i managed to get everything that you needed. she is one of the volunteers, shopping and collecting medicine for people like 86—year—old mo, who lives alone. it's hoped every single person will now get the help they need. i don't know what i would do without the volunteers. absolutely fantastic. otherwise i would not have anything. i started thinking about the people in my community who are vulnerable, who are elderly, and who might slip through the cracks as this whole drama unfolds. of course, these are still early days. no—one knows how long this crisis will go on for, or how badly a town like ilfracombe may be hit. the nearest a&e department is half an hour away. but for now, at least, the community response is giving confidence and hope. when this is all over, i want to see all of you, and then we will party! god save the queen! jon kay, bbc news. it is moving to see that. but this is happening in so many different places, replicated in different ways. a lovely piece. it's time to catch up with diana moran, better known as the green goddess, for today's gentle home workout routine. good morning, how are you this morning? i hope you are feeling quite well. if we are keeping active and carrying on, it may you all started walking a little bit more? off the chair and a bit of walking. that's what i'm going to start with this morning. i'm going to come forward and back, one, two, three. 0ne, forward and back, one, two, three. one, two, three. i'm raising my heart rate. warming up the body. that's it. come on. a little bit more. and once more. and then to the side. use the arms as well. down a bit, and a bit. are we getting the heart rate up? ready to do a little bit more work this morning. well done. 0k, lets concentrate... yes, on the legs. so, move onto a chair, a wall or support, and let's take foot forward, forward and back, forward and back. forward, to the side. down, up, down. forward, back. forward , side. down, up, down. forward, back. forward, back. forward, to the side, down, up, down. 0nce forward, back. forward, to the side, down, up, down. once more. forward, back. forward, back. forward, to the side. down, up, down. so, that was working the inner thigh muscles, as well as the outer thigh. now, here is one to tighten up the bottom. it also strengthens the legs, of course. so, both legs. and then straighten. bob, and straighten. bob, and straighten. for all those muscles going. that's it, good. bob, and straighten. bob, and straighten. now, the other one. bob, and straighten. bob, straight. come on, one more. that's it. well done! and then i think we willjust have a good old backstretch today. so, feet apart, pull in your tummy. arms in front of you. drop your head and stretch, stretch out your body. and keep fit and carry on! that's all from us for this morning, but we'll be back tomorrow from six. have a lovely day and stay safe. this is bbc news with the latest headlines don't move home — the government urges house buyers and sellers to put off completion until after the coronavirus outbreak. america passes china and italy to record the highest number of coronavirus cases, 83,500. president trump says it's a tribute to the number of tests being carried out. retired metropolitan police officers are being asked to consider returning to work to help cope with coronavirus. firefighters are to take on new roles — such as driving ambulances or delivering food — alongside their currentjobs. the bbc understands that guidance on when health workers need to wear personal protective equipment will be updated "within 48 hours". your country loves you. the nation comes together in an emotional thank you to nhs and care workers battling coronavirus.