against the coronavirus, and has introduced further restrictions to try to curb its spread. he's forbidden people from leaving home, except for essential reasons, from midday on tuesday, orface punishment. the us treasury secretary, steve mnuchin, is seeking a large stimulus package to prop up the american economy after the dowjones suffered its biggest ever one—day points drop. economists now no longer doubt that the global economy is heading into recession. in britain, prime minister boris johnson called on people to stop travel and avoid what he called "unnecessary" social contact. he said if drastic action was not taken now, cases could double every five or six days. he said people showing any symptoms should self—isolate for m days.
in every part of the uk, people have been taking in the full import of the government's latest advice which marks a very sharp change from just a few days ago. with advice to everyone to stop non—essential contact and to avoid pubs, clubs and theatres, the change in people's lifestyles will be significant. our correspondentjon kay reports. bristol tonight, but this could be anywhere in the uk. new advice from westminster means life is changing. when is normalcy going to come back again? laura and ann's trip to the theatre was suddenly cancelled. if it's going to protect all of us, then it's a good thing that they've done what they've done. but it is scary. it's scary that this kind of takes control out of our hands at this point. it's unknown territory, isn't it? we've just got to see what happens and it's scary for everybody. the new guidance on avoiding crowded places meansjemima and greg might have to rethink trips to the pub, but they don't think gathering
should be banned altogether. it's down to the individual, isn't it? if they want to go out, they will go out. will you go out? yeah, i'm out! in my environment, they aren't really too scared, more annoyed, i think. this will be the last bus we use. joanne and lily are changing their plans, but they are still not quite sure what the prime minister means when he says to avoid nonessential travel. i don't know how it's all going to be applied. it all seems very inconsistently applied at the moment. what do you think is inconsistent? well, some people say they are going to stay at home. some people say they are going to go out anyway and i don't know if anybody is actually really got it in the head that we might actually have to change our ways quite significantly. it is weird, it is weird... lawyer zak thinks she will now be walking to the office or working from home. as i understand it, we have been told what we are supposed to do, what the government
would like us to do. i don't think it is as as hard—line as what exactly it is to do. would you like it to be harder? clearer? um, no, i think at times like this, you've got to trust people. those with the underlying health conditions must be largely shielded. suddenly, a relaxing meal out is anything but. i prefer black—and—white. after seeing what has happened in his native italy, this restaurant owner says he will accept even tougher restrictions. if the government said, right, now you have to close down completely. i would do it immediately. you would do it? without a doubt. even if that affects business? that's life. and life is changing for all of us. jon kay, bbc news, bristol. now on bbc news, the travel show.
hello, and welcome to the travel show. now, this week, i'm in the maldives, looking back at our best bits from the past few months. now, we have had an astonishing year so far, from mike's trip to an amish holiday resort, to the time when rajan explored an ancient newly discovered tunnel underjerusalem, and let us not forget my time here in maldives where i came to find out what they are doing to protect the local marine life.
let's start with a little glimpse into the future, when lucy descended into a space centre built deep inside a spanish cave system. since hg wells wrote of the martian invasion in his 1897 novel war of the worlds, the red planet has captured our imaginations. at over 33 million miles away, it's incredible to think we could one day colonise mars. for the next 2a hours, i'll be learning how to live life like a mars colonist — in spain. astroland is a project set up to see how humans would potentially cope living on mars, from a psychological perspective.
i look ready, ifeel ready, i'm ready. our aim is to get to ares, our base, where we will be spending the night. it's anticipated that the first colonists to mars will also have to live underground in caves or lava tubes to avoid interstellar radiation. ah, we have a table. the pod is set with everything to meet your basic needs and, after all that work, it's time for dinner. i'm going for one of my favourite dishes, bolognese. right, the water's in.
give it a stir, leave for ten minutes. it looks a little bit like plastic. but i'm so hungry. that is actually quite nice. this experience isn't cheap. for non—scientists, it's about £5,000 for the 30—day experience, which includes preparation, training and about three days in the cave. imean, mars. lucy there, finding out what our future holidays on the martian surface might feel like. now, this week, i'm in the maldives, which is a dream destination for many people. but there is no doubt that tourism
and climate change have had an impact on its environment, and a while back, i came here to meet some of the people trying to do something about that. we're starting with something that up until now most tourists haven't wanted to see on their pristine beaches, but which is vital in the fight against climate change, seagrass. so sandra, tell me what is seagrass? seagrass is very important, because actually it has a lot of the functions in the ocean. not only is it a habitat or a nursery for many animals, many fish, during the different stages of their life, but it also provides most of the oxygen that we need for us, also, for breathing. and what's the biggest threat to seagrass? in most of the reserves, they thought that seagrass, it's not looking nice for the guests, because it's not the white sand that they want to have for their pictures.
so they used to remove it from the beach because of that. yeah, i mean, the project isjust to really avoid removing seagrass around the lagoon, and also not doing any action or activity next to the seagrass. so if it will grow by itself, it will be healthy. we don't need to do anything, you just need to take care of what you have. shall we have a look at the seagrass? yeah, sure, let's go. vamos. it is estimated that the world's oceans lose the equivalent of two soccer pitches' worth of seagrass every hour of every day. and, because seagrass absorbs and stores carbon far more effectively than rainforest, it's vital to see it thrive. up until now, i took seagrass for granted — i just thought it was like weeds, i didn't think it was so important. yeah, there is a lack
of information. most of the people theyjust think it's algae, it's dirty, but it really keeps, as you see, the water very clean, and it houses many, many kinds of fish. wow, so it's kind of a different mentality that people have to have, and they have to see areas that have seagrass as areas where the sea is helpful. exactly. here in the maldives, many resorts are realising that healthy underwater ecosystem is more important than tourists' picture—perfect idea of what the ocean floor should look like. we've also been looking for some similar eco—inspiration in northern argentina, this year. ibera is the world's second—largest wetland and its animal species have been dying off for decades. the people there have been looking to a fearsome predator for help.
as mike corey found out. welcome to estancia, san alonso, the island home of rewilding argentina — a project aiming to re—introduce this beautiful, terrifying animal to the wild. oh my... guys, this is... when you make eye contact with a beast this size, your heartjust goes... she's isa, she's a brazilian panther, orjaguar. she's about six years old. yeah, she's quite young. and how will the wetlands
benefit from introducing this beautiful animal? these animals were part of this ecosystem. they have been here for hundreds and thousands of years. they disappeared from the wetlands, and now this ecosystem is lacking from this top predator. and, of course, we need to maintain the prey populations in natural numbers, and not making them increase so much. this whole ecosystem evolved with that keystone apex predator. take that out and everything starts to crumble, right? exactly, yes. it's estimated there are only 250 wild jaguars left across the whole of argentina, but for many locals they still have a special, mystical significance. it's common that here in corrientes, jaguars are related with bravery and masculinity, and it's kind of related with the gaucho.
i'm allowed into the enclosure to prepare isa's meal. 0k, we've got one hanging fish, we've got one piece of mystery meat. ready to go? she looks a little bit... a little annoyed. normally i don't think food arrives this late. if we look here, there's two trapdoors, and i'vejust been granted permission to open them. wait... which one do i open? both of them? i don't want to open the wrong one. no, the blue one. wow, ok, here she comes, entering into the feed enclosure. we've hung the fish up,
let's see if she can find it. 0h! that's a predator, ladies and gentlemen. wow! and breakfast is served. mike on the prowl forjaguar in the ibera wetland. still to come on the travel show, one of the world's most significant and controversial excavations is taking place right underneath my feet. we heard there's a saying, whatever happens in pinecraft, stays in pinecraft. if this snake bites me, what happens? it is quite painful.
right, to israel next and a journey that up until last year was not even possible. in a city already bursting with antiquity it seems unlikely that there would be much to discover underneath jerusalem, but there is, as rajan recently found out. it is a city that is home to the world's three major monotheistic faiths, drawing in more than 3.5 million tourists a year. and of course, it is the diversity of ancient monuments, civilisations and architecture that everyone finds so compelling about jerusalem. and historyjust keeps on giving, because every day, even now, new discoveries and secrets are being revealed. and in fact, one of the world's most significant and controversial excavations is taking place
right underneath my feet. hi, nice to meet you. rajan. welcome, welcome to the city of david, the most spectacular place to be in israel. ok, let's go and take a look... this is franny, our guide, and excited about the excavation of what was the city 2,000 years ago. these are original stairs we're walking up. it was discovered by accident after a waterpipe burst above it during a snowstorm in 200a. we're about to have a big climb. let's do it. up we go. the pilgrimage road runs from the ancient pool of siloam to temple mount, also known as haram esh—sharif, at the top. it has been almost totally excavated now, and this is what they discovered — paving stones in almost pristine condition.
so we're now walking on original, 2,000—year—old limestone streets. that was the centre of all ofjerusalem. this is the original limestone? the original, perfect, as if it was walked on yesterday. it was in the 19th century that archaeologists first twigged that the ancient city of david wasn't actually within the famous old city walls ofjerusalem, but here, further south. but why is it so significant anyway? so the city of david is pretty much ancientjerusalem. it's the jerusalem that starts as the capital of this area, 3,000 years ago, which means everything thatjerusalem is today, pretty much, we can learn about it, whether it's politically, religiously, culturally. while the cultural team insist utmost safety for local residents is the priority, that isn't quite how everybody feels, especially amongst the palestinian community who live here in silwan, above the city of david site, which they know by the name wadi hilweh.
local residents say cracks and sloping like this to dozens of houses have been caused by the excavation, complaining it is like enduring an earthquake. nonetheless, the israeli supreme court rejected those claims. as with many issues injerusalem, there are two quite different stories being told, and as a travel writer and guide, and aziz, a travel writer and guide, offers the alternative palestinian perspective through his tours of the city. sojerusalem has many layers, and underneath us, there is a road from the second century. from the second century, going underneath here? yes, it is an old market. aziz believes it is important to recognise that, here in the markets of the old city, local arabic families have been here for generations. the city of david will tell you the jewish story there, which is legitimate, and it is important to be told. but it doesn't really
tell you the story of the palestinian residents. it doesn't really tell you the story of the islamic groups that have lived injerusalem, as well. and so, if you come tojerusalem and go to the city of david only, you will hear one narrative, a single narrative. and that's not fair to a city that has so much history, so much diverse history. it hasjewish history, it has christian history, it has muslim history, and each of those has multiple histories, as well. so here is the rub. in jerusalem, any excavation is going to be both amazing and controversial at the same time. but, for followers of three of the world's major religions, curious tourists, and lovers of history alike, the fact is this city will always be a draw. rajan, taking a stroll down pilgrimage road. let's switch continents now to florida, in the united states. it's been a popular destination for years. it's filled with flashy attractions like universal studios, disney world, and epcot.
but if you're used to a more basic way of life, the state still has plenty to offer, as mike found out when he dropped in on the gentle community of pinecraft. since starting as a tourist resort in the 19205, this has become a holiday hotspot for the amish. we have a mural here depicting everyday amish life, and a friendly man welcoming us. maybe we can ride the horse. the amish are christians that hold onto a simple, rural way of life. they're best known for the regimented, plain clothes, worn for reasons of humility and modesty. they also reject most forms of modern technology, some even avoiding electricity from the national grid. well, i guess we grow up working. i mean, we don'tjust sit around doing nothing. it's always you've got something to do.
and in the evening, of course, we read books. we don't have tv. and our children like to come home. we have cookouts. it's a very secure life. you grew up in an area where your life was always sort of — you knew what to expect. of course, as time goes on, it's not so simple anymore. you know, we don't do things like we did 100 years ago, or 50 years ago. this might look like a normal street in central florida, but actually, many of these are amish holiday homes, and if you look right here, this is a powerline. even the amish want to kick back on vacation. the neighbourhood offers more modern conveniences than you might find in one of their traditional settlements. bicycles and golf carts replace horse and buggies, and the holiday homes — they all have power. we heard there's a saying that whatever happens in pinecraft
stays in pinecraft. every winter and spring, an estimated 5,000 people come visit. but, if you're not amish, you might have to prepare for a cold reception. they tend to keep themselves to themselves, not so much out of unfriendliness than modesty, and when the camera comes out, everyone tends to scatter. i've been a lot of places, and i've met a lot of people, and i have fit in most of the time. but here, obviously i stick out like a sore thumb here, and i don't exactly know how to interact, so i kind of feel a little bit lonely at times. can you both tell me a bit about pinecraft? there's no other place like it in the world, i don't think. why do you say that? it's really a social life for all the people.
you go to the park, it's kind of a gathering place where people come and visit. there's shuffleboard down there. i think we've been very blessed to have a place to go like this, and the people accept us, and — and yeah, it's quite unique. mike, living it up with the amish. finally to sri lanka, which is planning to quadruple in size its only unesco—listed ra i nforest reserve. but you'll need to watch out for the snakes, as lucy found out. now, i know you can't see much apart from really tall trees, but mother nature's soundtrack is truly spectacular. this is the edge of sri lanka's last primary rainforest, sinharaja. it's a hotspot for biodiversity.
rare plants, unique bird species, amphibians and snakes all thrive here. it is so important ecologically that there are plans to quadruple it in size. the only way to explore it is by foot. ridma used to hike and swim in the forest as a child. it is so dense. yeah. there's only a tiny bit of sunlight coming through. he now runs tours of the jungle around the island. it's slippery. the sinharaja forest covers more than 8,000 hectares, but you don't need to walk very far to spot some wildlife. see? that's the green pit viper, under the leaves. oh, my gosh, yep. almost the same colour as the leaves. yeah. it's tiny. it is. so if this snake bites me, what happens? it's quite painful. it depends on your condition. stay away! ridma's expert eyes soon spotted another baby snake on our path. what is the name of this snake? it is the eye—catcher snake, because they used to... 0n the tree at your eye level, and with this...
see? he really tried to go for you then. yeah, he doesn't have venom, but he has teeth. they will bite you until some blood comes out. oh, my god, wow. you weren'tjoking, were you, when you said it was worth it. every time when i come into here, it's notjust going to the jungle. ijust come into the big, giant living creature. the rainforest is alive. it's alive. right, that's it for this week. we've got loads of brand—new adventures coming up very soon. but for now, from me, ade adepitan,
and all of the travel show team in the gorgeous maldives, it's goodbye. hello. the week started on a dry, fine, sunny note for many parts of england and wales. and it really was a sparkler of a day, finishing with glorious colours in the sunset, as captured here across great yarmouth. it wasn't like that everywhere, because for scotland, for northern ireland, after a decent start to monday, so that weather front spread some cloud, some wind, some rain quite widely.
now, that front drags its way a little bit further south, but you'll notice there's a kink in it. and that's going to be quite an important kink, because it thickens the cloud after a bright enought start in northern ireland and the rain is soon in here. quite a bit of it, as well. and it spreads across the good part of rain in scotland on into the afternoon, some of it getting across the border. further south, wee bit of brightness. the south—westerly breeze will usher in some really mild airs. and if you get a wee bit of sunshine, to the eastern side of the pennines, east anglia, down towards the south—east, 13, 1a, 15 could well be yours. a more showery regime across the northern and western isles throughout the course of the day, and indeed on into the evening. once that little wave is away on the weather front, that will allow it to relax its way ever further south. slow progress, it has to be said, because it's running into an area of high pressure across biscay and the near continent. so it's around and about on wednesday across wales, southern counties of england, the midlands and east anglia and lincolnshire.
further north, much brighter skies, but that sunshine doing nothing for your temperatures. the last of tuesday's really mild air is trapped there, particularly in the south—east, where again we could peak at around 1a or 15 degrees. now, from wednesday on into thursday, that weather front, more a band of cloud rather than anything else at this stage for many southern counties, mayjust have enough about it for there to be a bit of rain down into this far south—western quarter. but wales, north midlands northwards, increasingly sunny as you drift that wee bit further north. but again, there's a chilly feel right across the piece. we are into single figures. a change to the day from thursday to friday, but the overall setup is very little change, other than we might see a bit more activity on that weather front across the southern counties of england, so the chance for some rain here, and a noticeable easterly wind. so that'll make it feel fairly cool, to say the least. further north, at least you've
got the benefit of the sunshine across the midlands, much of wales, scotland, northern ireland and the north of england. but again, those temperatures are in single figures. the weekend brings us the prospect of mainly dry weather, with some sunshine, feeling chilly, and there'll be some frosty nights, too.
this is bbc news — welcome if you're watching here in the uk, on pbs in america or around the globe. i'm lewis vaughan jones. our top stories: france bans people from leaving their homes unless it's essential, or face punishment. president macron addressed the nation with this solemn message. translation: we are at war. all government and parliamentary action must now be directed towards combating the epidemic. britain's prime minister boris johnson urges the public to stay at home as much as possible, warning the virus is spreading faster in london than anywhere else in the uk. us stock markets suffer their biggest one—day percentage fall since 1987 — the trump administration is now seeking a large stimulus
package to prop up the american