to protect against it. but how far are we from developing them? tim muffett visited a coronavirus testing lab to find out more. in this quarantine unit in east london, a doctor monitors people in fact it where the respiratory virus. they have got the virus through choice, they are paid volunteers on him vaccines and drugs are being tested. the plan is to other volu nteers tested. the plan is to other volunteers here to soon be given a mild strain of coronavirus. we will take healthy volunteers and we will inoculate them with a version of the human coronavirus, follow their disease time course and then return them to healthy. it is known as a controlled human infection model. it will deepen scientific understanding of the virus. volunteers will be paid around £3000 and will have to stay in a room like this for two weeks. so this is the room where our volunteers will be staying. this isn't a big room, how hard to some people find it to stay in a room the size of two weeks? for some people i would say it is challenging, hence we do really watertight screening hence we do really watertight screening process hence we do really watertight screening process to make sure that they are suitable. it is important to stress that volu nteers important to stress that volunteers here will not be in fa ct volunteers here will not be in fact did with covid—i9. the disease caused by a specific strain of the coronavirus. they will be given a much weaker strain with mild symptoms, but scientists here believe it will still provide crucial information. it helps fast track the development of antivirals and vaccines, so it speeds up the habit of understanding if that potential product is going to be valuable oi’ product is going to be valuable or not. the vaccine seems to be the only answer to this global crisis. the search for one has united the world 7 crisis. the search for one has united the world? scientific community. it is a race against the virus, not against each other, and there is a huge effort to produce new vaccines against this disease. and we are seeing a whole number of different platforms that have beenin different platforms that have been in development over several years suddenly coming to fruition and being tested in clinical trials. at portadown research centre in wheelchair vaccine trials on animals are due to start this week. initial safety trials in humans are expected to begin next month at 0xford expected to begin next month at oxford university. —— porton down in wheelchair. it is an urgent challenge on which so many lives depend. —— wheelchair. apart from a vaccine, the other weapon scientists are telling us is vital in the fight against covid—i9 is social distancing, to stop the virus from spreading. we're joined by robert booy, who's a professor of infectious diseases at the university of sydney. thank you forjoining us. social distancing is something we are all having to get used to, tell us how important it is? it is incredibly important. we just is? it is incredibly important. wejust don't is? it is incredibly important. we just don't have a vaccine now, but the effect of a vaccine can be induced by social distancing. because by stopping the transmission of the virus, we can do what a vaccine does and keep people safe from each other. and yet so safe from each other. and yet so many of us are just not good at it, or maybe we don't fully understand the importance. looking at scenes on bondi beach, but also some of the main parks in london over the weekend, people very close to one another. we are ashamed of that in australia and all right—thinking people working with their friends and collea g u es with their friends and colleagues and neighbours to do better. it is going out as a big message on our news services, through our public health units, through our hospitals, through our schools, we are mostly, in the main very serious about this, and the people who are in their 20s and think they will live forever have to think again. but in some parts of the world, it is very difficult to implement, just speaking to my colleague in new delhi when millions are crammed into small spaces and they are not actually at work, where they are being told to stay away. very hard for them to implement social distancing isn't it, depending on where you are. oh, absolutely. and we have indigenous populations, i have indigenous populations, i have worked with them in the past, where ten, 12, 15 people live at home. and that is not the rule anymore, most indigenous people have got good housing, but still a significant minority are at risk because of that. so do you think governments will have to just implement very stringent rules like we have seen for example in france, italy, to prevent the spread of coronavirus, it is going to have to be here in london as well and in other countries? we are not far behind you, many of oui’ are not far behind you, many of our states which have the authority in australia to enact isolation and, i am in a public health units, and i was told today, call crimestoppers if someone today, call crimestoppers if someone isn't doing the right thing so we can call on the police to have a talking to and hopefully that is all that is needed. someone who is not observing appropriate so through isolation. —— social isolation. this is a very important and we are paying attention. and a lot of it is about culture isn't it. in hong kong, china, singapore, south korea, when people were told to stay at home to self isolate, to keep away from others, kind of did what they were told, won't they, whereas in other places we are not so good at that. i agree, there is a culture in many countries, and i think maybe germany to commit they have a very low rate of death, where people do as they are told and they do it because they have this solidarity with each other, that we must do the right thing. australia is a little more liberal, we have two... pull our socks up and really, really get the message out there. it will be a day by day process but i think we are going to achieve it. but we're not quite the same curve as, as much of europe, but we are not as good at singapore —— and singapore either. so yeah, this is something we are preaching. we had a group meeting of our public health unit, we all stood two or three metres apart in the outside and we talked throughjust in the outside and we talked through just an hour or two ago. all right, thank you for yourtime, ago. all right, thank you for your time, from the university of sydney, professor robert booy. social lives across the globe have taken a hit in the last few days, and that's particularly upsetting for young children who have had their birthday parties cancelled. but one party organiser, who dresses up as a disney princess, is using technology to keep the magic alive. david sillito reports. social distancing. a life indoors. it's not much fun, especially if you are three. indoors. it's not much fun, especially if you are threem there is germs all around you can't go outside so we have to stay indoors. are you ready, everyone? #do everyone? # do you want to build a snowman. . . # come on let's go and play... but one thing hasn't been cancelled. jessica kingsley is today elsa from frozen, and she has found a way to give little harry his birthday party on time. harry started asking me in december to have a frozen party and we were looking forward to it, counting down the days since february. so the fa ct the days since february. so the fact that we managed to have one was just unbelievable. # let it go, let it go... # let it go, let it go... # i # let it go, let it go... #iam one # let it go, let it go... # i am one with the wind and sky... for many children who are now in isolation this is one solution for some frazzled families. but there is another issue here. work. oh, wow, you have a lovely voice! because sitting alongside her isjosh who is today playing prince hans. this is all useful work ata hans. this is all useful work at a difficult moment. all actors are now in the same boat. artists, musicians, anyone in the arts media, they can't be out there standing on a stage —— performing. so there has got to be some way i can still get the magic of our parties and our characters across to the kids. meanwhile, forjessica this experiment with a virtual birthday party seemed to be working. show me your faces! #do your faces! # do you want to build a snowman. . . # do you want to build a snowman... so how did that feel? really weird but really lovely. because remember, i could still give the children magic and that is what it was about. because it is their special day, and... this crazy pandemic shouldn't take it away from them. #do from them. # do you want to build a snowman. . . # do you want to build a snowman... i can still see their eyes on me and enjoying it, and that was amazing. you see, technology is coming to the fore in ways that we would never have imagined many of us having to our heads around how to communicate with others using all sorts of ways of, you know, all sorts of means and ways, i was doing that yesterday with my family. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @sallybundockbbc. i will see you in just a moment. hello there. for this upcoming week, it looks like much of the country will be fine and settled with some sunshine, thanks to high pressure over the baltic states. but we will have this weather front affecting the north—west corner of the country, that will bring strong winds and some persistent, at times heavy rain to the north—west of scotland. eventually weakening and sinking southwards across the country on thursday and then introducing colder, northerly winds to all areas by the end of the week. but for much of this week it will be dry thanks to that area of high pressure, certainly across england and wales where we will have that rain in the north—west. the night will continue to be chilly as well. now, as we start monday it is going to be a cold one thanks to clear skies and light winds. a widespread frost away from the north—west where we will see more of a breeze and some cloud. but that frost could be quite hard in a few places and we could even see a little bit of mist and fog, too, as the winds will be lighter. but it does mean it's a chilly start to this morning, but there should be plenty of sunshine, certainly for england and wales. for the north—west of scotland, this weather front bringing outbreaks of rain to the northern western isles and thicker clouds tending to push into scotland and northern ireland through the day. it will be windy here as well with local gales, a breezier day further south although you have all that sunshine, which will tend to be a little bit hazy at times — it shouldn't feel too bad, with temperatures reaching 12 or 13 degrees, but always cooler around some southern and eastern coasts. as we had the monday night, it stays cloudy, windy, outbreaks of rain across this north—west corner, really piling up across the outer hebrides and the north—west highlands. but here it won't be a cold night like it will be for south england and wales. it's a bit of a repeat performance of tuesday, england and wales largely dry, with some sunshine, albiet a little bit hazy at times. more cloud generally for scotland and northern ireland and it stays windy with rain really starting to pile up across the northern western isles in particular. we'll also import some slightly milder air up from the south and could see temperatures reaching 14—16 degrees in england and wales. the pressure pattern then for wednesday, little change, high pressure keeps things largely fine and settled for england and wales, our weather front bringing generally bringing more cloud to scotland and northern ireland, will start to weaken as it sinks south—eastwards, so there will be some spots of rain on it. further south, again, quite mild, those temperatures 11—14 degrees. but the milder air doesn't last. it gets squeezed out as we see a new area of high pressure build over the atlantic, that bring northerly winds right across our shores down from the arctic, so it will be settling down towards the end of the week but turning colder for all. there will be some sunshine and also wintry showers across the north of the uk on that northerly wind. good morning, welcome to breakfast with dan walker and louise minchin. 0ur headlines today: "stay at home." that's the message as the prime minister threatens further measures to limit people's movements. take my advice seriously. follow it the crucial.